What kind of puppy chow or dog food is best?

I know there’s a lot of controversy about dog foods. I’ve read the reports, have checked into different raw food programs, and have had long winded discussions with vets, other breeders and pet owners. I’ve tried a lot of different foods over the years and for several reasons I always return to feeding Purina.
The recent dog food scare with products from China had no effect on Purina, but many other dog foods from the cheapest discount brands to the most expensive specialty foods were actually killing perfectly healthy dogs. Price was no guarantee of safety. So Purina proved to be a good choice during this crisis.
With Purina, my pups are strong, energetic, healthy and have a shine to their coat and eyes that speaks volumes to me. A Lab should shine like velvet. On Purina foods, mine do.
Purina is a mid-priced product, is easily found, and is tried and trusted. I start my pups out on Purina puppy chow at 3 weeks of age soaked in puppy formula. At 6-8 weeks they’re eating dry puppy chow and when they turn 18 months of age I switch them to Purina adult dog food.
My breeding dogs eat Purina. While pregnant my dams get beef liver a couple times a week, they get a daily Osteo-Form vitamin, and all the clean water they can drink. While nursing they’re fed Purina puppy chow, their daily vitamin, liver, and their food is top dressed with puppy formula powder. My dogs can feed a litter of 13 pups and never get thin or run down. I swear by Purina.

Isn’t it cruel to put a puppy in a crate?

When your puppy takes a nap… chances are they crawl off into a quiet corner out of the way and where they can feel safe from being attacked from behind. Getting them used to being crated provides just such a spot for them. It keeps them safe when you can’t be watching them so they don’t chew on electrical cords, or swallow a Barbie’s head and choke on it. It prevents anyone or anything from sneaking up on them or hurting them so they learn to feel safe in their crate which is why many older dogs will choose to rest in theirs.
When house training, a crate provides a limited amount of space for the puppy to soil, and no self respecting dog wants to wet and then lay in it, so they will generally accept the idea that outside is the place to do that so they don’t have to lay in it.
Crates are very effective means for protecting a pup and your home at least until the training has been done to teach them what they can and cannot do.

How do I teach my puppy I am the boss without being mean to him?

What a puppy understands is consistency and leadership. In a pack you will always find a leader and a pecking order from the leader on down. Dogs expect this and if you’re not the leader, they will try to be.
The perks of being a leader are that you get the best spot to sleep in. (Keep your puppy off beds and couches); you get the best food and eat first (never feed your dog off your plate or while you’re eating); the leader walks ahead of the pack through doorways, down halls, or anywhere that they cannot walk side by side. Once you show your dog in terms they can relate to that you are indeed the leader, they will happily follow your lead and instructions. If you slip up and let them think they need to be the leader because you aren’t acting like one, they will try to lead, and you will not like the results.
Puppies like children, need you to define their boundaries for them and to enforce the rules so that they feel safe and cared for. Please don’t confuse and frustrate them by failing to do your part.

Why do some breeders let pups go at 6 weeks and others not until 8 or more?

In some states it is illegal to take a pup away from it’s dam before 8 weeks of age. They start eating gruel at 3 weeks, but most will still be sneaking a sip off mom for a good month after that. So for proper nutrition, and to maintain their immunities (which they get from Moms milk) until they can be vaccinated, allowing them to nurse is essential. Shots shouldn’t be given before 6 weeks and it takes time for the pups body to respond to the shots after they’re given.
Another major factor in my opinion is that during that extra 2 weeks, the pups are learning from mom how to be decent well adjusted dogs. If you’ve ever watched a pup attack it’s mother too roughly and seen her reaction you know that mother dogs will discipline their pups. They teach them when to back off, that they are NOT in charge and they have limits and expectations. After the pups leave mom they already understand when you say no to them that they must accept that. They have a good foundation to deal with the natural pecking order between themselves and other animals, and are more willing to be submissive when needed rather than become little bullies.
My pups don’t leave mom before 8 weeks and she decides when it’s time to wean them. The result is happier, healthier dogs. Usually toy breeds are older when leaving Mom because due to their size they’re more fragile and need that extra time.

How do I know what type of personality and temperament my puppy will have?

