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It is good to know how your puppy has been raised. This page is to let you know how the puppies that I have are raised from "before birth" to when they go to their new homes: First, my mom's are put in the "whelping room" at least two weeks before the babies are born. This is so the mom can get used to her surroundings where she will have her new babies. She will also start on the Science Diet Small bites puppy food so she can have the extra protein and fat that is needed these last two weeks of her pregnancy and while she nurses her new babies. A whelping room is a specially designed room that is kept at the perfect temperature to make sure that the new babies are kept warm enough in the winter and cool enough in the summer: while still staying warm as they can not yet control their body temperature. The problem that tends to take a puppy's life more then anything else is that their body temperature is not at the right level. As a new born, they can not keep themselves warm if it gets cold or keep their temperature down if it gets too hot. The "run" where mom and babies will for the first 5 - 6 weeks of the babies lives are covered by a thick layer of newspapers to soak up any accidents that mom may have or once mom is not cleaning the babies, to be able to easily clean puppy messes. These papers are checked and changed 2 to 3 times daily. Each whelping area has three solid walls and one "mesh" gate, so the new mom can only see out where I am. They get very upset if they see other dogs as they are concerned for their new babies.
By watching my moms very closely, I am normally in with the mom while she is having each of her puppies. My moms are normally very comfortable with that and some seem to very much want me to be there. There are a few moms that are a little nervous with someone around, so those moms, I give more space and just check every 30 to 45 minutes as they are having their babies to make sure all is going well. With the small breed dog, a new puppy tends to be born approx. every 45 minutes once the first puppy is born. If a delivery is not made within an hour and a half of the previous puppy, then I become concerned and take a more active part in helping with the delivery. Once all the babies are born, I check on them every 2 - 2 1/2 hours for the first 48 hours to make sure that they are all nursing all right. I want to make sure that no babies are being pushed away. If I have a "tiny" baby, this time of checking may last as long as 2 to 3 weeks, until I feel that the smaller baby will be able to always get food on it's own. By the time the babies are 3to 4 weeks old, they are starting to play more. At first they are a little shy with me, but get braver quickly as I lay in the run with them, (yes, I actually am on my stomach in the run at their level) petting them, talking to them, and showing them that being around people is really GREAT! Letting them give me kisses is what seems to "break the ice" as far as their comfort level with me, then eventually with others. They will get their first vaccines, worming, etc, at around 4 to 5 weeks old.
At 5 to 6 weeks they get their combination puppy shot, along with worming, mite control, etc. I have not had any problems with any of these things, but I feel that it is the preventatives that continue to keep everyone healthy, worm free and mite free. The receive boosters approx. every two weeks until they go to their new homes. They will also have their first veterinarian appointment at around 6 weeks old to make sure that there are no problems that I need to know about. One of the more common problems with a small breed dog is a hernia. This is something that is easily repaired and they almost never cause a problem in the future after this repair is done. Hernia's are just found in a minority of puppies, but I do want to know if there is one so I can have it repaired and totally healed before the puppy goes to his or her new home. The puppies will then have a 2nd vet check before going to their new home.
If I do ship by air, I only do so
with Pet Air: www.flypets.com . This is a
company who specializes in flying pets all over the United States and some parts
of the world. They are
My puppies and dogs have lots of interaction with many different people such as myself, my family, close and extended, my friends, and my person who works with me all love to spend time with them. My grandsons have been exposed to puppies from a very early age as you can see from the picture on the left. Titus (my grandson - one of 5 gransons) has already learned not to pull on the puppy, but to be "gentle". They love to help "socialize" my babies. I hope you can see the time we have spent with your puppy by the wagging tail and the love shown you from the puppy right from the start! When my puppies go to their new home, they have with them: their registration papers, 2 copies of their shot record: one for you and one for your health, their health guarantee, new puppy instructions, a collar and a leash, a book on the breed. They will have had lots of love and playtime here to make them very ready for their new families.
