Miami Mini Doodles

Six weeks old today! 🥹💛 A few new toys, tunnels, and obstacles for the puppies to explore this week! As the puppies grow, so do the activities and challenges I introduce them to. At six weeks old, they’re becoming more coordinated, curious, and confident moving around their environment. So I’m constantly changing things up a little to give them new opportunities to practice those growing skills. Something as simple as climbing over an obstacle, walking through a tunnel, or figuring out how to get around a new toy helps them work on their balance, coordination, problem-solving, and confidence. I love watching them figure things out on their own, and I try to give them the time and space to do just that! Of course, 💙 Desi had other plans. 😂 While everyone was busy exploring, he decided the stuffed animal and play tunnel looked like a pretty comfortable place for a nap! And that actually brings me to something else I’ve been working on with the puppies: learning how to settle and self-soothe. Our puppies are raised right in the middle of our home, where there’s always something happening. Dogs barking, people talking, household noises, all sorts of deliveries, comings and goings, and plenty of activity throughout the day. Rather than expecting complete silence for every nap, I want them to become comfortable relaxing when life is happening around them. I’m really happy with how well all four puppies are doing with this! It’s a skill we’ve been intentionally practicing because it doesn’t always come naturally to puppies. I think sometimes we focus so much on teaching puppies what to do that we forget how important it is for them to learn when to do nothing at all. Being able to relax, rest, and feel comfortable in their environment is something that will be just as valuable when they join their families. And apparently, according to 💙Desi, a stuffed animal tunnel makes a perfectly good bedroom. 😂💛

Mirror, mirror on the wall… is that another puppy I see? 👀 🐶💛 ❣️Lucy & 💙Rocky’s Mini Aussiedoodle puppies are 5½ weeks old, and their curiosity is really starting to take off! This week, I introduced them to a mirror, and their reactions were so much fun to watch. At this age, their vision is getting better, their coordination is improving, and they’re becoming much more interested in everything happening around them. They’re also learning how to interact with their siblings, read body language, and respond to new things. So what happens when they suddenly see another puppy looking right back at them? 😂 Puppies this young don’t recognize themselves in a mirror the way we do. As far as they’re concerned, there might be another puppy standing right there! Some will approach with curiosity, some may try to play, and others might need a little time to figure out what they’re looking at. I love introducing little experiences like this because something as simple as a mirror gives them an opportunity to explore something unfamiliar in a safe, familiar environment. There’s no pressure to interact. I just give them the opportunity, watch their reactions, and let them figure things out at their own pace. They’re also getting lots of opportunities to interact with our adult dogs of all different sizes, as well as our teenage dogs! These supervised interactions are another important part of their social development. They’re learning that dogs come in all different shapes, sizes, and ages, and getting opportunities to practice communicating with dogs beyond their siblings. It’s one of my favorite parts of raising puppies—watching their confidence, curiosity, and personalities grow a little more every day. I put a lot of thought into the experiences I introduce and when I introduce them, because these early weeks are such an important time for learning. And getting to share these moments with their future families makes it even better! 💛 💚 Humphrey “Bogie” Bogart is also still looking for his family! He’s our one available puppy from Lucy & Rocky’s Hollywood Legends litter. If you’ve been following along and can picture this little guy becoming part of your family, I’d love to hear from you! 💚

FIVE WEEKS OLD! 🐾💛 Somewhere between their first wobbly steps and their first taste of puppy food, these four little puppies turned into a whole lot of personality! Lucy and Rocky’s Mini Aussiedoodles are officially five weeks old, and their world is getting bigger every day! They’re becoming more playful, curious, and confident on their feet. They’re discovering toys, interacting more with their siblings, and starting to show us little glimpses of their individual personalities. We’ve also started transitioning to puppy food while they continue nursing with Mom. And with those tiny puppy teeth coming in, we’re entering a whole new stage of puppyhood! One of my favorite things about raising puppies in our home is getting to watch these little changes happen right in front of us. Five weeks ago, they needed Lucy for just about everything. Now they’re busy discovering the world around them, one tiny adventure at a time. Meet our Hollywood Legends! 🎬 🩷 Ava Gardner 💜 Judy Garland 💙 Desi Arnaz 💚 Humphrey “Bogie” Bogart Only three more weeks until these little ones start heading home. How is that even possible?!

A little over two weeks old and everyone is officially over a pound! 🥹💛 All four puppies have their eyes open now, and their little world is changing so much. Friday was nail-trim day, and everyone did SO well! We also did their two-week deworming, and apparently that was quite the treat. 😂 They took their sweet time with it and really seemed to enjoy it. It was actually really cute to watch because even something as simple as taking something from a syringe instead of nursing from Mom is completely new to them. They haven’t mastered things like licking and eating from another source yet, so I gave everyone plenty of time to figure it out at their own pace. Those tiny little moments are easy to overlook, but there are so many brand-new skills happening at this age! I’m also sharing two longer videos today and talking through a little more of what’s happening behind the scenes, so turn the sound on for these! I had just cleaned and rearranged Lucy’s area and wanted to show a little more of how I have everything set up and why. Most of the day, I actually leave Lucy’s main gate open so she can come and go as she pleases. She’s still a little hesitant about having the other dogs too close to her babies, which is completely understandable right now. I have blankets around the outside of her area and a couple of extra gates creating some distance so she can relax and feel comfortable while still having the freedom to leave the puppies whenever she wants. They’re changing so quickly now, and there’s a lot more happening than you can see in a photo. Definitely listen along with today’s videos because I’m sharing more about what their days—and mine!—actually look like right now. 💛

All four puppies are starting to open their eyes! 🥹💛 They’re 13 days old today, and this is one of my favorite changes to watch. It starts with the tiniest little opening, and then over the next few days we’ll gradually get to see more and more of those beautiful eyes. They can’t see very well yet. Their vision starts out blurry and will continue to improve as they grow. Their hearing is also beginning to come in around this time, so their little world is about to change quite a bit! They’re also getting stronger and more mobile every day. Almost everyone is up on all fours practicing walking instead of their little puppy swims! I love getting to share all of these little milestones with everyone following along. There are going to be SO many changes over the next couple of weeks, and this is where it really starts getting fun! 💛

One week old today! 💛🐾 Lucy & Rocky’s Mini Aussiedoodle puppies have officially completed their first week, and while their world is still very small, a lot has been changing behind the scenes. Their eyes and ears are still closed, so right now they experience their world primarily through smell, touch, and warmth. They’re getting stronger and more coordinated as they move around the whelping box, find Mom, and pile themselves into the coziest possible sleeping arrangements with their siblings. I’ve also been continuing their daily ENS, ESI, and gentle handling, carefully keeping everything short and appropriate for this stage. It’s already interesting to observe the little differences in how each puppy responds to being handled and to the scents they’ve experienced. Everyone is thriving, Lucy continues to be an amazing mama, and now we’re heading into a particularly fun week! Over the coming days, those tightly closed little eyes will begin to open and their world will slowly start getting much bigger!

Six days of Lucy’s Hollywood Legends. ✨💛 Right now, their world is still wonderfully small: Mom, milk, warmth, their siblings, and lots and lots of sleep. I love this stage because there’s something new to notice every day—the way they find the coziest spot in the puppy pile, the little noises they make, and how completely content they look tucked against one another. 💚 Bogie 💙 Desi 🩷 Ava 💜 Judy Six days down, and somehow I already wish I could slow it all down. 💛