Below are Tara’s 2 week old puppies.
Tara’s 2 week old puppies are starting to open their eyes and ears. Most of them are up on their feet (though still very wobbly). We’ve moved them to a pen with Tara doing most of the work of taking good care of them. We hold them often (especially when one cries) and are doing daily ENS, weighing, giving probiotics, and keeping everything clean. We’ve also just started bottle feeding them once a day in addition to their getting momma’s milk from Tara. See below for more details on their development and what we do with them at this age.
Puppy Pen Set Up
Scroll down to see the current litter set-up.
In the picture above of Tara’s past litter of 2 week old puppies, our kitchen is directly to the right. Our garage is through the glass door toward the rear. We were still training a couple of Molly’s puppies so the green on the floor in the garage is a temporary flooring that gives padding and traction. The table next to the TV has scales set up. The small pen to the left is where we put the puppies for the short amount of time that it takes us to change the pads. The pen closest to the camera is where Tara can come and go on her own to take care of her babies. Overnight, she is closed in this area. During the day, we let her in when she wants.
For Tara’s current litter, the pen set-up is exactly the same as it always been for one litter, but it is in a different place. We still have all 10 of Eva’s puppies. Eva’s puppies’ pen is in the place you see in the above picture. Until Tara’s puppies are 2 weeks 5 days (when all of Eva’s puppies will be gone), Tara’s puppies are in the eating area which is where I am standing to take the above picture. See the above write up to understand what the three different penned areas are for.
Tara’s puppies have been in this same location since birth. However, we’ve recently moved them from the whelping box to a pen.
You may notice that there is a makeshift “bed” in our eating area. I have been sleeping on our table since Tara went in labor for this litter 2 weeks ago. I have two travel mattresses on top of the table so it is fairly comfortable. This location gives me a good view of the puppies to make sure the puppies are safe through the night.
The mattresses will be put away today. The age at which there is a danger of a mom rolling on them has now passed.
Eyes and Ears Are Opening
At around two weeks of age, puppies are beginning to open their eyes. With some litters, their eyes are wide open at 2 weeks. Other litters take a little longer and their eyes are only partially opened and will be fully opened by 16 days.
Puppy ears are also starting to open. Just after 2 weeks, they will discover their voices. It is interesting to hear them at this stage as they “practice” barking and making noises.
The Moms
The moms are now spending more time away from the puppies, leaving them for two or three hours at a time. When puppies are about two weeks of age, we take down the whelping box and set up a pen for the puppies. One end of the pen has a section for the mom to step over a barrier that is too tall for the puppies, but allows mama dog to have access in and out as she pleases.
The moms are eating a huge amount of food when nursing a litter of puppies. In order to keep their weight on, we let them eat as much as they want. For larger litters, this is often about 4 times as much as they normally eat. The moms also need access to a lot of fresh water. Making enough milk for larger litters takes a lot of nourishment.
What We Do With Them at This Age
We will continue with daily ENS (early neurological stimulation) until puppies are 16 days old. In addition, puppies are handled often every day. Our overnight visuals come to an end at 2 weeks unless there is a puppy that is behind developmentally who needs additional monitoring. We are continuing with probiotics, but the weighing of puppies will only be done twice a week at this point unless there is a puppy that is smaller than most. Small puppies is not uncommon. They usually catch up by the time they go home.
If the litter is large, we will begin bottle feeding at around 2 weeks. If the litter is small or if the mom produces an exceptionally large amount of milk, we will only bottle feed once or twice just before three weeks of age. Bottle feeding these chunky babies isn’t necessary nutritionally, but we feel that it further enhances the puppy/human bond.
Puppies also take their turn being carried around by one of us starting at this age. I will often be doing other household chores while having a 2-3 week old puppy in my arm.
Making Plans to Pick Up Your Puppy
It is now time to start making plans for picking up your puppy. Contact us when you have made tentative plans before booking flights. We schedule 2-hour appointment times. If you are particular about when you come, let us know as soon as possible so that your preferred time slot doesn’t get taken by someone else.
For more information on how we raise our puppies, see our Raising Puppies page.
We’ll continue keeping you posted on how Tara’s two week old puppies are growing on a weekly basis. See our Available Puppies page to get to pages of Tara’s 2 week old puppies at other ages.
