During the first two weeks of their life, puppies spend 90% of their time sleeping and 10% nursing and being cleaned. Our whelping box is kept warm at a constant temperature using a heat lamp. Quiet sleep, regular nourishment, warmth, and elementary movement, establishes the proper climate where the brain and central nervous system may mature.

Daily records are kept of weight gain, changes in behavior and activity level and human handling provides mild amounts of beneficial stress.

According to the Monks of New Skete, puppies exposed to mildly stressful experiences from an early age (1-6 weeks) usually develop into dogs possessing superior problem-solving ability, with less emotional imbalance then those raised without such stimulation. This mild stress causes a raising of the heart rate and an involuntary hormonal reaction in the adrenal-pituitary system, a help in resisting disease and handling stress. The overall effect of this is to prime the entire system, building it up and making it more resilient to emotionally challenging experiences later on in life. Puppies who receive consistent, non traumatic handling, become more outgoing and friendly, and are less likely to be fearful when they grow older.

During the second week of this stage, we introduce a brief thermal stress, by placing the pup in a cardboard box in a cool room for three minutes. This allows their bodies to sense a temperature fall, causing the adrenal system to respond with a brief output of corticosteroid hormones, which helps the pup resist disease later on. Then they are returned to their warm nestof littermates and stroked gently. All signs of agitation cease and they are relaxed and comfortable again.