HOW WE RAISE OUR PUPPIES
As an ethical breeder, the most important thing to us is to do what is best for our dogs and for our puppies. Through research we have found an incredible program that allows us to raise our puppies to be healthier, stronger, more confident and allows them to transition easier to their new homes.
Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS)
Early Neurological stimulation (ENS) ENS is a set of five exercises we perform on each of our puppies. These exercises provide mild stressors to help with the puppys' resilience. The benefits are improved cardiovascular performance, stronger heart beats, stronger adrenal glands, more tolerance to stress and greater resistance to disease. In the long run, these exercises help the puppy to develop a stronger tolerance for new experiences.
Early Scent Introduction (ESI)
Early scent introduction (ESI) is a training program for puppies that is designed to enhance their ability to identify, and react to, specific scents. At 3-16 days old, we introduce a strong scent to the puppy for brief intervals, and record the puppy’s reaction.
We will note if a reaction is positive, negative or neutral. The puppy’s different reactions mean the potential for even better companion, service, and therapy dogs.
Touch Sensitivity
We start handing our puppies at a very young age. The more we handle and get our puppies comfortable with normal human touch, the more normal this type of handling will be to them. The goal is to teach the puppy that this type of touch is normal. We touch very minimally as they are younger, but each week we increase the amount of pressure and amount of touch. By the end of eight weeks, we perform the following: rub/tug on ears, cover eyes, open mouth and run fingers on gums, rub belly in circular motion, run hand up and down the back and pat on the back, tug and twist on the tail, touch all paws and push in between pads, tap nails, run fingers around neck and tug on collar, and touch their nose.
It is important for new puppy parents to continue this type of touch once puppy comes home!
Exposure
We begin to expose puppies to a variety of sites, sounds smells etc. when they at the beginning of week three. We introduce different types of exposures including whelping box exposure, sound exposure, different locations, problem solving activities, different types of people, different types of animals and more.
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Exposures begin in the whelping box. Items we expose them to are gentle and safe. The goal of these activities is to build trust with the puppy while providing something new and fun. We let them be curious and engage as they please.
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Exposing puppies to a variety of sounds is very important for their development. We can aid with preventing some fear of sounds like thunder, sirens and vacuums by introducing them to these sounds early on in life.
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Activity exposure means adding something as simple as an item to their environment. We start with stationary items and will slowly introduce items that make a sound or movement.By exposing them to a large variety of items, puppies will gain confidence and problem solving skills.
We will also introduce puppies to a variety of new locations, people and animals. As you can imagine, these introductions help puppy feel more confident in future interaction.
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Crate Training
We introduce our puppies to the crate to help them prepare for their future with you. Crate training is very important for dogs of all ages and sizes. It is especially important for doodles because they are groomed frequently. By teaching them the crate is their safe space, you are helping your pup to feel more safe, secure, and preparing them for situations where a crate may be needed.
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Potty Training
Because dogs are den animals, they do not like to potty where they sleep. We use this natural instinct to teach them to potty in a specific area. When they enter a new home, they will need to re learn the potty spot in your home, but due to our initial training, they will pick up on it quick!