Puppy Development
Whelping Care
Great puppy development begins with giving great care to moms during pregnancy and whelping. Harvest Creek moms are well cared for and monitored daily during their pregnancy. About a week before their due date, moms are brought into our nursey to get comfortable and prepare their "den" for delivery. We are present for every delivery and assist moms as needed.
Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) & Early Scent Introduction (ESI)
The first few weeks of a puppy's life is crucial to their neurological growth and development. Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) includes a series of handling exercises that helps improve cardio- vascular performance (heart rate); stronger heart beats; stronger adrenal glands; more tolerance to stress; and greater resistance to disease. Early Scent Introduction (ESI) includes having puppies smell a scent and monitoring their reaction. ESI is important for puppies that may go onto be service or therapy dogs, and it helps improve their smell awareness and confidence. Harvest Creek puppies all experience ENS and ESI from days 3-16.
You can learn more about ENS and ESI in our Unlocking the Potential: Exploring the Benefits of Early Neurological Stimulation and Early Scent Introduction for Your Dog blog post.
3-8 Week Old Puppy Curriculum
Harvest Creek puppies move onto the more advanced puppy curriculum at 3 weeks old introduced by Jeanette Forrey at 4E Kennels. We use 10 Step Handling which starts with the "10 step puppy massage" daily and increase pressure every week. This exposes our puppies to a variety of touch, handling, and sensation including eyes, nose, inside mouth, around collar, tummy, back, pull tail, tug on ears, and toe nails.
We also begin socializing our puppies at 3 weeks old. They are exposed to different sounds, sights, textures, things to climb over, and run through. We want them to conquer physical and mental challenges daily. This helps build our puppies nerve strength, confidence, and problem solving ability. We strive to provide our puppies with a stable and enriching environment for the first 8 weeks of their lives.
8+ Week Old Puppy Curriculum
Once you take your puppy home, the fun is just beginning! You can continue what we started when the puppies were 3 days old by getting a copy of Raising the Empowered Puppy by Jeanette Forrey at 4E Kennels.
Like puppy training, it's a great idea to get Raising the Empowered Puppy before your puppy comes home to give you a head start. It will help you and your puppy adjust during the first 3-5 days at home, continue 10-step handling exercises, and a step by step guide for your puppies first four weeks at home.
Jeanette is an expert breeder and trainer, and she has graciously mentored and shared her expertise with breeders like Harvest Creek. We share a common goal to breed and raise great dogs responsibly, and inform puppy owners so that you have the resources to buy a great puppy and raise them to be the best pet you could ask for.