Birdwalk Farm Owner
Help - The Kennel or House?
The kennel or the
house? Many breeders raise their pups in a kennel, or
another building on their property, or the basement, etc. If this works
for them, fine – however, I prefer to have puppies born and raised in
our house -our living quarters, where we can keep better track of them
rather than just relying on check-up visits to the "kennel". This is my
personal preference, and not meant to condemn those who maintain their
dogs in a separate area (puppies are really more interested in mom and
their littermates until they are about 5 to 6 weeks of age).
On rare occasions, a pup could
get tangled in something or have an injury or even become sick, and if
it is in another building or remote area of the house, it could
be in danger without the breeder knowing it until the next time they
check in on them (when it could be too late). At Birdwalk Farm, puppies
are born in the bedroom, so we can be there for mom (much as we would
like to convince our mother dogs that us humans are not nocturnal
beings, most pups are born at night!). In addition, the bedroom
provides a quiet area for the mom and newborns.
After birth, we feel that our
pups benefit from someone being around them all the time. They are
handled, snuggled and played with every day of their lives. They will
move into the living room by 4 – 5 weeks of age and begin to experience
all the daily hustle and bustle of life, including TV, radio, visitors
coming and going, as well as enjoying snuggling into the "big chair"
with a cozy human being and sleeping through a movie. These kinds of
things cannot happen in a kennel or basement situation. If a pup is not
getting plenty of human interaction while they are young, they may
never fully trust people and integrate into a normal family life. A
puppy should be well accustomed to people by 6 to 7 weeks of age,
and into their permanent home ideally by 8 – 10 weeks of age.
Puppies who grow up in a kennel situation (or otherwise removed from
everyday life events) or who have prolonged stays in a kennel without
this all-important socialization will have a harder time accepting and
interacting with people; it can take longer to become (if ever) a good
family member. On the rare occasion we have a pup stay with us longer
than 10 to 12 weeks of age, it lives with us in our home environment
until going to its permanent home, so that it has absorbed all of the
life skills needed to become a good family addition.
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Last updated 1/06 Copyright 2000, Birdwalk Farms