* Puppy Structural Evaluation *

This is a previous litter for Fancy and Cruiser

The puppies in this litter have already been placed into their new homes.

This litter is an example of how we raise our litters here at Cruisin Cavaliers.

The first two weeks while we are waiting on the eyes to open I do not take too many photos since they will mostly be the same as above.

Beginning on day #3 I will begin the imprinting process to kick start the nervous system. This helps train the nervous system to react when stimulated and research has shown that puppies that have gone through the imprinting process learn more quickly, recover more quickly if startled, tend to be more confident and less anxious as adults.

Imprinting

1. I will turn the puppy over on its back in the palm of my hand and take a q-tip and tickle the bottom of each foot to get a response.

2. I will gently tilt the puppy head down towards the ground for about 5 seconds. The nervous system will be triggered to reduce the flow of blood towards the head and to send more blood towards the rear.

3. I will gently tilt the puppy head up towards the ceiling for about 5 seconds. The nervous system will now trigger the flow of blood to move towards the head and less towards the rear.

4. I place a damp wash cloth in the sink and I gently place the puppy on the wash cloth. The puppy will begin to circle in an attempt to get off the wash cloth which stimulates the nervous system as well.

I do each puppy once a day beginning on day #3 through day #15.and the process is done within 3 minutes. It is critical at this age not to over-stimulate or cause stress and research has shown doing the imprinting within 3 minutes is perfect.

I still handle the pups briefly as I adjust them during nursing or when a puppy wonders away from the others and cries and needs to be returned to mom.

Startle Reflex

Around day #14 through day #28 the puppies will begin to get their hearing. Did you know that puppies cannot hear the first two weeks of life? Most people know about the eyes opening, but many do not realize that the hearing is not there either. Once the puppies begin to hear it is important during their 2nd to 3rd week of life for them to experience being startled and then learn to settle. Once they grow up there can be sudden sounds occur and dogs need to learn to stay still and calm during sudden and unfamiliar noises. This method of startling and then calming themselves also helps most dogs not to be afraid during thunder storms. Now I cannot promise your puppy will not develop a fear of storms, but by doing this startle reflex I am attempting to teach your puppy how to handle sudden noises without getting upset or nervous.

Several times a day I will make sudden noises by gently hitting a spoon against a pan. Other times I will run the vacuum cleaner in the utility room where their whelping box is. Another time I will gently kick the side of the whelping box giving a noise and a vibration within the whelping box. There are several things I do throughout each day during this week to help the puppies learn to accept sudden noises around them without fear. I always begin with a softer sound the first day or two in order to gauge the reaction of the puppies and I never attempt to scare them. As time goes by I can increase the level of the sounds as they begin to learn the startle reflex. I have done this exercise with numerous litters and I truly believe this is one of the most important steps a breeder can do for her puppies in preparing them to handle loud and unfamiliar noises later on..

Well this gets us started and once my husband gets back from his trip we should be getting some eyes open and more fun photo shots can begin. While you are waiting for more updated information let me recommend a wonderful book that will give you more insight to what I do as a breeder and what you can do once you get your puppy to continue on with its development.

Click Here

To order this wonderful book

Black & Tan Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Puppies at 12 days old

12 days old

Eyes are still shut and they spend all their time either nursing or sleeping.

Both girls weigh 1.285 lbs

The boys weigh 1.37 lbs
and 1.38 lbs

Black & Tan Cavalier King Charles Spaniels Puppies

16 days old

The puppies have their eyes open now. Eyes opened on day #14.

No startle reflex yet, so they still do not have their hearing. Today, they did start crawling around and lifting up on their front legs a little bit. They are starting to potty on their own so we use a rug in the bottom of the whelping box and change it out about 3 times per day. Fancy still takes care of cleaning up after them right now.

