Superior nutrition for the dam and her pups is essential to insure that they are able to express their full genetic potential, so our mothers and pups are nourished with Orijen dog food. I believe it is the best quality commercial dry dog food available. It is expensive, but your puppy only grows up once! I believe he deserves an opportunity to be all he can be.
Proper socialization and environmental enrichment is important in raising puppies. When young puppies are exposed to a variety of people and new stimuli they more readily adapt to new experiences they encounter when they are grown. I spend a great deal of time interacting with my puppies on a daily basis and I recruit children and adults of all ages, sizes, and shapes to visit my kennel when the pups are ready for socializing. I provide a variety of toys for them to play with and we allow the pups to frolic in the yard. My flower beds may look weedy to most people, but to a puppy they are a wilderness that’s just his size; a place to explore where adventure waits behind every leaf! The great amount of time spent with each puppy and the variety of stimuli they receive helps them to become confident, well adjusted dogs when they mature.
Orion pups are treated for intestinal parasites at three, five, and seven weeks of age. The pups will also have their eyes examined by a veterinary ophthalmologist before they are sent home to ensure that they are free of congenital eye defects. When you purchase an Orion puppy you will receive a written thirty-month guarantee against hip dysplasia and hereditary eye disease. They receive their first vaccinations at seven to eight weeks of age. I recommend and follow the vaccination guidelines outlined at the following website:
www.aahanet.org/PublicDocuments/VaccineGuidelines06Revised.pdf.
In addition to providing quality nutrition, socialization, medical care, and environmental enrichment I provide our pups with “early neurological stimulation” (ENS). This series of stimuli was developed by the U.S. military for their “Bio Sensor” program which is used to produce guard dogs, bomb detection dogs, and other canines used in the military. ENS is designed to stimulate the nervous systems of neonatal pups with mild stressors. Dogs who received ENS as puppies show improved cardiovascular performance, stronger heart beats, stronger adrenal glands, a greater tolerance to stress, and greater disease resistance. Studies have also shown that dogs who received ENS performed better at certain problem solving tests than their non-stimulated mates. This is just another example of the measures I take to provide our pups with the ultimate in care, so that you can have the ultimate Labrador puppy!
Orion puppies aren’t allowed to leave their littermates until they are at least 8 weeks old. They learn numerous canine social lessons when interacting with their siblings which are impossible to replicate at a later time. Those of you who are fans of the “49th day” may want to do a little research. There is much evidence which shows that pups need to be with their littermates longer than seven weeks in order to acquire all of the needed canine social graces. |
