Okay, so you have this cute fluff ball that you recently adopted and you want to socialize and take them everywhere and wait!  It's summer, right before the 4th of July where there are Fireworks.   What do loud booms to a new puppy mean?  The END of the world.   It is a fact that the day of the year that the most dogs panic and run off (and get hit or hurt) is July 4th.   

If you have a new puppy, please do the right thing and consider that they are still unsure about you and their new home.   Taking them out to meet new people during the day is fine, but taking them during fireworks is not going to build a POSITIVE ASSOCIATION with new people.   Think about it - imagine you are a young child, a toddler perhaps.   Your parents take you out to a really busy place, where there are a ton of people.   You've only met a few dozen people in your life.   You are small - these people are big - you can't see over them.   You are probably in a bag (and hopefully not on the germ filled ground when you have a stressed low immune system).   People are nice but your parents forgot to bring treats to give you when people pet you so you can associate good things when strangers come at you making loud noises and putting their stranger hands on top of your head (and effectively reinforcing dominant behavior).   THEN, the world starts to end.   You hear these loud BOOMS and you are freaked out and shaking - or if you feel the inside of them like some dogs do, you are having a serious panic attack.   You jump out of your bag, you pull so much you slip your collar, and you're off running because your new parents don't seem to understand the world is ending - and WHY doesn't that hurt their ears so much too?!   

Stay HOME!   Turn on a loud fan, turn the TV on....give your pups HIGH VALUE treats (this means meat or dried meat - see Plato Pet Treats small bites) while the fireworks are going off.   

Also, don't forget to do this during thunderstorms.  

Your puppy or dog having parasites is like a human having a cold in that everyone wants to find a source 'to blame'.....oh, so and so gave me his cold, or gee, that kid sneezed on me and now I have a cold.  

Just like cold viruses, parasites and opportunists like fleas and ticks, are everywhere.  They are on the ground, on blades of grass, on people's hands and shoes that come into your home, on the vet floors and tables, etc.  

Why are puppies more likely to have them?  Because puppies are together in a bunch.  One will pee or poo, another will step in it (no matter how clean a breeder is, this is definitely going to happen with a litter), then the pup decides to clean his paws off with his mouth - bam, passed on a little friendly.  Or, they'll step in something good outside on the ground, then come in to their pen and play and wrestle and step in their water bowl.  That branch or leaf your cute puppy has in her mouth?  Yep, has coccidia on it.  That mulch your puppy keeps digging up and chewing on?  Yep, has roundworms in it.  That puddle or stream that your pup took a drink of while out on a hike?  Yep, has giardia in it.  

It's going to happen!  And, they will pass it on to your other pets and maybe even you or your kids.  

Sometimes, you will not see symptoms AND fecal analysis will return a false negative.  So, they could live with an opportunist forever, and you might never know. 

If that is the case, why should we try to control it?  Because some can get quite sick from having parasites.  Also, it could give them a sore tummy and make it hard for potty training.  They also can pass things along to kids - and vice versa.  Plus, treatment is relatively easy - so why not just try and control it.  

In addition to treatment, clean all toys and bedding and bowls with soap and bleach - frequently.  Whether you think your dog has any fun critters or not, you should do this every week at least to negate the chances of harboring opportunists.  

Also, use monthly heartwormer that your vet prescribes.  It not only protects against heartworm, it also has dewormer for parasites baked into it.  Also, use a flea and tick med that covers your dog BEFORE a tick bites (right now, the current product to use is Advantix, not Advantage or Frontline); and consider the Seresto collar during the summer months for additional protection.

And - yes, I am biased here - it does not mean that your puppy came from a "bad" or dirty breeder.  Not at all.  I would like to know if there has ever been a breeder that has never had any parasites within their pups because I would say it's impossible.  Puppies are just silly - they love getting into things, chewing on dirt or grass, and then stepping in bowls and mouthing at their siblings.  Unless you want your puppy to be in a bubble, it's going to happen.   And, as a breeder, I don't think you're a bad owner if your dog gets a parasites - no, not at all - because I know it's going to happen.  

It is a fact and an expense you have to account for if you want a dog in your life.  

We often get requests for 'therapy dogs' or 'service dogs', and while we think we have great puppies, it is not so simple to discover who has the special traits needed to go through the training to become a service dog.  Many people think that just because the breed is smart, kind, and low shedding, it is a perfect dog for their family that might need some 'therapy' dog assistance - but, it is a complicated test that is best left to the experts.  If you are looking for such a dog, consider signing up for one of the programs that are offered - these experts not only pick a puppy out of her/his siblings, but also take them through special training to get them where they need to be.  Puppies are puppies - they will bite, nip, chase, bark, eat things, and cause all sorts of trouble and laughs.  They do not come "therapy trained".  

