At this time we do not subscribe to any specific company’s methods. Since our first litter in 2010, our pups have been raised in a home setting with exposure to all of the sights, sounds, smells, and experiences that come with it.
As a professional trainer with specific education in the field of raising and training dogs for advanced disability assistance roles, I incorporate a lot of novel experiences and educational opportunities for each pup as they mature. This includes specific focus on confidence-boosting and problem-solving exercises, socialization to people of all ages and medical equipment, early crate introduction and care rides.
Our puppies are also introduced to following social lures (wiggling fingers, petting, praise) and food lures to learn how to move their bodies in a number of ways which can become verbal cues; our typical puppy curriculum by 8 weeks will have introduced sitting, lying down, standing, nose target to finger, shaking paws with either front foot, rolling belly-up, turning in circles in either direction, front paws on an object, all paws on an object, going through narrow passages and tunnels, going under furniture, coming when called, front paws on lap, kissing the face, entering a crate, etc. Many pups are retrieving at 8 weeks, but those that aren’t yet generally figure it out quickly in their new homes – our bigger focus is teaching the joy of coming when called (whether with the toy or not), so playing keep-away is rarely learned.
In our home the puppies have a play pen with a variety of play items to explore, a sleeping area (generally with open crates), and a potty area with litter boxes filled with pine pellets. They go outside regularly (weather permitting) and have good habits of using the bathroom when brought outside. They are routinely handled by our young children and have near constant exposure to the many varied (and often loud) emotions that come with life with kids. The pups receive opportunities to explore and play in the main part of our house individually, to build their confidence apart from their siblings.
Our puppies are groomed regularly, generally with 3 rounds of clipper shaving by the time they go home. Their nails are clipped approximately weekly, and they have been bathed and blow-dried multiple times. As able, they are exposed to opportunities to play in a wading pool and to retrieve toys from the water.
Our moms eat a combination of quality kibble and raw/fresh foods, and our puppies are weaned onto the same; we do make sure many meals are pure kibble (and rotate a few different brands/protein sources) so that the puppies are not picky for their new homes and have strong stomachs that have been exposed to a lot of variety.
APAW - Poodle Pups for Working Roles 