HOW WE RAISE & TRAIN OUR PUPPIES
We are part of a community of Badass Breeders that are focused on raising the standards for breeding and raising puppies that have the power to truly change lives.
You will go home with a healthy puppy who is confident, motivated to learn, trained to be compliant, able to adapt to new environments, unknown/loud noises, new scents, and new people.
NEWBORN TO 8 WEEKS
NEWBORN
WHELPING BOX
This is our newborn to 3 week whelping box setup. We add vet fleece (white mat) to our whelping box when puppies are 3 days old. This added traction helps puppies navigate around the box while supporting their hip development. Underneath the vet fleece is a heating pad in the center of the box that is turned on 24/7 during the first three weeks. Puppies are able to move to the heating pad for area extra warmth or move away if they are too hot. We place black pig-rails in our whelping box during the first three weeks. This helps protect puppies from Momma laying down on them.
WEEK 4
PING PONG BALL EXPOSURE ACTIVITY
These ping pong balls are introduced to expose puppies to unpredictable items that roll and make noise when knocked against one another. The ping pong balls are introduced during week 4 after puppies had previously been exposed to multiple items that do not move or make noise. We are raising puppies that are curious and confident rather than fearful and unsure of the world around them.
WEEK 5 & 6
WHELPING BOX
Big changes happen during week 5 & 6 in the whelping box. We remove a divider between the two boxes to create a larger sleeping area for puppies to sleep in throughout the night. We use multiple washable pee pads on the linoleum floor that we remove and wash when needed. We add two crates for puppies to access at night, a chicken waterer, and also a second potty tray. Our sleeping area grows as our puppies continue to grow. Our KBD puppies are only in their whelping/sleeping area during the night to sleep. During the day our puppies are worked in their toddler area and throughout our home for multiple exposure activities.
TEXTURED FLOORING EXPOSURE ACTIVITY
KBD puppies are introduced to multiple textured floorings to help build confidence to approach and feel different textures on their four paws. Simple tasks such as walking across hardwood, carpet, tile, concrete, pavement, gravel, grass, and dirt can create fear or hesitation in puppies if they are always raised on one type of flooring. Placing these textured tiles in their toddler area allows puppies to approach them on their own to investigate. We then sit with our puppies and encourage them to walk across the multiple textures while praising them.
BALL PIT EXPOSURE ACTIVITY
The ball pit is always a favorite item in our toddler area! The ball pit is also one of the most unpredictable items we expose our puppies to during their 8 weeks with us. Not only do the balls move and make noise, but the blue pit/container itself moves and wobbles. This item is only introduced after puppies are 5 weeks old and display confidence in other exposure activities. It is important that you choose a breeder that understands puppy development and knows how to slowly stack stress in order to not overwhelm their puppies and create fear. These exposure activities have purpose. We are raising our puppies to be empowered and confident to tackle any obstacle or new situation.
WEEK 7 & 8
TODDLER AREA
At KBD we teach our puppies at an early age to sit before we pick them up. This is called "manding." We are teaching them to be polite and respectful. Our puppies have to sit before we move them out of the whelping box and into the toddler area. They have to sit before we hold them to do their puppy massage, before we pick them up to move and work throughout our house, before we pick them up to do puppy baths, and before we do weekly pictures. Bernedoodles are extremely smart. They catch on quickly because they all desire to be held. This simple training teaches puppies self control and sets the foundation for a respectful puppy.
POTTY TRAINING
KBD starts potty training when our puppies are 3 weeks old. Our potty trays consist of potty pads, pine pellets, and alfalfa pellets.
Puppies are 90% potty trained using these trays by Go Home Day.
We include a small bag of pine and alfalfa pellets in our KBD Go Home Bags so that our puppy families can sprinkle the familiar pellet smell outside where they want their puppy to potty.
This helps create a smooth transition from our home to your home.
CRATE TRAINING
KBD starts crate training when puppies are 4 weeks old to set them up for success.
Crate training is essential for potty training and creating a safe place for your puppy to stay when you leave the house.
We start crate training with open doors and slowly transition to closed door training. Our puppies stay in their crates for 2 hours at a time by 8 weeks old.
We send home a recommended potty training schedule in our "KBD Puppy Handbook" that centers around that 2 hour time frame.
PUPPY PLAYPEN SETUP
This puppy playpen setup is what we use when keeping a puppy past the 8 week mark.
We highly recommend all of our puppy families to have a similar setup at home to make the transition as smooth as possible when arriving home with their new puppy.
This setup allows puppies to have a defined safe place where they can observe and adjust to their new environment. Puppy playpens are perfect for families planning on returning to work after bringing home their puppy.
All puppy playpen supplies can be found on our Amazon Storefront link here.
EXTENDED TRAINING SESSION
This video showcases Magnolia from our “European” litter in our extended puppy training sessions.
Nola learned “sit”, “down”, “up”, and “shake”. She learned 4 basic commands in our 5-10 minute training sessions at just 9 weeks old!
At KBD we raise little ones that are confident and truly empowered! Our puppies at 8 weeks old are ready to hit the ground running in their new homes. They are motivated to learn and eager to please.
The solid foundation we lay extends beyond our home and sets our puppies up for success in their new forever homes!