By about three weeks of age, you can—and should! —begin gently handling the puppies1 for short periods for reasons other than basic health care. Once the puppies have their eyes open, you can try carefully picking them up, holding them for a bit, and placing them back in the box.
Although you may want to pet and hold the puppies constantly, it is important not to intervene too much in the first week or two of their lives, as they are very susceptible to disease, and it can be stressful for the mother and puppies.
In general, puppies shouldn't be picked up, carried around or played with until their eyes are open and they can walk easily. This is around three weeks of age. Until then an adult may hold a puppy and allow a small child to pet it carefully.
The ideal time
Eight weeks after birth, the puppy is eating solid food on their own, they have benefited from socializing with litter-mates and observing mom, and they are well within the ideal timeframe to bond with new owners. Breeders may also opt to keep the puppies until 10 or 12 weeks of age.
Newborn puppies need constant supervision.
Puppies can be easily squashed or suffocated if they become trapped under the dam. You will also need to monitor the litter closely to make sure that the individual pups aren't being rejected by the dam. The dam may single out one pup and reject it entirely.
The puppies should be kept warm and should nurse frequently. They should be checked every few hours to ensure they are warm and well fed. The mother should be checked to make certain that she is producing adequate and normal-appearing milk. "The puppies should be kept warm and should nurse frequently."
Normally the new mother will spend most of her time with the puppies. For the first few days it may be difficult to get her to leave the nest even to go to the bathroom. However, it is important that she continue to urinate and defecate normally.
Sleep in the same room for the first few nights.
For the first few nights, your puppy will need time to adjust to being without their mum. Wherever you decide to settle them in your house, it's a good idea to spend the first few nights in the same room with them so they don't wake up in a panic because no-one is there.
Puppies: Puppies should nurse vigorously and compete for nipples. Newborns can nurse up to 45 minutes at a time. Be sure to watch puppies nursing at least once a day, if the mother will permit it. Check that everyone is nursing and that there isn't too much jockeying for position.
Please note that mother dogs may accidentally crush them, to prevent this it's important to have a whelping box with "pig rails." If you do not have rails in the whelping box, you may need to stick by the whelping box when they are nursing to make sure they are not smothered and that she doesn't harm them in any way.
Pups remain contently in their whelping box for the first 20 days of their life.
Wash hands frequently especially between runs of unvaccinated, newly vaccinated or ill puppies and runs containing newborn puppies and moms. Gloves may be worn but good hand washing is still necessary. Gowns and gloves should be worn if a run has ill puppies.
Puppies are generally considered to be 'safe' two weeks after they have had their second round of injections. If your puppy was vaccinated at 8 weeks, again at 10 weeks, they will be ready at 12 weeks old. Your vet is the best person to advise on this.
It's common for mothers to lie on they puppies or at least look like they are lying on them. It's an instinctive behaviour and just means the mother is trying to keep her puppies warm. This behaviour is why it's important to have a whelping box.
Healthy newborns should have a healthy suck reflex, a normal and functioning urethra and anus, no cleft palate, pink and moist gums and mucous membranes, and a healthy coat. Dr. Klein, our Chief Veterinary Officer, recommends purchasing a baby scale to monitor weight gain in each puppy.
It is their way of showing how comfortable they feel around you and how much trust goes into your relationship. It could also be that the momma is extremely proud of her puppies and she simply wants to show them off.
The pups should be kept warm, free from drafts, away from other dogs, and the neighbors and their children. Healthy well-nourished pups should be quiet, eat and sleep (with some jerking during REM) 90% of the time, gain weight daily after the first 2 days, and show increasing strength and body tone.
After birth and for the first few days, puppies should generally be fed every two hours, even at night time. After a couple of weeks, the interval between each feeding will naturally increase and puppies will be able to go for four to six full hours between each suckling session.
At this young age, newborn puppies are incredibly fragile. Puppies under two weeks old need to be fed every 3-4 hours. Slightly older puppies, aged two to four weeks, should be fed every 6-8 hours.
Keep pets out of the room they sleep in, and never let a pet share a bed with your baby. Always introduce your pets gently to a new baby. Dogs may feel jealous of a new baby when you first bring them home. Try to give your dog some special attention when you can, so it knows you still care about it.
A small box with blankets and a heating lamp is ideal. Keep the lamp at a fair distance so the environment does not overheat. A heating pad and blankets can also work, just make sure the heating pad is well-covered to prevent burns.
Puppies are born with their eyes and ear canals closed, and their main activities are sleeping and nursing. They cry or whine to seek contact or care from their mother. At this stage, puppies are helpless; they rely on their mother for everything from food and grooming to a warm and secure place to sleep.
A whelping or nesting box in a quiet corner of the living room is preferable to an anxious mother constantly leaving her puppies. Some dogs like the owner to be with them the whole time they are in labor. Others prefer to have their puppies in seclusion.
A whelping box. An absorbent material for the whelping box, such as newspapers (but these may become sodden quickly and often stay wet and cold), puppy pads, incontinence pads or vetbeds. Clean towels or paper towels to help clean up during labour. Towels for drying and cleaning up the puppies.
Keep the litter together for a minimum of 8 weeks.
Keeping the puppies with their litter and mother for 8 weeks is a must. Separating puppies prior to 8 weeks can lead to long-term behavioral issues.