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Useful info

getting off to a great start

How we raise our puppies

Katherine and Miles and their team work full time here so when we raise a litter of puppies, it’s not part time. They’re given all the love, time and attention to achieve their highest potential. Every puppy is raised in our home and handled daily. From the moment they’re born to the day they come into your family, they’re raised to be well rounded, socialized members of a family.

We start with excellent prenatal care. It is important to keep the pregnant mother in a calm, stress-free environment as any stress reactions will be passed on to the puppies. Studies show that a litter is more docile when the pregnant mother is petted. Petting releases oxytocin in the dog which strengthens social bonds, and reduces stress and anxiety. So, we have a massage program we do here, keeping our pregnant moms calm, relaxed, and pampered. This also gets our puppy socialization underway before the puppies are even born, as studies show that puppies from a petted mother tolerate handling much better than puppies from a mother who was not petted.

From days 3-16, our puppies go through the super puppy program which consists of 5 exercises that studies have shown improve their cardio vascular system, give them stronger heart beats, stronger adrenal glands, more tolerance to stress, and greater resistance to disease. Puppies being raised for military purposes go through these exercises to help them have a superior advantage.

Once they’re two weeks old, they are started with a potty tray system so they learn to go potty in a specific spot and keep their bed and play area clean, which makes for an easier transition once they start their housebreaking and going potty outside.

As they grow, they become familiar with all kinds of normal household sounds like the vacuum cleaner, pots and pans, etc. We also play a noise CD for the puppies which includes thunderstorms, people clapping, children playing, horns honking, etc. which desensitizes them to different noises. They’re introduced to all different people, young and old. We take them on short car rides to get them used to travel as labradoodles love to go with you, and make great companions whether driving around town running errands, or on vacation. We also think it is important for them to be willing to be handled should an emergency happen where a Vet needs to do things with them for their own good. So, we handle their paws, legs, ears, tail, etc. and also introduce them to nail clipping, baths, and blow dryers. We also provide activities that challenge them and teach them to think.

At 7 weeks, puppies temperaments and personalities are showing quite a bit so it's the perfect time for temperament testing. We test our puppies using the APET test developed by Avidog. It is quite extensive and is an all day affair to test a litter. Both Katherine and her assistant Krystina have gone through formal training to preform the test, and we have a stranger come in that the puppies have never met who helps with part of the test.

Once their temperaments, strengths and weaknesses are determined, it helps us in placing the right puppy with the right family.

In the last week the puppies are here, we have them sleep in a crate at night by themselves. Since their littermates are not going to their new homes with them, being a little used to sleeping by themselves helps make their transition and first few nights a little easier.

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Avidog’s Puppy College has a one-on-one online coaching program!
Avidog is the leader in online dog breeding courses and believes in "Raising puppies to be great dogs that thrive in loving homes."

Avidog’s Puppy College has a one-on-one online coaching program!

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