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How We Raise Our Puppies

We have a very limited number of litters every year.  We find we are able to spend more time with our puppies and give them better socialization because of this.  None of our females or puppies are ever kenneled away from us because they are first and foremost our pets.

Birthday

The day the puppies are born is a very special day at our home.  It is a big event.  The mom is monitored 24-7 by either me or my daughter.  We watch her and do our best to make her as comfortable as possible.  Our puppies are born in our living room.  We are there for the birth of each one to make sure they are delivered safely.  We open the bags and cut the cords of the puppies and make sure they are cleaned quickly to avoid any kind of distress.  We help them nurse for the first time to give them the best possible start. Our mothers are never overprotective this way either and are used to people around their babies right away.  This also gets the puppies use to the touch of humans from the moment they are born.  They are watched day and night after this to make sure all are getting enough to eat and to make sure the mother is doing well.

Bernedoodle

Chicketa with her last litter of babies.

Health

At three days of age we make a decision to remove dew claws or not to remove dew claws.  We used to remove all dews but more and more research is coming our about dew claws.  We are now leaving all front dews intact unless they are an unattached dew.  An unattached dew is a claw that is not attached to a bone as part of the foot structure.  Attached front dews are auctually a digit that the dog can use.  We usually remove the rear dews unless we think the procudure might not be beneficial for a particular puppy at the time.  All dew claws can be removed at any point in a dogs life it is just least painful and heals easiest when they are a puppy.  We have the puppies wormed at two, four, and six weeks old.  At six weeks, we have our vet come to our home and she gives them their first shots and a thorough physical.  Puppies are allowed to leave at eight weeks old. Puppies are fed purina pro plan puppy food twice a day.  They start off with soft food and are on all hard food by the time they leave.

Socialization

Our puppies are raised both inside and outside of our house.  They are in our living room full time until they are four weeks old.  We then transition into being outside part time.  We do this to get them used to both indoor and outdoor situations.  We do not want to send puppies out into the world who are scared to go outside because they have only ever been inside.  This makes potty training easier in the winter months because they are not afraid of a little cold.  We have other non-breeding dogs, both large and small that are with the puppies from day one so they are used to other dogs.  We give them weekly baths, blow them dry, and brush them to get them used to grooming.  In the summer we play with them outside most of the day where they are introduced to some of our other animals.  We encourage people to come visit their puppy as often as possible.  This is good for all of the puppies as it gets them used to being around strangers.  We make sure our puppies are confident and ready for the world when the leave for their forever homes.     

Bernedoodle

Fancy Snuggeling with one of coquette's Babies.

Bernedoodle
Bernedoodle

One of Coquetta's two week old babies meeting Fancy and  their Grandma Portia for the first time.

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