• 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. 

Puppies spend the first two weeks of life eating and sleeping.

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 when 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.

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 gradually increase the puppy enclosure area, introduce a crate and give more room for play.

We gradually increase the puppy enclosure area giving them more room to play.

As the puppies grow, we introduce a separate Puppy Play Area. It is important to introduce the puppies to new experiences regularly to build strong body and brain

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 Orijen Premium Large Breed Dog Food made in Canada with only the finest natural ingredients. 
• Puppies eat Orijen Large Breed Puppy Food

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.

Beginning crate training with the breeder helps the puppies become accustomed to their crates. This will make the transition easier on the puppies when the go to their forever homes.

We introduce crates after we remove the whelping box. We start with the door open and the puppies can go in and out as they please. At around seven weeks of age, the puppies take naps in the crate with the door closed.

Puppy selection takes place when the puppies are between 6 – 7 weeks of age when the puppy’s personality have begun to develop. Selection takes place In-person and in order of deposit.