Supporting Your Puppy’s Growth with a Proven Development Process
A well-structured development plan is essential for ensuring the health and happiness of dachshund puppies. At Coots at Eversden, we follow a detailed Puppy Development Plan to ensure each puppy is well-prepared for its future home. Unlike other breeders, we believe in involving families throughout the process, ensuring they feel part of their puppy’s journey from the start.
Regular Updates for Families
We understand the importance of staying connected with your new puppy before they arrive at your home. We invite families to join a dedicated WhatsApp group to help you feel like you are a part of your puppy’s growth. Here, you will receive regular updates, including photos and videos, allowing you to follow your puppy’s development. This hands-on approach ensures that you’ll already feel closely bonded by the time your puppy is ready to join your family.
Early Life and Week-by-Week Care
The early weeks of a puppy’s life are critical to their future health and temperament. We take great care to monitor and nurture our puppies daily.
Week One
Puppies are entirely dependent on their mother, unable to hear or see. We provide any necessary supplemental feeding and monitor their weight daily to ensure healthy growth. Gentle handling and background music help them become accustomed to human touch and different sounds.
Week Two
By the second week, puppies begin to open their eyes, and their development accelerates. We provide extra nutrition for the mother, ensuring the puppies receive vital nutrients through her milk. Our careful handling continues, promoting early socialisation.
Week Three
As their hearing and sight develop, puppies become more active, attempting to stand and wag their tails. This is the beginning of their introduction to solid food, alongside their mother’s milk. Interaction with toys and other stimuli becomes part of their daily routine.
Week Four
Puppies grow more playful and mobile, learning from their mother and interacting with their littermates. We introduce various sounds, including TV and traffic noises, to help them adapt to different environments. They begin trying solid foods alongside natural treats to aid jaw development by this stage.
Week Five to Six
As puppies grow stronger and more curious, their play becomes more energetic. Vaccinations and health checks are introduced during this time, with constant monitoring for any reactions. By week six, they are starting to spend more time away from their mother, learning to explore and play independently. Socialisation and handling continue to be an essential part of their daily life.
Preparing Puppies for Their New Homes
At 2-3 months old, puppies transition into early childhood. They receive their final vaccinations, including rabies, and we gradually introduce them to outdoor play. This period is vital for their development, ensuring they are well-socialised, confident, and familiar with the sights and sounds they will encounter in the outside world.
Unlike many breeders, we believe that a puppy is never ready to leave its breeder until it is at least 12 weeks old. For many of our families, puppies stay with us until they are 5-6 months old, allowing them to follow their growth and development closely. This extended period ensures that by the time a puppy joins its new home, it is fully prepared for its new life, and its families are fully informed of every milestone.
The Final Stages of Preparation
By three months, our puppies are well on their way to being toilet trained and are familiar with basic commands. Regular outings to new environments, interaction with other dogs, and structured training sessions help them adapt to their new surroundings. Crate training and daily routines are introduced to ensure a smooth transition when they finally join their new families.
We believe that consistency is crucial to a puppy’s well-being. Following a carefully designed routine, we help each puppy develop the skills and confidence they need for a happy and healthy life.
Creating a Lifelong Bond
Our Puppy Development Plan is more than just a guide for raising dachshunds; it’s an essential framework that ensures each puppy is well-prepared for life’s challenges. Involving families in every step of the process, we help create a lifelong bond between the puppy and its new home.
The journey from puppyhood to adulthood is crucial, and we are committed to ensuring that every puppy raised at Coots at Eversden is happy, healthy, and ready for its new family.
