Kindred Kennels
Reputable Breeder of Standard Poodles and Doodles
What We Do, and Why
HOW WE RAISE OUR PUPPIES
At Kindred Kennels we believe our dogs are part of the family, and we raise our puppies with that in mind.
- Our Puppies Are Raised In Our Home -When we have a litter on the way we convert a centralized room in our home to a whelping/puppy room. This means the puppies are surrounded by, and involved in, our daily goings-on from day one. The room is a safe haven for mama and puppies, yet easily accessible for both adults and kids alike for all the love, cuddles, and attention the pups could ask for! We spend a lot of time loving on the puppies daily. When the puppies are older, and begin to adventure, we let them have free run of our home during playtime so they can have as many positive experiences as possible, and can start learning how to potty train.
- We Hold, And Interact With, Our Puppies Daily -From day one, until the minute they leave for their new homes, our puppies are held and get used to touch. We've found over the years that unless it's feeding time, no pup will turn down a good snuggle.
- We Raise Our Pups With Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) -What is ENS?ENS is a series of stimuli introduced to the pup daily from day 3 through day 16. These exercises have been shown to "wake up" the pup's neurological system earlier than pups who do not receive ENS. "Five benefits have been observed in canines that were exposed to ENS, including improved cardio vascular performance (heart rate); stronger heart beats; stronger adrenal glands; more tolerance to stress; and greater resistance to disease." -AKC.org Feel free to click below to learn more. Early Neurological Stimulation - AKC.org
- We Temperament Test Our Puppies -Why is temperament testing important?“A temperament test is a snapshot of what potential a puppy has to offer,” - Michele Godlevski, founder and owner of Teamworks Dog Training in Raleigh, NC.With each litter we have found temperament testing to be a helpful insight into how easy a pup will be to train, what areas they might need extra time learning, and what potential activites they may be best suited for. For example, a pup with a good sight/tracking related score might enjoy activites requiring sight-focused attention. A pup that is very tollerant, and intuitive to human interaction may do well as a service dog. In the past we have seen a handful of our pups go to homes where they were trained for service dog work. All of them have excelled, and we've received high praise from their owners for giving them a firm foundation from the get-go.
- We Socialize Our Puppies - What is socialization, and why is it important?Dog socialization means more than meeting up at the local dog park once the pup has received all their shots, it starts WAY earlier than that. At around 5 weeks of age a puppy's sense of adventure has matured to the point of being curious and wanting to explore. Each new thing the puppy experiences has the potential to be a good experience, or a bad one. Puppy socialization is introducing the pup to new environments, experiences, stimuli, sights, sounds, and smells in a positive and safe way. "...socialization is the key to success in helping [puppies] develop confidence and the ability to handle new situations. Missed opportunities during the critical puppy socialization period [5-16wks] put pups at risk of becoming shy, fearful, defensive adult dogs." - AKC.orgRead more about socialization, and the "bounceback" theory here. Socialization - AKC.org
What does socialization look like at Kindred Kennels?At Kindred Kennels socialization begins even before the 5wk mark. We introduce the pups to different textures, and smells even before their eyes and ears open around the 2wk mark. Once the pups are ambulatory, around 4wks, we have them try walking on different texture surfaces. Around 4wks we also introduce a variety of toys, and weather-dependant, short visits outside. By 4-5wks we also take the pups on short car rides to get them used to the motion of a vehicle. During the period from 5wks to 8wks we make interaction with new experiences a priority. We have taken the pups anywhere from the office at work, to Grandma's house, the pet store, and even to church! We avoid heavily dog-populated areas like dog parks because the pups have not yet received their full vaccination series (through 16wks) by the time they leave our home, but they do interact with the other dogs in our home, and occasionally a bonus doggy aunt or uncle who comes for a visit.
- We Prioritize The Health Of The Puppy -Healthy puppies make happy puppies. This begins with breeding genetic-tested and clear, health-tested and clear parents. Our puppies receive their first checkup at the vet at a few days old. This is to assure that the pups are getting the best start that they can, and allows for any breed-specific procedures (ie. tail docking, or dewclaw removal.) The pups visit the vet for their second checkup, and first shots, just before going home with a clean bill of health at 8wks old. Pups will receive their preventative de-worming medication in our home. We typically give 2-3 doses by 8wks.
