Visiting the Puppies Before 8 Weeks
Many potential owners question if they can pick out, see, or play with their puppies before they are ready to go at 8-weeks-old. The answer to the question is now unfortunately NO.
We have absolutely nothing to hide, have had our home audited by vets and the RSPCA to ensure we meet all welfare standards and regulations. We send regular updates (photos / videos) of the pups and their environment as they grow to their new families (usually 2-3 times a week).
We used to allow people to visit many times before their pup was ready to go to their new homes but there are several reasons why we now do not let anyone around the new puppies between birth and 8 weeks – all to protect our dogs and your baby puppy. Below you will find reasons as to why the answer is no.
First, I’ve found it’s stressful for the mum to have strangers visit as she is caring for her new litter. This in turn will put stress on the newborn pups. Remember, you are one of many people (sometimes as many as 10 or so families) who are getting a puppy, not including everyone else who “just wants to peek at the new babies.” If we allow everyone to see, touch, or spend time with the new pups, the mum’s routine would be disrupted: her eating and caring for pups and even her ability to produce enough healthy milk for them could be at risk, plus the new and many different scents of people can put the mum off as well.
Like a new baby, the opportunity for young pups to pick up infectious diseases is increased with all new contacts. Their immune systems are building, so at this time, the mums and pups live in our puppy nursery which has controlled temperatures and are separate from all outside traffic and stress. Most illnesses and diseases are innocently carried on people’s shoes and clothing. We even have shoes we wear when we go out that are not worn at home / on our property. Entire litters of puppies can be wiped out within 48 hours by the deadly parvo virus. This disease could be picked up unknowingly by people in a school yard, a park, or on a pavement, and this is only one disease. We cannot risk exposing our dogs and your puppy to diseases that could destroy them.
We have had kennel cough and ringworm enter our previous environment through well meaning visitations and they were not only highly contagious but also a huge worry treating the young puppies and willing them to get better. Sometimes, they had to stay with us until 12 weeks of age so they could be 100% healthy again.
Your puppy is not the only puppy. By protecting all of our puppies from stress and disease that could be brought on by high traffic, we are protecting your puppy. Just think about how you would feel if someone who just wanted to see his or her pup happened to bring in stress or illness that would cause us to lose a litter and you to lose your future puppy.
We have heard from people that other breeders, or other kennels let families visit puppies. That’s their prerogative but from our own trial and error, we’ve found that keeping your puppy in our secure, clean bubble with our family and other dogs is the most successful and risk free way to raise our pups.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. We take great care and much time caring for all of our dogs and their puppies. It is time and energy consuming. This is what we do best. We understand your excitement, and we are happy that you are enthusiastic about getting your pup, but until you take your puppy home, we are responsible and the puppy’s health and safety is our number 1 priority. I guarantee you that in 8 weeks after the birth it will be well worth your wait.
Some people think that they need to see the entire litter of pups in order to pick out a good dog. We have found this is a misconception. In any one litter, the majority of the puppies are comparable. In each litter there is usually a highly energetic dog, a more reserved dog, and the rest fall in between. The term pick of the litter is simply a matter of opinion. Each dog has its own personality and genetics play a huge part in your pups temperament; however, what you do with your puppy will make much of the difference for the life of the dog.
It’s important to trust us to match you with your perfect puppy. We spend so much time with them and watch them develop from birth, we know them individually best.
If a puppy does not meet the health standards of our veterinarians, or criteria for an exceptional companion or working dog, we do not make them available in the litter. We will always be up front with you and make you aware of each puppy’s strengths and weaknesses. We have had great success in matching pups to their ideal homes using our application process.
Lastly, security. Our dogs and pups have developed quite the following globally and are viewed as ‘unique’ by many. There are often people who want to meet our pack and we’re more than happy to take them for safe pack walks at the beach for meet and greets any time. In the past few years dog and puppy thefts (even whole litters) have been on the rise around Australia. Living in a somewhat secluded rural area also leaves us vulnerable to this. While we hope everyone who contacts us is genuine with good intentions, this simply isn’t always the case.
Thank you for understanding.