Zion & Aspen’s Litter Diary
Zion & Aspen’s first litter of puppies were born on June 5, 2024.
This short photo diary was created to share some more insight into the puppy development timeline along with how we feed, raise and train pups.
Neonatal Stage (0-2 weeks) Whelping & Early Development
Whelping takes place in one of our livestock shelters on the homestead property in a dedicated puppy-rearing enclosure that has shelter, a whelping box, livestock camera and additional fencing to increase security for mom and pups while they are most vulnerable in the early postpartum period.
From their earliest days pups are exposed to their mom's guarding behaviors and sounds and are in close proximity to the chickens and other dogs. Due to unusual weather patterns in June 2024, we moved this litter indoors so that we could closely monitor the temperature for their health.
At this young age (until two weeks old) they spend all of their days sleeping and nursing. Their tiny warm bodies constantly snuggling with their litter mates and mom while nursing.
Transitional Stage (2-4 Weeks)
Eyes Open, Teeth Erupt & Time to Explore
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This is such an exciting time in the life of a puppy! After waiting for what feels like forever, eyes start to open and their little legs start to work. Teeth start to erupt and they begin exploring everything with their mouth! No longer do they belly-crawl everywhere, they are actually walking, tumbling around and roughhousing with each other.
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Everything is newly discovered to these little ones - new smells, sights & sounds! We let them out into the larger yards to explore. It is all so interesting to them - whether its observing the chickens, cooling off in the kiddie pool or digging in the squishy mud, there’s so much for a young pup to do!
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They begin to practice growling and barking with littermates as well as when someone or something new catches their attention. Their personalities are starting to emerge! We can start to recognize the more dominant pups, the ones who like to hang back and watch quietly, and the ones who love attention, petting & snuggling.
Socialization Stage (3-12 weeks)
Increasing Independence & Curiosity
Learning from their Environment
Here at Hangs on the Homestead, we believe socialization is crucial for a LGD puppy’s healthy development. They are constantly watching and learning from their parents on site. Additionally, we use the ‘The Puppy’s Rule of Twelve’ as a guide to how we intentionally socialize our LGD puppies.
All of our puppies at this stage are introduced to (following ‘The Puppy’s Rule of Twelve’) a minimum of twelve different surfaces, objects, sounds, locations, people and fast moving objects to help our puppies grow into well-rounded LGD’s that can be successful not only on the farm as a working dog but also in the world when they need to leave the farm for situations such as emergencies, vet visits, having visitors and so on. New owners are given documentation of what experiences their puppy has had, for reference.
Weaning onto Solid Food, Increased Independence & Temperament Assessments (4-8 Weeks)
During this time a whirlwind of growth and change happens! Fur grows rapidly, personalities continue to develop, and the puppies are sooo curious about everything. The chickens, other dogs, human visitors, it is all new and exciting!
We use the Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test (at about 7 weeks) to help match our puppies with the best possible homes.
The puppies are introduced to their raw diet and love it. They receive a homemade diet blend of raw meaty bones, offal, vegetables & fish oil with goats milk for an easy transition. We love every moment we have with them, but know how quickly each stage will pass at this point.
