Here at Redbrooke Ranch, we take puppy raising seriously.
While we select for solid temperaments and well-adjusted adults, that doesn't negate the need to set puppies up for future success. We do our absolute best to raise our puppies in an environment that makes their transition to their new homes as easy as possible with both ENS and modified puppy culture protocols.
How are some of the ways we do this?
Whelping box in our living room - we do not breed dams that are aggressive/overly protective, nor keep dogs that can't tolerate puppies in our home. While our dams whelp in peace, once everyone is settled, puppies are exposed to everyday life right away
ENS protocol followed on all puppies
New experiences/toys
Litter training - This helps teach puppies to be clean and keep their den clean
Interactions with all of our (healthy, vaccinated) adult dogs
Outside time on our farm - Puppies experience navigating logs, tall grass, different textures, the sound of cars/gun shots from other farms/farm animals
Puppy pen in our living space - once our puppies outgrow the whelping box, they move to a bigger pen open in the kitchen (open concept with our living room). They start learning crate manners, as they can see us constantly, but are only let out when they are sitting and quiet at the gate!
Travel - our puppies experience anywhere from 2-3 car rides to unfamiliar places
Socialization - RBR has plenty of dog-savvy friends that are more than willing to come over and play with our puppies to help introduce them to new people at the right socialization periods
Positive Association Crate Training - puppies will start hanging out in crates from 6-7 weeks on, and will progress to sleeping in them overnight as long as they are ready for it!
This is certainly not the easiest way to raise puppies, but we are making future family members, team members, and stable working partners, and believe these guys deserve everything we can possibly afford to give them.
If you ever have questions on our protocols, or would like us to add something specific for your puppy--don't hesitate to reach out!
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