September 23rd, 2021
From Birth To Adoption with Us
So you are deciding whether or not to adopt a puppy and you trying to find the right breeder. Well, I think you came to the right place. At Simply Standard Poodles or babies are raised and socialized in a home environment. Some might say I'm crazy but those babies are right by my side from the moment they are born until the moment I place them in your arms. I hear every sound, squeak or cry and cater to those babies as if they were human babies. Yes, mom does most of the work but consider me her fairy godmother who picks up where she needs it. After all, she birthed 9 plus puppies and is doing it all natural! I'm happy to treat her with ice cream and spoil her rotten. She just did an exceptional thing and brought beautiful gifts for you and me to share.
At times, when needed I hand feed babies every two to two and a half hours when they are born if mom's milk hasn't come in right away or she is a first-time mom and is a little nervous and unsure of what she is doing. The females that birth the pups are my own family pets. They are raised and socialized and sent to training classes up until they are ready to be moms at around two years of age and at least well past their second heat. Moms and Dads are always fully health tested and we don't mate males until they have reached at least 2 years of age and fully health tested as well. The males are also family pets. We love them dearly so they too are spoiled. From romps in the back yard, swimming in our pool, and treats galore. I haven't used other male dogs for breeding as I prefer to use my own studs I am not familiar with. We always look at temperament and conformation well before we consider them for our future breeding prospects.
So back to the babies. Here is some of what we do with our babies while they are in our care.
Week 1
Assist mom in feeding and caring for the pups.
Change the whelping box 4 to 5 times a day with fresh linens and puppy pads.
If needed, we will hand feed large litter and support mom as needed every 2- 2.5 hours through the night 24-7.
At 3 to 4 days of age, we bring pups to the vet where they will have their tails docked and dewclaws removed. This is to meet the AKC docking standard and to protect pups from future injury of snagging their additional claw that would possibly lead to a future removal of the claw.
Heat lamps are provided around the clock and heating pads keeping the puppies warm at about 101 degrees. Their temperature will decrease over the weeks as the pups begin to regulate their temperatures. They won't be able to do this till about 7 weeks so they have the heating pads until then.
Mom gets extra care as she won't leave the puppy's side for close to 2 weeks plus. She will need to go outside but you will have to support her to leave them as she won't want to.
I always feed mama with her babies food and water and stay with her the entire time. I never just leave her with the food bowls in the crate for the safety of any moving puppies.
Here is where we can complete our ENS or early neurological stimulation at about 3 days old. This is where we introduce mild stresses to very young puppies in a controlled way. It is said to help stimulate the neurological system which improves growth and development of the pups immune system, cardiovascular system, and stress tolerance.
We assist mom in stimulating the pups for bathroom duties as needed. By about 3 to 4 weeks they will be able to do it on their own until then it's mom's job and as always I support!
Puppies can't hear till about 2 weeks old however we play classical music and baby lullabies for them and mom to keep a relaxing environment and it will eventually contribute to adding in additional stimulation and supporting their little brains growth and development.
Week 2
We continue our ENS training till about 16 days old. Around that time the puppies' eyes begin to open and so do their ears.
We continue with the classical music and baby lullabies playing throughout the day and night to help increase their brain development and encourage relaxation. It also helps with them getting used to hearing voices and never feeling alone.
We will play videos that have been helpful to encourage relaxation. The puppies begin to enjoy it as they see the television with familiar movies and songs. It helps to relax them and help them fall asleep. It seems to help with crate training as well so they again don't feel alone when they in fact are.
Favorite movies of our puppies include Moana, Frozen, Coco, and Baby Einstein videos.
Puppies are now moving around a bit more and we are still changing linens up to 5 times a day.
Hand feedings are still as needed this week too and clipping their claws is a must every two weeks or so.
Week 3
Puppies are moving and grooving. Their eyes are open and they are barking and telling us when they need things. More times than not they are hungry or need help going potty. We stimulate them if mom needs help but for the most part, mom does the work.
She starts to take breaks from the pups now and comes in to feed and stay with them often.
