From the 29th to the 49th, the puppies will move away from the sleeping area of the offspring. They won't get far, but they'll start exploring. At this time we are expanding their area to add a play area and eat during the day. This is the time to move them to the kitchen and family room area, where life is happening at home.
Once your puppies are through their first week, you might consider moving them to different areas of the house. This is similar to offering a “change of scenery” and keeps puppies stimulated with new smells, sounds and sights. For the first four days of life, the ambient temperature where puppies are kept should be maintained at 85-90°F (29.5-32°C). Some females are more concerned with trying hard to produce the next puppy than caring for puppies that have already given birth.
If all the puppies look similar, you can identify the puppies using non-toxic permanent markers to mark each one on the abdomen (you can use multi-colored permanent markers). If there are enough layers of newspaper and cloth before delivery, you can remove the soiled layers with minimal interruption for the mother and her newborn puppies. At this age, puppies begin to explore outside their nest, to learn more about the wide and exciting world around them. It's a good idea to get your pet used to the place where you want them to have their puppies well in advance of delivery.
Eclampsia most commonly occurs when puppies are between three and five weeks old and the mother produces the most milk. A birthing box or nest in a quiet corner of the living room is preferable to having an anxious mother constantly leave her puppies. Well, I can tell you that a birthing box will help you and the mother better cope with a horde of tiny puppies in their first few weeks. Despite your good intentions, some dogs insist on keeping their puppies close to the owner; this can be in your bed in the middle of the night.
You should only touch or lift a newborn puppy if you notice that it is sick, if the mother abandons it, or in the case of orphaned puppies. Deciding what to use as a birthing box depends on the size of your dog and how many puppies they are likely to have. If your dog gave birth to the puppies in the farrowing box, you will need to change the bedding once all the puppies have been delivered safely.
