Raising puppies

Raising your puppy

Quality home reared puppies with love and adoration.

Raising your puppy

We take raising puppies very seriously with lots of thought to their development and social skills. Being experienced we know the stages of development and the correct handling they require, plus the introduction of sounds, new smells, new experiences. We are a firm believer of providing enrichment toys for the puppies, and I spare no expense, or time to achieve this.
Our puppies are given natural treats. Only the best will do.
Our whole family love animals, and a big help looking after the dogs. None of our puppies are every left alone and their are always adults supervision.
My breeding plans starts years before I produce your puppy. We start on a journey learning about bloodlines, meeting the stud dogs in question, watching them, talking to their owners.
Please do contact me to ask questions about our next litter. You can whats app me any time and I will reply, and arrange for a call back if required.
My mobile number is 07584279384

Our puppies are loved, kissed and cuddled on a daily basis.

LICENSED
When you apply for a breeding license you do this through the local council. You have to meet requirements in every aspect of animal welfare.
They grade breeders on a star system. For example if you are 5 stars like we are then we have met the higher welfare status.

There is an awful lot of paperwork which has to be done when you're licensed, and it is defiantly unpaid work. As I do not know any breeder who makes income from breeding dogs when you do it the right way.
To own several dogs you also have to have qualifications in animals. I meet these requirements with ofqual qualifications.

Beautiful Hungarian Vizsla puppies

BEHAVIOURIST
I realised that I had been giving behaviour advice to my owners for donkeys years and also people who I have not sold dogs too. Behaviour is not a breeders job to cover. A breeders job is to sell a puppy and thats it. But I realised I was helping people far beyond selling a dog. So I decided okay I am going to get some qualification in dog behaviour. I searched everywhere and did not realise there is no ofquel qualification in behaviour. In fact any one can set up tomorrow. But I found the best course I could find which gave me a diploma and letters after my name and now it's more official that I can give you qualified advice.

So what things do behaviourists get called about when a puppy leaves? Mouthing, House training, Jumping up, food guarding, running off with items and not giving back, leave it and drop. These are just a few things.

I take on cases from dogs I have not bred of course and these can be much more detailed issues from reactivity, aggression and recall problems.

I am a breed specialist in Hungarian Vizsla so do not worry about contacting me as Ive seen it all.

But what are the benefits to you having a Silvestre puppy? Firstly I raise puppies the best in the UK, I know how to raise them to minimise problems with in a litter. Giving enrichment toys to focus them away from biting. You can call me for a big discount if you are a Silvestre owner. So instead of paying big prices from other behaviour consultants you will get a discount as we do zoom calls. Remember training is always involved. We have to put time into our pets to get the best out of them. I give loads of free advice.

TEMPERAMENT IS EVERYTHING!
Pictured right is Nancy.
Temperament is everything and we want our dogs to be able to go out with us and do everything a normal family would want from a dog.
All our dogs are trust worthy. I could not bear owning a dog which I could not take out with me. I know that to have that good dog we have to train it. Social skills are everything early on.
You can own a champion but if it does not have a wonderful kind temperament then whats the point.! Sadly we are seeing poor temperaments in dogs and thats such a shame.
The mother's temperament is important because she plays an important part with her puppies temperament and its called epidemics. Mothers should feel relaxed.
How they are raised is also important. Being part of the family, interacting with humans. Listening to sounds and being part of the family.
But then the biggest part of any dogs development is you guys and gals. If you want a dog that is healthy please be as holistic as possible. Because dogs brains are damaged by the over use of flea and wormer and vaccine.
EPIGENICS MEANING -
Everything that happens to a dog in its life, who they interact with, environment, behaviours from parents, can influence genetic changes which affects how dogs genes work.
It is noted that puppies have this inbuilt behaviour which is related to relationships with other dogs and people.

Epigenics meaning -
So we as breeders have an awful lot to think about. We would never just use a convenient dog at stud or cheap dog at stud pulled off the main sales website. Cheap, convenient, easy doesn't mean its right. Just because its a show dog does not mean its right. So we look at every aspect in what each stud dog can bring of value to our bloodline. Does it work ? Mostly yes.

KENNEL CLUB PAPERS

A breeder applies for Kennel club papers and each puppy costs £25 to register.
The paperwork is sent to the breeder. This can take a week or a few weeks depending on how busy the kennel club is.
When you are given the paperwork it is up to you then to register the puppy into your name. This also costs you £25. If you do not change ownership then the puppy will remain in the breeders name.

