Raising puppies

Raising your puppy

We take raising your puppy very seriously, and we are very conscious of the requirements they need. Having an experienced breeder is everything. Social skills, handling, and top welfare is everything. During the 8 weeks the puppies are with us, we provide a big selection of enrichment toys and I am a firm believer of allowing puppies onto grass to play, explore, and learn.
I started breeding a long time ago, and I have learnt over that time that a lot of pet owners have no idea that this is one of the most difficult jobs to do. It is 24/7 and 365 days per year. Even on Christmas Day their is no time off. It is physically exhausting, and if I didn't get small breaks away I probably couldn't continue due to my illness. I am also blessed with a great family who also share the same interests. Who also help look after the dogs for me.

My breeding plans start years before you see your puppy. I am learning about the blood line, meeting the dog, knowing the temperament, and looking at health. We do not just look online and think, okay that dog will do, wham bam pups. We also do not look at the cheap stud dogs found online. These dogs are not of the quality we want.
I was lucky in the early days having great mentors in the breeds I owned, and their knowledge passed on to me.

Please remember that although I hope to help everyone whose waiting for a puppy, it doesnt mean I can help everyone. We may get more girls than boys or vice versa, or 2 puppies. Life is not set in stone, and its all in the lap of the Gods what we get and who we can help. In 2020 I had 1 Hungarian Vizsla litter. In February 2021 I had 1 litter. We just do not have a regular stream of puppies.

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

HEALTH TESTING
Every dog breed will require some health testing before breeding from. The Kennel club set out the required health test for each breed, which assured breeders should do. But if you are not an assured breeder, the breeder is not required to do any health tests and you will still get pedigree papers. This is why when some of you buy a puppy and the breeder isn’t an assured breeder, you get home to find out no tests have been done.
We in fact do more health tests than is required, as the Kennel club set out one or two tests. But their are far more available.
When you visit us you can look in my large folder which will be on the desk and you can see all the tests done. We do not send these to anyone by email, as it has our dogs personal details on them and our home address, and for all we know you’re a dog thief wanting to know where we live, or a puppy farmer just wanting names of dogs to put on fake paper work. Yes this is going on daily.
We now use the Australian BVA scoring system, therefore if you do a search on the Kennel club of the UK our results will not be listed. This is why you will need to view our documents at home with us.

BREEDING DOGS
Their are a lot of people who are under the illusion that breeding dogs is easy. That breeders earn huge sums of money doing it. It is absolutely the opposite if you are doing everything right and giving the adults the best welfare possible. Great diet, great treats, great training, great vets. We are not allowed to count our time and give ourselves an hourly rate. Breeding dogs is 24/7 and we do not get a day off. The adults are their day in and day out needing our attention.
Breeding bitches is not easy as you can mate two dogs together and you do not get puppies. A bitch may not ovulate one season, but does the next. Or she maybe infertile. A male may be infertile or low sperm. A bitch may absorb puppies or abort puppies.
We breed only from healthy mothers, at the age when they are able to cope physically with the rearing of puppies.
I know Ive lost thousands over the years trying to get bitches pregnant. When we do get a litter this pays also for all the bad times where we have lost money.

HOW SOON DO WE KNOW IF THEY ARE PREGNANT?
In maiden bitches( which is a term when they have never had a litter before) it is easier to see when they are pregnant. As changes to the body happen sooner. We see two weeks after mating slight changes such as the vulva stays more enlarged, the nipples remain larger. If the girl is not pregnant they all shrink back again. But bitches who have had a litter before it is not as easy as they may have saggy boobies from previous litters.
30 days after mating we can have a scan done on the girl. It is an ultra sound scan. Scans show pregnancy by foetus in a sack which can be seen. We can not tell sexes of the puppies until birth. But if we didn't scan the bitch, the following week is when the stomach appears to enlarge.
Pugs show very quickly, as do French bulldogs. But Hungarian Vizsla do not and I have had one bitch at 7 weeks pregnant and she had the tiniest tummy. We couldn't believe that 2 weeks later she birthed 10 puppies.
Scans are not reliable on numbers, but we get the indication of a small litter as we will see just 3. Or we can see a mass of foetus which indicates lots of puppies.

BIRTH
From 0-9 weeks we have birth. WOW! It still fascinates me that how can a life form in so many short weeks?. Its totally bonkers isn't it.
Birth does not always go to plan, and more often than not we are visiting the vet in the middle of the night for oxytocin injection to make a contraction to bring away a puppy. Ive spent many hours walking around the vets car park. Its not text book and things can go wrong so easily. Being experienced breeder however we instinctively know when we need the vets help. No expense or care is spared for our puppies.
When puppies are born they are still developing. They are vulnerable and blind and deaf. It is vital that no one disturbs the puppies and they thrive in a den like environment which is natural to the dogs. They are upstairs in our spare bedrooms. They can keep quiet, darker and no other dogs or cats will interfere with them. Every day I check over the puppies, handling them, picking them up. Weighing them, making sure they are thriving. Mum is given short walks away from her brood, she does not mix with the other dogs during this vital stage.
Did you know you have to handle carefully other wise any sudden movement the puppy can squeal thinking its a predator that has it. But gradual touching, stroking of the puppy helps for when the eyes are open.
Mothers can be quite protective in this first 1-3 weeks and only rightly so. Their job is to protect their offspring.

