I think at that age they`ll be just starting to be weaned and so, there`ll be plenty to do!, they`ll also be at the exploring stage I imagine although very wobbly on their pins.
Hopefully one of the breeders will see this and give you a run down on whats needed etc, if they don`t soon, I`d PM one of them and ask for advice
Was going to suggest sticking this in the breeding section rather than puppy Mary cos not sure the right people will necessarily see it ...
Good luck with Mum and pups! My inexperience thinks that you will have your hands full because I THINK Mum will be withdrawing from pups when they are that age meaning you'll have lots to do and lots of fun!!! x
I've seen a few litter of that age and they have mostly been in some sort of run/puppy pen lined with newspaper, with vet bed or a plastic bed at one end. They are very messy at this age, so a good supply of newspapers, I'd say is a must have.
You'll need bowls of some description too. You can get individual bowls, but they will all just jostle one another out of the way, so you might be better off getting a couple of puppy weaning bowls like this.... .
Mum probably won't clear up the poos once they are weaned, although she may still wash them. She also might not want to be in with them all the time. She may just want to pop back for the occasional feed. So yes you will need to do "stuff" with them, quite a lot of Stuff, especially handling and cuddling and cleaning up.
Have you been told what to wean them onto, how many feed to give them, etc, etc? As you'll need to know all that before they arrive home.
We should be given all the food for them when we bring them home!!
I did rather think it will be very hands-on for a few weeks
I will depend if Izzy (10wks) goes on Thursday to her forever home, new mum coming to meet her then! She was only 6wks old when she came to us and has grown and changed so much !!
Having just done it the once (so I'm no expert) I think you're actually taking over when the hard work really begins for the "human mum" !! I don't think I managed to drink a hot cup of tea for about 4 weeks from this stage.
The one thing which really made life much easier for us was a very secure outside run. Lorna's puppies loved being outside alot and it also allowed me to clean up properly after them indoors. We used cat boxes, igloo etc. and a childrens beach tent to shelter them from sun/rain/wind and the other dogs enjoyed sitting beside the run keeping an eye on them.
It'll be great fun, but it really is flippin hard work !!
you will need to ask about what worming routine they have had, when to continue and with what wormer. I also tended to be over-cautious at worming time - by giving them natural yoghurt before the wormer as to me, prevention was better than cure and dealing with 8 puppies with diarrhoea was what I was hoping to avoid!
I tended to keep a flexy bucket with soapy water and a flannal near the pen so I could clean up a puppy quickly. (also keeping toilet roll to hand so poos were cleaned up before trodden in... though my puppies were mainly doing all of their poos outside very early on which does make a big difference!)
Get yourself some puppy toys to keep them happy. soft toys from the charity shop are ok - providing they dont have "beads" for eyes, removing anything obvious that could cause a problem. Raggers are great for puppies to hold on to also!
Get yourself some good handcream as you will find yourself washing your hands alot!
Ask your neighbours to stock up on newspapers for you. You will need alot!
good luck and please do post with any questions as they arise!
Heidi
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Wow a mum and pups! How lovely and well done to you, how brave of you!
Good Luck; I will be keeping tabs to find out how you're getting on. Will we be getting lovely scrummy puppy pics or is it not allowed?
____________ Jane - Rosie, Frank, Suki, Lily, Lewis
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