Here at Salhaus, our puppies are handled from the moment they are born. Nothing is left to chance. I supervise the breeding of each parent dog & I am present for the birth of each & every baby that we produce. We help the mothers in tearing open the sacks & severing the umbilical cords. If someone is taking too long to present himself, we help him "down the chute" as well. Our mommy dogs as well as each baby that we have here are far too precious to leave the birthing to chance.
Our pups are born here in the house with us in our laundry room which is attached right to our family room, not out in a kennel or in some other obscure area. My family knows that for the first several weeks after a litter is born my main priority, night and day is watching over the new mommy & her pups. . . making sure that no one gets left out of a feeding or rolls away & gets cold. It's pretty much a 24 hour duty for the first several weeks after birth. But I am bedded down on the couch next to the new litter for the first few weeks, sleeping with "one eye & ear open," listening for a restless mommy or a crying pup!
My daughter holds the title of "Official Puppy Socializer" here at Salhaus. She spends hours & hours with our babies. Often times I will do a "head count" to make sure that all are present. I just about have a heart attack when one or two are missing. . .only to find out that they are in bed with her or under the covers on the sofa with her while she watches TV. Often times they snuggle into her lap for hours as she works on the computer as well. These pups are well rounded socially by the time they are ready for new homes.
As the pups grow, they are introduced to the outdoors at about 3-4 weeks of age. Again, we keep a close eye on them as they are initially only allowed in our covered, enclosed porch area right off of the laundry room. It's a huge area, enough for them to romp & play. The area is good for potty training as well. Pups do not like to "go" near their sleeping area. We make sure that there is plenty of room for play/sleep & for them to do their "business." While our pups are not housetrained by the time they leave us, this does in turn, help out the pups' potential new owners to easily housetrain them.
You'll see that our puppies get lots of love & attention, even from the family cat, Echo. He is an Exotic Shorthair that we acquired from Calivan Cattery. He's such a special kitty in that he absolutely loves these big dogs! The adult dogs are gentle with him, as he tries to play with them, but the size difference is a bit much. He's so thrilled when we have new babies since they're more his size. We have to watch him like a hawk when there's a new litter, as he "sneaks" into the new puppy room with the moms & babies! Often times Echo will join me in the birthing area, waiting for the arrival of our new babies. Needless to say, our puppies are "cat socialized" by the time they leave here as well.
Our pups are well socialized & weaned by the time they're ready for their new homes. We typically release our pups between 7-8 weeks of age. By that time, they've had their first set of shots & have been on a worming program starting at 2 weeks of age & continuing until they reach their new homes. They will have been wormed & tested for the presence of worms & puppy hood bacterial diseases & deemed clear & healthy, ready for new homes. We have also now added a new feature to our breeding program as of 2007. Each pup will also be microchipped before they leave us!
At the computer with a 4 week old white GSD pup.
In the car on the way to the airport to deliver this solid black Dragon pup to a waiting family in Michigan. This is Tucker. Look for him as an adult on our Gallery Page.
Echo with a 5 week old blk/tan Juju male pup, playing in the house. Don't worry, the pup wasn't hurt. Echo has no front claws.
Stunning 6 week old Varuka female pups. Look at those thick heads & at that bone!
My baby girl holding an 8 week old coated female pup. Her arms could barely contain that huge pup!
Echo with one of the girls during a delivery. This gives you an idea of the incredible temperament of our girls to allow the family cat in the same room with her during delivery!
2 sleeping beauties-My daughter & a 3 week old blk/tan Dragon pup
Lots of sleeping & snuggling going on at Salhaus with the pups! Echo & 1 week old blk/tan Dragon pup.
6 week old blk/tan pups, female (left), male (right)
6 week old pups, blk/rd male (left), blk/tan female (right)
3 month old solid black male
Take a look at a typical 7 week old Salhaus pup (on the right) in comparison to an older 8 week old standard sized German Shepherd pup (on the left). . .no comparison!
Below are some pictures of what your future Salhaus pup may look like:
Even our pet rats get in on the "socializing action." Puppy shown at 3 weeks.
My sweet Zora with a 3 week old Varuka/Monty pup.
Diesel pictured with our newest edition ~ Chewie, an Exotic Shorthair from Kadokits Cattery.
Chewie sitting in the front room window with Diesel looking on from the back yard. Just goes to show that there is no tension between the dogs & cats at Salhaus.
Chewie getting to know one of Diesel's snow white pups!!
