Puppies deserve to know the world is safe, People are kind, and dogs are friendly

Momma dogs get the utmost love and attention during the last few weeks of pregnancy. We move them to a safe, quiet space to prepare them for puppies. At a week before their due date, mommas are under constant video surveillance and a 4-hour watch rotation.

After puppies are born, our focus is on keeping momma happy and healthy. She has far more to offer the puppies than we can. We keep handling sessions brief to limit stress, only doing the minimum required to ensure that the whole litter is gaining weight. 

From their first week in the world, our puppies are handled daily, held close to our faces and able to hear our heartbeats. They are weighed daily for the first two weeks of life to ensure they are healthy and thriving. We also perform Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) at this stage. ENS is a series of short exercises that introduce gentle stress to the puppies’ bodies, and has been shown to strengthen immune systems, cardiovascular systems, and tolerance to handling.

At around 14 days old, the puppies’ eyes open, and socialization begins! We start slowly by adding a novelty item to their whelping box for them to explore. Even though the puppies can barely walk and still can’t hear at this point, these safe interactions are building the foundation for a confident, self-assured puppy later in life! 

Daily handling continues, with the addition of weekly nail trims.

At this stage, the puppies’ ears unseal, opening them to a whole new realm of socialization! We help them practice a fast startle response. 

Depending on the litter, some puppies will be toddling very well at this age, and we add a litter box to the whelping box.

In addition to daily novelty items, we start them on daily sound exposure. Ever heard of a dog being scared of thunderstorms? Not our puppies! They also listen to quiet classical music at night, which has been shown to calm dogs.

In addition to general cuddles, we start working with puppies individually on our 10-step handling exercise, which acts as a foundation for future compliance to vets, groomers, and children!

The puppies finally have their feet under them and potty-training is well underway! We remove the whelping box and move the puppies to their own puppy pen with more space to practice walking. We also add an open crate with a bed to the pen to acclimate puppies to sleeping in a crate. 

Some litters will be budding teeth at this point and we start them on mushy puppy food. 

The puppies have all their faculties now—smell, sight, and hearing—and this is the stage when we really focus on setting a foundation in confidence with the puppies by working them through curriculum every day. At this age, puppies are ready to venture outside of their sleeping place, so we do curriculum in pens around the house, or, weather permitting, outside. At this age, curriculum is gentle and stable. We practice walking over textured surfaces and interacting with a variety of toys and objects.

Puppies are rocking this potty-training thing! Except for the occasional accident, they are keeping their bed clean. We've added an open crate to the pen, so puppies can begin learning that the crate is a comfortable, restful place.

Momma is weaning the puppies now and starting to get her pre-puppy life back, although she still nurses them a few times each day. 

In addition to the daily handling and confidence curriculum, we also begin foundations in classic clicker/treat-training methods. 

Curriculum ramps up this week. The puppies have learned that new things are exciting and people are to be trusted. Now the puppies can try interacting with things that move independently. Dozens of pingpong balls, automated stuffy toys, skateboards, and rollerbags galore!

Personalities are popping! It’s so exciting to see the individuals budding in these puppies. We’ve upped the difficulty and intensity of the confidence curriculum and handling exercises. 

Litter box accuracy has increased to 90%, and we also bring puppies outside four times a day for pottying and exercise with the big dogs. 

Puppies are getting a grasp on clicker training. Curriculum is advancing again! This week we try to get the puppies their first water exposure,  distanced exposure to a tractor or dirtbike, and outdoor work if weather didn't allow before this point.

Momma has gone back to sleeping on her person’s bed, so puppies get practice self-soothing with toys and chewies. Because Momma is weaning, she doesn’t want to spend much time with the puppies, so nanny dogs take over! 

The weaning finish line is in sight! Puppies are eating dry food three times a day and showing off their smarts in training sessions. Except for nap times, these pups are go, go, go! 

This week we practice positive car exposure and make the first trip to the vet for health certificates. Our vet is wonderful, so the visit is generally fun and exciting.

Halfway through this week we perform extensive temperament testing with each puppy, testing for human-focus, assertiveness, energy level, resilience, and many other traits to help ensure that each puppy gets the home they will thrive in, and that each home gets the puppy they need!

Temperament testing is done, all puppies have received their bills of health and are fully weaned. This week, families on our reservation list get to review the temperament testing videos and scorecards to see for themselves which puppy is right for them. 

We lighten the confidence curriculum this week so we can focus on really enjoying our last weeks with these sweethearts! Instead, we practice calm cuddle sessions, wrap up clicker training, and do some bite inhibition work.

Puppies go to their new homes! Although we are sad to see them go, we can tell these puppies are ready for their families. They want more than we can offer them, and are hungry for the individualized training and attention that only their forever families can provide!

Now it's your turn! Puppies still need daily socialization, handling, and training, but you can be sure your puppy has had the best foundation possible!

We love updates! If you create a social media account for your pup, please share with us so we can follow their journey!