Puppies receive first class CARE!!!
~ The First Few Newborn Weeks ~
I perform a critical wellness check on our puppies at their time of birth to check for critical things such as Cleft Pallet and heartbeat irregularities. I carefully assist birth in various ways focusing on Momma with outdoor breaks and giving her calcium doses between deliveries. This makes a smoother delivery and shortens the time puppies are in destress inside the womb. I gently assist all births and especially breach ones. I safely secure umbilical cords to prevent potential hernias. Puppies are minimally handled for the first few weeks while they have developing immune systems although we do weigh them daily to monitor growth. I closely assist Momma with the nursing of each individual puppy, particularly helping them latch on well and noting if any smaller puppy is getting bullied! We do this by keenly intervening with positioning of the litter mates to ensure a "team spirit" all sharing equally from Momma's precious milk! Puppies are kept appropriately warm with floor heating mats for weeks until they are strong enough to produce their own heat. They will get lots of appropriate stimulation as they begin to grow. Starting at week two at each weighing session we begin stimulation training. This is a few routine exercises that have been proven to help develop a less reactive nervous system as adult dogs. By introducing early stressors in the form of life's many stimuli, they will have better reactions later in life! The puppies' eyes begin to open for the first time around 2 weeks and they begin to hear for the first time around 3 weeks. They are kept very clean (mainly by Momma) for the first few weeks, but when she resigns from that duty, I gently bathe the pups and trim their nails. They will be very loved and cared for like our own pets!
Early Neurological Stimulation Treatments
Pups receive 30 seconds of exercises each day during weeks 2 - 3.
These simple hands on techniques are positions and sensations that better prepare them for life's stressors! Watch the video below to see a session in action!
~ NUTRITION ~
Puppies stay together in mom's whelping box lined with unscented pee pads
inside of our bedroom.
We start weaning puppies at 3.5 weeks old which means a slow introduction to solid foods starting with homemade formula:
(Goat's Milk, Greek Yoghurt, Raw Egg, Agave)
At weeks 4-5 they start on a custom fine ground raw puppy food of:
Chicken meat, bone, organs, ground flaxseed, pumpkin, sunflower seeds, spirulina, alfalfa, kelp, ginger, turmeric, coconut, sea salt, plantain leaf, yucca, parsley, kale, spinach, broccoli, blueberries, raspberries, cranberries
At 6-7 weeks old they move on to a denser version of the same ground food which requires some chewing from their new set of baby teeth!
~ POTTY TRAINING ~
We use a tried and TRUE Crate Training process to potty train the puppies starting at 6 weeks old. They get two full weeks on a rigorous hands-on, strictly followed daily schedule. You won't be getting a puppy straight out of a whelping box. Rather, the two weeks leading up to going home are an introduction into "real life", similar to how they will live with their new owner! We certainly can't give as much cuddles and playtime with each puppy like you will be giving, but these puppies will definitely be well socialized with plenty of hands on interactions of various sorts!
CRATE SIZE :
At 5.5 - 6 weeks old puppies go into 12 x 18 " see through wired crates, not plastic enclosed travel carriers. The space is divided into two with a panel divider to make two 12 x 9 " spaces where they will rest two by two cuddled up with each other in that one prospective space. (Four puppies total in one crate - two on each side). One week prior to going home, usually at 7 weeks old, they will transition into their own separate spaces inside the crate. This helps them to "wean off" of their littermates and become more independent prior to going home.
ROUTINE :
Puppies will be on a very timely routine of : Sleep, potty, eat, potty, play, potty, repeat until night time! They eat three times a day and it's after those meals they have their most long free times outside of their crates. Playtime occurs both indoors and outside if good weather.
NIGHT TIME :
At night time we take the puppies all out twice at first until they have the poop habit down, then only one time during the night thereafter. They will learn how to "hold it" until they are brought out to relieve themselves. Once they have the poop habit down then we transition to once per night potty breaks. Once last late potty break around 10 - 11pm is ideal and then up at 6am. After two full weeks of this rigorous schedule combined with controlled water intake (only offered at meal times and not passed 5pm)
INCLEMENT WEATHER :
During winter or rainy days I use a convenient small set up on the deck for quick potty breaks. This is not a replacement for bringing puppy to the grass or snow but it can be used on inclement days or frigid temperatures. I also use it for some of the middle of the night potty runs! It is a 3 foot by 3 foot square Potty Loo with artificial grass turf pad with a pull out collection tray. The loo is enclosed by a snuggly fit four panel plastic pen which prevents puppy from jumping off the loo. I use the words "Pee Pee Potty" as cue words. The puppies are familiar with this wording when going home.
~ GROOMING ~
Further Stimulation Training through grooming... Grooming with noisy tools helps your puppy adjust early on to loud noises and physical sensations. This can make big impact on their neurological and reactive development helping to shape their reactions and tolerance.
