All of our parent dogs have been chosen for their quality genetics and excellent temperaments. They live here with us as family pets, not as kenneled breeders. In certain cases, we may turn to outside sires that are the family pets of other reputable, like-minded breeders. Because we keep our volume low, we are able to focus on giving your puppy an excellent start in life. Litters are whelped and raised in our busy home from day one, so socialization begins early and often. Socializing your puppy is our greatest pleasure.

We perform Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) exercises on our puppies from day 3 to day 16. ENS is a method developed by the U.S. Military to optimize the performance of its working dogs. Very young puppies are introduced to a series of very mild, controlled stressors in order to gently stimulate the neurological system earlier than would generally be normal. Performing these simple exercises is believed to bolster the immune and cardiovascular systems, and to increase stress tolerance. If you are interested in learning more, the internet contains a wealth of detailed information on this subject, or, ask us to demonstrate the exercises for you.

Our dogs are fed a high-quality, biologically appropriate raw diet which we prepare here ourselves. We know that raw feeding may not be for everyone (after all, there can be an inarguable “ick” factor, as well as inconvenience), but we feel that investing in this premium feeding program pays dividends when it comes to the health and vigor of our animals, which is especially crucial for the demands of a breeding program.

Puppies begin weaning onto raw food starting just prior to four weeks of age. We feel that the raw food really gives them an edge during that critical weaning period and makes the transition from nursing so much smoother. For families who do not wish to continue with raw feeding (which has been, by far, the majority), we will transition the puppy to quality kibble before they are ready to leave at eight weeks.