HOW WE RAISE OUR PUPPIES
We welcome enquiries for our puppies, and I. hope this page may show you how we raise our puppies. Questions Im asked is always contained in our website somewhere.
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Raising puppies
The journey beings with a breeder raising puppies with equal parts knowledge, patience and heart. It starts long before a litter is born and continues well beyond the day each puppy leaves for their new home. When it’s done properly, you’re not just raising puppies—you’re shaping confident, healthy dogs who can cope with the world around them. It begins with the right foundations
Good puppy rearing starts with careful planning. Choosing healthy, well-tempered parents with sound genetics and stable personalities matters enormously. A calm, confident dam sets the tone for her puppies, teaching them security and appropriate behaviour from their very first days. Pregnancy, nutrition, and stress levels all play a role in how puppies develop, even before they open their eyes. The parent's health testing ensures your puppy comes from healthy bloodlines. Health testing starts years before mummy dog has even grown up. Proving the parents worth of breeding
By learning about breed standards, showing dogs, being engrained in the world of dogs gives a big platform to select breeding dogs from the very best dogs in the world. We are making connections with breeders years ahead before we introduce new bloodlines. We only select a bloodline we believe will benefit the future of our dogs. The first weeks matter more than people realise The neonatal period is about warmth, cleanliness, and calm. Puppies need a quiet, safe environment where they can nurse, sleep, and grow without disruption. Gentle handling from an early age helps them accept human touch, but everything must be done at the puppies’ pace. At this stage, less is more—security and consistency are key. Biodiversity
This is word used to keep puppies safe by not allowing risks coming into the litter. Risks from bacteria, virus which can be brought in on clothing and shoes from visitors. So visitors are limited to only those who are buying a puppy. This is why we do visits at 5 weeks of age when they have a stronger immunity. Using the right cleaning products to keep puppies clean. Extra heat to keep them warm. Washing bedding to keep puppies dry and clean. Using bedding they can urinate in which keeps skin dry. Other Visitors
We do not see other people during the time we have litters. Again its bio security and risks to mum and litter. It sounds idyllic rolling around the floor with someone else's puppies, but you have no intentions of purchasing one. The risks out weigh the plus. If you are at the start of your dog journey wanting to just see Vizsla breed then arrange to go for a walk with your local Vizz Whizz groups as they are in every county. Once you have committed then to knowing its the right breed contact your breeder. But for just entertainment value then sorry wrong breeder. This does not mean we do not meet people. We just do not allow perfect strangers into our family home to roll around the floor with our puppies. If you wish to meet us, I am thinking of holding two walks a year where you are welcome to come and meet us and meet the Bracco and ViZsla on a walk in the countryside. Socialisation is not just a buzzword As puppies grow, careful and thoughtful socialisation becomes crucial. This doesn’t mean overwhelming them or exposing them to everything at once. It means introducing new sights, sounds, surfaces, people, and experiences gradually and positively. Household noises, different textures underfoot, short car rides, and meeting kind, sensible people all help build resilience. Well-socialised puppies learn that the world is interesting, not frightening. Routine creates confidence Puppies thrive on routine. Regular feeding times, predictable sleep patterns, and gentle daily structure help them feel safe. This sense of security allows them to explore and learn without anxiety. Early toilet habits, short periods of independence, and calm boundaries all contribute to a puppy who can settle and adapt easily in their new home. Nutrition and health go hand in hand Feeding a high-quality, appropriate diet supports not only physical growth but also brain development and behaviour. We raise on raw meats and veg which gives our puppies the best start in life. With science now showing that dogs raised on raw have less allergies when they are older. 80/10/10 diets give puppies optimum nutrients for growth. Clean water, careful weaning, and monitoring weight and condition are essential. Alongside this, responsible health care—worming, and veterinary checks—lays the groundwork for a long, healthy life. Learning starts early, but it should be gentle Early learning isn’t about formal training; it’s about teaching puppies how to exist in the world. Simple things like responding to human voices, being handled calmly, and learning to self-settle are invaluable. Positive reinforcement, never fear or force, builds trust and confidence. We play music to puppies and a radio so they can hear different voices and accents. We play loud sounds and gentle to get them used to the world ahead. Freedom to move
