Our Support for Moldova and Ukraine

      Our Support for Moldova and Ukraine

Assistance Dogs

Puppy Cam

Beyond the Puppy Cam

All of our puppies are busy doing things off camera. The puppy cam shows you a glimpse of the puppies’ first few weeks as they just start to learn and explore the world. But what happens after?

At nine weeks, each puppy goes home with their puppy raisers, who will teach them basic skills and good house manners and take them out in public to practice. It’s a fun time for the dogs and the people! “SSD Farmer changed my life from the minute he was put in my arms at puppy handout,” said Samantha Machmer, a raiser at Elizabethtown College. “Being a puppy raiser has shaped my college experience into something I never could have imagined. I feel so lucky to have found this community of incredibly kind people who are so passionate about service dogs.”

Join us as a raiser or other volunteer! You might be just what our dogs need to help them become life-changing assistance dogs.

Volunteer with SSD

Puppy Milestones

Everything you see on the puppy cam helps give these puppies a solid foundation for their assistance dog training. You’ll see different objects in the whelping box, and you may even see the puppies visiting different parts of their whelping family’s home.

Here are a few milestones to look for:

Week 1:

Puppies twitch and move a lot in their sleep. They use their sense of smell to explore their surroundings.

Week 2:

The puppies’ eyes and ears open, and the pups begin crawling backwards.

Week 3:

The puppies start standing and begin to play.

Week 4:

The puppies should be actively playing with each other and wagging their tails. They’ll also start eating out of a dish.

Week 5:

Puppies start playing with toys.

Week 6:

The puppies are learning how to really use their paws and mouths and control their bodies.

Weeks 7-8:

Puppies are almost fully developed. You should be able to see the pups’ personalities.