Crate Training:
Brussels Griffons, especially, should not be kept in a crate for long periods of time. They HAVE to have room to run and play as they are such high energy little dogs. You will have a puppy that will misbehave if you keep them in a crate all day only giving them minimum attention in the late afternoons or at night before putting them in a crate again. A person should not buy a Griffon puppy without really researching them. They are great puppies for those who understand what they are getting in this breed. Those who understand the breed and get one, think they are the only dog that they will ever get again! They love'm! Here is an e-mail that I wrote to a new family that were waiting for their new Griffon puppy and ask me about crate training:
Yorkie
page
You are
welcome to make a secure puppy deposit or a payment online with your
checking account, Visa, or MasterCard with PayPal. phone number: 417-327-7103 Please e-mail me with any questions: terrystwobytwo@hughes.net
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When mom has the
babies, she has them in a "safety tub" as seen to the left. It is around 2 ft in
diameter. She needs to have the babies close to her at all times to help keep
the new babies body temperature at the right level. If the puppy gets too far
from her, it might get too cold and die. Even in the summer when I am
keeping the "whelping room" at around 78*, I have to keep a heat lamp over the
tub that the babies are in as their body temperature needs to stay at around 94*
for those first very important days. As the puppies grow, they won't need to be
kept so warm. Here, to the
left, is Muffin taking care of her babies that are just a week old. 
The first 12 weeks of life are the most
important, with weeks 5 through
12 being critical for good long lasting socialization. This first 12 weeks is
comparable to the first 5 years of a child. It is the time that they will learn
the most that they ever learn and the time that they will develop their basic
social skills. I spend a lot of time with my puppies as I want them to LOVE
being around people by the time they get to their new homes.
By
the time they are 5 - 6 weeks old, we are ready for a big change. They will go
from the "baby" building to the "kindergarten" building. This is another
temperature controlled building, but with a difference. They will learn to go
outside to play, get more exercise and "go potty". The inside part of this
run is just a tad smaller then their whelping room run, but then they have a 3
ft by 8 ft outdoor run. They are on "pea size" gravel outside for easier clean
up. They are still with their mom at this time, even though I might be
putting mom out of this area for some of the day as I start to wean the babies
for a longer period of time.
They have a clip on their doggy
door to keep it open just 2 to 3 inches to teach
them how to use this door. As mom goes in and out, they learn how to follow
suite. Normally it takes around a week to two weeks, as I move the clip down and
let the door close a little more at a time. When they first go in this
room, they will have newspapers down like they were used to in the whelping
room. It usually just takes 2 to 5 days for them to learn not to eliminate in
the inside part of their new run. Once they have learned this, the newspapers
are not longer used and they are consistently "going" outside. This is the
building where they will stay until they leave for their new homes. My hope is
that by having them in this building, it will help with the house breaking when
they get to their new homes.
If
you need your puppy shipped to you, I have found what I find to be the most
stress free way of shipping other then you picking up the puppy yourself. This
is with my on ground shipper: Christian's Pet Transport. John and Johnnie Christian are good, honest people who
care very much for animals. While raising their small breed dogs, they became
very frustrated with the lack of care and the poor treatment of their own
puppies with
other shippers, both by air and by ground. So they started their own Pet
transportation service. With their service the puppies are never left
alone and are always kept in a temperature controlled environment. The
best way for your puppy to travel is with you. But if that is not possible, I
know that John and Johnnie will do the best possible for your new puppy.
able to
work with the airlines better then the average individual to get the safest,
quickest shipping possible by air for the puppy. If something goes wrong and a
flight is delayed or cancelled, Pet Air has the resources and name behind them
to be able to work with the airlines to reschedule the puppy and to make sure
that he or she does get to their destination safely. 
I suggest using a baby gate and
gating off an area such as a large bathroom or a utility room in order to give
the puppy limited space while allowing the puppy to have room to play, toys to
play with an open crate with bedding for sleeping (the front gate off the crate)
and puppy pads, a doggie litter box, or my preference, newspapers, in case the
puppy HAS TO GO before someone lets him or her outside. Some puppies (just like
children) take time to learn to "hold" it until "mom or dad" comes to take them
out. There are also very nice puppy playpens for dogs that also give more
room for play while keeping them in a relatively small small area. The two
ex-pens pictured here can be purchased at: 
Shipping by Air is $300
and is done with a company that specializes in shipping pets.
It is not my preferred way to ship as there will be times when the
puppy is left alone for periods of time, not fed, watered, or
cleaned up after. Weather also has a hand in air shipping.
In the summer, there are safe "red eye" shippings, but in the
winter, it might be harder to find a day that the temperatures are
preferable for shipping.
