Puppies grow and develop on an almost hourly basis, they seem to get bigger everytime you see them! so we thought we'd track the development of a litter of puppies from birth to 7 weeks of age, when they leave for their new homes.  We will post more pictures as these puppies mature.  The litter we are following was born February 14th 2004, and the mother is four-year old Jersey (Ch. Timberline's Heaven's Thunder)
Jersey, on February 14th with one of the first two puppies born.  Jersey had been in labour all day on Feb 13th, and the first puppy arrived around 9 PM on Feb 13th.  This picture was taken around 10:30 PM, when only two puppies had been born.
Jersey with her entire litter, on February 16th 2004, 2 days old.  Four puppies were born in this litter, three girls and one boy.  Puppies are born blind and deaf.  Their eyes open up around 9-11 days of age, and take a few days to completely open up.  Puppies are deaf until about 16 days of age.  Their hearing is very sensitive for the first few days that they are able to hear. At this young age, puppies must maintain their body temperature, and the area they are in must be kept warm, dry and clean.  We have a specially built whelping room where all of our litters are born.  It is in a quiet area of the house, where the mother and puppies are not disturbed by visitors, or the other dogs. The room is divided into a nest area, and a resting area for mom.  We use a children's plastic wading pool as a nest, with newspaper and blankets inside which is custom-fitted into a wooden platform.  A heat lamp is suspended over the puppies to keep them warm, and the heat lamp is removed around 3 weeks of age, when the puppies are past the critical stage and can self-regulate their body temperature. At this age the puppies are handled daily.  Jersey remains with her puppies on a nearly constant basis for about the first two weeks.  She will gradually spend more and more time on her own away from her puppies as they grow.
Jersey's son, "Arlo" at 10 days of age. His eyes have just opened, and they still have a bluish colour to them.  His sight is very cloudy, and he appears to squint at you as you hold him.  Arlo was reserved from Jersey and Boston's litter before he was born, so his new owner eagerly awaits updates and pictures of him until he can see him at 4 weeks of age.
Here are Jersey's four puppies pictured at 3 weeks.  At this point they are walking around, they can see, hear, and are developing individual personalities and physical characteristics (ie white toes, in the top right corner!)  We begin feeding our puppies softened dog food at 3 weeks of age, 3 times per day.  At three weeks of age, the puppies are moved to a more spacious area in our home, where they can have more room to move, and build strong muscle, and better coordination.  Jersey is still with her puppies ful-time at this point although she gets regular exercise and play time in order to keep her sanity! Three and four week old puppies demand a lot of their mothers. The puppies are handled daily.  We spend about an hour of time one on one with the puppies, aside from the regular cleaning/feeding time that is required.  Each puppy is handled and cuddled.  Special attention and extra encouragement  is given to puppies who seem more reserved.  At this age the puppies begin to recognize our voices, and respond very vocally when we are around!  This stage is a period of discovery for the puppies.  Their ability to move around creates a sense of curiosity in them, and they love to run around in our home, and explore their surroundings.  We also introduce dog toys to them, such as tennis balls, or stuffed animals at this age.  This stage lasts until about 5 weeks of age, when we gradually begin weaning the puppies off of Jersey.
At four weeks of age, the litter's new owners begin coming to visit.  Some realize immediately which puppy is the one for their family.  Many say that the puppy chooses them.  We try our best to analyze the suitability of a puppy for a buyer's family, and offer as much guidance as possible with this decision.  We recommend waiting until at least 6 weeks of age before choosing your puppy from a litter.  That way you can get a more accurate idea of the personality of the puppy, and its suitability for your home.  A knowledgable breeder will know their puppies on an individual basis, and will be able to discuss the suitability of each puppy available to you, so you can make an informed choice.

The puppies are weaned between 5 and 6 weeks of age, gradually, over the week, Jersey spends greater amounts of time away from her litter, and the amount of food they eat is also gradually increased.  At 6 and a half weeks the puppies make their trip to the veterinarian for checkups, and first vaccinations, as well as tattoos. At this point the puppies are very mobile, very vocal and very very curious!  They are into everything, and keep us very very busy.  Cleaning is done 2-3 times per day at this point, and the puppies are regularly bathed, and have their sharp nails clipped down regularly as well.  In the summer months, we will have our puppies spend  a lot of the day outdoors, where they become aquainted with the smells and sounds of outdoors.  When they are outdoors, they also have an unlimited amount of space to move around, which they definitely enjoy!  At this point the puppies are on solid dry dog food, and are fed 3 times per day.  They have developed a regular routine, and are now ready to head to their new homes!
Jersey's litter, 4 wks of age.

Timberline's Don't Panic Arlo aka "Arlo"  in a companion home, Georgetown Area, has completed Gr. 1 obedience with flying colours!
Timberline's Tofino's Sunset aka "Brier" in a companion home, Toronto Area, expecting a new baby in the family!
Timberline's Jersey aka "Jersey jr", companion and breeding home, possible SAR prospect, in Minnesota area!
Timberline's Asia aka "Asia", in a companion home, in Jerseyville, Ont.
Where are they now???
Jersey X Boston Litter
Feb 14th 2004
"Arlo" - 1 yr of age
"Brier" around 6 mos
Jersey Jr. around 6 Months.
"Asia" (at right) with pal Timberline's Indy (both around 6 mos)