If you would like me to transfer the puppy for you this will cost £25 extra to the price of the puppy. But I can transfer on collection for you.

Maybe you do not want a KC reg document. If this is true as you do not want to transfer, then please tell me before I register pups.

HEALTH TESTING - Hip and elbow scoring
Before we breed from any of our dogs they will be hip and elbow scored. This is to check for hip and elbow dysplasia.
This X-ray is sent to the Australian scoring system, which is like the UK BVA. But it's cheaper for us to send and we get results quicker.
You will not find our results on any online database.

We do not send out emails with documents on to anyone. We are well aware that thieves steal documents and then use the details for their fake dogs. Or they change documents.

Sadly we can not guarantee that a dog we breed will not have hip and elbow dysplasia because it's not as simple as scoring. The hope is that over generations it eradicates it, but it does not. Because life is not that simple. But read my hip and elbow scoring page for more information. Having brought an effected dog myself from another breeder I quickly learnt about elbow scoring. This dog was not used as a breeding dog.

We breed selectively by breeding from dogs which do not show signs of hip or elbow dysplasia from their X-rays.

MATING
Mating two dogs together does not mean puppies these days, through lack of ovulation, poor fertility, semen quality, or choosing the wrong day to mate. Also animals are now being effected by environmental issues. We are now reading research which links chemicals in the environment with poor development of puppies. We are always learning.
It is not easy breeding pedigree dogs. It is very expensive to do so, if you do it right! Thats the key point, because anyone could cut corners.
The breeding dogs must be in peak condition and this comes through training, exercise, and diet.
If everything is right, and the mother is fertile we can expect puppies just 9 weeks after mating. 9 weeks goes by so quickly.
This has been why we have not made waiting lists years ahead. Because we knew that we would be letting people down as we didn't have another bitch pregnant coming along. No-one can look a year ahead and know what they are producing unless they are producing a lot of dogs. Do not promote over breeding of dogs.

HOW SOON DO WE KNOW IF THEY ARE PREGNANT?
We know if one of our girls are pregnant when they are five weeks into pregnancy. A female dog carries puppies for 9 weeks of age, and it always amazes me how they can carry puppies for just a mere 9 weeks and then born.
Photo right of an ultra sound on one mum. We do not always have an ultra sound done if we are confident mum is pregnant.
As scans are not very reliable on numbers of puppies.
We can not tell the sexes of the puppies when scanned. We do not know this until the day they are born.
Their is no magic number of males v females. Its just what ever comes out.
Mums have subtle changes and are often hungrier, slight chances occur up to 5 weeks. After 5 weeks is when the puppies start growing. This is the time we know our mums to be are pregnant.

BIRTH
It still fascinates me watching new life come into the world. Our girls are never left home alone and we do not expect them to go through this alone. We are there for reassurance and care. Keeping mum hydrated with drinks, and it gives them some confidence. I am a Reiki healer and have often had times of healing during our girls labour. Birth doesn't always go to plan, and the mum may require help. She may require the vet. We have great faith in our veterinary surgeon and he is always on call day or night when we are whelping babies.
When puppies are born they are still growing and developing. Their eyes are sealed shut and so are ears. They can suckle, and their noses smell where mums boobies are. They need to be kept very warm, and quiet.
Our puppies are often born downstairs where I have access to make tea, coffee all night long. I have a camp bed I erect beside them. Also I have access to water, to wash my hands. I have many a photo where I look like death warmed up as I have not slept, and in my pjs in the whelping box. I spend as much time as needed with mums with their new borns and if I need to catch up on sleep then the rest of my family will come and help me.

GROWING UP
For the first two weeks they require a different type of care which is given by the mum. They do not enjoy being handled. Although every day each and everyone is handled, touched, and they start to learn that when the eyes open this human monster is the one thats been touching us. Mother dog is most important to the development of the puppies. Mother dog cleans them and stimulates them to urinate and poop. With out this stimulation the puppy would die. We have to watch and make sure she is doing it correctly, other wise we have to step in.
Its very rare to have to hand feed a Vizsla puppy.
The Vizsla grows rapidly, and by 3 weeks look like little puppies. Suddenly they start to enjoy being picked up by us, and we develop a close bond. By 4 weeks they are growing cuter by the day. Around 4 weeks we can introduce toys, and they can bite them, suck them and push them around with their noses. By week 5 they are ready to be viewed by the pawparents. They are stronger, and look like little puppies. You can meet mother dog and father dog if we have father dog. This is the most exciting of times for you. By week 6 they are running about outside on our patio and we take them into the gardens. They can play and amble about, interact with the other dogs and cats. It is at this point we can start to see characters develop.

