Breeding Practices & Philosophy
Here at Wagadoodles NW, we take the health and wellness of our puppies very seriously. We know that adding a new member to your family is a big decision, and we strive to make it as fun and simple as possible.
Our Guarantee
We provide a health guarantee to all our new puppy parents that, to the best of our knowledge and ability, the puppy you are taking home is free from any communicable diseases and is of sound body, stable temperament, and is generally in good health. We provide the first vaccinations and deworming, and we provide a medical record of these treatments for your surety.
We provide a one-year health guarantee against genetic health conditions, beginning on the puppy’s date of birth. We are able to offer this health guarantee by thoroughly testing all our potential studs and mommas for health and genetic conditions.
Pre-Natal Care
Your puppy’s health and well-being begins with our care and attention for our momma dog.
Once our mother dog has been bred, she starts on a high-protein combination of puppy food and salmon oil. At 30 days, we perform an ultrasound to confirm the pregnancy.
At 8 weeks, our momma starts familiarizing herself with our birthing area and whelping room.
On the day of birth, we are right there with her, helping keep her world calm while she welcomes each new life. We assist as she needs and provide care and support throughout the process.
We keep momma on a high-protein puppy food in combination with cooked chicken breast until the puppies are weaned. It is important to keep her calories up while she nurses and cares for her babies.
Training & Socialization
From the moment your puppy is born to the moment we send them home with you, we work tirelessly to make sure that your puppy is ready to succeed in your family.
Once their eyes and ears are open, we add toys to the whelping area to stimulate play. When they get up on their feet, we add larger toys and balance items.
When weaning starts and we are introducing puppy mush, we begin potty box training. This makes potty training at home smoother and easier.
Around week four or five, we add a four-sided mobile and a small slide. We evaluate who is confident and adventurous. Some may need us to help them find their confidence.
At six weeks, we start crate and leash training. Each puppy gets their own crate - yours to keep when you take your puppy home - and we begin training them to walk on leash.
Going Home
We send our puppies home between 10 - 12 weeks old, to allow our mommas plenty of time to teach your puppy manners, and to allow us time for training and socialization.
When your puppy goes home with you, we include the following items in your Puppy Package:
A bag of puppy food
Pre- and pro-biotics
Your puppy’s crate, which they have already been trained is their own
A small selection of toys
Remember, a puppy is like a small toddler. They should not be left to roam the house or the yard alone. Rule of thumb is out for twenty and in that twenty minutes they should be taken out to go potty and then really play with them. Tire them out. When your puppy goes home, they will still require up to 18 hours of sleep. We recommend that you have a playpen or a designated place for them where they are contained and that in this area you have a potty box, water (we use a rabbit water feeder), food bowl, toys etc. They can sleep, play and potty while you are busy. This takes the stress off puppy and stress off of you when you are very busy.
Where to take them potty is very important. Don’t let them have a free run of the yard. Take them out on a leash and take them to the same place every time. Have a command word that you use consistently (like “go potty”). If they poop in the house or in their pen in the house, take it and put it in the area you want them to go outside. Having a consistent place for them to go potty helps in the potty training. They don’t get bladder control until around 16 weeks. They will learn a habit by going to the same place. If you let them go wherever in the yard it will become a game and play time for them. They need to learn that in one area I am here go do a job and in this other area I can play.
In the first week it is important that, if possible, you sit down and feed them their kibble from your hands. This can be done as a family or just by the one who is going to be their main person. This does a couple of things. It creates a bond. Also, dogs are food driven, so when they start to run from you or don’t come when you call, you can hold out your hand and they will come. You may have to feed from your hand a few times over their lifetime to remind them that you control their food.
Kennel training started at our home when they were six weeks old. By the time they go home they are very familiar with their kennel. It doesn’t mean that they will not cry the first night or two for a few minutes. Being away from their siblings and in new surroundings can be upsetting. Be patient. It is in our experience that this does not last long. We also recommend that you put an old T-Shirt that you wear around the house for a bit in their kennel with them. It can be a comfort to them. We also use a sound machine at night in the room with them. It is a sign that it is bedtime, and we also think it is soothing to them. A fan could likely do the same thing. We strongly do not recommend that you get up with them in the middle of the night to take them out to go potty. They may have an accident in their kennel so we use old towels that can be washed. This will not last long. They aren’t having accidents in the kennel by the time they leave us. So, they will not do it long if at all for you. Picking up their water a few hours before bed can help as well. Just be sure to give them a quick drink on their way to bed. And, of course, making sure to take them out to potty just before bed. They do learn to self-regulate. They will learn over time that they want to stop because they know they are headed for bed soon.
Bathtime can seem exciting, however it can create stress for both of you and your puppy. It can also create other problems. Try to make it a calming time for puppy. Not cold and not hot water. Never right in their face. Cover the ears. You don’t want water to get down into the ear canal, so lay the ear flat over the canal and pour the water from above down the ear. The shampoo you use should be diluted in a bowl of warm water and squeezed over the puppy. You do not want to put shampoo concentrates directly on the puppy. It is much harder to get completely rinsed out and can cause hot spots and irritations.
One last thing. We will send you home with a few days of puppy food. We recommend a puppy food that is made by Diamond. You can get it a many pet stores and farm stores. We prefer to get it at Costco. Diamond packages it for Costco with a Kirkland brand name. It comes in a yellow bag. WE DO NOT recommend a grain free puppy or dog food. Dogs need taurine for their heart and grain free does not provide enough for them. We personally have seen and have known dogs that now have cardiologists because of the lack of taurine from being grain free. Talk to your vet please before making that change. Also, if you take a puppy home and decide that you want to feed them something different, please switch them over gradually. It can cause stomach upset and diarrhea to suddenly make that change.
