We are very pleased to announce that Lexi gave birth to a beautiful litter of European Golden Retrievers on June 12, 2023! Max, our imported champion from Ukraine, is the proud father. Follow along in this blog post for updated litter photos and for little details like when their eyes open and when weaning begins.
Lexi did an incredible job giving birth to her little ones. Several of the main priorities during birthing and immediately after is ensuring the puppies are thoroughly warmed, cleaned, and dry. After that, the priority is maintaining a comforting and warm environment. Too cold and newborn puppies will quickly lose body heat and start deteriorating rapidly. Too warm and the puppies become uncomfortable and will eventually dehydrate and die of heat exhaustion. Especially the first week is critical in the lives of newborn puppies. Great care must be taken to ensure none of the little ones are falling behind and becoming weak.
If the little ones are thriving and doing well at 1 week old, they will very likely do well throughout the rest of their nursing time with mother and continue on into puppyhood. This litter is very special, with Max being the father. He comes from some of the best bloodlines in Europe and has produced some magnificent and healthy offspring.
The main priorities right now in raising this young litter is keeping them warm, dry, and fed. A big part of this is ensuring that Mom (Lexi) has optimal nutritional intake, ensuring good milk production for her young. Lexi has proven to be a very careful mother and is even a bit protective when our other Goldens come a little too close!
Lexi continues doing a wonderful job raising her litter of European Golden Retrievers. Ensuring that Lexi has a strong nutritional intake is still one of the main priorities at this time. We supplement her dry dog food with a canned dog food formula that is high in calories and packed with nutrients. At two weeks old, we administer the first oral dose of dewormer to the young puppies. The puppies open their eyes for the first time around 10-14 days old, one of the more exciting developments in recent days!
The puppies are gradually becoming more and more active as each day passes! As soon as mom settles near them, they are quickly looking for milk and drinking lustily.
Lexi's litter of European Golden Retrievers is doing very well and is becoming more and more active as each day passes. Week 3 sees strengthening of both front and back legs. This means the pups are starting to explore their surroundings more and playing begins in earnest! We are spending more time with the little ones and are seeing an increasing responsiveness in the puppies to the sound of human voice. This stage finds the puppies starting to play with their litter mates more as well!
At 3 weeks old, the young puppies' ability to regulate their body temperature is increasing. In the first couple weeks of life, the young puppies' survival is very dependent on the warmth of their mother, their littermates, and a warm whelping box. While a warm environment is still very important, at 3 weeks old, the young puppies' ability to regulate their own body temperature is improving quite a bit. We see the puppies spreading out a little more in their pen in between nursing their mother and taking naps.
Lexi's English Cream Golden Retriever pups are 4 weeks old and are becoming more independent and curious about the world around them! A crucial stage in their development, the puppies are starting to learn important social skills and behaviors. Physically, a four week old puppy is more coordinated and much more stable when walking.
While still highly dependent on their mother's milk, at this age, the puppies are slowly introduced to solid food. A slow and steady transition from milk to solid food is very important to avoid any digestive issues and takes place over several weeks. This age is a lot of fun as the young puppies are much more responsive to voice and begin interacting more with their surroundings, playing with littermates, and exploring more!
Overall, the four week stage is a very fun and exciting time as the puppies start developing their unique personalities and interact more! A safe and warm environment is still of great importance to encourage physical and social development.
This age is a lot of fun as the puppies rapidly continue growing and exploring their surroundings. Lexi will often nurse the puppies now while standing up and only for a short time as the puppies suckle ravenously. There is an increasing importance of human interaction at this age as the puppies are developing their personalities and how they interact with humans. Experiences with humans help shape their perception of the human world, and we greatly enjoy spending time playing with the young puppies while talking to them and interacting!
5 weeks finds the little English Cream Golden Retrievers becoming more vocal, and they have the cutest little barks and growls as they tussle with each other!
Puppies senses of hearing and eyesight are more fully developed now, further enhancing their ability to form stronger bonds with their littermates and human caretakers. Puppies start displaying more problem-solving abilities by overcoming obstacles to reach food or other objects like toys. Very inquisitive and curious, these five week old puppies love investigating their environment and taking in new sights and smells!
Puppies at this age are impossibly cute and their antics are the actual best! We have started the process of weaning the young ones from their momma. While Lexi appreciates the break, she's always happy to go back in with her puppies. She is such a loving mother. At this stage, the puppies love playing and tussling with each other. We recently expanded their play area, and it's super fun to watch them explore and interact with one another. Positive human interaction is extremely important as this sets the stage for the rest of their lives!
A lot happens during the last several weeks that we have the puppies. The litter undergoes a vet check to ensure that everything is normal and healthy! Additionally, 1st vaccinations take place and deworming medication administration happens every 2 weeks! On top of this, the puppies are being fully weaned from their mother, so they will be ready for their new homes at 8 weeks old! Whenever we get a chance, we take the puppies outside in the green grass and spend some time playing with them!
The puppies continue growing and are so much fun to play with! At this age, their individual personalities are starting to show a little more as we get to know them! Weaning is in full swing right now. The puppies love eating puppy food, but don't kid yourself, it's a full on puppy attack when momma is let back inside the pen as the pups quickly latch on for some of that yummy milk!
The litter vet check was completed today by Sugarcreek Veterinary Clinic, and all the puppies passed their first vet check with flying colors! We have also introduced the puppies to the great outdoors recently. It's been so much fun seeing them explore in the grass, as they excitedly wiggle their tails and race about! Make sure you check out this video reel of Lexi's pups on Instagram
Lexi's adorable litter has reached 8 weeks old and their take home day was on August 7, 2023. It's been a very fun litter. This litter in particular was very full of energy and life! Each of the 6 families that got to give a home to one of these puppies was truly a pleasure to meet and interact with! We look forward to staying in touch and hearing little snippets and picture updates from each one of them! The highlight of the take home day was when one of the boy pups decided to lay down in a mud puddle. It was raining, and he ventured outside the garage and just made himself at home in the puddle, making a dirty mess of his beautiful white coat! The family who picked him thought it was the best thing and were very happy to give him a home! That little fella got introduced to his first bath and was sent home, dry and cuddling in a soft towel!
Thanks for following along, I hope you've enjoyed the journey with me! - Marcellus