+ Eyes should open around days 8-10
+ Ears should open around days 13-17
+ Temperatures should be around 97-99F
Neonatal Period Birth to 2 weeks
Transitional 14 to 21 days
The pups heads still look more like wrinkled old men. You can see the rounded nose, and small fat ears. Eyes are still closed, but should start opening up any
day. When the eyes start to open, that's the end of the close up flash pictures for a while, since sudden bright light could damage the immature eyes.
Puppies are born with eyes and ears closed, Their experiences are thru touch and smell. They are able to sense heat, cold, and texture. They are totally dependent
upon their mother for everything, even the stimulation of bowl and bladder function.
The puppy’s nervous system undergoes rapid development. The eyes and ears open, and baby teeth appear. He begins to stand up and by three weeks will try to
explore his environment. He begins to interact with littermates and learns play behavior. By 21 days the puppies are able to lap food from a bowl, though they
continue to nurse.
4/18/2002 8am: 1st day of week 2. :-)
More puppy pictures.....
Don't take my picture! Im having a bad hair day!
3:00 pm. When I let Seger out this afternoon, she started digging a nest in the sand in our storage area. Sometimes dogs feel the need to relocate their young.
Betty, Jet's mother, used to try to do this. She thought under the canoe would be a good place to raise her family, and every chance she got, she would dig a bigger
and bigger hole under the overturned boat! Needless to say, she was not allowed to move them! Since it was another unseasonably hot day today, it may be Seger's way of looking for a cooler place. The heat supply is off in the puppy room now. For the first week, I had to keep the temperature in the 80 to 90 range, since the pups could not regulate body temperatures by themselves.
This is the second week, we can gradually lower the temperature to 70. Since its hotter than that outside, I set up a small fan for Seger in the corner of the whelping room. The pups still have to be protected from drafts and chilly night air, but Seger is feeling the heat.
She is also blowing her coat. Many times this beautiful mom looks like a haggard, pathetic bald thing when the pups are weaned. People
coming to see the pups are usually shocked at how much hair a bitch can loose while raising a family. The combination of her spring shedding, the demand on her
body feeding the family, and hormonal changes all contribute to the hair loss. Since a Curly does not have an undercoat, the hair loss is very noticeable. Seger
is shedding quite a bit, but not as much as other bitches I have known. Her mother, Bumper, had a wonderful coat, even after raising 14 pups! Maybe Seger will
be that lucky!
If people come over and see that I have mulched my flower beds with curly liver hairs..... you will know she wasn't that lucky!
4/19/2002 Day nine