** Note: All pups from this litter are currently reserved.
It’s hard to believe we’re already at the end of Week 4! This has been a big week for the puppies, with some major changes in their daily routine. They’re becoming much more active and independent, and their individual personalities are starting to show more every day.
Our Morning Routine
The puppies are usually up and ready to start their day around 6:30 or 7:00 each morning. One of the biggest accomplishments this week has been their progress with potty training. During the day, they’re learning where the pee pads are and are doing a pretty good job of using them. At night, they have a litter box available and are learning to use that as well.
There will obviously still be plenty of accidents at this age, but introducing designated potty areas early helps them begin to understand that there is a proper place to go.
Completely Weaned and Eating Puppy Food
Another major milestone this week is that the puppies are now completely weaned from Charlie. They are no longer nursing and we have also stopped using milk replacer. One hundred percent of their nutrition is now coming from puppy food.
They’ve graduated to softened puppy food and are eating four times a day. Apparently, we’re doing a pretty good job feeding them because everyone is now weighing somewhere between seven and eight pounds!
They’ve also gotten too big for everyone to crowd around a single food bowl, so mealtime now requires two bowls. If you’ve ever watched a litter of Labrador puppies eat, you know there isn’t much hesitation when the food arrives.
They are also getting all of their hydration from water and everyone knows how to find and drink from the water bowl. Of course, at four weeks old, they haven’t completely decided whether the water bowl is for drinking or playing, so sometimes it serves both purposes.
Outside Playtime Is a Whole New Adventure
Once breakfast and the morning potty routine are finished, it’s time to head outside.
The puppies are now going outside four or five times each day for approximately 20 to 30 minutes at a time. The difference from just two weeks ago is pretty amazing.
When we first introduced them to the outdoors, they didn’t want to venture very far. They stayed together in a little puppy pile and were pretty cautious about exploring their new surroundings. We mentioned at the time that eventually we’d reach the point where getting everyone back inside would become the challenge.
We have officially reached that point.
They now want to explore everything, chase each other around and, most importantly, play with the big dogs.
Ginger has become one of their playmates, and Lainey also loves spending time with the puppies. Lainey is one of our other females and is expected to have her first litter in 2027. She sometimes forgets just how little these guys still are and can get a little enthusiastic when she plays with them, but the puppies are quickly learning how to give it right back to her.
Toys, Tunnels and Lots of New Experiences
At this age, playtime isn’t just about burning off puppy energy. We also want to introduce them to different sights, sounds, surfaces and textures.
They now have plenty of toys to investigate and chew on, and one of their absolute favorites is our puppy tunnel.
We’ve used the same style of colorful tunnel with every litter we’ve raised, and it always seems to be a hit. The material makes a crunchy, almost Saran Wrap type of sound when they run through it. The puppies love the noise, the texture and even the little strings on the ends.
They run through it, climb over it, tackle each other inside it and sometimes just roll around on top of it. It’s fun for them, but it also gives them another opportunity to experience unfamiliar sounds, textures and obstacles while they play.
Next week we’ll continue building on that by introducing some additional challenges, including boxes to climb on and their first experiences learning how to navigate stairs.
And Then There Are the Toes…
We have also entered one of those puppy stages we seem to forget about between litters: the obsession with toes.
For whatever reason, somewhere around Weeks 4 and 5, bare toes apparently become one of the greatest puppy toys ever invented.
With a yard full of puppies and a brand new set of very sharp puppy teeth, going outside barefoot was not one of our better decisions. Lesson relearned: shoes are required for puppy playtime!
Getting Their Paws Wet
We also introduced the puppies to the pool this week.
They actually had their first baths when they were about two weeks old, so water itself isn’t completely new to them. This week, however, we wanted to give them an opportunity to experience water in a fun environment.
We kept the water very shallow, just enough to cover their feet and let them splash around and investigate. They all seemed to enjoy the experience.
They are Labradors, after all, so we expect water to eventually become one of their favorite things.
Play Hard, Sleep Hard
After 20 or 30 minutes of running, wrestling, exploring, chewing on toys, attacking toes and playing with the bigger dogs, the puppies are ready for a break.
And when these guys decide they’re tired, they’re really tired.
They’ll start gathering near the door, which is our signal that they’re ready to head back inside. Once everyone is settled, they’ll usually sleep for a good two hours before the cycle starts all over again.
Eat. Potty. Play. Sleep. Repeat.
That’s pretty much puppy life at four weeks old.
Week 4 has been a fun one because we’re really starting to see the transition from tiny puppies that spend most of their time eating and sleeping into curious little Labradors that want to explore everything around them.
Next week should bring even more adventures as we introduce new obstacles and experiences and continue watching their personalities develop.
We’ll see you again for the Week 5 pupdate!
