Unlocking the Greatness: From Birth to Adulthood
How our Puppies are Raised
The breeding of each litter is carefully controlled. We take time to evaluate each parents personality traits, pedigree, size, as well as other physical attributes. We also factor in trainability, desire to please, retrieve drive, and health clearances.
Taking care of Mom
From the moment of breeding, our females begin a prenatal regiment including the use of vitamins and high quality food to ensure the best possible health for the puppies. Daily walks and exercise ensures the mother is happy and healthy and prepares muscles for delivery. As delivery nears, we move our females into our in-home whelping suite where we monitor their health closely and carefully supervise the delivery to ensure the best safety for the puppies and the mother. Some c-sections are performed for the safety of the mother and her puppies.
Healthy Growth
From the time the puppies are born through the first five weeks, we closely guard the health of puppies and mother. The temperature of their environment is very carefully controlled - as the first 2 weeks are critical to their survival. Each puppy is observed thoroughly to ensure a healthy weight gain, socialization with the litter, and socialization with humans including Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS). We do our best to ensure that all our puppies receive the best start possible.
Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS), also known as the "Super Dog Program", has been used for decades and benefits puppy development in five ways:
1. Improved cardiovascular performance (heart rate)
2. Stronger heart beats
3. Stronger adrenal glands
4. More tolerance to stress
5. Greater resistance to disease
The 5 Steps of Early Neurological Stimulation for Puppies
To perform ENS, there are five steps. From the age of day three until day 16 after birth, we do each of these steps once a day for five seconds.
The five steps are:
1. Hold the puppy's head up
2. Hold the puppy's head down, gently, no swinging
3. Hold the puppy on his back
4.Put the puppy's belly down on a cool towel
5. Stimulate the bottom of the foot with a cotton swab
At 3-weeks of age, we begin the weaning process. We begin feeding the puppies puppy mush food as well as nursing from the mother. All puppies will be weaned onto puppy food by 5-6 weeks of age.
From 2-8 weeks of age, the puppies will be dewormed. On their 6-week birthday, our in house veterinarian, Dr. Barbra Fox, D.V.M. of Beyond Tradition Animal Health Center administers overall health wellnesses. The puppies will also receive their first round of shots. From this point on the puppies start eating their meals in a puppy crate, creating a positive first introduction. This helps monitor the health and weight gain of each puppy.
At 7-weeks (minimum) or the 49 day of life, we do the Volhard Temperament Test. This is where puppies go through a series of test to help us select a puppy based on your needs and desires. This also helps us determine the unity of the litter and helps us improve our breeding program.
At 8-weeks the puppies are ready for their "New Home". We meet with families at our facility, We also have met families at the airport to take their puppies back as carry-ons (very limited and need to be requested in advanced, charges may apply). Some families choose to have their puppy delivered by a transportation service (via driving) that meet at Turn Key Ridge Labradors to pick up the puppy for the family.
Some puppies stay with Turn Key Ridge for a few extra weeks to get them started by our trainers. Puppies can be enrolled in Unlocking the Greatness Program.
