RAISING PUPPIES
I've been involved in breeding for many years, my first job in the early 70s was as kennel help in a show/breeding kennel. After several years I earned my first bitch and whelped and sold my first litter before I had a driver's licence. In the intervening years I have seen a great many changes in the pet industry and they haven't all been to the benefit of the pets we claim to love.
Being a breeder in 2019 is a tricky business, but we remain steadfast to our beliefs and our values. Our goal is to breed and develop 'loving pets for pet lovers'. We raise puppies to be members of the family, they are born and raised in the house. Now many breeders will tell you the same, but the reality is that their puppies are raised in fenced off areas, in exercise/puppy pens or in dedicated 'puppy rooms'. By contrast our puppies are raised in the house 'underfoot'. We puppy proof our home so puppies are fully immersed in all activities from the time they are able to leave the nest. They interact with people and other pets, learn how to navigate stairs and do not worry about learning to escape since they are not locked up.
We provide a crate/kennel for puppies to use as a den or retreat, they learn that their crate is a sanctuary, a safe haven where they can be undisturbed regardless of what is going on around them.
Potty training is another controversial topic with raising puppies, at 8 weeks, 10 weeks and 12 weeks, they are still babies and cannot realistically be expected to be potty trained. We provide puppies with a 'potty patch' from the time they are mobile, in our experience 50% of all puppies start using it reliably on their own most of the time by 8 weeks old. But that does not mean they are house trained, it simply means that we have come up with a reliable system that works for us.
We do not make unrealistic claims about puppies, they are puppies, challenging, but rewarding. If you are not prepared for the significant amount of work that comes with raising a puppy, perhaps adopting an older dog is a better option.
Being a breeder in 2019 is a tricky business, but we remain steadfast to our beliefs and our values. Our goal is to breed and develop 'loving pets for pet lovers'. We raise puppies to be members of the family, they are born and raised in the house. Now many breeders will tell you the same, but the reality is that their puppies are raised in fenced off areas, in exercise/puppy pens or in dedicated 'puppy rooms'. By contrast our puppies are raised in the house 'underfoot'. We puppy proof our home so puppies are fully immersed in all activities from the time they are able to leave the nest. They interact with people and other pets, learn how to navigate stairs and do not worry about learning to escape since they are not locked up.
We provide a crate/kennel for puppies to use as a den or retreat, they learn that their crate is a sanctuary, a safe haven where they can be undisturbed regardless of what is going on around them.
Potty training is another controversial topic with raising puppies, at 8 weeks, 10 weeks and 12 weeks, they are still babies and cannot realistically be expected to be potty trained. We provide puppies with a 'potty patch' from the time they are mobile, in our experience 50% of all puppies start using it reliably on their own most of the time by 8 weeks old. But that does not mean they are house trained, it simply means that we have come up with a reliable system that works for us.
We do not make unrealistic claims about puppies, they are puppies, challenging, but rewarding. If you are not prepared for the significant amount of work that comes with raising a puppy, perhaps adopting an older dog is a better option.
