Welcome back.
We are with the Springer Spaniel puppies.
A litter of three - two boys and a girl.
They are now four weeks old.
The last time we were here they had just opened their eyes and they were just beginning to
have a look around but my what a difference a week makes.
Yes.
The amount of difference between when their eyes open and when their ears open, because
that is important as well, in a week they just become puppies.
You kind of walk in the kitchen and then you go, yes there is puppies here.
Before, they did not really do anything.
They were just really lying around.
And it does take a couple of days for their eyes and ears to open.
Whereas now they are what I would say are proper puppies.
From my point of view as the breeder I have pretty much stopped worrying now.
They are healthy, eyes are open correctly, ears are open correctly.
they are feeding well.
They are putting on a lot of weight.
They have discovered each other.
They do a lot.
I was going to say, they have started acting as individuals.
One will decide it is going to go over to another one and nip it on its ear.
Yes that is what they are doing now and when you put food down, because I have now started
to wean them, there is always one I think it is Reggie is the first one to the bowl.
You know, eating away.
The other two kind of wander around a bit but then they realise.
They will watch.
If they see the other puppy eating they will go, what is that puppy doing.
You will get the one that likes to wind them up.
They want to sleep and they will go, no, i am going to wake you up and go and just kind
of pound on that one.
They are fun, this is the funnest stage I think right now.
Are there any individual characters emerging do you think.
You mentioned Reggie there.
Reggie is the eater.
I have not necessarily seen him winding the other ones up yes but I think that will come.
And you said you are starting to wean them.
They still are taking milk from Mum.
Yes, I let them have milk from Mum as long as they want.
With the last couple of litters they were feeding form Mum til the day they left.
There is no harm comes out of it.
Mum will tell them when she is done.
If Mum wants to finish she will finish.
She will growl at them and push them away.
Buy the more milk they can get the better.
So at this stage I started two days ago, on Sunday, I put one bowl of food down to see
what they would do.
It is amazing, they just know.
You put the food down and they just start eating it.
So now I am putting it down about two or three times a day.
I am not that worried about it because they are still getting milk from Mum.
In another week I will get them more in a routine and it will be four times a day that
it will go down.
And I will keep Mum out - or Mum will eat the food.
That is the only problem.
So when I am really ready to wean them, it will be four bowls down throughout the day.
Mum will nowhere around so they can actually get the food.
And how is Mum doing.
Mum great yes, she is fine.
She has not lost a lot of weight which is good.
And she is fine.
Her temperament is fantastic.
The only thing she is doing and she always does it when she has a litter, is she will
tip the rubbish bin over.
As soon as the puppies go, when she does not have puppies she does not do that.
But there is something about when the puppies are here, if you leave her and the rubbish
bin in the same room, the rubbish bin will be over.
Interesting.
Yes, they pick up weird traits when they breed.
So this is why I say to everybody, unless you really want to breed from a dog, if you
want to do that as a proper thing, that is fine, but do not just go down this road of
I will have one litter and then that is it because it is not as easy as it looks.
The dogs can pick up strange temperaments.
I was going to say, is there much of a change between the character of Mum before she had
the pups and how she has been in the last four weeks.
A little bit.
I would say like tipping the bin, and stealing food.
She would never steal food except when she has a litter of puppies.
When they have gone she will probably go back to not stealing.
Yes, it will take her a good month before she calms down and becomes the dog she was
before she ever had puppies.
It is obviously a hormone thing.
Whether the food is.
She is subconsciously, or however a dog would think, I have to get food or stockpile food
for the puppies.
So yes, it is something - she would never steal food if there was not a litter of puppies.
And now if you leave anything on the counter she has it.
Tips the bin over, eats what is inside the bin.
And does she do anything else with the puppies apart from feed them.
We have seen them playing, there are play fights a little bit.
Does she intervene in any of that or does she just leave them to it.
She leaves them to it until they are slightly older and then they will fight and if they
get too aggressive with each other or bit too hard, the puppy who has been bit will
squeal very loud.
And that is just a warning to the puppies saying this is too hard.
IF they get too crazy and aggressive Mum will intervene.
She will stop it.
The other thing is they will sometimes bit Mum.
And she will let them do that for a little bit but then she will tell them off if they
bit too hard.
It is just how puppies learn.
That is why it is so important puppies stay with their Mums as long as possible because
Mum teaches them all those really important lessons.
And only Mum can do that.
So as we approach week five, what do you expect to be happening in the next week before we
come back filming again.
Before you come back I will have their Kennel Club names, they have been done, they have
been registered.
I will book them in for their microchip.
They are big enough in week six I will get them microchipped and checked.
For their development, they will just become more and more alert.
They will be eating four meals a day, they will having less milk from Mum.
They will be interacting with eachother now.
The whelping box has gone which you will have seen on the video.
So now they are in the play pen.
Probably in a another week, I will start leaving the door open.
If we are in the kitchen, just to let them have a little wander around the kitchen.
That is when the fund starts.
Yes that is when it gets a little more complicated but we try to keep them in the kitchen.
And then maybe the front sitting room.
Just for little bit.
Just to wander.
If the weather holds and it does not get too cold, and too muddy I will put them outside.
But would need to be fairly warm.
That you for letting us see them this week, we look forward to seeing them next week.
Thank you.