A Bulldog Puppy’s Second Week, Through the Eyes of a Breeder
The first two weeks of a bulldog‘s life, or any puppy’s life for that matter, is a critical time period. They are unable to regulate their body temperature and must be kept warm and if they're unable to be kept warm by their mother, as in the bulldog's case, then they must be kept warm by the use of an incubator, heating pads, and/or heating lamps. They must have help to urinate and defecate. They‘re blind due to the fact that their eyes are not open and anything they hear, if anything, is very muffled because their ears are also completely closed. A typical puppy is guarded closely by their mother dog and is able to receive the proper care needed by her as well. Bulldog mothers are different than other dog mothers in that they are not able to properly care for their puppies, so that's where the breeder comes in.
If you haven't read A Bulldog Puppy's First Week, Through the Eyes of a Breeder I encourage you to do so. There you will learn a lot more about the changes that a bulldog goes through developmentally over that time period and the breeders' role in that process. As for the second week of a bulldog puppy's life, here we are.
This week I have been working with the puppies to extend the amount of time between their feedings. I have gradually made it to three hours between feedings instead of just two. This has come in handy at night time and the extra hour of sleep in between feedings has given me time to get more done when the puppies are sleeping. Emma seems to be enjoying the rest as well. During the first week a breeder turns into a walking zombie. I'm honestly not sure how it's humanly possible to do what english bulldog breeders do that first week, but somehow we do it. During that time period our homes turn to a tornado, our schedules, besides puppy related schedules, are thrown in the trash, and our appearance is less than stunning. But this is the second week and I feel like a new woman! I even had a few minutes to walk our two other dogs around the block while my husband hung back with the puppies. Unfortunately, Emma had to stay behind because she's still healing from giving birth.
Most of this time period is remarkably similar to the first week and the puppies aren't all that exciting, besides the fact that they're absolutely adorable. They still only eat, sleep, and poop. I still have to stimulate them to urinate and release their bowels, and they must still be kept in a warm area away from their mom when I'm not watching. I've continued with the same touch and temperature socialization as last week. The only real change to this week from last, besides the appearance of more wrinkles, is the length of time between feedings.
That is until…eyes began to open! One of the many exciting moments of watching baby bulldogs grow is seeing their eyes open for the first time. It’s so exciting! It makes you wonder what they think of the world. Their itty bitty eyes are just so adorable!
After their sight comes in, and even a little before it, you can notice the beginning of the crawling puppy stage. It's always a fun reminder of how much they're growing when you notice them crawling. That crawling will transition to walking, and the walking will become running, jumping, and playing! This upcoming week will absolutely be filled with lots of fun milestones!
By the end of the week the puppies have had their feedings extended to every four hours in preparation of eventually getting them ready to wean from mom and eat kibble. I'll have more time to resume a more normal lifestyle again with time to cook, clean, and focus on family, including our other dogs, along with the puppies. These first two weeks are absolutely the hardest part of raising baby bulldogs but the hard work pays off in the form of playful, silly puppies that you just can't get enough of!