Hello Fellow Boxer Lovers!Here's our new precious furr baby on his 5th day in this world! He is growing by the moment, yet still totally helpless and totally dependent on mommy.
The second puppies are born they are almost totally dependent, they cannot see nor hear and have very limited mobility. They cannot even control their body temperature. They also cannot go potty without stimulation from mommy.
At Birth puppies:
- have a good sense of smell
- have sensation of feeling
- have the ability to taste
- have the ablilty to cry
- Puppies will double their birth weight in the first week
- Puppies cannot walk yet and will 'wriggle' their way to mommy for milk
- Puppies will cry if they are hungry, hot or cold
- Puppies will eat every 2 hours and sleep in between snuggling with littermates for warmth
- Eyes are not fully developed and fused shut at birth
- Eyes will open at about 12 days and will be blue
- They will have limited vision of shadows and light
- Ear canals are sealed up and puppy can't hear
- Ears begin to open around 10 days and puppy will hear well by the time eyes open
- Still dependent on mommy yet starting to notice siblings
- Has more mobility yet still cannot 'walk'
- Will start being able to potty on their own
- Pups will struggle to balance while standing
- Will start to play with litter mates in an un-coordinated way!
- Around 19 days pups are bossing momma around!
- A time of increased independence and less reliance on mommy
- Pups start developing social skills
- Gain control of body temperature (around 100 degrees)
- Pups start going potty on their own
- Hearing is accurate and pups can start learning some basic commands and name
- Puppies sleep less and play more with increased mobility
- Character and personality shine through and should be encouraged with play things
- Time to expose puppies to household sounds, phone, vacuum, garbage disposal, etc..
- Grooming and discouragement of play biting with humans
- May start eating puppy food
- Pups learn to be members of the 'pack'
- Around 8 weeks pups start to go to new homes as they are fully developed
- At 8 weeks they are receptive to experience and tolerate change better than other age
- Potty training can be started
- Time to show puppy the WORLD!
- Good time to start puppy socialization classes
- Pups must still sleep a lot, and gentle play - no stairs, long walks, jumping or rough play
I got the book "Boxers for Dummies" (I swear they have those yellow 'dummy' books for EVERYTHING you can think of!) If you are a Boxer Lover you already know about Boxers and their curious personalities! If you are considering a Boxer read this book first! Boxers require a LOT of people time are not dogs to be left home alone for long periods of time, especially as a puppy. If you want a Boxer yet are not home often, I encourage you to try a Boxer rescue and get an older Boxer who already went through the puppy growth phases.
Boxer puppies are very intelligent and need constant direction and stimulation to be the best they can be. The love learning, playing and most of all being part of your 'pack'. They want to please you and love you and will be your very best friend.
We are so excited to get our baby in August, we are not calling him our 'pet' he is a new member of the family aka 'pack'.
Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger
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