Time To Expand The Play Yard For Our Growing Puppies!
The puppies have finally reached that magical time where they’re starting to get a balance between play time and nap time. At five weeks they really start getting active. With them at this point, it’s time to get them in a little bit bigger of a play area than just the whelping box.
We also like to take this time to utilize the opportunity to get them acclimated to kennels. We are not shutting them in over night, but we do give them the option to play and nap in them. We also put a blanket over the kennels to satisfy their instincts for a warm cozy den. This, in turn, makes them more comfortable with their new found place of solace and protection a kennel can provide.
In a week I will start drawing them in with a treat and then shutting the door. I will then wait a couple of minutes and then give another treat as a reward. We will do this once a day for awhile. Our goal in doing this is to make it a positive experience for the puppy and in turn makes them want to utilize the kennel. When they come
home to you I would suggest positive reinforcement as well to help you with acclimating your puppy into your family. I don’t believe that any dog should live out their days in a kennel but we should stop and recognize the comfort and safety that it can provide to your puppy especially in a stressful situation.
They will be five weeks this Saturday and that puts us at a monumental point of where we get to have their first Neo Par shot. This is a vaccination against Parvo and also means that we get to play outside. Pretty small periods of time now, but we get to play outside and it gets so fun to watch them discover their new world.
