A one week old pup with the all-important visible red tongue revealing proper attachment
After a pup has successfully arrived in the world, the next critical step in my experience is ensuring that they attach to mum for that all-important first feed. I say all-important, because I find that once a pup has successfully fed once, in all probability they will successfully feed again. The litter is off to a good even start and a major aspect of litter management is well under control.
Experienced breeders can tell after 24 hours which pups are feeding and which are not by virtue of how well the pups are filling out. This can be done at a glance by an experienced eye without the need for close inspection. Other breeders elect to use scales to confirm puppy’s feeding status, weighing each pup daily and recording these weights for comparison.
Assessments such as these are fine, but they are of little value in detecting that all-important feeding in the first hours. A puppy that doesn’t feed in the first 12 or so hours is behind the eight ball; life becomes more and more difficult as their filling-out siblings become stronger and more proficient at claiming the teats while the unfed pup slips further behind. Life also becomes harder for the breeder, who can find themself complementary (also called supplementary) feeding at all hours of day and night and possibly for many days.
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