Eclipse litter 4 week old pictures

Eclipse Girls 4 Weeks old

We tried to get a group picture of the Eclipse Litter to celebrate 4 weeks old. It was crazy. We settled for a group picture of the boys and one of the girls. There are just too many to wrangle into a single picture.

It's easier said than done. We will try and get some individual pictures. That is more manageable.

This litter is doing amazing at 4 weeks old. Most of their nutrition is coming from puppy food right now. They have moved from the Mother and baby food mixed with goats milk to Purina Proplan Large Breed Puppy soaked in water. They are also drinking water on a regular basis. I replace it often becasue their water dish also invites a lot of water play. They are labs after all. 🙂

This past week the litter had a lot of new adventures. It was so warm here that they got to go outside for a few days. We only spent about 10 minutes out each day- I did not want the puppies to shut down so once they stopped moving, we went back inside for a nap. (Them not me)

I've added more toys, low objects to climb on, and even a wobble board. The puppies are having a great time playing with the new toys, as well as wrestling and chewing on each other.

We've also allowed 2 of our other dogs into the room for visits. Smokey our senior papillon has been very curious about the puppies. He has started playing with them- and the puppies are loving it. Fergus, our 1 year old Field Spaniel enjoys visiting as well. He likes to get the puppies chasing him around the room.

Fergus with pups

Smokey with pups

We are starting to do a bit of training with the puppies. We have introduced the clicker and they are doing great! We also have 2 individual training sessions in the morning and evening. We are doing some luring with food to get the puppies to follow us. We are working to increase their food drive so that training in the future will be easier. So far most of the puppies think this is a great game. We are using tiny pieces of chicken and they are very interested in doing whatever it takes to keep getting it.

Puppies also get individual cuddling and attention. We all get to join in and handle each puppy after meals. They are usually very receptive to this and a full belly keeps them calm while we are giving them attention.

Puppies also have been introduced to kennels and really seem to love them. We have a small wire crate and a plastic travel crate. half the litter goes in one and the other half in the other. These are always open so the puppies can go in as needed. They've caught on very fast. When one puppy gets tired, they retire to one of the crates and the rest of the puppies leave them alone. This will be a great habit to develop for later in life. All our dogs have access to crates and this is exactly how they use them. In a few weeks, we will introduce more crates and start teaching them to sleep in their own crate at night. This should help when they go to their new homes. When I am cleaning their pen, I have also begun to put them into Raven's large crate and lock the door. They have learned that this is a time for them to be calm and sleep. No one has had any issues with this introduction. We haven't had a single potty in the crate- which is exactly what I'm hoping will happen.

Finally we have been having a great success with the litterbox training. This is an important step in potty training. These pups are impressive with how quickly they are catching on!