LOTTIES CAVAPOOS LEARNING PROGRAM

When looking for a trusted breeder I recommend that you do your homework otherwise you will be either out of pocket or filled with heartache or both. Firstly find out if they hold a breeding license preferably 4 stars and above as this means that the council has awarded them this star rating because they have met all the HIGHER REQUIREMENTS NOT THE MINUMUM STANDARDS. Check out they are qualified and experienced in breeding plus any reviews that have been left by the public. All my qualifications are listed in the certificate area on this website.

I’ve introduced this learning program of mine to give you an insight of what I do from a pre-natal stage to the puppies leaving me at 8/9 weeks old. As Im now fully qualified in all areas of the canine sector ,I can now apply my knowledge to families out there that need to be educated on what breeders should be doing for the welfare of their dogs and puppies. For me I feel it’s crucial that you guys are educated on what to look for in a breeder, how to look after a puppy/dog and train it properly.As you know I do this with my families from when the puppies are 4 weeks old where I introduce a 4 week bonding and socialization program so I get you to   learn the basic training and build a important bond between you and your chosen puppy.This program gives the puppy and you a great start where you all know how to look after him/her and feel confident on going forward without me when you first take the puppy home but as you all know i’m here to support families 24/7 for the rest of the dogs life it’s in my CONTRACT OF SALE.

PRE NATAL CARE

It’s important that a good breeder with provide extra special care and attention to their breeding dogs and this is done with a calm non stressful pre-natal environment as stress reactions by the dam can be passed on to the developing puppies. The mum needs appropriate exercise, specific diet and loads of love as this gives them contentment in all areas. The diet plays a very important role in the developing babies and for mum too, as the dams body is under strain so a high quality diet with all the nutritional content will support her internal functions accordingly. So for my girls I use AVA veterinary approved quality, this comes in both puppy and adult variations as this is needed at different stages of her pregnancy. Then I also give them steamed vegetables, chicken breast, goats milk and fruit but this is a normal everyday diet I give my girls anyway alongside kibble. So when checking out a breeder you can ask these questions I have listed in page.

PRE NATAL STIMULATION

I use a really low key gentle massage stimulation process all over the pregnant mummy mainly in the tummy area and up through each leg. As studies have shown that doing this process contributes to a docile litter as touch is a powerful thing and activates the parasympathetic system giving the mum relaxation, emotional attachment and socialization.

NEUROLOGICAL STIMULATION

I use this form of stimulation as its crucial for the puppies to experience the Bio Sensor program,whereby the puppies are gently handled using various exercises to produce brain wave activity that would not occur naturally. Early stimulation has lasting effects which gives puppies a better ability to with stand stress than if the puppies were non – stimulated.

STIMULI ACTIVITIES – IMPRINTING

This is a form of learning from birth to 16 weeks and is based on behaviour patterns,which are developing the bond with humans and desire for stimuli that they have been exposed to. This includes various activities and stimuli so the puppies will have low anxiety and fear during this crucial window of birth to 16 weeks.

BONDING  AND HUMAN CONTACT

So from the day the puppies were born us as a family have been handling them really gently and slowly. So they have become used to that gentle touch and hearing our voices and seeing us as humans. We have taught them love and trust so far. So from 4 weeks the families come in and start to bond with their chosen puppy, starting a very important training and bonding journey that I have created here at Lotties Cavapoos. I do this because your puppy will become more confident, knowing the basic commands, be clicker trained, would of bonded with its family, be psychologically content,  and can confidently communicate and read its families body language.Also be crated and lead trained plus much more. This goes on until the puppies leave us at 8/9 weeks so families are with us weekly for 4 weeks in total which is a very busy time.

CRATE TRAINING

Every breeder should do this as it’s vitally important for the puppy to become accustomed to the crate so it feels a sense of security and has a space to call it’s own.As it’s a vital tool in house training which this method puppies do not have difficulty adjusting to during family life. As you can see on my feedback from families that this has been proven from the first night. I encourage families to buy a crate and place a pen around it to give a sense of security as they have been used to this set up, but remember always leave the crate door open so they don’t feel trapped.

GROOM/BATH CONDITIONING

I get the puppies used to being groomed daily from 4 weeks old using a rubber type brush which is the softest type to use at this age. I begin bathing them at 7 weeks old with a baby bath placed inside a normal bath with shallow warm water. This gives them a sense of security in a small space rather than being placed in a huge bath of water, which will send them into a well of anxiety and fear which we are avoiding when experiencing a wash for the very first time. I use a cup to scoop the water up and pour it over the body gently and slowly, ill never use a shower hose as this will cause them to fear bath time being their first bath time experience. I do not wash the face as this should be done once they have got used to being washed on their body first, these things are done in stages and should be introduced when the puppy is ready for it. I keep bath time short about 5 mins then dry them off. For drying them I use a special dog hairdryer which is a brush with warm air going through it as it’s quiet, as a puppy is scared for the first time experiencing a dryer.

Also I get the puppies used to ear checks,teeth brushing, nail filing and body checks.

MENTAL AND PHYSICAL  ACTIVITIES

Here at Lotties Cavapoos we provide the puppies with lots of mental/physical stimulation activities, this starts when the puppies are 4 weeks old where they are starting to find their feet and become stable with balance and coordination. We have short bite size play sessions twice a day every day in our safe lounge area within our warm home environment out of their large pen. They then start exploring toys, textures and smells, tunnels, snuffle mats and high reaching toys.This then starts to support their body self-awareness, problem solving abilities, confidence, developing strength and coordination skills. Puppies that are raised in the way we do, will become confident, content and will be happy calmer adults later on in life. Meanwhile during the weekends we get each family to come and join our socialization and bonding sessions with 1 to 1 basic command training practicing this from 4-9weeks.

ENVIRONMENTAL STIMULI

Getting puppies used to sounds within the home they get used to day to day normal household noises, is a must  as our puppies are placed in the heart of our home  in the open plan lounge/diner and are not shut in a room away from the family but out with us around them always. In the day starting from 3 weeks I start getting alexa to play sounds of children playing, busy roads with traffic, trains, planes, fireworks  and many more. At 3 weeks the puppies experience a very low volume of these sounds whilst in a play mode environment so there is a distraction going on and not just focusing on the sounds played, then as each week goes on we then increase the volume a little at a time until used to it being played loudly. I do ask families to continue this conditioning stimuli when they take their puppy home until around 16 weeks and able to then go out into the big wide world.

CORE BEHAVIOR TRAINING

By the time the puppies are 8-9 weeks old they would of learnt core behaviors from me and their families which is crucial to avoid typical behavioral problems and shaping them for the future which includes nipping and mouthing, jumping on or up to people, lead and basic sit, come and stay command training, clicker trained, crate trained, house trained and difficulty riding in the car so I do daily round the block trips from 6 weeks old.

HOUSE TRAINING

When I introduce the crate at 6 weeks in the extended play pen area this starts the house training whereby I leave the crate door open with a blanket over the top to give a sense of security and calm, so then I place washable wee mats outside the crate,  then upon waking they step outside and automatically relieve themselves and this starts the process of learning upon waking from a bed to wee mat plus lots of praise given when the puppies do this, as the weeks go on they get to learn what a wee mat is and the voice of happiness from me and families which they then pee to please as they love making humans happy. By the time the puppies are ready to go home at 8-9 weeks they will be 80% toilet trained and this is stated in my reviews from families that my specific training methods work.