How our pups are raised

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It's hard to put into words the amount of time, effort, and love that goes into raising our pups during the first eight weeks of their lives. This period, along with the time between 8 and 14 weeks, is the most critical stage of their development. We are committed to giving them the best possible start, ensuring they are well-prepared to bond with and enrich the lives of their new families.

As a small boutique breeder, we dedicate ourselves fully to each litter, carefully nurturing them through every critical behavioural and developmental milestone:

• Neonatal Period: From birth, our pups are gently stroked daily with soothing motions. Research shows that puppies who experience this early tactile stimulation — much like the licking they receive from their mother — grow up to be more resilient and relaxed in response to stress. Puppies that experience unmanaged stress do not thrive.
   
• Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS): Beginning at just 3 days old, we introduce tiny, age-appropriate stressors. This helps condition the pups to accept and recover from stressful situations throughout life.
   
• Early Scent Introduction (ESI): Also starting at 3 days old, we introduce new scents daily. This stimulates their developing brains, builds confidence, enhances future social skills, and reduces stress-related behaviors.
   
• Transitional Period: As their senses of sound, sight, and touch develop, we expose them to a wide range of experiences. Tactile toys and objects are introduced, and early toilet training begins with pee mats. We play a variety of sounds daily — thunder, rain, sirens, banging, babies crying, animal noises, and more — to desensitise them. Soft, calming classical music is also played to promote relaxation, a practice that helps ease their transition into new homes.
   
• Critical Socialisation Period:
   
  • Conditional Emotional Response (CER): We teach our puppies to enjoy being disturbed and to recover quickly from startling stimuli.
     
  • In-Home Socialisation: Puppies experience everyday household activities and meet various people.
     
  • Early Training: We start barrier challenges, "puppy call" recall training, clicker introduction, and teach puppies to "mand" (sit for attention without being asked).
     
  • Exposure and Play: They engage with interactive toys, balance equipment, ball pits, and enjoy outdoor and free-range house time.
     
  • Life Skills: They are introduced to crate training, lead walking, adult dogs, different surfaces (like water), and outings to places like Bunnings, pet shops, and shopping centre parking lots to ensure well-rounded socialisation.
     

Throughout this process, toilet training continues, and each experience is carefully planned to build their confidence and adaptability.

All of this, and much more, ensures that when our pups leave for their forever homes, they are confident, social, and ready for a lifetime of adventures.

There is increasing awareness around the importance of gut colonisation and its impact on long-term health. A well-balanced microbiome supports not just digestion, but also skin and coat condition, immune function, ear health, and even behaviour.

One of the most critical times in a puppy’s development is weaning—when their gut begins to transition from a puppy microbiota to an adult one. This period plays a key role in shaping a dog’s health for life.

At Aamberdell, we take this opportunity seriously. We focus on developing a robust, diverse microbiome during this window, giving our puppies the best possible start. 

A diverse gut colony leads to a stronger immune system and greater resilience to illness and environmental stressors. We support this through high-quality nutrition, controlled early exposure to natural elements, and a nurturing environment that promotes resilience and wellbeing.