How We Raise Our Puppies

We raise our pups with a balanced mix of science, nature, and experience. We seek to have as natural an upbringing as possible for our puppies while inserting important experiences at development-appropriate times. We provide as stimulating an environment as possible as the pups’ physical and mental development allows them to engage. We do not want to do too much too soon but we want to stretch and challenge the pups, both physically and mentally, as they grow. Our job is to teach them that the world is safe, people are kind, and dogs are friendly.

Puppies are raised with our family in our home. We have areas of our home specifically for puppies where they have room to run, play, and develop their minds and bodies. They are incorporated into the varied sounds, smells, and activities of a household. Each week has intentional goals with time and research proven methods. Our puppy areas are cleaned and sanitized twice daily.

We strongly believe that we can increase the size and complexity of our pups’ brains by the things we do with their mom before they are born (nutrition, Omega 3 fatty acid supplementation) and the pups themselves after birth. We do BioSensor exercises and offer unique scents before their eyes and ears open. We then increase the complexity of their environment once their eyes and ears open, they become more coordinated, and their minds can handle problem-solving. We let them get themselves in and out of trouble, solving their own problems, while ensuring their safety. All our efforts focus on making each pup the best that it can possibly be.

Mental Development and Stimulation

·         Our pups are raised in our home to ensure their development includes the sounds, activities and smells of a typical home

·         Biosensor exercises from 3-16 days

·         Introduction to unique scents daily from 3-16 days

·         Daily curriculum exposure activities

·         Problem solving tasks

·         Training (conditioned to come, introduction to crates, regular car rides)

Social Development

·           Our pups are raised in our home to ensure their development includes regular interaction with people

·         Free access between dam and pups till the pups go home

·         Interaction with other dogs so puppies know dogs are friendly

·         10 step handling

·         Socialization with people

Physical Development

·         a very large puppy pen filled with physical challenges–moving items, edges, agility equipment

·         Introduction to housebreaking

·         Excellent nutritional foundation

Health

·         Regular deworming

·         Titering, nomographs and vaccinations

·         Health check

·         We do NOT remove dew claws since we believe these toes play an important role in turning and hill descents for dogs

ENS & ESI

Early Neurological Stimulation is performed on days 3-16 of the puppies lives. It is proven to to make puppies stronger, healthier, confident and overall to have better temperaments and be more adaptive to change throughout their lives.

Early Scent Introduction is performed on days 3-16 as well. ESI is a training program for puppies designed to enhance their ability to identify, and react to, specific scents. Each day, we introduce a strong scent to the puppy for brief intervals, and records the puppy’s reaction. 

Socialization

Early Socialization is crucial to creating perfect companion dogs. Our puppies are handled and played with on a daily basis. We are intentional in the way we socialize and play with our puppies to help them learn that people and other dogs are safe and loving. They are raised with children in the home and are socialized to people of all ages as well as other dogs of all sizes while they are with us. We want to create confident puppies that are not afraid of new people, dogs or situations.

Desensitizing

As soon as puppies eyes and ears open we begin our sight and sound desensitizing training.  We introduce the puppies to new things each day, including new areas of the home and yard, new tactile items, toys, sounds, flooring, food dishes, etc.

We are careful and mindful of puppies fear periods to ensure that we are never scaring puppies and only creating positive experiences for them to help them build confidence in the world around them.