GROWING UP
The first two weeks require a different type of care. Than the following weeks. As a mother dog does it all. The only time you step in is if she is not caring for them. The Hungarian Vizsla is generally a good mother. French bulldogs not so good. But you have to assess and act if need be.
The eye when opening are a blue colour, a cloudy blue and they still can not see all that well. This changes over the coming weeks as they can see better. They already recognise our smell from being handled from birth. They do not crave human attention at 3 weeks of age, they can be still quite indignant to humans as the mother is the only one they need.
By 4 weeks however things are changing and they are being weaned and now see their humans as food providers, and suddenly you have wonderful friendly little puppies.
The Vizsla grows rapidly and needs now a lot of experiences, being introduced gently to loud noises.
Weaning is fun! Messy yes. Constantly changing bedding when they start to wean as they will get in the bowl and get covered.
By 6 weeks a Vizsla puppy should be onto 3-4 meals a day of meat, bone. By 7 weeks I would expect mum to be totally off the puppies, but just interacting with them and teaching them.
At 6 weeks we are giving our puppies a range of treats to chew on, from turkey, duck necks, chicken feet, pizzles.
A wide range of toys can be introduced, from different sounds, to different textures.

HOME REARED
I can not imagine any other way of rearing puppies. All our puppies are home reared. They have a large selection of toys to play with, with different textures, snuffle mats with treats, lick mats, toys which release treats.
I put large blankets down for puppies to play on.
They are introduced to younger children, as well as the elderly.
We are lucky to live in a large property with many gardens and paddocks, and I have a pram which I put the pups in, and take up the gardens and let the babies play.
Puppies need constant contact and looking after, and they need to listen to noises associated with day to day living. They are used to the vacuum cleaner, loud music, various music styles, washing machine, dishwasher etc.

None of my puppies are every left home alone, not even for a minute.

NOISES
Yes a lot of breeders do not think this beneficial, but ive got to say the more you can do, the more you can introduce your puppy too, the better they are.
Our puppies are played Loud rock music, soft classical music, disco, film.
They are also played firework cd which has many sounds on from babies crying to trains coming into the stations.
This exposure of noise early on gives your puppy the experience of what it could meet when leaving our home.
Hearing different accents of humans is also to be encouraged.

VISITING US
The one thing Covid 19 taught us all hopefully is that its easy to transmit virus from one to another. Dogs also can pass on virus to other dogs. I am fiercely protective of my puppies, and my family. I have an elderly mother who lives with us, and their is no way I will introduce something to her as she is frail and in the later stage of life.

When Covid 19 hit we as breeders were told no visits, no picking up during a lockdown. We were lucky as we had the one litter during lockdown which ended by the time pups were allowed to leave.
This has given us time to evaluate everything more now. So their are changes in the way we will do things now for ever. Covid isn’t going to just go away, we now have another variant which is dreadful in the UK as I’m typing. Its 50% more catching than the other variants.
So this is how we are going to do things in 2021.

No visits previous to mating the bitch, or during her pregnancy.
I want to get to know you, and this is why I ask for contact during the waiting time. So I can make sure you understand what it is like taking on a Vizsla. You can ring or text me during the period up to with questions. Send me photos of your home and garden, and tell me as much as you can do about your home life.
Deposits around 3 days after birth for Vizsla will secure you a puppy from the litter. With Pugs or Frenchies 3 weeks after birth,
A visit to see puppies at 5 weeks of age for Vizsla and Pugs or Frenchies 6 weeks of age. Socially distanced, and we provide hand sanitiser and ask you to wear masks please.
No drop in's just to see adult dogs.
Visits to be done not in our house, but in the grooming parlour for now. A new summer house will be erected I hope by Autumn where we can put a sofa inside, have hand sanitiser, and we do want you to wear a mask. This room will be cleaned down to sanitisers/disinfectants that kill corona virus.
Pick up at 8 weeks of age.
Do not send me jumpers or toys or items for your puppy due to covid and contamination. We will provide a blanket for your puppy which is rubbed on mum the morning they leave.

WE CHOOSE YOUR PUPPY
When we breed a litter we reserve the right to keep the right puppy for us, as a show prospect and breeding dog. If we do keep a puppy we wont even look at a show prospect until 7 weeks of age.
When you ring me I am asking key questions which will help me place a puppy with you. When you live 24/7 with pups you know whose out going, whose more timid, who shouldn’t be with younger children and so on. If you want your dog to do a job tell us. Working gundog, field trial dog, dog to companion running, scent dog, show dog, agility dog and so on. This helps me place the right puppy with you,
Be honest in your description of your home life and needs. We do not want to place an active dog with you if you have a low key life.
When visiting its impossible to choose one of our puppies as our pups are quite uniform in size, looks and no one can tell the difference between each of them.

