1. We feed a high-quality, 5-star dog food (Canidae All Life Stages Formula) to our parent dogs to avoid deficiencies that could cause improper fetal development. (Our puppies are also weaned on this same, 5-star food.) At 4 weeks of gestation, cooked eggs, salmon oil, and cottage cheese are added to our pregnant moms' food to provide for their extra protein requirements.
2. Our parent dogs are genetically tested for the diseases most common to the poodle breed (descriptions of these diseases can be found on our Genetics page). Despite all of this testing, we still offer a 3-year "all-inclusive" genetic health guarantee. What we learned in our various searches for dogs for our hunting/breeding program is that few breeders test beyond hips and eyes (and some don't even do that) and many breeders offer a guarantee against "life-threatening" diseases only. Most diseases are not life threatening, but, rather, life altering. Please read the contract carefully if you are considering a pup from another breeder, as someone offering a guarantee against life-threatening diseases is basically not providing a guarantee at all.
3. We offer breeder support for the life of your dog.
4. Our puppies are born in a special whelping area adjacent to our master bedroom. Research has proven that too much stress on the dam has a negative effect on puppies. Bitches are innately aware of the total and complete dependence puppies have on them. With this living arrangement, we are able to ensure all adversarial stimuli is avoided during whelping and shortly thereafter, thereby avoiding undue stress on our precious pudels. This safe atmosphere builds a strong foundation for our puppies from their birth and into their most formative stages, and their existence within "our space" ensures that the needs of each pup and the mom are met.
5. At 3 weeks of age, our puppies are moved to a family area. This age is oftentimes referred to as the Awareness or Identification Period. The pups now have use of all of their senses, but still need to be housed in a stable environment. Being raised in the house allows them to become accustomed to household noises and the constant movement of people and other pets which will be a part of their lives. Living in our family area also provides socialization opportunties that would be lost if they were raised elsewhere. (Puppies who are raised in garages or other isolated areas can become so traumatized when they go to their new homes that the owner is working double time to help them to overcome their sensitivities.)
6. We conduct Early Neurological Stimulation on our pups, which is said to better enable them to handle stress as an adult. Read Developing High Achievers, written by Dr. Carmen L. Battaglia (author of Breeding Better Dogs).
7. Our pups will have a start at crate training. We place a crate, without a door, inside the puppy pen. They intuitively seek the shelter of the crate to sleep. Our pups are sent home with a small towel that has their littermates' and mom's scents on it. This can be placed in the pup's crate at night to comfort them during the first few nights away from "all things familiar."
8. Our puppies are temperament tested using the Volhard Puppy Apptitude Test (with some additions for hunting candidates) to enable us to assist each owner in selecting the right pup for their family/needs.
9. Puppies receive age-appropriate vaccinations (beginning at 6 weeks of age) and are wormed at 2, 4 and 6 weeks.
10. Each pup is microchipped (a $50-$75 value) to assure they will have all of the help they need getting back home if they are ever lost.
11. Pups remain with us until 8 weeks of age (although if you are a hunter and a true Wolters' follower, we could be convinced that 7 weeks may be appropriate, but never before 7 weeks). The reason we will not release a pup between 6-7 weeks of age, which many purchasers' desire, is that the mom must have enough time to fully wean her pups. By allowing her a little extra time, she teaches them the lessons only she is able to. Puppies who are fully weaned by their mothers learn bite inhibition, thereby diminishing the problem of puppy biting (mom does not tolerate biting/mouthing puppies as humans do). Second, they learn "self-imposed self control." They learn when things are available and when they are not because mom teaches them that she is not always available. As a result they learn the third important lesson: "How to read other dogs." They do not charge into a room or area with other dogs/humans, assuming everyone will accept them. This makes for a much more pleasant dog.
12. Each puppy family is given general puppy care information, as well as copies of the genetic test results of the parent dogs, the pup's AKC registration application, and enough food to either transition to your own quality food or to allow enough time for you to purchase some of our brand.

DogWise has hundreds of books which cover every dog situation imagineable. We have bought so many in our attempts to better understand dog behavior. However, through all of the many hours of reading we have undergone, I find myself reaching for the following two books over and over again (they can be purchased at www.dogwise.com), leading me to state that they are absolute musts:

• Another Piece of the Puzzle: Puppy Development, by Pat Hastings and Erin Ann Rouse
• The Dog Trainer's Resource 2 (The APDT Chronicle of the Dog Collection), edited by Mychelle Blake (the book contains material from the nation's most renowned dog trainers and behaviorists)

Richard is our retreiver hunt trainer and his repertoire of books relates to that sport. As a result, he recommends:

• Game Dog, by Richard A. Wolters.
• Top Dog, by Joseph Middleton (based upon Wolters’ training, with force fetching integrated)
• Smartwork, by Evan Graham, which is only available at Rush Creek Press.

Additional hunt training information can be found on our Training Outline Page.

I hope this page helps you to know how much we care about the pups we produce. Each pup will leave our home armed with the basic skills necessary to cope in a changing environment. The rest is up to you! I strongly encourage you to read the books I have recommended above. By reading these, even the most experienced dog person will learn something that will serve to improve the life they have with their furry family member.