The puppies grow up inside my house. For the first 3 weeks, they are in a separate room, next to the kitchen, so that the bitch and the puppies can rest. I sleep with the puppies and the bitch for the first weeks. After the first 3 weeks, the bitch and the puppies start to be visited by puppy buyers and friends. It is also typical around this time that the bitch allows the other dogs to see the puppies.
All my puppies undergo early neurological stimulation from day 3-16. These are 5 simple exercises that every puppy goes through every day. The exercises are:
- Tactile stimulation – a cotton swab is passed between the puppy’s toes
- The puppy is held with its head up
- The puppy is held with its head down
- The puppy is placed on its back
- The puppy is placed on a cold cloth
By performing the 5 exercises, you stimulate this neurological development, and this should ultimately have a beneficial effect on the adult dog. Among other things, it helps to give the dog a better stress response and make it more resistant to diseases.
When the puppies start to move out of the box, this only takes place on a non-slip surface. It can be carpet, artificial grass or something else. That the puppies do not slide on the surface is an important factor to ensure that the puppies do not develop joint diseases. When the puppies are mentally mature for it, they are introduced to toys that they can investigate.
From approx. 4 weeks they start driving with me and experience few new places. It can be a small walk in the woods, or a visit to a friend. It is important to me that they learn to drive in a car early on, and learn that this is a positive experience. It is also important to me that they are comfortable coming to new places and meeting new people and environments.
When the puppies are 5-6 weeks old, I start training with them. They get a small training session every day, which typically consists of getting individual treats and playing with toys. The idea behind the training is solely for the puppies to learn to receive rewards and to learn to cooperate with a handler. They don’t have to learn “exercises”.
My puppies are part of my normal dog pack. This means that they interact with my adult dogs and thereby learn good dog language. They have also met few sweet new dogs before leaving. The puppies live inside the house, where they are part of our family, which consists of the dogs, 3 cats and 3 small children. The puppies are with us for family visits, excursions and the like. I spend an enormous amount of time giving the puppies the best possible upbringing, so they can be equipped for many good years in their new home. For me, it is crucial that as a breeder I have done my best to make healthy and robust puppies – this applies both in choosing the combinations of dogs I make, but also in the socialization period before they move away from home.
When the puppies leave home, they always have a small package with them. It consists of food for the first time, collar, blanket that smells like “home” and some toys. The puppies are of course sold with a pedigree from the Danish Kennel Club and they are checked by an authorized vet before departure. The puppies are vaccinated, microchipped and have a health certificate with them. They are treated by a chiropractor before departure.
If you have questions about how the puppies are growing up, or if you want to see their surroundings, you can always contact me.