If you are reading along in the book you will need to remember that the toy group puppies do not mature as quickly as other breeds not found in the toy group. The book is still a wonderful tool in what to expect when and how to help them obtain the skills in becoming a wonderful pet in the future. Our litter will not necessarily do everything during the exact week that the book talks about. You will also notice later that the book will begin the weaning process much earlier than I will. I wait until after 6 weeks to even begin taking Fancy away for extended periods and sometimes it takes up to 8 weeks before Fancy is completely dried up of milk. I do not rush the weaning process when the time does come to begin weaning, but I do introduce food to them around 4 weeks of age and they begin the nibble process with mom. Once the litter is up and about I always feed Fancy inside the whelping box with the puppies so they can watch and learn from mom. However, it is very normal for mom to growl and not allow her puppies to eat with her. This is a training moment when the puppies first learn to accept discipline. I keep dry food in the whelping box at all times and Fancy will eventually let up and allow the puppies to begin eating on their own from the bowl as well. Some litters take to regular food quicker than others, but they are always switched over to solid food by 8 weeks of age if not sooner.

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Puppies in Black & Tan

21 days old

Males are on each end and the females are in the middle.

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Puppies in Black & Tan

28 days old

Group Photo

Males are on each end and
the females are in the middle.

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Puppies in Black & Tan

Black & Tan Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Puppies

We have added a litter box and toys to our whelping box. Water and food bowl is also in the box in the lower left corner that is not visible in this photo. Fancy is the only one using the water and food bowl at this time, but the puppies become aware of it as Fancy eats and drinks periodically.

I really enjoy week four because the growling begins. The puppies are starting to walk around their whelping box now, but they are not completely steady on their feet yet. They are mouthing and teething on each other since their teeth have erupted now. As I hold each puppy I let some of our other Cavaliers come over and sniff and greet with each puppy individually. If you are reading along in the book you will find our puppies are not quite as advanced as the book describes and it is simply because we have a toy breed. Later in the week I will begin walking around the house with each puppy and begin the process of separating them from their litter mates for a few minutes each day.

Black & Tan Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Puppies at 4 weeks of age

4 1/2 weeks

Our puppies have discovered the litter box now and they enjoy climbing in and out of it along with the noise their paws make scooting the litter around within the box. One side has a lowered area for easy entry, but they also enjoy taking the high side. The litter box becomes their first experience at an obstacle as they develop their coordination getting in and out of the box.

Black & Tan Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Puppies

4 3/4 weeks

The puppies are beginning to explore the utility room while I clean the whelping box each day. Each time they are out they venture a little bit further out of the room. I already recognize certain temperament traits in each puppy now and look forward to our actual testing to see how they respond during the test and if it will match up with what I see already.

Black & Tan Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Puppies at 5 weeks of age

5 weeks

The puppies took their first walk outside today. They all stayed very close to the exact location I first took them out of the carrier at and did not venture out really. Before they leave for their new homes they will know every inch of the yard.

Black & Tan Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Puppies

6 weeks

The puppies received their first set of shots. We have begun our daily outside time and they really enjoy exploring the backyard. We are in the process of weaning the puppies from Fancy. Fancy spends the entire day away from the puppies now and she cannot wait to be reunited with them in the evenings. I allow her to still sleep with them, but over the next week we will probably have to take Fancy away totally for a few days in order for her milk to dry up. Fancy shows no desire to wean them, but it is for her own well-being as much as the puppies need to begin eating solid food. The puppies have their teeth and will eat a kibble or two, but they know Fancy will come back in the evening and at this point they are holding out for her. Weaning can sometimes be a difficult task with Cavaliers and this is why I do not begin it sooner. I also drag it out over a week or so and have found it to be the easiest method of weaning with the least bit of stress on the puppies.

Black & Tan Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Puppy

Puppy Thoughts for the Day

"My goodness this is a BIG yard!"

6 weeks

The puppies are enjoying some outside playtime with our "Lucky Star Cavalier Rescue" Cavalier named "Janie". We are providing foster care for Janie until a permanent home can be found for her. She follows the puppies everywhere in the yard trying to keep them close to her as much as possible. I bet she was a wonderful mom herself when she had puppies. She is spayed now and has been trimmed, but her coat will gradually come back in over time.

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Puppies chasing Mom