Happy Berner Puppies
At Happy Berners, our puppies are our pride and joy. Your puppy will spend (at least) its first 8 weeks with us, so we thought we'd tell you about those first 8 weeks!
Quality puppies start with quality genetics. In addition to using dogs with great bloodlines, we also check our dog's hips, elbows, eyes, and heart. You can see the results of these health clearances on the individual dog's page. We also require the same clearances on any stud we may use. Our priority is excellent temperament, then health and breed standards, and we choose to breed specifically for these traits.
Our "whelping box" is set up wherever the puppies' Mama feels most comfortable, usually in the master bedroom. This is where the puppies will spend the majority of their next few weeks. When she goes into labor, we stay close, ready to assist her if she needs us. It involves one of us spending a long night sitting inside or next to the whelping box to assist and reassure the Mama during the labor process. We also stay with Mama & puppies for constant supervision for the first 48 hours.
When each puppy is born, after its all cleaned up, healthy, and safe, it receives a soft ribbon "collar" in a color that will represent the puppy as it grows up. As the puppy grows, we adjust/replace the collar, but its color remains the same. This way families can watch the puppies grow up, and be able to get to know the puppies as individuals!
Our puppies recieve daily modified "early neurological stimulation" (shown to develop dogs that are more relaxed and easier to train). This means each pup is gently handled, including 3-5 seconds of tickling between their toes and paws, touching their ears & tail, and held in different positions (ie: on back, upright). Around 3 weeks, we include new surfaces for the pups to walk on (hardwood, carpet, tile, grass, etc), and introduce positive socialization.
Around 3-5 days old, our puppies have their dewclaws removed according to breed standard. We administer dewormer around 4 weeks, and again just before 6 weeks. The first vaccinations are given AFTER 6 weeks of age, when they will also have their first official vet visit before going home at 8 weeks.
Around 4 weeks, the Dam starts to slowly wean her puppies, and we introduce the puppies to solids. It starts as a soft mush, and over the weeks, the food gets ground up less and less so the pups can transition to regular dry kibble. A transitional bag of the food we use will be sent home with each puppy. Mix it with whatever high-quality kibble (make sure its suitable for large-breed puppies!) you choose, and make the change slowly over a week or so. Some people choose to feed a RAW diet. We respect their decisions, but after all our research, we feel that it is not the right choice for our family. Our buyers are welcome to do their own research, speak with their veterinarian, and make their own decision for their puppy's diet.
With 4 children at home, our puppies have plenty of socializing experience. From regular handling to household noises to new friends coming over, our puppies experience new situations, sounds, and sights fairly regularly. We allow the puppies to explore for themselves, but also give them opportunities to check out new sights, textures, and sounds. Future owners, and their families are always welcome to schedule regular visits to snuggle the puppies, as well as get to know the Mama and our family. However, if you are unable to visit your puppy, don't worry because they still get plenty of snuggles and love from our family!
A couple more things to note:
- Our puppies come with AKC pet registration. If you are looking for full registration (breeding), please contact us. We require a more intensive contract, and full registration does cost more. We carefully screen any potential full-registration families. Because this breed is very special to us, we want to make sure that any breeding is done thoughtfully and with the breed's best interest in mind.
- We do NOT ship puppies. This can be an inconvenience, but our puppy's physical and mental health are of upmost importance to us, and we feel that families are greatly benifited by meeting our family and seeing where their puppy is coming from!
Our puppies come home with a special Happy Berner puppy package, which includes:
~ Bag of their puppy food
~ Puppy Blanket with mama's scent
~ Happy Berner Puppy Binder
~ AKC registration paperwork
~ 72 Hour Health Guarantee
~ 2 year Genetic Health Guarantee
ALSO, We now do a MICROCHIP ID for each puppy!
