Week 5 Summary for 03/16/2026
All weights are in pounds.
| Puppy | Week 4 (03/09/2026) | Week 5 (03/16/2026) | % Change |
| 1 – Mr. Ruby | 4.72 | 5.87 | 24.6% |
| 2 – Mr. Emerald | 4.59 | 5.60 | 22.2% |
| 3 – Ms. Sapphire | 4.81 | 5.85 | 21.6% |
| 4 – Mr. Onyx | 5.25 | 6.39 | 21.9% |
| 5 – Ms. Pearl | 4.84 | 5.81 | 20.1% |
| Average (This Litter) | 4.84 | 5.91 | 22.0% |
| Average (Other Litters) | 4.53 | 5.41 | 19.4% |
Summary
Mr. Onyx continues to lead the way overall from Week 1 until today and is the still the largest puppy we have ever had in week five at well over six pounds. His female counterpart in the overall is now Ms. Sapphire who has taken the female lead role back from Ms. Pearl. The two girls continue to be essentially tied for 2nd place in the overall, week after week. It will be interesting to see if one ever wins the weight war between the two.
Mr. Ruby was the winner for the week at 24.5% gain, taking the lead back from Mr. Emerald. As you can see in the chart, in the percentage gain column, it’s in a very narrow range between all the pups this week.
This litter is now way larger than the average (5.91pounds vs 5.41 pounds). This is being powered largely by Mr. Onyx. However that might be, the average of the other four without Mr. Onyx being included is 5.78 pounds versus the other litter average of 5.41 pounds. The smallest puppy is still Mr. Emerald at 5.60 pounds which is way above the 5.41 pounds of other litters.
Our average Laekenois litter gains 19.4% during the fifth week. This litter gained 22.0% in it’s fifth week. It’s the first time in a few weeks that this litter has that prize. It’s a good thing despite the mathematical nuance that it is when you start from a bigger number. All we are looking for is a degree of progress for each puppy in the litter.
Mama is still doing well. She is not enough anymore. She is feeding them only a few times a day now and it’s just for a few minutes. They drain her of her resources very quickly. Of course, we leave it up to her to decide to go be with the pups. She watches over them all day long. This will continue until she is done and no longer wants to see them. There’s no way to know for sure, but we are probably supplying half of their nutrition. Their teeth are coming in and I am sure that’s part of her desires to not be with them so much.
Puppy Development
In week 5, we believe they are experiencing their first fear period of the Laekenois breed. I will put a post together to describe the Laekenois fear periods. They are recovering as expected from stimuli. On 2nd exposure, there is typically no response or an in instant recovery.
They have had their first crate exposure this week with more of that work to come. They are being separated at times from each other (2 here, and 3 over there). We are working them towards having some solitude which should start tonight or tomorrow.
They have had exposure to two new types of protein in the form of raw beef and raw lamb. With lamb, the bone was included. You should have seen the fresh raw cow’s milk in the prior post. They are getting that milk three times per day now.
The litter has developed a pecking order (just a snapshot in time for now that could change). It is as follows:
- Mr. Emerald
- Mr. Ruby
- Ms. Sapphire
- Mr. Onyx
- Ms. Pearl
Mr. Emerald and Mr. Ruby will likely need jobs that require mental and physical stimulation and are heading towards being pups for the professional or serious hobbyist. None of the puppies demonstrate shyness and all have good food drive. All will be happy to work for their future owners. The first two are just highly driven relative to most other Laekens. They are Belgians afterall.
The pups have had very even growth with their skeletal structure. They are very symmetric and proportionate. It’s a harmonious growth pattern. Most of the pups have had their ears up and down this week with the exception of Mr. Ruby who has his ears up seemingly forever. Their bites are continuing to develop correctly. In Week 4, we introduced them, by sight, to other dogs. This week, there was some minor and brief interaction with adolescent and adult female family.
Their first car ride is coming up this week. We expect it to be noisy. As their motor skills have improved with age, we are going to introduce some puppy agility items. Crate acceptance is a high priority item. We will likely introduce them to some adolescent and adult males in week 7.
That’s the update for this week. If you have any questions, let us know. Feel free to use the Contact Page or give us a text/call for comments or questions.
Have a good week and God bless.