Essential Rhythms

The weeks leading up to the pups' go home date we are working diligently to establish a healthy rhythm for the pups. It will be essential to continue this rhythm for a while until a new one is learned that better fits the new family.

Basic Rhythm

Our basic rhythm looks like this... Sleep, Eat, Play. We highly recommend you follow this for a time, so the transition at your home will be seamless. Here is a helpful breakdown of what that looks like for us.

• Sleep. The pups need plenty of sleep. And at this early stage, they will sleep just about anywhere. They prefer protective spots (under grills, in boxes, crates, etc) and the warmth of other pups.

• Wake & Potty. As soon as they are awake, we take them immediately to their potty area and have them go potty. Typically they will pee right away. Sometimes they will want to give you some love first. Be patient and give them space, and not too much attention.

• Feed. We feed the dogs Hill's Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies softened with warm water or dry (pic at bottom of page). We provide one small bag for every family at pick up day. Directions for amount per weight are on the back of the package. We allow pups access to water all day until closer to bed time.

• Potty. After they eat, plan on them going potty again. Usually, they will do this within 20 mins, so expect some time of play. It is helpful to observe your pup during this time, so you quickly learn his/her unique potty behaviors. Eventually you'll know exactly when he/she is about to water your floor or drop a fragrant offering. Lol.

• Play. Every pup's love language is play! So, this will be the best bonding time for you and your pup. The more positive experiences your pup has with you during this time, the better your long term relationship will be. Work in some fun training and exercise during this time. And teach young children how to play on the pup's level. If playing inside, plan on taking your pup out to pee every 20 minutes.

• Sleep. After a good bit of play, you'll begin to see when the pup starts lagging. She/he gets tired and may sit and watch instead of play. If you have time, let them lay down and rest. Once rested, the pup will be easier to move to the crate or held for a nap on your lap. And the cycle starts again. Lol.
  

Some additional thoughts and explanations...

• Potty training. We say "Go Potty" when the pups pee or poop, so they eventually understand those words with their actions. It will be helpful to reward them for going potty in the right spot. As soon as they go, say "Go potty" and give them a tiny treat. If they don't go in the right spot, they don't get those words or a treat. Instead, we simply move them to the area we want them to go and say "Go potty." (Note: we don't punish them for going in the wrong place.) They may not go at that time, but they will eventually know that's the place. Dogs don't like to poop where they play. Nor do they like to go potty in a place that has lots of poop. So, it may be helpful to keep that in mind as well.

• Feeding frequency. When you pick up your pup, they will be used to being fed 3 times a day... 5 am, 12 noon, 7 pm. Roughly. Sometimes it's earlier, sometimes it's later. Much depends on our schedule. Though the pups are good about sneaking in a snack time from mom, we try to keep them away from mom after the late feeding. Consult your vet on when to move them to feeding only 2 times per day.

• Snuggle time. Everyone wants to snuggle with a puppy!! It is the best therapy in the world!! It can also be frustrating when the pup doesn't want to snuggle when we are ready. It is important to remember their rhythm (sleep, eat, play) and their love language (play). Build trust through play, then snuggle when they are ready to sleep. When they are ready for sleep or have just settled down to sleep is the absolute best time for snuggles!

• Handling during snuggle time. Snuggle time is also the best time to "handle" your pup. What does that mean? It means rubbing their paws, playing with their claws, opening their mouths and touching their teeth, rubbing their tummies (baby puppy tummies are the best!!), moving their ears around, and the like. Do this EARLY and OFTEN in your dog's life, so when it comes time to clip nails or brush teeth or give pills or clean ears, your pup will be good with it.

• Sleeping through the night. Oh, goodness!! This will be the toughest part about having a puppy. Puppies don't sleep very long, and their bladders don't hold very long. A perfect combination for a frustrating night. Here is what we do in the last weeks before pups go home... In the evening we don't let them go down for the night until 9 pm. If we see them sleeping earlier than that, we'll go "stir" the puppies. That is, we'll get them out to potty and play (no feeding or watering). We may have to do that a few times, but around 9 pm we put them in their beds for the night. Then we wake up at 4 am to get them out to potty again. I know... 4 am!!?? Really!!?? Remember, we have 8 puppies to work with, not 1. So we are trying to minimize the poop smears all over their bedding and all over their fur; and we've found 4 am works the best. At that time we only have one or two poops to worry about (instead of 7 or 8, lol), and all the pups are still sleeping, so clean up is quick and minimal. Whew! When they go home, it should be easier for you. From our own experience... Our older two (Liela and Willow) were crate trained, which made it much easier - dogs don't like to soil their sleeping areas. Our third (Bayleigh) refused to crate train - because she wanted to be with mom and sister - so we were up every day super early taking her out and cleaning up her pee/poop. Your pup may also let you know they need to go potty - soft whines or bark. You'll eventually learn to distinguish which whine/bark means "I need to go!". And you will eventually find a good rhythm with your pup, so that in a short time the pup finally will be sleeping through the night without an accident.