All of our puppies are exposed to different sounds, textures, people, heights, etc. as they grow and develop. This helps to prepare them for their new homes and different situations they may encounter after going to their forever homes. As they continue to grow, we allow our mommas to spend ample time with their puppies. We believe this is important because puppies will continue to learn from their mothers. Mothers teach some things that people can't teach puppies at this age such as manners, pack rules, and respect for the pack.
Weaning
At around 3.5 weeks old, puppy teeth have started to come in at the weaning process begins. We keep an eye on our mommas and follow their queues on when they're ready to start weaning. We can see they're ready when they go to their puppies fewer times during the day and allow them to nurse less. When we see that she's ready, we start offering puppy food softened with water 3 times daily. Over the next 2 weeks, less and less water is used to soften the puppy food until the puppies are eating dry food.
Potty Training
Also at 3.5 weeks old, potty training begins. We start by adding a potty tray to their kennel and providing enough space for them to potty or have a sleeping area. By doing this, we're using their natural tendency to keep their sleeping area clean to our advantage. By 5 weeks of age, we have about a 90% success rate in using the potty area without accidents in their sleeping area.