Close to the end of the three weeks, we start them on a mush which is ground dog food and puppy formula which I give them up until the end of the 7 weeks. It's packed with nutrients and they love it! Helps to keep the stool hard too during this time. They get mush every 3 to 4 hours and clean up is always fun! Week 3 and 4 are the messiest as we get them to a thicker paste later on of mush to prepare for dry kibble.
We offer puppy toys and different sounds. Different textures to touch and feel.
Our children handle them so they get comfortable with new smells and humans.
Week 4
Puppies are still eating mush every 4 to 5 hours.
They are at about the time they all should be able to pee and poop on their own.
We clean their linens 5 times a day and put out pee pads to help guide them and get them ready for potty training.
They seem to seek out the pee pads and use them.
More work on sensory and motor skills. We will take them from the pen and put them in an open area with new toys, tables, slides, etc to explore. They are really getting active here.
They can't regulate their body temps so I do short spurts of time from the heating pads for play.
They can get a bath now but remember to get them dry as soon as possible. This is also when I will give them a shave of their nose hair and feet and tail. This is a good time to get them comfortable with getting groomed.
Week 5
Puppies are still on the mush mix just getting a little thicker. Offering a water bowl as well but I am always careful to make sure they don't drink too much or too fast. It's all a process.
Lots of playtime and socialization.
Puppies have met the crew of adult poodles over the last few weeks but now they are getting more and more curious so more visits from the older poodles for socialization.
I am changing their linens still up to 5 times a day. The cleaner the whelping boxes the less likely the pups get sick.
Week 6
Pups are watching tv and loving the movies that we play.
Baby Einstein is still on all the time and so is baby lullabies.
Were still on puppy mush with formula. I may try it with the kibble just soaking in hot water with the formula till it's soft close to the end of week six early week seven.
Puppies go to the play yard in another part of the house to try new toys.
Puppies will go out once or twice to play in the grass during the day.
Lights are on all day and go off at night in their helping boxes to simulate night and day and getting ready for crate training.
Puppies are introduced to the crate and can play and walk inside.
2nd Bath
Week 7
Puppies try the kibble soaked in hot water and formula. Toward the end of the week, they can try dry kibble if their teeth have all come in and they can chew and crunch the kibble otherwise we wait another week.
Linens get changed at least 5 times a day.
We explore new puppy setups and do dress-up phot shoots for pup dates.
We explore the outside grass at least 2x a day.
Music is still being played daily all day with Disney videos they love.
Dory is their number one go-to for bedtime. It is so relaxing! Even my older poodles will all lay on the couch when it comes on to rest. It's adorable!
More time with the crate and getting comfortable with it. We spend short times in it with a buddy to begin crate training and holding it while inside. Pups can't control their potty times till about 12 weeks but they already do not like wet linens so they will hold it till they are out.
We continue time with the pups and adult dogs.
We introduce them to different sounds. Loud and soft.
We complete Voldart testing to assess puppies' aptitude and temperaments.
The first round of shots.
Week 8
We should be on dry kibble about 3/4 cup or so 3 to 4x a day.
Feeding schedule I like to get them to 6 am, 12 pm, 6 pm, and evening snack 9 pm to try and sleep through the night.
We were practicing the feeding schedule above in week 7 but we just continue it to get ready for going home.
3rd bath possibly 4th depending on how messy they got last week.
Crate Training
Outdoor activities
Indoor activities
Rest times and nap times often.
Ready to come home to you!
Week 9 and Up
For the puppies that stay with us longer than eight weeks, we continue to the crate and potty training.
Start getting them comfortable on a leash
Practice basic commands
Linens are changed at least 5 times a day.
Puppies are fed 3 to 4 times a day.
Puppy socialization with dogs and children.
Next round of shots and vet and check-ups etc. until they find their new home.
There is always more that we do but these are some of the things to give you an idea of their growth and development. We currently use Purina Puppy chow beef flavor for our puppies to eat. Chicken seems to give them gassy stomachs. If I missed anything please feel free to contact me and I would be happy to answer your questions.