My dogs are always fully integrated into the family and are never shut out. The whelping box, however, is not in the middle of the house but in a quiet room, so that the mother can concentrate fully on her puppies. A female with sound instincts, who cares for her puppies during and after the birth, hardly wants to leave the whelping room at first and accepts her role as mother in the following weeks too, is an important point in puppy rearing for me. Only the closest family may enter this room in the first 2 weeks (the exception is the breed warden, who has to inspect the litter in the first week). In the 3rd week the little ones already leave the whelping box on their own and begin to explore the room and later the whole house. Along the way they hear all the everyday noises and get to know the animal members of the family. In the 4th week they are allowed into the garden and get an adventure playground with a mound, a sand pit, bushes, a concrete pipe and many changing items such as balance discs, wobble boards, different floor surfaces, climbing opportunities, tents, play tunnels, lots of toys and, of course, plenty of human attention. With the horse yard there is always a lot going on, so the little ones are hardly ever bored. Visitors are very welcome! The puppies should get to know strangers and especially children, and there is usually no shortage of them. Friends, acquaintances and of course prospective puppy owners are always welcome guests. The puppies have to process many impressions and therefore need plenty of sleep; visitors must respect this. The puppies can always retreat to their sleeping area and are not disturbed there. Depending on the mother's milk supply, the puppies get their first solid food in the 4th week. They are fed from a shared bowl. The puppies should still have to assert themselves, just as at their mother's teats. If a puppy gets too little at one meal, it will take more at the next, because hunger will increase its efforts.
In the 6th week there are short exploration trips (family outings with the mother) outside the familiar garden: first the horse pasture, the riding arena and the indoor arena are explored. Then follow car trips to the woods or the lake, always accompanied by the mother. From about 7 weeks there are also individual walks with each puppy, secured with lead and collar, out onto the road – only a few steps, of course. The little ones may move to their new families at the earliest after completing their 8th week. By then they have been wormed at least 3 times, vaccinated and microchipped, and are hopefully well prepared for life in temperament as well as in health.