So what do the fugitives do the first three weeks of life?

The first days of life they get to know their momma and get to know the whelping box, they pretty much sleep, eat, sleep eat.

I have a heated whelping nest in the box so they spend a lot of time on the nest. They will move off of it when they want to eat or mom will lay across the nest to feed them.

They are born with their eyes and ears closed. They use their sense of smell to locate mom and her nipples for feeding. They do not pee or poop on their own at this time so momma cleans them and stimulates them to go to the bathroom.

They cannot regulate their body temperature so you need a heat source to keep them warm. That’s where the Lovett’s heated whelping nest comes into play. It’s a little heated bowl that keeps the puppies contained to the dish to keep them warm. Each week their body temperature raises and by three-four weeks they are up to the normal body temperature they should be so you can start decreasing the external heat source.

From day one to 3 weeks I weigh the pups daily. I weigh daily so I know if they are gaining weight or not. If they are not gaining weight then I supplement feedings so that they continue to gain weight.

On day 3-16 I do Early Neurological Stimulation once a day with each pup. I hold them in different positions, I tickle their toes with a q-tip and then place them on a cool surface. This helps with their immune system, builds stronger senses and increases the human animal bond.

Of course each week they have to have a photo shoot to document their growth.

The days vary on when the puppies can pee and poop on their own. This puppy decided she could poop on her own at 10 days and pooped on my arm.

Around 10-14 days their eyes and ears start opening. They are starting to try and walk, they are making more noises as in growling and little barks. They still eat, sleep, eat, sleep and now they are pooping and peeing more on their own.

By the third week they are toddling around pretty good, they are rolling over, mouthing each other, scratching and snuggling with mom. Mom is still feeding them, cleaning them and watching over them, she is still really protective of them.

They are right on track for all their developmental needs.