Week 5 involves builds on the introductions made in Week 3 and 4. Most pups remain fearless, which means we want to continue to introduce stimuli, including louder, unpredictable sounds.
They should also have better body confidence and mobility, so we can give them more difficult obstacles and textures to try.
If your pups seem developmentally delayed, you will want to use Week 4’s curriculum. If your pup is just starting the Kinderpup program, you will need to work through Week 3 and Week 4’s introductions as necessary.
Week 5 Overview
- Introduce bathing
- Continue desensitization to grooming (nail trimming, brushing, etc.)
- Continue building bond and trust through handling, holding, petting, and exposure to new people
- Continue to add and rotate through different toys, textures, objects, and obstacles.
- Make toys more interactive by playing with pups or by adding in toys that combine movement or sound
- Encourage pups to come to you and follow you around
- Introduce car rides
Care Tasks
| Task | Recommendation | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Bathe | Between Week 4 and Week 5, pups can have their first (quick!) bath If pups are exceptionally dirty, they can be bathed as early as 21 days of age | Every other week |
| Replace soiled linens | Support potty training with more frequent linen changes | ~2x Daily |
| Play time in outdoor space | Allow pups at least 30 minutes of play outdoors (weather permitting) | At least once daily |
| Continue weaning | Feed pups 3x daily, always offer water (See Introducing Food and Water) | 3x Daily (Food)As needed (Water) |
| Nail trims | Trim nails every 7 to 10 days (See Introducing Grooming) | Weekly |
| Weigh | Record weights | Weekly |
Socialization Tasks
| Task | Recommendation | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Body handling | Gently touch ears, nose, paws, tail; lift lips (~10 minutes) Interact with pups by holding, petting, and cuddling | Daily |
| More new people and children | Pups can meet more people for longer periods and more often, including children | Weekly (or more, if foster can do so) |
Environmental Enrichment
We recommend rotating toys, textures, and obstacles in tandem with washing used objects and replacing with clean ones!
| Task | Recommendation | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Rotate toys and textures | Rotate toys and textures each time you clean the pen | 2-3x Weekly |
| Add more difficult obstacles | Rotate through obstacles but increase difficulty by adding more slippery or uneven surfaces, like balance/wobble boards, rolling objects, stairs | 2-3x Weekly |
| Passive sounds | Ensure pups can hear household activities, especially louder ones like vacuuming | Daily |
Age-Appropriate Toys, Textures, and Obstacles
Toys need to be of the appropriate size to avoid pups swallowing or choking on them. For example, larger-breed pups may require larger toys compared to smaller-breed pups. You may also find some pups are more apt to destroy certain types of toys, which should then be removed and avoided.
Textures need to complement the pups’ mobility level. If pups are walking competently, smoother, slippery, or uneven surfaces should be added to the texture rotation.
Obstacles must complement the pups’ capabilities and their size. A tiered spice rack might make great stairs for smaller breeds while a toddler’s step stool may work for larger breeds.
Interactive Enrichment
Now that pups are more confident in their environment and the various objects you’ve introduced them to, you can start combining elements like movement of an object or an object that plays louder sounds.
| Task | Recommendation | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Add more interactive toys, keep playing | Play with pups using the toys in their pen, encouraging them to approach and interact with the toy you’re holding Add in more interactive toys, such as ones that roll, have wheels, chime, etc. | Daily |
| Redirect mouthiness | Allow only gentle mouthiness (“yelp” like a littermate would if too firm) and redirect mouthiness to toy | Daily |
| Reward good behavior | If a pup chooses to sit, reward with affection | Daily |
| Sit with pups, walk with pups, call them to you | Interact with pups, allowing them to explore you, climb on your lap, maneuver around you Encourage them to walk towards you, with you, and follow you around | Daily |
| Expose to loud, unpredictable sounds | Bangs, booms, clangs, thuds, whirs, yells – louder, less predictable sounds; like action movies, young kids playing nearby (not with puppies), video games, different types of music, etc. | 2-3x Weekly |
| ★ Take on a car ride | Place pups in a crate and take on a short car ride | Weekly |
