Parents
Meet the parents of the litter. See their photos, view and verify their health clearances.
Nursery – 0 to 4 Weeks
The puppies are whelped and raised in our home. The nursery is located in our living room and includes a whelping box, as well as all the necessities for both litter and breeder. From birth to four weeks of age, We live in the nursery with the pups. During this critical period, the pups are monitored around the clock.
The whelping box has pig rails (to prevent pups from being suffocated by their mother) that are removed after two weeks and replaced with a small potty area. The pups begin housetraining as soon as they start to walk.
Visitors – Day 3
Once the litter is stable and mommy Lucy is feeling well, we welcome visitors by appointment. Guests are shown how to safely handle the puppies, as well as age appropriate interactions. Puppy adopters are encouraged to visit as often as possible. The puppies receive multiple visitors weekly until they leave at 9 weeks of age.
Early Neurological Stimulation – 3 to 16 Days
Early neurological stimulation (ENS) has been proposed to enhance the natural abilities of dogs. ENS involves subjecting pups aged between 3 and 16 days to mild forms of stimulation leading to “stress.” When tested later as adults, these same animals were said to be better able to withstand stress than littermates who were not exposed to the same early stress exercises.
The claimed benefits of ENS have not been proven, but neither have they been disproven. We suspect it likely works to some degree, although some of the claims may be overstated. It takes but a few minutes each day, there is no risk to the pups, and they receive extra handling. All of which is good, and why we have chosen to include ENS in our rearing protocols.
Early neurological stimulation involves five brief stress exercises.
Tactile Stimulation
Holding the pup securely in one hand, gently stimulate (tickle) the pup between the toes on any one foot using a Q-Tip for 3-5 seconds.
Head Up Position
Head Down Position
Supine Position
Thermal Stimulation
Transitional Period – 10 to 21 Days
Transitional period begins when the puppies eyes open and ends when they first startle upon hearing a sound. During this period:
→ Pups begin eliminating on their own
→ Pups begin walking (around the same time they begin eliminating on their own)
→ Teeth emerge
→ Pups start lapping
→ Pups become interested in other food than milk from mommy
→ Pups begin vocalizing (barking/growling)
→ Non-verbal communication begins, such as tail wagging
Startle Recovery – 3 Weeks
At three weeks of age, puppies develop a startle response yet have no real fear response. The lack of fear and quick recovery to being startled provides a small window of opportunity to exercise the puppies’ recovery muscles without worry of fear imprinting. Beginning this week, the puppies are exposed to a variety of sights, and sounds intended to exercise their startle recovery, including but not limited to: a hand clap, dropping metal bowls, starting a vacuum cleaner, dropping books, shaking a marble-filled bottle, loud laughter, a chorus of barking dogs, and dropping a new toy into the weaning pen each day.
Separation – 3 Weeks
During the third week, pups are separated from their littermates for short periods of time. This individual handling helps encourage the puppy’s bond with people, as well as aids in preventing future separation anxiety. Brief one-on-one time with visitors and family creates a positive association that will help them adjust when they leave for their new homes.
Puppy Pen – 4 Weeks
When the puppies are 3 weeks we already add a litte pen to the whelping box. This way they learn that there exists a world outside of their whelping box without it being very overwhelming. At four weeks of age we enlarge this pen. The larger pen provides an area where the pups can run freely at any time. The exercise will help them grow strong and fit, and will help reduce friction in the litter. The weaning pen incorporates a large “potty area”, some cozy beds, lots of toys, and later on we add some crates. Under supervision we also provide them with an adventure box. The remainder of the weaning pen is covered with a special non-slip material which provides traction and is easily cleaned.
Photos
Enjoy individual weekly photos of the pups from birth to 12 weeks of age.
Rearing
Our puppies are raised using the Puppy Culture protocols for rearing, socializing, and training.
Health
All our puppies will receive x-rays at the age of 7 weeks and when they turn 1 year old they get an extensive health screening. Watch their results here.
Growth
Weights are charted daily from birth to 10 weeks, and then weekly until eight months.
Events
Follow the progress of the litter and celebrate individual milestones for each pup.