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Goal:
Begin building positive associations to the world! Introduce passive sounds, surfaces, novel objects &body handling to begin building pup’s resilience.
Environments:
Whelping box or room that the litter is housed. Interactive activities can be done in a separate clean room.
Volunteer Type:
Experienced or staff only (note brood’s comfort levels)
During these first weeks of life the pups are introduced to this world that they will share with humans. Pups enter this world as blank canvases and our job is to provide a den that is both interesting and challenging.
A den that provides many scents, textures and movements/vibrations will start to fill in the blank canvas. The pups will start to build up a memory bank of positive experiences and associations around many different things.
Encourage mom to come near the puppies and interact with the items. If puppies continue to show stress signs, return puppies to their den with Mom and try a shorter amount of time next time.
Our goal is to begin to slowly introduce passive sounds, surfaces, and novel objects. Begin to introduce age-appropriate environmental enrichment and one different environment. We also want to continue to make body handling a positive experience.
In preparation for when the puppies’ ears open up, prepare the brood so she is familiar with different sounds, as well as sounds coming from different directions.
Music- Think variety. Jazz, Classical, Country, Weather, etc. Music can be played quietly on a radio, or computer in the same room as the whelping box for half an hour per day. Safe objects that make noise can also be placed in the whelping box. If Mom is uncomfortable with items or will chew items up, only place them in the den under supervision for a short period of time.
Different surfaces can be added to the whelping box for an hour each day as long as the Mom is comfortable with the objects and will still continue to take care of the puppies.
Fabric around the edge of the whelping box will enable passive desensitization. Remove the fabric at night if the den is not supervised.
The puppies’ sense of smell is developed from birth in order to find their mother for food. Use these early weeks to introduce new scents, and move the scent box around the den to provide some directional variety. Do not use strong fragrances, instead use light and calming essential oils or similar. Remove at night if the den is not supervised.
The activities below can be done in a clean room or right outside of the whelping box. If done in a separate room, make sure Mom goes along to support the puppies. Place a blanket or other non-slip material on the floor where the puppies will be to help with their traction as they explore the objects. Pick on activity to work on at a time. Place items on the sheet and allow puppies to explore the items on their own. Make sure to keep the activity short, no more than 15 minutes. Continue to massage puppies each day following the protocol below.
As puppies grow, it is important to introduce them to positive body handling. One way to accomplish this is with massage. Below is the age- appropriate amount of time per puppy.
Age of Puppy | Time |
0-7 days | 1 minute |
8-14 days | 5 minutes |
15 days and older | 10 minutes |