02/28/2024
*"We do things differently"*. Every time I am talking with a potential puppy owner, I hear myself saying this: *"We do things differently"*. From the way we feed our dogs, to the way we train our dogs, to the way we socialize our dogs, to the way we provide space for our dogs to sleep and play; to the way we do reservations and deposits, to the way we whelp and raise our puppies, to the way we do puppy pickups. We do things differently, because this is what our puppies deserve and this is the way we think it should be done.
We don't take reservations and deposits 6 months or a year in advance. Who knows what the future will bring? Even the best laid plans sometimes fall through because breeders truly aren't gods and have no control over Mother Nature. We simply do not tie up your money with non-refundable deposits and promises of puppies that may never come to be. PWe wait until breedings are done and pregnancy is confirmed by ultrasound; this also gives us an estimate of the size of the litter so we know how many reservations to accept. We have never had a problem finding great homes for our puppies, and our pups have almost always all been reserved before they are born, with the exception of one litter that we did not announce until after the pups were born, and even then, once announced on social media, all pups were reserved within 24 hrs. Since our girls tend to come into season late in the game, we lose a lot of potential puppy buyers who don't have the impulse control to wait--they see pictures of other puppies on social media and jump ship since they aren’t financially committed to us. We think that's good. We don't want impulse buyers. We love our puppy people who research what they want and are willing to wait for the right pup. We don't want someone waiting for one of our puppies simply because they have a deposit to lose. We do things differently.
Our dogs are not "kennel dogs". While it's not possible to have all the dogs in the house all the time, someone is always inside, and those who aren't have a heat/air climate-controlled kennel barn with doggy doors to come and go into their yards. They are only kenneled at night. This keeps the neighborhood quiet at night and ensures the safety of the young or old, as we do have large coyote packs at the back of our property. Kenneled, in 6 ft x 8 ft kennels where they can walk around and lie down on their cots, not crated. They need room to move and run and play to build muscle and for joints to develop properly. We have 5 large yards where the dogs have room to run and play, and a space to guard. A Tibetan Mastiff is too big to be crated or even confined for extended periods, and do best when they have territory to guard; this is what they were born to do. We do things differently.
Puppies are whelped inside their own "Puppy Suite" in the house, an 1,100 sq ft apartment dedicated to the puppies until they are ready to move out of the whelping box. They are born and raised Inside the home with constant supervision and attention. Our girls are not left to whelp in a pile of straw in a barn, or in a dank basement, where their only entertainment is chewing on each other. The size of their area is expanded as the puppies grow, and includes toys and enrichment activities to ensure proper physical and cognitive development. We actively employ early neurological stimulation techniques and Puppy Cultures activities to enrich their lives and prepare them for yours. We do things differently.
By 3 weeks, puppies are moved to a larger indoor area with sleep, play, and potty areas. We train pups to the litter box using alfalfa pellets to get them used to the smell of grass so they associate that with going to p*e and p**p. There is a door that opens to the kitchen so we can see and hear them while we work around the house, and another door directly to the outside for when they are ready to go out and play and potty outside. They are accustomed to sights and sounds of a normal household. We do things differently.
Around 4 1/2-5 weeks, pups start venturing outside to play and potty. It is an easy transition to teaching them to potty on grass, since alfalfa is a type of grass. From this point on, they spend much of their days playing outside, and their toys are moved outside so they can enjoy the sunshine. They are introduced to our other dogs and follow mom as she patrols the yard. They are never, ever, left unattended in the yard, which means I spend hours sitting on the patio watching puppies play. They still come inside to nap and of course at night. As they get older, we take away the litter boxes and instead get up in the middle of the night for a bathroom run. Our puppies are almost 100% potty trained by the time they leave our home. Some never have an “accident” in their new homes. We do things differently.
We feed top quality puppy food mixed with ground raw so that regardless of the type of food their future owners want to feed, they are accustomed to it. We have tried several different types of kibble over the years, but have been most pleased with Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy. This is our plan for our litter this year. We mix in ground raw chicken or beef, and the pups eat enthusiastically. They gain well and normally weigh 20-30+ lbs by the time they leave us. You will not get a sickly 10-12 lb pup from us, because we do things differently.
We start with a Neopar parvo only vaccine at 6 weeks. Yes, it's young, and we realize that, but we also realize that we have to weigh risks vs benefits, and the risk here is high. We live in a county with no leash laws and no animal control. Dogs run loose everywhere, and many are unvaccinated. Parvo is a huge risk. So, yes, Neopar at 6 weeks. After their Neopar vaccine, we socialize aggressively. We invite everyone to come visit. By the time our puppies leave our home, they have met 40-50 people. We also begin taking them for car rides so they are prepared for the trip home with their new owners. We go through drive-thrus and pick up ice cream treats for the pups. They are comfortable in a car and our goal is for them to ride with confidence. We do things differently.
Pups have a vet visit at 9 weeks and receive their first set of DHPP shots and are microchipped. They receive a complete exam and each puppy gets an individual vet report that goes home with him/her: Eyes, ears, mouth/teeth, heart, testicles for the boys, etc. In the week before they leave us, individual f***ls are done for each pup. We have never had a positive f***l on any of our dogs, adult or puppies, but we do it anyway, just in case. If no worms, no dewormer medication is given; we don't treat for what we don't have. Since gut health is closely associated with immune health, we are convinced that all the deworming that breeders do starting at 2 weeks and every 2 weeks thereafter is fueling the unbelievable increase in allergies and immune dysfunction in dogs. We do things differently.
We do not ship puppies. Puppy owners must be willing to come meet us in person. We want them to meet us, and we want to meet them, too, so they can call on us if needed without hesitation, like calling a friend, rather than calling some stranger that they 've never met. We want them to meet our dogs, and especially the mother of their puppies so they see things like size that is so easy to manipulate in photos, and can assess temperament which cannot be seen in photos or even selective videos. If the sire is on site, even better. If not, rest assured we choose outside stud dogs with the same diligence we choose our own dogs, with the same health testing requirements and temperament. We invite our puppy people into our home, and since so many travel long distances to get a puppy, most stay overnight with us in our guest apartment. We spend the day and evening talking about the breed, answering questions and giving grooming demonstration, etc. It’s more than a puppy pick up, it’s a TM experience. We do not ask you to meet at a park, in a parking lot, or at a vet office or police station. We are not afraid to show people how and where we raise our puppies and house our dogs. We are not afraid to let our puppy people into our homes and into our lives. More accurately, we do not use fear as an excuse to hide those things we do not want people to see. We do things differently.
Yes, we do things differently.
