Breeding AKC Registered Labrador Retrievers
The Nursery
>Toddler Time - Weeks 2 & 3: Mom spends most of her time with the puppies or very close by, keeping that watchful eye out. They are introduced to softened kibble soaked in a goat milk formula. Puppies learn through play with each other and play with us! Toys abound, as do new sights and smells! Our puppies are well-socialized by the time they come home, having been handled and loved on daily from their birth. We introduce sudden noises and startling sounds at this age as well to aid in the development of their startle recovery response.
>Growing Up - weeks 4 & 5: Mom is kept with the puppies until around week 4 when we start the weaning process. Mom spends less and less time with the puppies, as she feels more able to come and go as she pleases since the puppies are less and less dependent upon her for everything. Mom is never completely separated from her puppies, but she is given much more freedom to come and go. Often, this is the time when the dams seem to enjoy their puppies the most, as they play and bond without the pressure to constantly provide their puppies' every need. The puppies' living area is increased around this time and they are introduced to the idea of a dedicated potty area which makes crate training for their new family a much easier experience since the puppy will be familiar with the idea of not pottying in their sleeping space. We also continue exposing our puppies to different stimuli from everyday living, including toys, normal house noises (vacuums, music, washing machines, etc), cars/trucks, chickens, water and baths, etc. Weather permitting, we start exposing the puppies to the outdoors, letting them follow along behind mom as they learn new sights and smells.
>Looking For Big Adventures! Weeks 6 & 7: The puppies go on their first field trip to the vet for their health exam and they receive their first round of vaccines. We raise our puppies with the Rule of 7's protocol as well. So by the time your puppy is 7 weeks old, it will have been on 7 different textures/surfaces, played with 7 different types of toys/objects, eaten from 7 different kinds of bowls and in 7 different locations, been exposed to 7 different kinds of people, and been presented 7 different physical challenges.
>Heading Home With Our Families! Week 8: The puppies will go home with their new families to continue learning and growing! This is the most exciting time as these little bundles of energy imprint with their new dads and moms, experience life as their own little unique self in a big fun world, and learn how they fit in to become part of their new family!
How We Raise Our Puppies
>Birth - Day 1: Our puppies are whelped in our home where we can ensure the utmost safety for mom and babies!
>First Weeks Day 3 - Day 16: From day 3 of life to day 16, we implement Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) and Early Scent Introduction (ESI) for the physical, psychological, and behavioral health benefits they bring. As a breeder, we believe it is our duty to give these puppies the best foundation possible prior to going to their forever homes.