The last few weeks with us.
HPR breeds will leave at 8 weeks of age.
French bulldog or Pug will leave at 9 weeks of age.

The last 3 weeks with us is more intensive as we are with the puppies all the time. Their characters develop. They are now fed outside on the patio to encourage house training.
Loud music is played and soft to continue with sounds. Garden exploration is daily. They are allowed to meet an elderly person, young people (When we didnt have covid).
We have a summer house outside which we can put the pups in whilst Im having a major clean up of the dog room.
We have sun shades for summer and paddling pools. We have outside toys which are different to inside toys.
They are given every surface to stand on. Carpet, Laminate, Oak, Tiles, Concrete, porcelain, grass, shingle.
They are allowed to stay outside and have a large raised bed to play on. Airs my house and the puppies are allowed meaty bones on the patio. They are also given treats of every kind, and they are not allowed to be outside if it is windy, cold or rains. Only warm days or sunshine.

MICRO CHIPPED
By law all puppies should be microchipped at 8 weeks before sale. We use the data base Animal tracker as this is the only data base I could find that did a free transfer of ownership. By giving you the transfer code on pick up you can register an account and put in the code, and the dog is legally yours. It is also a database which is easy to navigate around. I have a few dogs with other data bases from other breeders and their websites are awful to work out. I like something easy peasy.
I will scan your puppy in front of you before you take the puppy home so that you can see where the micro chip is.
By law a puppy should be registered first to the breeder, then to the new owner. If a breeder has not done this correctly then they do not understand the laws of the UK. I am fully qualified to microchip not just my dogs but other peoples too. Having trained with a veterinary surgeon to complete my training on microchipping. I had to do two dogs and a cat in front of the vet before they would sign me off as competent.

VETS VISIT
Personally I think this is one of the most important things that we do. Because their are a lot of breeders who sell dogs with out a health check first.
We have your puppy health checked a few days before leaving. Our vet is thorough, and will not say a dog is healthy if it is not. I microchip the puppies around 5-6 weeks of age, so he can scan the micro chip and write a letter for each puppy.
What would happen if the vet picked up something? We would ring you if we had designated a dog for you, and you are then given our vets telephone number if you wish to talk to him. We are extremely honest in what we do.

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.
We use Cotswold raw for Pugs and Frenchies.
We also use Butternut for Frenchies.
We also use Bulmer meats for larger breeds, and Durham animal feeds.

PICK UP
We let pups go at exactly 8 weeks of age, this may work out a weekday. We believe that puppies need to be in their homes as soon as they hit 8 weeks, this is so that you can start building their social experiences with their new family.
If it works out that you can pick up a Friday or Saturday then thats great. But it doesnt always work out that way.
Our vet has to health check the pups and as soon as we get the letter as being fit and healthy we know they can leave.
What do I need to bring with me? Is a question asked all the time.
Paper towels, plastic bag for rubbish, towel to put on your lap, poop bags.
Cool age for 7 LB of Bulmer meats which will be frozen.
I will give you a blanket for your puppy which has been rubbed on mum, food for 7 days and dried food alternative, then our famous cushion.
A puppy doesn't need to be fed on the journey back home not unless your travelling to a different country.
A folder will be given to you and inside will be micro chip transfer details, pedigree, last min information, a full receipt for monies paid.
I used to say Kennel club documents but since the Kennel club have changed their website last August 2020 they have not been issuing documents even though we have paid for them. So these will be sent on the moment the KC sends them to us.

Outside spaces

Do not worry about social distancing as we have a large home with large gardens which you can see to the right hand side.
We are out of lock down now so you can collect your puppy at 8 weeks, plus visit us at 5 weeks.

Our dogs are very lucky to have such a wonderful amount of garden and paddocks to play in.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Check out HERE
New page started for references during Covid times. I cant thank owners enough. They are gradually coming in and I will put them on the page.

This is very kind and we appreciate it. These references show you what people think
first hand. 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.

Photo to right is Vicky, she brought one Vizsla 5 years ago and loved her so much she came and brought another. What better reference could we give when people come back for another.
With her permission I posted this photo.
I have asked a few people who will give references through social media if you want them. But we have to do it in a way where I dont break data protection, so I shall just link you up on instagram.

I WANT TO BUY TWO DOGS TOGETHER
I get asked all the time if people can buy two puppies together. With the breeds we own, my answer is different for each.
I know some people can cope with anything, and they are actually rare. The problem we have is when pups are sold together they will have sibling syndrome. With HPR breeds of dog you really do not want to buy two. I did it myself, and you could say I’m experienced and can handle it. But these two girls ran rings around me. I said never again. So I do not advise two from same litter. It is better to have one first, train it, then come back a year later for the second. So long as the first one is trained. If it has bad behaviour dont purchase a second as the first one will train the second to have bad behaviour. It doesn't work out that it will correct behaviours.
If you want to purchase two Pugs or French bulldogs you will be able to cope as they are much easier dogs. Two can be great company. But you must have several in the family who will all look after the pups. But you will still experience some sibling syndrome but can correct it easier than with a HPR dog.