My puppies are raised in my home with love from day one.
This page shares the details of our puppies’ lives from birth to adoption… and beyond.
All my puppies are whelped in our family room. From birth to adoption day, my puppies are never left alone or unsupervised. From birth to adoption day at 8 weeks old, my goal is to pour love into my puppies, giving them skills to be well-adjusted, happy, healthy dogs. As they grow we introduce each puppy to new experiences they’ll encounter later in life.
I integrate elements of the Puppy Culture method of raising social, well-adjusted, therapy-quality Doodles! Learn more about Jane Killion’s Puppy Culture program here.
During whelping, I am with Mom at all times, from the first sign of labor until she and all her puppies are snuggled together warm and clean after birth. Each mother has personal assistance during the delivery process so every puppy is ensured a gentle, safe, and peaceful birth experience.
In the days following birth, I implement ENS (early neurological stimulation) with gentle handling and exposure to many different textures, sights, smells, sounds, and positioning. This gives each puppy a head start at adapting to an adventurous, fun-filled life with his/her new family!
My puppies are handled carefully throughout the day by adults and children (under supervision). Our goal is each puppy being part of the home environment from the start, constantly observing and participating in family life. Their first experiences are seeing smiling faces and hearing my siblings’ laughter!
At 4 weeks old, we begin introducing the puppies to solid food. We use ground or mashed kibble from mom’s bowl, mixed with puppy milk replacer, to create a palatable soft mash. By this age the puppies have already been licking the food in mom’s dish, and their teeth are emerging. Soft solids is the natural next step! The puppies love the extra nutrition. And we love chubby, healthy puppies!
Between 5 and 6 weeks old, I host my signature Puppy Play Date! This is an open house event for the families of reserved puppies. This is the family’s opportunity to meet their new addition in person for the first time, as well as see our puppy areas and meet his/her mom and dad! We spend the afternoon playing with puppies and participating in Q&A.
After Puppy Play Date, we’re on to more socialization. We go on car rides to visit family, invite friends to visit at home, and play, play, play! Every new person and experience sets the puppy’s future for success. Each puppy learns new life skills, including walking up and down steps, car rides, bathing, blow drying, trimming nails, going on outdoor adventures, using a dog door, and beginning the potty training process via the crate training method.
As part of the health journey for my puppies, they visit my trusted veterinarian a few days before going home. They are microchipped, health examined, weighed, vaccinated, and given another dose of dewormer. Each microchip is registered in the new family’s name before going home.
Finally: Adoption Day! Each puppy is united with his/her new family at 8 weeks old. Puppy is sent home with a welcome starter pack which includes all the puppy’s health records & microchip information, a health guarantee, puppy treats, and a toy or blanket with mom’s scent. we take a photo and say goodbye. New adventures await!
Many of my puppies go on to complete AKC Good Neighbor Obedience Training and beyond. I’m proud to say that some of them have become therapy dogs too!