I interact with and spend a lot of time observing each litter from birth. I handle them every day and I watch them closely so I know which ones are more dominant, passive, playful, rough, affectionate, etc. I also usually see one or 2 that are the quickest learners and tend to reach all their milestones first and often lead the others into new things.
In our fall 2007 litter there was a single pup out of the 12 that always stood out from the rest. He was more curios, reasoned things out days before his littermates, and was by nature a leader. There was also a female that wanted nothing more than to cuddle and be pampered. She needed a bit of extra help when it came time to start eating puppy food because she was constantly pushed out by the more assertive pups. Both pups loved people, yet their basic personalities were very different. Only because I spent so much time with them was I able to see their place in the pack pecking order and help the correct families get the specific type of pup that best suited them.
Some breeders will tell you that’s it’s impossible to determine the basic personality type of a pup at this age… but I’ve had very positive feedback from those who’ve gotten my pups that what I saw in their pup is what they got. So I’m convinced it can be done… you simply need to spend the time with them to see it. This is one of the big reasons why I limit the number of litters I produce. I want to be able to spend this time with all of them and help to direct them into the right home where they’ll be enjoyed and spend their entire life. If their basic temperament and personality are a good fit, that is much more likely to happen.

What advantages are there to DNA testing dogs?

DNA Fingerprinting
A DNA fingerprint is literally your pet’s genetic serial number.
Having a record of your dog ‘s DNA fingerprint can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that your pet is “your pet”. Even if your pet is a mutt, DNA testing can tell you many of the breeds in it’s ancestry.
DNA testing can screen for dozens of inherent, genetic diseases.
INCLUDING:
Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA)
Hypothyroidism with Goiter (HTG)
(Congenital Hypothyroidism)
Cystinuria (CYST)
Globoid Cell Leucodystrophy (GCL)
Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis (NCL)
Phosphofructosokinase Deficiency (PFK)
Von Willebrand Disease (vWD)
Narcolepsy (NARC)
Cone degeneration (CD)
Canine Leucocyte Adhesion Deficiency (CLAD)
Hemophilia B (HmB)
Muscular Dystrophy (MD)
Myotonia Congenita (MC)
GMI Gangliosidosis (GMIG)
Retinal Dystrophy (prad)
SCID (DNA-PKc & DNA PKc2)
Mucopolysaccharidosis Type VII (GUSB_NOSVVIII)
Thrombasthenic Thrombopathia (THROM)
Most dogs will test negative. This means they don’t carry the gene that causes a particular disease. Obviously, this is good news. Its also good information, particularly if you are a breeder, to know absolutely that your pet will not get the disease in the future.
Unfortunately, some pets will test positive or as a carrier of a bad gene. A positive result means your dog definitely has or will develop the disease in the future.
A carrier means that your pet does not have the bad gene(s) but could pass them to future offspring if bred with an animal also being a carrier of the particular disease.
As a breeder these are things I need to be aware of to be able to offer healthy pups.
DNA Color Traits
DNA tests can also show me for certain which color traits each of my dogs carry. With this information, I am able to take the guesswork out of producing litters with a good range of color. Some prefer white dogs, some chocolate, or apricot, etc. With this information I can better predict whether my black dams will produce anything other than an all black litter and whether my male is a good genetic match for my females.

Why are hybrid dogs priced just as high as purebreds?

It takes 2 purebred parents to produce a purebred pup. It also takes 2 purebred parents (even if they’re of different breeds) to produce a hybrid. Since hybrid breeders like myself are on a mission to eliminate a lot of what we object to in purebreds, it costs us to do the testing, we have to learn a basic knowledge about genetics and be able to screen out any dogs that don’t fit the criteria. I don’t take “just any” purebred dogs and put them together like some opponents of hybrid breeding believe all hybrid breeders do. I take this business very seriously and put my heart and soul and long hours into doing it the right way.
In the past year I’ve gotten 2 pure bred poodle males… one had to be put down because of a genetic defect.
I’ve bought 4 pure bred lab females… One was barren, 2 were not old enough to breed yet. After purchasing and caring for all these dogs I’ve had one litter to show for it.
I still need to feed them, vaccinate and worm them, house and care for them, am in the process of DNA/OFA/CERF testing them and have to keep learning all I can about them to be sure I’m doing the best I can to make this a good life for the dogs while providing quality pups to my buyers. I offer guarantees so if I mess up I will be paying for it. The majority of pure bred hobby breeders don’t go to the lengths that I do to raise good pups. It all comes with a price, and still I charge less than many for pups out of health tested parents.