Raising Our Puppies

Our puppies have so much love right from the start.

Our puppies are raised using Puppy Culture is a program that helps engage puppies and teach them some of the most important skills they’ll need in their lives. This includes stress responses, problem solving, and more!

Click on icon to read more of the Puppy Culture Protocol

Our Puppy Raising Process.

Enjoy the below pics while reading through the information on our puppy raising process.

Whelped in my bedroom

Our puppies are whelped in my bedroom
They spend the first three weeks of their life in this warm quiet space.

Puppy imprinting starts at birth

We have a hands on approach to the whelping process and choose to raise our puppies in our home and part of our busy family.
Puppy imprinting starts at birth. They are held and cuddled daily from the start by our large family, including babies and small children.
I believe this will give them a good start as they learn to interact with people of all ages.
I feel this makes for a easier transition when they move to their forever homes.

Life in the Whelping Box

Puppies spend the first two weeks of life eating and sleeping

At three weeks of age puppies are ready to explore what’s beyond the whelping box

Moving to main floor

Puppies are moved to the main floor at three and a half weeks of age to get accustomed to different sounds and the happenings of a busy household. This is when potty training begins. I spend most of my time during the next 3 days, putting each puppy in the potty area each time they wake and after they eat. This teaches them there is a “place” to go potty. It is amazing how quickly they figure it out and so satisfying to see them run to the potty area by themselves when they wake up or while they are playing! I believe it makes it easier for their forever family to house train when they go home.

Notice the Potty Area in the upper right corner of puppy enclosure

The main floor puppy enclosure is set up in my kitchen. At first, we begin with a smaller area which includes the whelping box and potty area only. As puppies grow, we remove the whelping box and replace it with a crate and gradually increase the puppy enclosure area giving them more room to play.

Lots of willing hands to love and cuddle puppies

Solid Foods

Puppies are introduced to solid food , beginning with a soupy ground kibble at around 4 weeks of age. They still continue to nurse from their mom during this transition.
The weaning process begins slowly as solids are introduced.
By eight weeks of age puppies are completely weaned and will have transitioned to a dry kibble puppy food diet.

What do we feed our Dogs?

We feed our dogs BLUE BUFFALO – BLUE Wilderness^® Dog Food
It is a high quality protein-rich, grain-free food made with only the finest natural ingredients.
Puppies eat High Quality Puppy Food For Large Breed Puppies

Outdoor Exercise

Puppies are introduced to the outdoors at 5 weeks of age. As weather permits, they have daily outdoor exercise playing with their litter mates, exploring and learning about the world around them. The next few weeks are an important part of their learning experience. During this time they are taught social skills by their mother along with our other adult dogs and their littermates.

Teaching Puppies “Recall”

Our puppies love to explore our large yard during outdoor play. We keep a watchful eye on them. To make sure everyone is accounted for, we round up our puppies with “The Puppy Call” This teaches them recall, which is something their forever families will continue to build on.

Puppy Selection Takes Place When Puppies Are Between 6 and 7 Weeks Of Age

Teaching Time From Mom

We believe that mothers teaching is an invaluable experience. This is why puppies cannot leave for their forever home until they are at least 8 weeks of age

Puppy Care

Our puppies are weighed daily from birth to 3 weeks of age. We keep a detailed record of their progress.

Puppies have their nails clipped every two weeks

Puppies visit our veterinarian at 7 weeks of age. At this time they receive their microchip, first set of vaccinations, and a full wellness checkup. We do a fecal check for worms 2 – 3 times and if necessary, we deworm our puppies using Strongid®T dewormer

Puppies Ready For Their Forever Homes

Puppies are ready to leave between eight weeks and nine weeks of age.
Before heading to their forever families, puppies will be bathed, blow dried, and have their nails clipped
Puppy package includes information packet, Vet papers, collar, blanket with mother/litter mate scent, packet of puppy food, and a small toy.
We will also snap a memory photo!