Whelping & Puppy Care

Week 0 (Birth to 7 Days)

Mother: Focused on nursing and cleaning her puppies. Appetite significantly increased.

Puppies: Born blind, deaf, and totally dependent. Spend time feeding and sleeping to grow.

Notes: Weigh puppies daily, expect weight to double by 7–10 days. Keep whelping box clean, warm (~29–32°C first few days). Minimal handling; allow mum to bond.

Week 1–2 (Days 7–14)

Mother: Nursing continuously. May start leaving pups briefly for food/toilet breaks.

Puppies: Eyes begin to open around 10–14 days. Ears begin to open. Wobbling movements start.

Notes: Begin gentle daily handling. Keep environment calm and warm (~26–28°C).

Week 3 (Days 15–21)

Mother:Nursing sessions may shorten slightly. Starts teaching puppies social skills.

Puppies: First baby teeth (milk teeth) start to come through. Puppies start walking, play-biting and wagging tails.

Notes: Introduce puppy safe weaning food (gruel or mushy food). Continue gentle handling and start introducing new sounds and surfaces.

Week 4 (Days 22–28)

Mother: May start weaning the puppies naturally (nursing less).

Puppies: Playing together, growling, barking. Eating solid food alongside mother's milk.

Notes: First worming treatment. Start worming at 2 weeks, then every 2 weeks until 12 weeks. Use a wormer prescribed by your vet for roundworms and hookworms. Introduce a small toilet area (puppy pads or litter trays).

Week 5 (Days 29–35)

Mother: Feeding puppies less; encouraging independence.

Puppies: Energy surges; more coordinated play. Developing individual personalities.

Notes: Socialise puppies with everyday household noises  such as the TV, vacuum and washing machine. Begin getting them used to brief periods of gentle separation.

Week 6 (Days 36–42)

Mother: Nursing mostly stopped or only occasional.

Puppies: Fully weaned onto solid puppy food. Very playful; testing boundaries with littermates.

Notes: Second worming treatment (at 6 weeks). Under UK Law, all puppies must be microchipped and registered to the breeder’s name by 8 weeks old. We offer microchipping at our clinic.

Week 7 (Days 43–49)

Mother: Mostly detached but keeps disciplining rough puppies.

Puppies: More adventurous, starting to explore wider environments.

Notes: Third worming treatment due. Under UK Law, all puppies must be microchipped and registered to the breeder’s name by 8 weeks old. We offer microchipping at our clinic. Socialisation continues, introduce safe visitors, different textures underfoot and gentle car rides.

Week 8 (Days 50–56)

Mother: Fully separated, puppies fully independent of mum’s milk.

Puppies: Ready to go to new homes (minimum 8 weeks).

Notes: Health check by vet before rehoming with 1st vaccination. Ensure puppies are microchipped (legal requirement). Puppies should have a puppy pack including their Vet records, worming schedule, feeding schedule, microchip number and registration details.