HOME REARED
I can not imagine any other way to rear puppies as they require absolute all round supervision, but also because their social aspects are changing as they grow. Handling is important, and hearing of sounds. The fire work CD, babies crying, train stations noises, etc is all important. Puppies learn to live around us, and it teaches them manners as well.
The start in life gives them a blank canvas and when you collect the puppy you go into life with a puppy whose had the right start, and you can then build on experiences and have a well adjusted puppy in society.
I provide a lot of toys, treats, games for them to get used to new things. Sounds of the vacuum cleaner, TV, music, and in todays world hearing doorbells, vehicle noises, and our other animals. Cat, small dogs, chickens and turkeys. My young grandson will visit occasionally and have puppy cuddles. I have fabulous photos of him with the puppies but his parents wishes are he is not put on the internet for obvious reasons. I can assure you the way we rear our babies makes them bomb proof.

VISITNG US
Covid kinda changed a lot of the way we did things as before Covid we would welcome people into our home. We now do video calls if required before placing a deposit.
We also now have an outside room which is just for puppy visits. Its fabulous with a sofa in and you can sit and play with the babies during your visit time.

We have available to purchase slip leads which are hand made, biothane collars, clip on leads.

WE CHOOSE YOUR PUPPY
When living with a litter 24/7 we begin to know their personalities.
If you wish to show your dog tell us before we choose the puppies, Tell us if you wish to work your dog as we can assess if it has a natural aptitude to picking up game.
I need to know key points about you and your family so I can try and place the right puppy.
I have been told time and time again that people are glad they didn't have to choose, as its a lot of responsibility to get it right. But also matching puppies to the right owner with the right energies.
We choose at about 6 and 1/2 weeks of age. This is the right time to choose the right dog for you and your family. I do send photos of your dog.

PICTURES
I send photos and videos by whats app, whilst the puppy is growing up.
I believe this is a nice touch to feel bonded to your puppies.
I love taking photos, but please note any pictures I take and send to you are mine, and can not be posted on social media, can not be sold on in any format.
I try sending photos weekly, sometimes I run over the week because Ive been busy and not had chance to take photos.

Please do not keep asking for photos as sometimes its not always possible to drop what Im doing to take photos as you can take 100 blurred photos and 1 good one.

LAST FEW WEEKS WITH US
8 weeks is the legal age to release puppies!
The breeds we own develop fast from birth to 8 weeks. They are unlike toy breeds which develop much slower. Our puppies are weaned and independent from mum at 6 weeks. But she will still play a big part in playing with them and over seeing their development further. But as for weaning we like puppies to be totally independent from the mum because this helps settle puppies easier, and it also stops mom from developing mastitis later.
For those of you asking can we keep puppies past 8 weeks. We can, but we will charge you £35 per day from the date of leaving. We also ask for full payment before you leave for your holiday. Why? People change their minds when back and then you end up with a 12 week old puppy that no-one wants.

So we do everything to avoid keeping your puppy longer. Not for our sake but for the dogs!

But if I have agreed to keep a puppy longer my whole life is put on hold because Im going to take your puppy out. £35 per day does not really cover it. But it's better than nothing. So collect your puppy at 8 weeks. If you can not then wait for our next litter.

It is a huge responsibility owning an 8 week old puppy as your about to find out. Walking and carrying them with. you so they see new sights and sounds. This crucial development stage if missed can cause behavioural issues much later. Crucially 6 months to 9 months.

MICRO CHIPPED
By law all puppies should be microchipped before they leave for new homes. They must first be registered to the breeder. This creates a paper trail where the puppy has come from.

We use Animal tracker as it's one of the easiest databases Ive used. When you collect your puppy I will send you a code. This transfer code can be activated when you make your own account. They charge for transfers but a very small amount compared to other companies.
I trained to micro chip animals with pet detect company back in 2017. This was one of the best things I did because I microchip my puppies at home with no stress. They do not even feel it and are soon on the ground playing again. Less stress for a surgical wound is by far better than being put in a car, taken to the vets and put in a stressful environment to be then given a big big needle.
Yes micro chips can migrate under the dogs loose skin. The chip only embeds with scar tissue holding it. So do not stroke the neck for two weeks after collection because you can push the chip around. Also chips are man made and anything man made can stop working. Or they can work their way out of the skin like a splinter. So it is advisable to scan your dog every 6 months to make sure the chip is in place.