All puppies will have their nails periodically trimmed with a spinning electric grinder starting at 3 weeks old. They will be lovingly bathed periodically starting at 4 weeks old; multiple times at the start of crate training, then as needed while transitioning into their crate. Puppies need to smell extra clean during their potty training period!
GO HOME PUPPY GROOM :
Puppy will receive one last Puppy Groom the day of going home! This will be a full body puppy groom including a coat shortening, a face and ear trim, a careful sanitary area groom and a clean paw pad and nail trim. Your puppy won't need a groomer for at least one full month!
DEWCLAWS :
No puppies are de-clawed meaning their "dewclaws" are all intact! Thankfully this practice is being widely abandoned, since dogs use these thumb like off set digits for fast maneuvering while running especially on sharp turns. The reason breeders have removed them in the past and still do has been to avoid them ripping if neglected by the groomer. They can easily be missed by a good groomer since they are hidden off to the side. When left to grow too long they are in danger or ripping and bleeding.
Your puppy will likely have five digits / nails on the front paws and four on each back leg. Although it is less common, it is possible for a dog to have more than four on the back as well. So do diligence to trim them or double check the dewclaws when coming out of the groomer.
~ VETERINARIAN CARE ~
Puppies go for their first health exam between 7-7.5 weeks old where they will be fully examined and have a perfect bill of health determined by the doctor or else you will be notified right away of a finding! Rarely do we see umbilical hernias or teeth underbites but they both do and can happen on occasion. Both are minor issues that vets do not deter families from getting a puppy with such.
VACCINES :
Puppies get their first vaccine at this vet appointment. This will be the DHAPP also called Distemper shot which is a 5 in 1 vaccine for Distemper, Hepatitis, Adenovirus, Parainfluenza, and Parvovirus. It is considered a standard necessary vaccine since puppies' immune systems are still weak at this age. All vets require a booster or two. Typically given at 10 -12 weeks then again at 16 -18 weeks old and always spaced at least four full weeks apart. I always recommend choosing the latest date. And never do a Rabies vaccine on the same day as this booster....if a rare side effect were to occur (which it does) then it is most likely to happen when multiple vaccines are given on the same day. Rabies and DHAPP is risky, so please don't take the risk, since the possible damage is irreversible!
* If your puppy is here with me long enough to have the booster shot then I will administer it so he/she is up to date when going home.
DEWORMING :
Pups will receive the first round of deworming meds at the vet visit *IF deemed necessary at first vet visit. I will bring a sample of the litter's combined stool a few days prior so results are ready at the visit. If it is clear, which it usually is, then they won't have deworming meds since it's just not necessary. I don't have to deworm the puppies regularly when growing because my mother breeding dogs don't have worms ever and simply don't pass them to their puppies.
We have a great track record of not needing to deworm puppies at all. We do treat with Albon for 5 days when transitioning to solid raw food to deter the over growth of coccidia found in raw chicken. A puppy is still developing natural immunity towards Coccidia which will be fully developed when they are 12 weeks of age.
VET PAPERS :
You will have the original copy of the vet exam papers with the vaccination proof. You will need to bring this original to your first vet appointment. I will also email you the full exam report which you could forward to your own vet office if you'd like to.
~ GOING HOME CARE PACKAGE ~
You will go home with a nice starter care pack full of helpful items.
You will get a copy of the Daily Puppy Schedule to be used as a guide only.
Also a laminated Potty Reminder Chart.
As well as a colorful child friendly 'Dangerous Foods To Avoid' chart.
One last informational print out on the various ways you can safe guard your puppy from a triggered Auto-Immune disease by taking a more informed and natural approach to vet care.
Puppy goes home with at least FIVE DAYS OF FRESH FROZEN FOOD.
Puppy will be freshly bathed and neatly groomed!
GOTCHA DAY TRAVEL :
For families traveling OVER TWO HOURS one way to get here from their location, then I will meet you 1 hour out in your direction at a strategic and convenient meeting spot, saving you at least two hours of driving on pick up day.
* Click HERE to see DAILY SCHEDULE CHART *
* Click HERE to see the CARE PACKAGE items *
* Note that come 2027 the care package will receive an upgrade to include :
A Snuggle Puppy (Heart Beat Teddy), Buffalo Horn, higher quality puppy collar, and a FULL genetic test kit for your puppy to be performed at home and mailed in!
MICROCHIP :
Puppy will be Microchipped by me and you will be given the paperwork needed to activate the chip by registering it with the company I recommend. The one time fee is $35. It won't be active until you register it. The main purpose of the chip is safety; a collar can be removed but a chip can't. This makes it quite difficult for an evil human to have someone else's dog. The vets and police can both scan a dog and see the registered owners contact information. This is helpful for a lost dog. Vets are also trained to scan every new dog they see as new patients and make sure it matches the owners information, or else see a flagged alert on the registry that the owner reported this dog missing!!!