ATB VIDEO: Brittany Puppies On the Move

 

The neonatal stage (birth to two weeks) has officially ended! This stage as you may remember began with the initial sense of touch and taste which was present immediately after birth. It is also the stage in which Thistle has the single most important influence upon the development of her pups.  When the pups behavior and responses indicate that they are beginning to see, hear, and their activity level increases this period of development has come to an end.

 

The transitional stage (two to four weeks) is now upon the "Only Believe (all things are possible)" litter and it is a stage they have been approaching rapidly and without hesitation. Thistle will of course continue to influence the behavior of the puppies but they also are now influenced by their play and interaction with each other. John and I will continue on with our S.M.A.R.T. puppy training and create more opportunities for learning. Within just a few days the pups go from the uncertainty of seeing blurry shapes and hearing strange sounds to a new found confidence. There are those who will advance and approach the unknown and there are those who will gather together with other littermate and observe from a difference. However eventually each puppy becomes confident, playful and desiring of more interaction with John, and I and anyone who comes to visit. 

 

I took the above video today which is Day 19.  Last night several of the pups crawled up, over, and out of the whelping box. They did not go far and Thistle stayed very close to them until John or I put them back in. We like to observe what is called their 'startle response' to these accidental tumbles out of the box as well as how the react to new sights and sounds.  We learn a lot about the entire litter in these early episodes of discovery. Although understandably wobbly the pups are standing, walking a little, wagging their tail and even woofing! By the end of the fourth week their eyesight will be well-developed, they will have teeth, and we will have started the process of weaning.

 

As always thank you for your interest in All Things Brittany.  We have shared many more photos on our All Things Brittanys Facebook page where there is an online photo album of pictures of the pups. Take care and God bless, John, Ann, and our canine crew.