If your chip migrates do not remove it. Simply have a tag which states migrated chip. Then anyone who finds your dog knows to look elsewhere on the body for the chip.

VETS VISIT
This is one of the most important things we can do for you and your puppy. It guarantee's that the puppy is leaving our door to yours and is fit and healthy.
If our vet picks up anything we would ring you and chat on the phone to give you the option to have your deposit returned. Sadly it would be the last person on the list that gets the call. So far and I do not even like saying it but this has never happened. TOUCHING WOOD NOW! Superstitious!!!
But we are also realists who understand it will happen one day as life is life. No humans remain healthy up to the age of 90. If we did it would be wonderful.
Im often asked what do vets look for?
Heart, Lungs, Rotate hips, umbilical hernias, ingual hernias, no diarrhoea, no parasites around bottom or in fur, correct bite, clean ears. A full nose to tail tip health check.

We have a good re-homing policy for fit and healthy dogs which need to be rehomed through no fault of their own. This is a service which is free to you from us, to make sure your puppy is in a new loving home. For terms read the contract you signed.
Social media is a great platform I use for re-homes.

GUARANTEE
Im asked this probably once a year from overly stressy owners. My reply is always the same! I WISH! We simply cannot guarantee any living animal once it leaves our doors. Our vet spoke to me at length on this subject when I brought it up to him once. He said he's never heard of anything so ridiculous. We cannot be expected to guarantee a puppy when it leaves our home. In their opinion if someone asks they should not get a puppy. He said you should take up pet insurance which covers you for health problems. It is a worrying trend that some think theirs a life time guarantee with a dog. We can not even guarantee human health. If you buy from us the guarantee is we take our puppies to. have them fully health checked and they check heart, lungs, hips, hernias, teeth, eyes and parasites.

DIET
Do not worry about what you need to feed your dog. I will send you a diet sheet by email when I send your receipt for deposit paid.
This will tell you times to feed your puppy and what type of food.
On the hidden pages you will find diet info which you can read. Their is a long list of food companies names for you to choose from.
Remember you need a balanced diet and when feeding raw you want a ratio of 80/10/10
Puppies thrive on raw weaning food. They also grow slower than kibble fed dogs which is ideal for joints. But we know that dogs need a varied diet so they get all the adequate vitamins, minerals, amino acids and nutrients they could possibly require. We do not just stick to one food group. My puppies are given for example minced mackerel, cubed beef heart, spinach, apple, and so on. Lets make their life fun.

OUTSIDE FREEDOM
We are one of the rare breeders who has extensive outside space. My father brought the original house with land and passed it to me when he died. This is the ideal home for adult dogs and puppies. It is a huge responbiltiy looking after this amount of grassed areas, fencing etc. We have cameras everywhere, and our phones bling when you walk a step onto our property.
Puppies must have access to the outside as soon as they can. They need sunshine. This is something people do not talk about. Good old vitamin D is essential to animal health as well as humans. They develop muscle, and can walk properly. I have seen myself one breeder who kept their puppies in a small pen daily. Their was no muscle tone, it walked funny, plus it was scared to death of walking on grass. I find it a great shame that puppies are not given access to grass. Puppies need the explore which is part of life.
Our puppies will of stood on every type of surface possible. Shingle, concrete, porcelain, grass, soil, wood chips. They will play outside with toys ideal for them.

HIDDEN FILES
What are the hidden files? I have written pages of information with regards to rearing your puppy. My knowledge that I have gained from living with dogs for 52 years of my life is shared with you. I am told I should write a book. In fact this is something I am now considering doing. If you have a problem with your dog you can look it up on the hidden files and get an answer.
Their is a password for these pages, which changes every single litter. So if you are an owner from a dog years ago and can not get in, email me or whats app me and I will send the password over. Passwords should be changed regular to stop hackers getting at private information.

