Hi there! ( Woof woof)
Everything you need to know about your puppy’s first steps in our home to their first cuddle in yours.
Our Philosophy
Our dogs all live with us on our 10-acre farm in the beautiful Cowichan Valley. The property is fenced so that the dogs have about five acres where they can explore and play during the day. At night there is a doghouse for them to eat and sleep.
We place great importance on the health of our dogs. To this end we test all our potential breeding dogs for hip and elbow dysplasia, thyroid, and eye abnormalities. The results of these tests are registered with the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA). Individuals that do not pass these tests do not become part of our breeding program, and are spayed or neutered and kept as pets either for ourselves or rehomed to suitable families. Whilst this approach can prove costly we strongly believe in breeding only genetically healthy dogs. We have a designated place in our home where dogs that are either pregnant or have a young litter have a place away from the other dogs. The young puppies stay inside until they are about five weeks old and starting to eat mushed-up kibble, at which point they have a puppy area outside where they can play but don’t get bothered by the adult dogs
LOVE, CARE, AND GOOD TRAINING CREATE THE PERFECT COMPANION
BRINGING HOME YOUR KISMET CROFT BERNEDOODLE PUPPY
When you get your pup it will be eight weeks or older. He or she will be eating solid food and becoming more independent, but will still enjoy the company of siblings and the occasional drink from Mom. Going to the new home understandably will be somewhat stressful and your pup might show signs of separation anxiety. The following is a summary of the routine your pup will be familiar with when they leave our home, and it may help in your home.
Daily Ritual
We take the pups out into the yard at around 6.30 am to have a bathroom break. Pups thrive on structured routines, so if we sleep in or are late to the task, they will remind us by crying to go out. Around 7 am we feed them (see feeding ritual) outside and let them run around for about 30 minutes. After feeding they’ll get done with messy toilet business before we bring them back inside. If the weather’s nice we have an outside enclosure for them. They might play for a while but then will be tired and happy to curl up to sleep. During the day they have outings every one to two hours for house training; generally, well-trained pups don’t want to use their play/sleeping area for as a make-shift toilet, so they will save their bathroom business for when they are let out.
We repeat the above feeding at lunch-time, and again between 6 pm and 7 pm, so they get three meals a day. We learned that feeding them later results in messy training pads. They have a final run outside around 11 pm, and will most likely sleep through till early morning. We let the pups play outside whenever our schedule allows. We have a large property for the pups to explore, so they will not have had a lot of interaction with strange dogs, other people, or the potential dangers of cities and other public areas. Training your pup and getting it accustomed to walking on a leash will be important for your pup’s safe and successful socialization. We do recommend taking your puppy to puppy classes; it is fun for you and great learning for your puppy and you too.
Feeding Ritual
We feed each pup between 1.5 and two cups (500ml) split between the three meals. We feed them a 50/50 mixture of “Horizon Complete Large Breed Puppy” and “Canadian Naturals Brown Rice and Lamb”. The Horizon is 28% protein, and the Canadian Naturals is 22%. Both are Canadian products. They will need more as they get bigger. We’ll give you enough of this mixture for three or four days, and suggest that if you want to change the diet, do it gradually so you don’t upset their digestion.
The vet recommends adding probiotics if you make food changes; it helps with the transition. Do some research on food options, or get advice from your veterinarian. You can switch to feeding twice a day fairly soon to accommodate your schedule. Fresh water should always be available.
Accommodation
Your dog should have a travelling kennel whenever she/he is in a vehicle. Bernedoodles will range in size from 60lbs to 85lbs, so be sure to get one big enough. This crate could double as a sleeping kennel. However, it is an advantage to have a wire kennel with a movable divider; the smaller the actual sleeping area the less likely the pup will have toiletry mistakes. It is important to make the sleeping area stress-free.
In the beginning, it will help to offer a little treat when asking your puppy to go into its kennel. Pretty soon they learn that “go to your bed” means a good thing. One option to reduce stress is a spray called “Adaptil”, obtainable from your vet. There are a few informative sites on the Internet about house-training your puppy; here is just one link: https://pets.webmd.com/dogs/guide/house-training-your-puppy#1
Going to Their New home
Your pup will come with a three-day supply of food and a little toy to remind them of their birth home. The pup will likely whine a bit the first few days when left alone. A few healthy treats will help make their new environment more enticing. We microchip our puppies before rehoming them; you can update the information on the chip by following the instructions we provide.
Before you take your puppy home, he/she will have an initial vet examination and receive their first immunization and deworming. This information will be on the health report card that we will give you; this report will be updated by your vet when you take the pup in for its next check-up. Please check with your vet regarding the appropriate time for this visit.
