How We Raise Our Puppies

Bringing puppies into the world is a journey we take with care, patience, and love. From the moment they’re born, each one is nurtured in a safe, loving environment where their health and happiness come first. Those first weeks are so important, and we do everything we can to give them the best start in life.

This page gives you a week‑by‑week look at how we raise our puppies from birth until they’re ready to go home around 9 weeks old. It talks about the care, socialization, and early training we focus on during those weeks — but each litter develops at a slightly different pace, so this may vary a bit by litter.

Birth

When labor starts, mom settles into her whelping box and we stay close. As each puppy is born, we clear their airways, rub them gently until they’re breathing well, and make sure they’re strong. We tie and cut the umbilical cord, dry them off, and place them with their mother so they can nurse and stay warm.

We stay close and help with the important first steps, while mom does the rest. Before long, the box is full of tiny squeaks and nursing sounds, and the litter is off to a healthy start.

Birth to 2 Weeks

At this stage, puppies are blind and deaf because their eyes and ears are still sealed shut. They spend nearly all their time nursing and sleeping, staying close to their mother for warmth and nourishment.

For the first couple of days, our focus is on monitoring closely, weighing them daily, and making sure each one is thriving. Starting on day 3, we begin a series of early exercises that help set the foundation for confident, resilient puppies.

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Early Scent Introduction (ESI): Each day we bring in one new scent and let each puppy smell it for about 5 seconds. This helps them start building positive associations with new experiences and strengthens their ability to process the world around them. Puppies who practice ESI often grow into dogs that are more curious and adaptable.
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Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS): We gently hold each puppy upright, upside down, and on their back. We tickle between their toes and place them briefly on a cool cloth. Each exercise lasts only 3–5 seconds, but together they help puppies develop stronger nervous systems, better stress tolerance, and resilience in new situations.
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Early Grooming Desensitization: We gently touch their tails, ears, feet, tummy, nose, inside their moths, and around their eyes. We also blow a little air on them and let them feel the vibration of the back of grooming clippers. These gentle touches and sensations help puppies get comfortable with handling and prepare them for grooming and care later in life.
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Gentle Chiropractic Check: We also have each puppy evaluated by a certified animal chiropractor during their first week. This gentle adjustment helps catch any small birth‑related misalignments early, supporting healthy movement and comfort as they grow.

2 to 4 Weeks

During this stage, puppies begin opening their eyes and ears as their senses slowly come to life. They start crawling with more strength and coordination, and they begin playing and interacting with each other more. They’re still very dependent on their mother, but their world is slowly expanding as they start noticing sights, sounds, and textures around them.

We continue all the same early stimulations from the first stage, but now we add new experiences:

Potty Training Foundations: Puppies naturally avoid soiling their bedding, so we place a small potty tray at the opposite side of their pen. As their mobility improves, they begin crawling toward it and using it, which sets the stage for clean habits and makes later potty training much easier.
Soft Toys and Textured Mats: We introduce a few plush toys and small mats with different textures. Toys encourage gentle play and exploration, while mats help puppies experience new surfaces under their paws.
Sound Exposure: We begin playing different everyday sounds near them — things like household noises, gentle music, or recorded sounds of the outside world. This helps puppies learn that new noises are safe and normal, reducing the chance of sound sensitivity as they grow.
First Grooming Steps: At 2 weeks, puppies get their first nail clip and a trim around their bum and paw pads. These small grooming steps keep them comfortable and start building positive associations with being cared for, and from here on they’ll continue getting a mini groom every two weeks.
Increased Handling and Socialization: Puppies are handled more often now, gently picked up and cuddled, and they start learning to come toward our voices.

4 to 5 Weeks

By this stage, puppies are beginning to walk, still a bit wobbly, but steadily improving each day. Play becomes more active and engaging, with little pounces, tail wags, and growing curiosity about their surroundings. They also begin teething, mouthing toys and littermates as part of their play. Their personalities start to peek through as they interact more with people, littermates, and their environment.

We continue everything from the earlier weeks — potty training, sound exposure, grooming, textures, toys, and daily handling — and add a few new things:

Softened Food: This is the week puppies begin eating softened food alongside nursing as they transition toward solid meals.
Hanging Toys: We introduce dangling toys that sway and bounce to encourage reaching, batting, and early problem‑solving.
Exploring New Rooms: Puppies are carried into different parts of the house to experience new sights, smells, and sounds in a safe, positive way.

5 to 6 Weeks

By this stage, puppies are running and playing with much more confidence. They’re beginning to recognize familiar voices, respond when called, and show more independence as they explore. Their play is livelier, with little chases, pounces, and wrestling, and they’re becoming more curious about the world around them.

