The 8 weeks between whelping and pickup shape an OEB puppy more than any other window. The breeder controls feeding, temperature, deworming, neurological development, early socialization, and the puppy's first impressions of humans, surfaces, sounds, and handling. Puppies raised through these 8 weeks well are placeable, confident, and structurally sound. Puppies raised badly are problems for life that no amount of buyer care will fully fix.
The protocol below is what a serious OBBA breeder follows. It is more work than many new breeders expect, which is part of why most accidental litters produce weaker puppies than planned ones.
Honest framing. Plan to take 4 weeks essentially off work, and another 4 weeks at reduced capacity. The first week is 24-hour attention. Weeks 2-4 are heavy. Weeks 5-8 settle into a routine but still require multiple-times-daily care. If you cannot honor this schedule, defer the breeding.
Week 1: survival and weight
Newborn puppies cannot regulate temperature, urinate or defecate without stimulation, or find the teat without help. The dam handles most of this, but the breeder is the backup.
- Box temp at 85-90F. Verify with a thermometer; do not trust the heat lamp's rating.
- Weigh each puppy every 12 hours. Healthy newborns gain 5-10% per day after day 1. Flag any puppy that is not gaining.
- Watch nursing. Each puppy should latch and feed every 1-2 hours, vigorously. Weak feeders need supplementation (tube feeding or bottle).
- Check umbilicals for infection daily. Apply iodine on day 1 and day 2.
- Dam health: temperature stays under 102.5F. Watch for mastitis, eclampsia, retained placenta, post-whelp infection.
Week 2: ENS and stable nursing
Eyes start opening (around day 10-14). Ears open (day 13-17). Puppies start crawling and develop the righting reflex. This is the window for Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) protocols.
- Continue 12-hour weight checks. Daily gain pattern should be smooth, not spiky.
- Begin ENS daily: 5 brief stimulations per puppy (head up, head down, supine, cool surface, perineal stimulation), 3-5 seconds each, once per day from day 3 to day 16.
- Drop box temperature gradually toward 80-85F as puppies start regulating their own temperature.
- First deworming at 14 days (per vet protocol; pyrantel pamoate is standard).
Week 3: walking and weaning starts
Puppies start standing and walking. Teeth begin to erupt. Dam often starts pulling away for short periods. Begin introducing solid food.
- Drop box temperature toward 75-80F.
- Introduce mush: high-quality large-breed-puppy kibble soaked in warm water or puppy formula, blended into a thick mush. Offer 4-6 times a day in shallow trays.
- Most puppies face-plant in the mush before they figure out eating. Normal.
- Continue dam nursing for as long as she will accept; puppies still need her milk for immunity.
- Move from 12-hour to daily weight checks.
Week 4: weaning and socialization start
- Mush thickens to half-soaked kibble; puppies are eating volume by end of week.
- Dam may want extended breaks from puppies. Provide her a separate sleeping area she can retreat to.
- Begin socialization: handle each puppy daily (ears, paws, mouth, belly). Introduce surfaces (different textures inside the box). Introduce sounds (clatter, vacuum at low volume, doorbell).
- Second deworming at 28 days.
Week 5: full weaning and broader exposure
- Solid kibble (large-breed-puppy formula). Most puppies fully weaned by end of week 5.
- Dam is mostly off-duty for nursing; some bitches still allow occasional nursing for comfort.
- Begin introducing new visitors (calm, vetted, hand-washed) to handle puppies one-on-one.
- Start crate exposure: short 10-15 minute periods individually or in pairs.
- Introduce new rooms in the house.
Week 6: vet check and first vaccines
- Each puppy gets a thorough vet exam. Confirm bite, palate, hearing, heart, hernias.
- First DAPP vaccine (distemper-adenovirus-parainfluenza-parvo).
- Microchip implantation (optional but recommended; required by some buyers and most contracts).
- Third deworming.
- Continue daily socialization with new people, sounds, surfaces.
- Start short individual time outside the litter to begin teaching independence.
Week 7: temperament evaluation and matching
- Conduct temperament test (Volhard puppy aptitude test or similar). Note each puppy's response to handling, restraint, retrieval, sound sensitivity, social attraction.
- Begin matching puppies to confirmed buyers based on temperament fit, energy level, and family situation.
- Photograph each puppy individually for the public profile and for buyer records.
- Continue novel-experience exposure: car rides (10-minute), brief outdoor exploration in safe areas, broader sound library.
Week 8: documentation and pickup
- Submit OBBA litter registration if not already done. Registering a litter.
- Prepare go-home packets: puppy paper, vet records, deworming and vaccine schedule, sample of current food, contract, written care instructions, breeder contact info.
- Brief each buyer at pickup: feeding schedule, crate training plan, vet appointment scheduled within 72 hours, what to watch for in week 1 at home.
- Get the dam isolated from the puppies a day or two before pickups; weaning is complete and she should be off the puppies cleanly before they leave.
- Confirm post-pickup support: most contracts require breeder availability for buyer questions for the dog's lifetime.
Cost summary across 8 weeks
- Puppy food (mush, then kibble): $300-$600 for the litter
- Deworming x3: $30-$80 total
- Week-6 vet exams + vaccines: $400-$800 for the litter
- Microchips (optional): $20-$50 each
- OBBA litter registration: $20 per puppy
- Whelping kit, formula backup, supplies: budget $300-$500