The transitional period marks the period when puppies open their eyes for the first time, begin to hear sounds, start to walk around and play.

All puppies develop at different rates so although the transitional period is identified as days 14 - 21 this time may vary from puppy to puppy.

As soon as the puppies eyes open they start to show an interest in their litter mates. Elsie's puppies have been starting to climb over and chew on one another!

As they enter the socialisation period the puppies range of vocalisation increases. They start to bark and growl. They may also start to wag their tails. Their teeth begin to emerge which makes it more uncomfortable for the bitch to nurse too.

At around days 16 - 17 the puppies begin eliminating on their own. Their instinct to keep the den clean is strong, and they try to move away to eliminate further away. 

The puppies are changing so fast and it is fascinating to watch them grow. I'm loving every minute of it.

They are truly amazing x

As I want to provide the best possible upbringing for Elsie's puppies I have decided to follow the Puppy Culture program.
More information can be found here;
https://www.puppyculture.com/

One of the topics I became interested in during my research into puppy development was the work of Dr Carmen Battaglia on the effects of early neurological stimulation on Puppies. Carmen L Battaglia holds a Ph.D. and Masters Degree from Florida State University. As an AKC judge, researcher and writer, he has been a leader in promotion of breeding better dogs and has written many articles and several books.Dr. Battaglia is also a popular TV and radio talk show speaker.

Dr Battaglia states that early neurological stimulation of puppies can affect and change the puppy for the rest of it's life.

As the neurological system is forming research has shown that stressing neonatal puppies, very slightly produces beneficial effects on them for the rest of their lives. Puppies who have undergone early neurological stimulation have;

• Greater Stress Tolerance
• Greater Resistance to Disease
• Faster Adrenal System
• Stronger Heart Rate
• Increased Heart Rate.

More information on Early Neurological Stimulation including the research behind the methods can be found here;
http://breedingbetterdogs.com/article/early-neurological-stimulation
The program utilises 5 exercises that are designed to stimulate the neurological system. The handling of each pup once per day involves the following exercises:

1. Tactical stimulation (between toes)
2. Head held erect
3. Head pointed down
4. Supine position
5. Thermal stimulation.

These exercises involve gentle handling of the puppies, from touching their toes with a cotton wool bud to gently placing them onto their backs for a few seconds.

I have been following these exercises with Elsie's puppies in order to give them this early neurological advantage! - and it give me an excuse to handle the puppies more....... ;) Mr Grey puppy slept through most of the tactile stimulation exercise!

When puppies sleep they twitch and appear to jump around - this is called activated sleep. The puppies brain sends out tiny electrical impulses to the muscle which makes them twitch and contract. This electrical stimulation maintains helps the puppies to maintain muscle tone. As the puppies spend so much time sleeping, without this activated sleep they would not be able to build enough muscle tone to be able to stand independently.
This activated sleep is a sign of happy and healthy puppies :)
And it looks soooo cute!

Elsie's puppies at 8 and 9 days old. Puppies can't regulate their temperature until they start to move around by themselves. To keep warm they snuggle up to Elsie or snuggle up together in a heap! They also have a heat pad under the vetbed fleece to keep them warm.

The puppies are putting on weight steadily and are looking pretty fantastic. I could watch them for hours...............................

Elsie puppies were born on the 12th October 2016.
She had a long but relatively stress free birth with the puppies being born naturally.
Elsie has 8 puppies in all, 5 bitches and 3 dogs.

Dogs are an altricial species meaning they are born in an undeveloped state and require lots of care and feeding. When puppies are born, they cannot see or hear, as their ears and eyes are sealed shut. They also cannot urinate and defecate (Pee and Pooh) by themselves!. Puppies make noise, called et-epimeletic sounds that are primarity aimed at soliciting care. Elsie doesn't reply at all as she knows they cannot hear!

As a trainer and behaviourist I am very aware of the impact of the health and care of the mother can have on the health and development of her puppies. Jane Killion (Puppy Culture) states that 'The emotional and physical health of the mother will ultimately affect the personality and health of her offsrping'.

As prenatal stress can affect the brain development and behaviour of puppies I was keen to provide Elsie with a pregnancy that was as stress free as possible. Puppies from mothers that are stressed can have more difficulty recovering from stress as adults and they can also have decreased learning and memory when compared to puppies born from non-stressed parents.

If you stroke a pregnant bitch's side late in her pregnancy, the puppies will respond to your touch. Research shows that bitches who receive attention and stroking during pregnancy will give bitch to more docile puppies and that those puppies may enjoy being touched more than puppies whose mothers did not receive this attention. Needless to say, we stroked Elsie side a lot in her last weeks of pregnancy - it was quite fascinating watching the puppies respond!!

As you can see below we tried to ensure that during her pregnancy Elsie was relaxed, well fed and comfortable. She does like those fluffy cushions!