About Us
Excitement of Birth
Once a dog is bred, she comes to live in the house, full time, and is spoiled rotten! If she becomes a picky eater, we cater to her whims and give her eggs, goats milk, hamburger, chicken, liver and whatever else she seems to prefer. On day 50 of her gestation, she gets treated with fenbendazole to make sure she is giardia free when her puppies are born. The few days before she delivers her pups, she clings to my side like a two year old child. She sleeps in our bedroom the last week or two before the babies come so we can be close enough to hear any little squeals that signal the first puppy. However, that has never happened, as the mommies always let us know when the babies are coming.
We attend the birth of each puppy to make sure the placenta is fully off and the baby is breathing, gurgle free, within a few minutes of birth. Sometimes we need heating pads, and sometimes a little centrifugal force is used to remove mucus from noses. Most of our mothers are very attentive, though some are better mothers after their first litters. We handle the babies numerous times each day to make sure they all feel warm, have a strong "wiggle," and are getting their turn to eat. If any baby appears to be weak or cold, it is held, skin to skin on my husband's chest, under his shirt, and fed goats' milk with an eyedropper for however many hours it takes to see it rally. The babies are tended by us for at least 24 hours to ensure everyone is off to a good start, and they live in a child's plastic swimming pool in front of the television until they are three to four weeks old.
Health Care
All puppies get a clean bill of health from Dr. Jennifer Conner at McEwen Animal Clinic and come with a two year guarantee against health/congenital/genetic defects. Dr. Conner is available by phone to answer any questions you may have regarding your specific puppy's health or about our care of puppies in general. Dr. Conner is a one-of-a-kind vet, is extremely knowledgeable, and has been an invaluable asset in helping us provide you with the healthiest new puppy possible. I think she loves puppies as much as we do!!!
Our puppies are treated with Fenbendazole, and sometimes with Toltrazuril (for coccidia). All puppies have worms, and ours are no exception. The stomach worms come right through the breast tissue and through the mother's milk. That's why babies must be treated to grow strong and healthy. Once they get home, they should be treated preventively for heartworms.
All puppies are examined and vaccinated by Dr. Conner before they come home. You will get a health record showing her findings and recording any treatments received. They will need additional shots every three weeks until they have had all four and then need a rabies vaccination.
Nutrition
We shop daily for fresh, antibiotic-free and hormone- free chicken quarters, livers, and gizzards. These are ground up with canned sardines daily to feed all adults and puppies a superior, filler-free diet. Breakfast is supplemented with a daily vitamin and Red Cell (an iron and mineral supplement).
Our breeding of healthy puppies, starts with fully organic goats milk, free range chickens and free range eggs. Supplementing with cow's milk can lead to diarrhea in both puppies and adults. Puppy formulas contain ingredients, like sugar, that we did not want to feed our puppies. All our dogs are getting goats' milk, and their coats are proof of the benefits! Our bernedoodle mommies drink lots of goats' milk to produce lots of puppy milk for fat and cuddly bernedoodle babies! Since mommy goats have to have baby goats to continue to produce milk, we will always have baby goats around. Let us know if you'd like to purchase a goat to milk. Most families do not live in locals where a goat can be housed, but if you happen to have the room, you'll find that goats are as much fun as a dog!
Bio-Sensory Training
If you have researched doodle breeders, and you really should do so with much discernment, you will have no doubt heard of bio-sensory training. Trained personnel hold puppies upside down, right side up and on their backs. They tickle their toes and put them on a cold rag. That's five specific stimuli that can be repeated daily. However, we DO NOT use trained personnel for this stimulation. In fact, our bio-sensory training is done more naturally and has a different name. Our trained personnel range in age from 3 years old to 14 years old, with a little help from my husband who is 68 years old. Sophia is our oldest. She starts trainig the puppies at 4 weeks. Sophia also does agility trainng with our parents each week. Mia, age 3, does the "upside down hold," sometimes more than the recommended 5 seconds...usually until an older helper suggests she turn the puppy head end up. My 7 year old grandchildren, Annie Grace, Isaiah and Daniel Nouwen, do the "hold puppy on its back" exercise, sometimes wrapped in a blanket and sometimes directly on the knees, depending on the temperature in the house and the mood of the child. My 13 year old granddaughter, Sophia, likes to add some stimuli of her own invention, such as the "rub your tummy" stimuli and the "kiss your nose" stimuli. Our trainers, like the professionals hired by some breeders, are on duty 24/7 when they visit the farm. When they are at school, we have to take over the training ourselves, but I must admit, that our specialists do the best job. Fortunately, they are frequently available. For more information on this neurological stimulation, you may speak with Sophia, Annie Grace, Isaiah, Daniel Nouwen or Mia. Oh, yeah, you could speak with Doug, my husband too!
