All of our dogs are house dogs and we require that all our puppies be the same in their new homes.  A puppy that is raised in the house as a complete part of the family makes for a wonderful lifelong companion.  Therefore, we require that all our puppies sleep in the house, are crate trained, and are taken to a beginning obedience class.  If available in your area, it is also strongly suggested going to a puppy socialization class.  The puppy usually begins this class at 12-16 weeks of age and upon completion of the class can go straight into a beginning obedience class.  Raising a puppy as a family member and starting their training early makes for a well behaved, happy companion.  

I strongly recommend reading the following internet downloads and books:

·      Before You Get Your Puppy and After You Get Your Puppy by Dr Ian Dunbar (developer of puppy socialization classes).  These are both free downloads and should be read by everyone.

·      How to Raise a Puppy You Can Live With by Rutherford and Neil,

·      Good Owners, Great Dogs by Kilcommons and Wilson,

·     The Dog Listener by Jan Fennel (anything written by Jan Fennel is excellent).

Most books are available either at Barnes and Noble (many times these books are in the discount aisles) or Amazon.  (Click here to see additional reading selections.)

We only have one to three litters per year, with the majority of the time it only being one litter per year. Each breeding is carefully planned. The whelping box is set up in our home from the time the puppies are born until they move to a bigger play area. From days 3–16 they are exposed to Early Neurological Stimulation. At approximately 5 weeks old they are ready for a larger area to play and are moved into a climate controlled indoor/outdoor puppy play area in the garage.  In their new play area they not only hear noises of the washer and dryer, lawn mowers, cars, horses, and the everyday noise in the neighborhood, they also begin to teach themselves the difference of  being inside and outside to go potty through the use of a dog door.  They will be exposed to as many things as possible before they leave our home.

I strongly believe in the following Rule of 7’s for socializing very young puppies as recommended by Pat Hastings (AKC judge and author of The Puppy Puzzle).

Rule of 7’s - By the time a puppy is 7 weeks old, it should have:

·      Been on 7 different surfaces - carpet, concrete, wood, vinyl, grass, dirt, gravel, wood chips, newspaper, etc.

·      Played with 7 different types of objects - big balls, small balls, soft fabric toys, fuzzy balls, squeaky toys, metal items, wooden items, paper/cardboard items, milk/soda jugs, etc.

·      Been in 7 different locations - front yard, backyard, basement, kitchen, car, garage, laundry room, bathroom, crate, kennel, etc.

·      Been exposed to 7 challenges - climbed a box, climbed off a box, gone through a tunnel, climbed up steps, climbed down steps, climbed over obstacles, played hide and seek, gone in and out of a doorway with a step, etc.

·      Eaten from 7 different containers - metal, plastic, cardboard, paper, china, pie plate, frying pan, etc.

·      Eaten in 7 different locations - crate, yard, kitchen, basement, laundry room, bedroom, x-pen, etc.

The puppies are de-wormed at 2, 4, and 6 weeks of age.  At 7 weeks the puppies are given their first heartworm preventative medicine (Interceter) which is also a de-wormer for several types of worms.  The puppies will have fecal checks at the vet office at 3, 5, and 7 weeks of age.  They receive their first vaccine which consists of distemper and parvo manufactured by Intervet.  At 7- 7.5 weeks the vet comes out to the house to give the puppies a thorough examination before they go to their new homes.  The puppies are not allowed to go to their new homes until they are at least 8 weeks old. However, every puppy develops at different rates, so there may be some puppies that won’t go to their homes until 9 weeks old.  After you get your puppy it is recommended within 72 hours to have your puppy examined out by your own veterinarian.  Should your vet find any health issue you may return the puppy for a full refund with a written explanation from your veterinarian.  All puppies are sold on an AKC limited registration, which means that the puppy cannot be bred or compete in conformation events, however the puppy may compete in all AKC performance events (obedience, agility, hunt tests).

Though not always possible, it is my goal to keep a puppy out of every litter.  Therefore it is of the up most importance to me to have dogs that are sound in mind and body.  I only breed dogs that are over the age of two who have all their health clearances.  All of my breeding dogs will have their have their hips and elbows x-rayed for genetic joint disease and certified by OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals).  Heart and eye clearances are done by board certified veterinary cardiologists and ophthalmologists.  The results for eye clearances will be registered with CERF (Canine Eye Registration Foundation).

In addition to the information that is provided on this page, upon receiving your deposit you will be provided with a puppy binder.  This is a collection of information and articles that I have found helpful to my puppy buyers in raising their new puppy. (Please click here for items to get for you to prepared for your new puppy)  You will also receive copies of your puppy’s pedigree and health clearances of the parents of your puppy.  When you pick up your puppy you will receive a small bag of food and a toy that smells like the litter.