Week three is a transitional period where we move into more advanced stimulation/handling exercises.

Handling excersises start to increase in intensity and pressure.

We always hold our puppies close to our hearts and face to comfort them and assure them that they are safe. 

Then we lightly rub their face, ears, back, belly, tail, and paws.

During this exsercise we move slow and gentle as this is the puppies first relatoinship with a human, and it is critical we make it a positive one. 

We strive to be a gentle, and trusting leader to them. 

These exersises are not meant to stress or upset our puppies, but only begin to condition them to human touch.

As our puppies start to develop their senses we find it curtial that we start to indrocue a variety of different sounds to them. 

During this period we focus on introducing new types of sounds "noise exposure" to them each day to desensitize and get them more comfortable with every day noises.

Our puppies also start to discover their voices a lot more during this period which is the cutest thing ever!

During this "Socialization Period" we contine with much of the same protocol as the previous period. We do implement slight changes to acommadate growing pups with their needs as we see fit.

Puppy handling excersises continue to increase in intensity and pressure. While still making sure they feel safe and comforted. 

During this period we start to introuduce them to new circulium, experiences, surfaces, uneven surfaces, and new items for them to explore at their own liesure. 

This gives our puppies new oppurnities to overcome and concure new experiences.

All while maintaining a calm stress free environment. We always want our puppies to feel safe during these exposure activites.

Between four and five weeks old we also start to introudce a designated potty area. 

We place multiple potty trays in a designated area and over a period of time we remove extra trays until the potty area is more defined to one smaller spot. 

We find that this really helps our puppies to get a head start on house training for our future puppy families.

Around week four is also when we first start to introduce pupy mush, as soon as we start to feel our puppies little teeth coming in. We start this transition to help get them weined from their mom.

We have found that implementing the "puppy, puppy, puppy recal each time we feed our pups really helps to associate positive inforcement. 

When our puppies reach five weeks old they begin to move into another phase of circulium, which is slightly more advanced than previous circulium.

We start to conduct new and advanced exposure activities in the puppies living area.

We continue increasing noise exposure, different exposure activities, objects, and puppy handling excersises.

During week four through week six we start to incourperate uneven surfaces, tunnels (which help get the pups comfortable with dark spaces), and elevated surfaces. 

During this phase our pups are running around playing with their littermates, becoming a lot more active. They vocalize more, and they are beginning to become more brave.

They are also starting to become more fimilar with using their designated potty area.

At six weeks old puppies individual temperments start revealing themselves and we document and take notes of those. 

We continue increasing noise exposure, exposure activities, and handleing excersizes.

During this period our puppies have their first vet visit where the undergo a through examination by a liscenced vet. They also recieve their first round of puppy shots.

This is a fun time period because we start to introduce minimal water exposure, outdoor exposure, more texturized surfaces, and more socilization excersises. This really helps to prepare our puppies for their forever homes.

We know that grooming in the furture could be stressful on a pup so we begin using an electric toothbrush on our puppies nails to help them become desensitized from a nail tool that is commomly used by a groomer. 

As always, we never force anything on our pups, we observe and make sure our puppies always feel safe during these excersises.

During week seven we continue increasing noise exposure, exposure activities, and handling excersizes. By this time our sweet pups excel in this portion of our circulium.

By week seven our puppies have slowly  transitioned to solid puppy food, they are no longer eating puppy mush.

Pups have all but mastered using their designated potty area during this period of training.

During this time we also conduct Puppy Evaluations, being able to identify and evaluate temperment traits in a puppy is extremly benificial. 

It really helps us to be able to inform future families about specific traits, temperments, and qualities of our sweet pupppies.

Week eight is a super exciting time as we transition to go home week! 

Here at Dogwood State Doodles we have been extreemly blessed to be able to love on and nuture these precious puppies for the past eight weeks, and we can't wait for them to finally be united with their forever families!

All of our families will recieve a "New Puppy Handbook" which includes all of your puppy's health records, vacinations, "puppy, puppy, puppy recall"  information, and much more reguarding your Dogwood State Doodle puppy. 

Our families will also recieve a puppy "go-home bag"  which includes a small bag of puppy food that we implement in our program, a snuggle puppy, a small puppy blanket that has their littermates scents on them to prodive comfort to your puppy as they transistion to a new home. We include some treats, and a toy that is fimilar to your puppy.

At Dogwood State Doodles we commit oursleves to raising happy and healthy puppies who we get to love on each and every day for eight weeks.

They will always have a special place in our hearts as we know they will yours! We can't wait for you to become a part of our extended family!