We continue experiences from earlier weeks and also introduce:

Basic Training Foundations: Puppies learn sit to say please as a basic manner — sitting calmly whenever they want something, which teaches patience and polite behavior. Alongside this, they begin learning the commands "sit" and "come", laying the foundation for obedience training.
Exploring Outdoors: We carry puppies outside so they can experience new places, animals, sounds, and smells. This broadens their world and helps them grow into adaptable, confident companions.
Supervised Playtime: They enjoy short play sessions outside their pen with children and some of the adult dogs. This builds social skills, teaches boundaries, and helps them learn to interact safely with both people and other dogs.
Crate Introduction: A crate is added to their pen, giving them a cozy den‑like space to rest. This helps them learn that crates are safe and comfortable, making future crate training much easier.
Grooming Tools: Puppies are introduced to brushes and combs, getting used to the feel of grooming so it becomes a normal, positive part of life.
Toy Rotation: Toys are traded out daily to keep playtime fresh and engaging, preventing boredom and encouraging exploration.
Daily Snuggles: Puppies receive plenty of cuddles every day. This strengthens their bond with people, builds trust, and helps them feel secure and loved.
Potty Training Progress: By this age, puppies are usually doing quite well with their potty training. They’re learning to consistently move to the potty tray, which helps keep their pen clean and builds strong foundations for later training.
ESI and ENS Completion: Early Scent Introduction and Early Neurological Stimulation conclude at 6 weeks, having given the puppies a strong foundation for curiosity, adaptability, and resilience.

6 to 7 Weeks

By this stage, puppies are noticeably more bold, confident, and adventurous. They explore new spaces eagerly and show a growing interest in anything that moves, makes noise, or looks fun to investigate. Their play is more coordinated and energetic, and they’re beginning to show clearer preferences in toys, activities, and people.

We continue everything from the weeks before, while adding a few new skills and experiences:

Training Progress: Puppies continue practicing sit to say please, and we keep working on the commands "sit" and "come". This week, we also introduce "down", attention work, and simple patience exercises to help them learn to focus and settle.
Outdoor Play: Puppies now get supervised playtime outside in the grass. This gives them new textures, smells, and natural challenges to explore.
Follow‑the‑Leader: We begin playing follow‑the‑leader games, encouraging puppies to follow their people. This builds engagement and sets the stage for easier leash training later on.
Indoor Obstacle Play: Puppies enjoy supervised indoor play sessions with different textures and obstacles — ball pits, slides, wobble boards, boxes, cones, and more. These activities build confidence, coordination, and problem‑solving skills.
Bath & Grooming: Puppies receive their first bath and blow‑dry, along with another mini groom. This keeps grooming experiences positive and familiar.
Roadside Exposure: Puppies are carried to the side of the road so they can safely see and hear passing cars. This helps normalize traffic sounds and movement without overwhelming them.
First Car Rides: Puppies go on their first car ride to the vet, followed by a few short, positive car rides. This helps them learn that travel is normal and not something to fear.
Meeting New People & Animals: Puppies meet new people and friendly animals regularly, helping them stay open, social, and adaptable.
Solid Food Transition: Puppies begin transitioning from softened food to solid kibble and freeze-dried as a raw topper, eating more independently and relying less on milk.

7 to 8 Weeks

By this stage, puppies are more deliberate in how they explore. They don’t just wander — they investigate, experiment, and try to figure things out. Their play has more intention, their reactions are quicker, and their individual personalities are much stronger and easier to see now, with each puppy showing more of their own unique way of interacting with the world.

We continue everything from the weeks before, while adding a few new skills and experiences:

Personality Testing: Puppies are personality tested once they turn seven weeks old to help us make sure each one is matched to the perfect family.
Training Progress: Puppies continue practicing sit to say please as a manner, and they keep working on the commands "sit", "come", and "down". This week, they also begin learning "shake" and "hi‑5", along with ongoing attention and patience exercises.
Closed Crate Time: Each day, puppies get a short session of closed‑door crate time — about five minutes — with a stuffed Kong to help them associate the crate with calm, positive experiences.
Sound Exposure: During meals, we clank bowls behind them so they learn not to startle easily. General sound exposure also continues as part of their daily routine.
Puzzle Meals: Some meals are offered in puzzle toys to encourage problem‑solving, slow down eating, and make mealtime enriching and fun.

8 to 9 Weeks

This stage is a big milestone for the puppies as they prepare to join their new families. Their time with us is almost over, so they get a little extra spoiling — because we’ll obviously miss the little stinkers — and they spend this week polishing the last bits of confidence, social experiences, and training that help them transition smoothly into their new homes.

Potty Training: Puppies are now almost completely reliable on their potty mat and can easily transition to going outdoors with their new families.
Follow‑the‑Leader: We keep playing follow‑the‑leader and we may even introduce a leash at this stage to help them start connecting the idea of walking with their person.
Closed Crate Time: Puppies now get about 10 minutes of closed‑door crate time each day with a stuffed Kong, helping them feel calm and comfortable in the crate before going home.
Bath & Mini Groom: Puppies get another bath, blow‑dry, and mini groom so they’re fresh and clean before heading home.
Food: Puppies continue eating kibble with freeze‑dried raw, and they’re mostly weaned at this point.
Go‑Home Prep: Each puppy gets to help pick out some of their go‑home items, things like a toy, a blanket, and a little sweater, so they head off with a few familiar things to help make the transition easier.

Final Thoughts

We pour our hearts into giving every puppy the best start possible, and by the time they’re ready to head to their new families, they’ve built a solid foundation. From there, it’s up to their people to keep up the socialization and training so they grow into polite, confident furry little ladies and gentlepaws.