Many breeders underestimate just how vital freedom of movement is for growing puppies. Keeping puppies overly restricted limits muscle development, and strong muscles are essential for supporting healthy joints. Giving puppies regular opportunities to play outdoors in the fresh air and move freely on soft grass helps them build strength and coordination, while also preparing them for life beyond the home. The outdoors offers far more than exercise alone. New sights, sounds, and smells provide invaluable stimulation—puppies are like sponges, absorbing everything they experience. Exposure to natural sunlight also supports the production of vitamin D, which plays an important role in the development of strong bones and healthy joints. Preparing puppies for life beyond the breeder A crucial part of raising puppies well is preparing them to leave. This means helping them cope with change, short separations from their littermates, and new environments. It also means supporting new owners with honest advice, guidance, and ongoing support. A well-raised puppy doesn’t stop benefiting from good breeding the day they go home. Raising puppies is a responsibility, not a shortcut
There are no quick fixes or social media trends that replace experience and deep understanding. Raising puppies well requires time, observation, and a willingness to keep learning. When done with care and integrity, the reward is seeing puppies grow into balanced, happy dogs who enrich the lives of the families who love them. At its heart, raising puppies well is about respect—for the dogs, for the breed, and for the people who will share their lives with them. With excellent welfare for all. We are breeders who do not just focus on the puppies but the adults also, and giving them good exercise, diet and care takes time and this is why I limit phone calls in a week so I can maintain the 100% welfare our dogs deserve.
We choose for you.
As a behaviourist and breed specialist, as well as show experienced and judge. We know the behaviour of the puppies. This is usually appreciated by so many when they come and see the puppies because you could take home the wrong energy dog. The times. I have seen over the years people choose the one that lays asleep on them. But doesn't take notice how they are when awake. Visits are done at 5 weeks and collection is done at 8 weeks. In those two weeks puppies change beyond all recognition. This is because 5 weeks is the first stage where it's safe for you to come and sit and handle puppies. They are stronger with better immune systems. Mum is not bothered about you handling them. It's her job to protect puppies early on. We reserve the right to keep the best dog or bitch in any litter. Why else would we be breeding dogs. Why did we start choosing over letting you choose ? Dogs end up in rescue. We do not need to be part of the big rescue problem in the UK. Ive seen endless times when we bred early on couples choosing wrong energy dogs for them. All our Vizsla have energy of course they do. But some are more on the go than others, these dogs become more demanding. All Vizsla will be difficult in the early weeks regardless of which one we choose you. But it gets easier around 16 weeks when you're in training. Just remember if you do not want a challenging dog walk away from owning this breed. They are too intelligent for their own good. Colour collars
Why our puppies do not wear coloured collars. Every litter that comes along someone will ask if we will put coloured collars on the puppies. All because they have seen another breeder do it. So why do we not use colour collars? Firstly we lost a puppy years ago from eating a collar over night off its sibling. It wrapped around its intestines. On speaking to friends who breed others also had the same experience. So they are not safe to use. Another reason is we micro chip our puppies, so we can scan them and I make notes on behaviour in a large book which the whole family can view or even write their own experiences in. This book is not available for you to read its our own scribbling. Sometimes people want to see collars because they have seen it on social media, and they want to recognise puppies, but the truth is we are not there for some stranger to tell us how to run the show. It may seem to you to be the sensible way to identify puppies but it's truly not the correct way and when you have lost a puppy due to them wearing ID collars you never forget it. I do not need a collar on a dog to identify it. We know instinctively if one is not thriving. Just by observations. But we have used light weight, ID collars only on first few days if we think it was a slow birth and we need to ID dogs who could have had fluid in their lungs longer, or puppies that could get dehydrated. Quiet observations on litters produces good results in good health. We interfere in puppies lives way too much and we see it on social media the way the new generation of instagram desperate people trying to be the next big thing on instagram, and they are making puppies and dogs seem to be a fantasy. This comes with a warning as they paint such a false picture of especially the Hungarian Vizsla that people buy not realising what the breed is like to live with. A puppy enters the world in a very immature state, and their eyes and ears closed. They are still developing. Putting collars on can limit movement and they can get caught on mums nails. Should we be putting objects around necks in such vulnerable animals and the answer is no. Then when time comes for viewing puppies you get couples all wanting the same dog because of its colour collar. They are attached to one colour. But the suitability of that puppy can be totally wrong for that family. |
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