PICK UP
We encourage you to collect your puppy at 8 weeks of age as it is detrimental to their development to keep them longer with siblings. But if we are asked to keep on on its own for a few days that is fine, but we have to socialise the puppy. This takes a lot more work as if the Vizsla misses the early social skills it can have development behaviours later which you will not want to see.
Dogs develop in stages, and we even know the week you may contact us with a question later on. Its not clever its just a pattern we see with all the HPR breeds. 8 weeks they are actually in a nervous stage, so better to be early 8 weeks than later. Years ago puppies were allowed to leave at 6 weeks, and although I would say this is too early, we knew that 7 weeks was spot on. But along came defra and put the Vizsla in the same box as a toy breed of dog, and came up with the magic number 8.
This bonding stage is important, as it helps your dog get to understand you, be your dog. It will follow you and develop trust with you. We must be on the ball though and teach routine, and training must come in at 8 weeks. The first thing you will teach your puppy is recall. So name first. A puppy left with siblings will develop bad behavioural problems. They start to inwardly fight with each other. The puppy who is being bullied can carry this nervous disposition into adult hood. The puppy who was dominant and won each time will take that into adult hood too. Its a spiral of behaviour you just don't want. We know if you collect a puppy at 8 weeks we probably wont hear from you again with behavioural issues so long as you have build on the good foundation we have given you, and have gone to training classes before 16 weeks.

PICK UP
Is short and sweet so you can get home in day light and start the puppy's learning about its new home. When you visit me at 5 weeks you can ask me absolutely anything you want too. Also you can contact me by whats app afterwards. But we try to make pick up short and sweet so you can get home. Many people travel 8 hours or more for a puppy. We know you want to get home quickly. A puppy settles in much better if its in your home by mid afternoon, rather than evening, especially winter times. This day is the first of many where your dogs life becomes as important as yours. You will fit in with the needs of your new baby. If you can not then don't buy a dog as its going to be like this for the next 10-14 years.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Check out HERE
The page called Recommendations has been written by owners of our puppies, from their point of view.
This is very kind and we appreciate it. It is now difficult to put you in direct contact with people, as under data protection we can no longer do this. Things have changed drastically with the law on animals. But if you go to Instagram you will find plenty of happy dog owners on there, who comment on our posts.
We now have again a facebook group. Contact me to be added to the group.
Pictured right is Vicky Grylls with Lani. You can find her two silvestre dogs on instagram as Spice the search and rescue dog, and lani.

VACCINES
To learn more about vaccines go to my page
"ALL THINGS NATURALLY"!
We do not vaccinate your puppy, and this is because we have spent a lifetime learning about vaccines and how they work or in some cases do not work. The older the puppy the better chance of it developing the correct antibodies to the virus.

All puppies that drink the colostrum milk from mum already have antibodies. From 8 weeks there is a weaning of maternal antibodies. Which can take up to 16 weeks. We know of some dogs which have never been vaccinated and still have full immunity as the owners have tested them.

Side effects are so many unfortunately that we do not feel we want to subject your baby to a life time of health issues by doing it too early. But don't take my word for it. Research vaccine reactions. Dr Karen Becker, Dr Ronald Schultz are not anti vaccine. But they will explain it in a better way than I can do. Go to U TUBE and put their name in and start to listen to the information they are trying to share.

The last two puppies of my own were vaccinated at 5 months because they were fit and healthy with out vaccine up to this time. This is my choice.

What kind of reactions are seen in dogs? It can be with in 24 hours facial swelling, pus, death. Or it can develop as allergies from 6 months of age. Kidney failure, vaccine induced anaemia, post vaccine inflammation, vaccine induced meningitis, to name but a few. In all breeds regardless of size, regardless of breed or cross breed.

Above Rodney enjoying playing in the water at 8 weeks of age. We provide paddling pools for our dogs

A puppy must be well and truly settled in before you go off for a vets visit and vaccine. This can take a minimum of 2 weeks. I would look to vaccinate at the earliest around 13-14 weeks if you wish to get into training classes at 16 weeks. But socialise your puppy well during this time. Parvo is not airborne so use common sense.

WORMING
Worming puppies is something we have always done and we do them three times before you collect your puppy. In your folder there will be a worming chart to tell you when we wormed, and what did we use. Also when your next one is due. We periodically worm count and Giardia count our adult dogs, so that we know before mating they are clear of any parasites. This is a much more efficient way of breeding with out parasites.

AFTERWARDS
It is never here is the dog and goodbye. If you want to keep in contact with us we welcome this. We have a private chat group in Facebook which you can join if you wish. Find me as a friend first then I can add you to our group.
We also have an open page where I share Memes and info on dogs.
Remember puppies are frightened when they leave home. They must be well and truly settled before you head off to the vets.