Our Puppy Rearing Philosophies and Guarantees Our puppies are raised in a home environment. We do not have a "kennel". They become accustomed to regular household activities and noises as they mature. Vacuums, hairdriers, TV, Radio...all a part of life; they are not sheltered from these every day activities. Visitors come and go and we incorporate them into our puppy rearing too! Who could resist holding and petting newborn puppies? The more they are handled, the more they mature as well rounded, confident individuals at ease with strangers and new situations. Also, after they receive their inital check-up and vaccinations from our Vet, they accompany me to work in the grooming shop on a daily basis. This way, they are introduced to new dogs and people every single day. This builds character and confidence even more. As soon as they are up on their feet, we start teaching them to potty outside. (generally 5-6 weeks) We do NOT believe in paper training. Allowing them to "make" inside even on paper can be confusing. We raise our dogs on fresh foods (RAW) diet . They are fed a variety of fresh meats, from lean beef, chicken, turkey and fish. Dogs are not meant to eat a diet of "cereal" but should have fresh, species appropriate food. Humans could probably survive on Total Cereal but how healthy would we be with no fresh variety? We follow what is referred to as Prey-Model Raw. You can read more about this and how to get started by clicking here . We vaccinate on the new protocol and recommendations adopted by AAHA in 2011 You may read the guidelines here We keep our puppies generally from 10-12 weeks of age before starting placements. This gives us an opportunity to evaluate the litter and determine which will be kept by us and which will be offered to the public. Also, we feel that this is the best age to place them. By this time the pups have been well socialized and have built up confidence enough to handle the transition to a new family with little trouble. Also, the Schnauzer pups that will have ears cropped will be well healed by this time. Ear cropping is not a task we feel a new owner should have to deal with . All puppies placed are sold on contract and leave with a week's supply of food (If local), a new toy, a blankie, as well as several informational printouts to help in the transition. ALL puppies will have had their CERF (eye) exams and Boston puppies their preliminary patella exams prior to being placed in new homes. We will BAER test puppies that are leaving on a show/breeding contract OR if we suspect there may be an issue. All dogs used in our breeding program have passed the appropriate exams and certificates will be shown upon request This is our commitment to producing the healthiest pups we can.