- Our Puppies Are Raised In Our Home -When we have a litter on the way we convert a centralized room in our home to a whelping/puppy room. This means the puppies are surrounded by, and involved in, our daily goings-on from day one. The room is a safe haven for mama and puppies, yet easily accessible for both adults and kids alike for all the love, cuddles, and attention the pups could ask for! We spend a lot of time loving on the puppies daily. When the puppies are older, and begin to adventure, we let them have free run of our home during playtime so they can have as many positive experiences as possible, and can start learning how to potty train.
- We Hold, And Interact With, Our Puppies Daily -From day one, until the minute they leave for their new homes, our puppies are held and get used to touch. We've found over the years that unless it's feeding time, no pup will turn down a good snuggle.
- We Raise Our Pups With Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) -What is ENS?ENS is a series of stimuli introduced to the pup daily from day 3 through day 16. These exercises have been shown to "wake up" the pup's neurological system earlier than pups who do not receive ENS. "Five benefits have been observed in canines that were exposed to ENS, including improved cardio vascular performance (heart rate); stronger heart beats; stronger adrenal glands; more tolerance to stress; and greater resistance to disease." -AKC.org Feel free to click below to learn more. Early Neurological Stimulation - AKC.org
- We Temperament Test Our Puppies -Why is temperament testing important?“A temperament test is a snapshot of what potential a puppy has to offer,” - Michele Godlevski, founder and owner of Teamworks Dog Training in Raleigh, NC.With each litter we have found temperament testing to be a helpful insight into how easy a pup will be to train, what areas they might need extra time learning, and what potential activites they may be best suited for. For example, a pup with a good sight/tracking related score might enjoy activites requiring sight-focused attention. A pup that is very tollerant, and intuitive to human interaction may do well as a service dog. In the past we have seen a handful of our pups go to homes where they were trained for service dog work. All of them have excelled, and we've received high praise from their owners for giving them a firm foundation from the get-go.
- We Socialize Our Puppies - What is socialization, and why is it important?Dog socialization means more than meeting up at the local dog park once the pup has received all their shots, it starts WAY earlier than that. At around 5 weeks of age a puppy's sense of adventure has matured to the point of being curious and wanting to explore. Each new thing the puppy experiences has the potential to be a good experience, or a bad one. Puppy socialization is introducing the pup to new environments, experiences, stimuli, sights, sounds, and smells in a positive and safe way. "...socialization is the key to success in helping [puppies] develop confidence and the ability to handle new situations. Missed opportunities during the critical puppy socialization period [5-16wks] put pups at risk of becoming shy, fearful, defensive adult dogs." - AKC.orgRead more about socialization, and the "bounceback" theory here. Socialization - AKC.org
What does socialization look like at Kindred Kennels?At Kindred Kennels socialization begins even before the 5wk mark. We introduce the pups to different textures, and smells even before their eyes and ears open around the 2wk mark. Once the pups are ambulatory, around 4wks, we have them try walking on different texture surfaces. Around 4wks we also introduce a variety of toys, and weather-dependant, short visits outside. By 4-5wks we also take the pups on short car rides to get them used to the motion of a vehicle. During the period from 5wks to 8wks we make interaction with new experiences a priority. We have taken the pups anywhere from the office at work, to Grandma's house, the pet store, and even to church! We avoid heavily dog-populated areas like dog parks because the pups have not yet received their full vaccination series (through 16wks) by the time they leave our home, but they do interact with the other dogs in our home, and occasionally a bonus doggy aunt or uncle who comes for a visit.
- We Prioritize The Health Of The Puppy -Healthy puppies make happy puppies. This begins with breeding genetic-tested and clear, health-tested and clear parents. Our puppies receive their first checkup at the vet at a few days old. This is to assure that the pups are getting the best start that they can, and allows for any breed-specific procedures (ie. tail docking, or dewclaw removal.) The pups visit the vet for their second checkup, and first shots, just before going home with a clean bill of health at 8wks old. Pups will receive their preventative de-worming medication in our home. We typically give 2-3 doses by 8wks.