Here is a great story we found about a Goldendoodle puppy that was picked by the experts, and trained, for special work!  Bertie alerts his diabetic owner, who is a judge in the British courts, when her blood sugar is too low or too high.  This is interesting, cute, and should be read all the way to the end:

http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/t-bark-court-Bertie-diabetic-Hull-barrister-8217/story-23061368-detail/story.html

While we support most breeders and their mission, there are many that do unfair things.  We have read many articles about what to look for in a breeder.  We disagree with some of it, and we agree with most of it.  

Here is a list of our ideas of things that are not necessarily standard advice of what 'to look for' in a breeder:

1.  How quickly and thoroughly does a breeder respond to your inquiry?  If they are truly passionate about dogs, they will respond to you even if they do not have any puppies available.  We have often heard that the reason people sometimes choose us is because we respond quickly and thoroughly - and we show a passion for our dogs.  We can't help but want to share pictures, stories, and insights.

2.  Read the contract!!  Several years ago, we purchased a goldendoodle from a large breeder.  We were not astute to contracts or health guarantees at the time, and we just wanted the pup so bad - it didn't matter what it said.  We have since reviewed the "health guarantee" provided and we were very surprised with what we found.  The breeder's health guarantee was only good if we fed the dog food she recommended, and ordered from her account (that she was a retailer for) - WHAT!?!?  While we highly recommend feeding high quality dog food, we don't know of any genetic health issues that are brought on by the type of dog food that is fed.  This is a nonsense string attached.  

3.  How many litters does the breeder do at a time/per year?  Even if the place is not a puppy mill, many large breeders do not hire the staff to properly socialize and work with the puppies.  Come meet our Benji someday (from a large breeder), and you will see what social issues can come from a pup from that environment.

4.  What are their breeding policies?  How many times and in what frequency do they breed their ladies?  If they are not open to you about this, run away.  Do you really want to support an operation that has bred their females every cycle until they are 8 years old?  That will be 9-12 litters!!  Yes, dogs are quite a bit different and can handle more little beings than humans - so we won't humanize them (too much ;-).  While we agree that the research out there about how often one can breed dogs is a bit scattered, we still believe a dog should have a life beyond puppies all the time - no matter the scientific evidence.  We breed back to back, skip, back to back, done - or some close variation of that - basically, we would like 3-5 litters and no more from each lady (sometimes it will be less).  We start early, at 2, so they can be done by the age of 6 - during their breaks, they go on trips with us and have adventures.  We also do not have a lot of litters - just one or two a year.  We are not a full-time breeding operation and we do this for the fun and satisfaction.  Dogs should have a life with the humans and world that they've become domesticated into.

5.  What food is the breeder feeding their pups?  This isn't necessarily a deal breaker, but if your breeder is buying cheap puppy food - you can bet the pups are getting the cheapest care as possible.  That means probably not a lot of worming or vet visits or cleanliness (although there are exceptions).

6.  Do they sell many different breeds?  This is a sign of a puppy mill or large breeder - a couple different breeds, especially if related (like poodles and doodles), is fine - but, those doing more than a few breeds will find it hard to specialize and be really good at one or two breeds.  They could also just be a puppy broker and know nothing about the puppy that you are looking at.

7.  Ok, this one is a little off in the clouds, but....do they have a barn?  We are not against barns - many are great locations for pups to grow.  If you get to go in the barn and it's all clean - then disregard this advice.  But, we ran into a puppy mill recently that said they were raising pups in their house, and we saw 4 different mamas in their house - all nice and clean and cozy.  We later heard that they were raided and over 40 different mamas were found in their barn!!

There are also the standard things to watch out for, but these are some different telltale signs that we thought we would share with you.  

Things you shouldn't be concerned about:  

1.  In this day and age, you do not need to be concerned about there being no phone number on a breeder's website.  We do not share our phone number or our address until we've conversed a bit with you.  We do this for our privacy, but mostly for our and our pups safety.  We will start with email and call you from there.  You can visit the pups after you have committed to getting a pup.  This is our home, and we value our privacy, as much as we do like to share the puppies.

2.  No adult pics of puppies from the litter you are interested in.  By the time adult pictures of puppies are available, the mama should be working towards retiring. And, if it's the first litter, then showing you pics of adults that they've had from other mamas and dads, doesn't do any good - right?

3.  If you don't get to meet the dad.  Many small breeders pay for sire services and do not keep the male in the house.  If you feel energetic, you can get the location of the sire and go visit him at his home- but, it is unlikely that both parents will be available for you to meet.

4.  With the digital world, it is perfectly fine and thorough to chose a pup off the internet without meeting them or seeing the home.  You can see from the website and pictures if the pup is in a decent living environment.  As long as you get enough visuals and feel comfortable with the level of communication and service from the breeder, you should be fine picking a pup out online.  We have picked out pups online and have had wonderful experiences.

5.  If the breeder ships.  We have shipped and have received several puppies via airline shipping.  We have never had a bad experience.  The pups sometimes mess themselves, but if it's a long flight, that's certainly expected.  Usually, the breeder will stuff the crate with paper or bedding and this helps keep the pup clean.  The airlines are very attentive and we've always received great service.

That's it for now - we'll bring more to you later.

Please do not support puppy mills!!!