As for my puppies, their development is paramount, as after all I am raising well rounded confident puppies that should be ready for life and that is what I aim for. In keeping with the latest approaches to training, development and socialisation our outline of rearing litters is as follows:

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• All of my litters start in the whelping boxes upstairs in a den type set up. I like quiet for my mummies to be maintained and a calm environment is vitally important for the health and well-being of mum and puppies. They spend their first 3 weeks in the whelping box next to a bed so someone is with them day and night. This allows us to keep track of the little details and make sure everyone is doing as they should. 

• Handling in the first 3 weeks is kept to a minimum, more so with our very attentive mummies as too much handling can spike stress levels, I do little windows of no more then 1 or 2 people handling at this stage, and do weight checks, ESI (early scent indications from day 3) and a 2-3 minute period of secondary handling at some other point of the day from birth. The focus at this stage is usually on mum and making sure she is thriving and able to care for her litter. 

• At 4-5 weeks, the puppies move into the heart of the home and are downstairs in their big pens, which are split between a play area, sleeping area and toilet area. Making sure all are distinctively different allow me to keep puppies clean and help with the toilet training process. Crates may well be in the sleeping area and are never shut, allowing puppies to chill in here on their own accord. Toys that are suitable are always on offer as are chew roots, bullhorns and the likes. Novel enrichment is also included daily from here on in. Getting used to household noises, additional handling, the other dogs and cats all begins after a transition phase and is done gradually up until puppies leave me. Regular grooming is built in as standard from this point especially with our fluffy pups and some spend regular time in the bath!

• At 6 weeks, my puppies are allowed to explore the garden and play area outdoors, thus allowing them to find their feet and get used to different sights, smells, the weather and whatever else takes their fancy. 

• At 8 weeks, puppies will be shown the outdoor world, go out in the van, possibly a couple of garden centre visits, beach play times to give them a taste of the big wide world. As this is combined with a lot of novel socialisation, most of my puppies are very confident at this stage, with only the occasional one needing a little more TLC. 

• From 10 weeks our puppies are ready for their new homes, if I have any smaller individuals, they stay with us until 12 weeks. There is a couple of reasons I have chosen to keep litters until they are a little older. Firstly, my mummie's are allowed to wean at their own pace (yes, food is introduced at 3 weeks, but I never restrict access to mum as she knows best and you get a much more robust puppy). Secondly, puppies have what are known as fear phases (perfectly normal part of development) and they have a major one at 8 weeks, so I like them to have that one in their safe place before they head off for new adventures. 

From a health standard and in keeping with how I raise my own dogs, I do things as naturally as I possibly can with my litters. All of my litters are raw weaned and leave on a varied raw diet, with food to get you settled on. 

Worming is done using panacur at 3, 6, 9 weeks and then all puppies are transferred to natural preventatives ready for their new homes. I do not flea treat puppies as standard unless we have them. 

Puppies do leave me with a health certificate from my vet as standard, however they do not come with any vaccinations. This decision has come about after extensive research; I am not against vaccinations, I am however against over-vaccination and vaccinating your puppy properly at the beginning is key to a long and healthy life. This is something we discuss in detail with all of our new puppy parents. 

All my adult dogs that are used for breeding, are fully health-tested to breed standards, some above and beyond, this making sure I am building a strong base component, coupled with a natural approach to breed healthy individuals. All are here for you to meet and we love getting to know our puppy parents ahead of taking one of our puppies home and you remain part of the family thereafter. 

All puppies leave me with full contract in place, full lifetime support with any changes being to your circumstances, your puppy is returned to me, no matter how far down the line it is needed. Puppies also leave with an extensive puppy pack and access to a support group on facebook.