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Since Molly has been given the green light from the vet for breeding, we have entered phase 1 – prep work.
Your healthy labrador puppy and the process to get them to you begins far before you see their sweet snouts and swoon over their “puppy eyes”. It begins before we teach them to “mand” and before we introduce them to potty training. It precedes the first bath and first food and first photos. In fact, it precedes even birth and mating.
It first begins with a healthy Mama.
While we don’t ever want an unhealthy dog, we are especially careful not to “spoil” our Molly as she approaches breeding. If you have ever known a Labrador, you know already that they are very motivated by food, and their taste buds are not discriminating.
In other words, they like to eat.
Thankfully, they also like to run and play! As we prepare Molly for her next “date” with Bronxx, we are being extra careful what we pass to her from the table (she does love her leftovers!) and making sure to carefully measure her food intake. Quality food is also important and we love Fromm. (You can check it out here.) Just like with adults, even quality food may leave nutritional ‘holes’ in the dam. Because the consequences of inadequate nutrition in a breeding dam can be so severe, we also supplement our dogs with NuVet. (Have you heard of them? Veterinarians and breeders alike rave about their products, and with good reason!) We are also making sure to brave the cold for Molly’s exercise. Boy, oh boy does she love romping in the snow! She loves looking for a ball that has nestled deep into the white powder and her whole back-end wags happily when we grab hold of a tug toy.
If you’d like to read more about the importance of pre-breeding practices, you check out the AKC’s opinion on the topic here.
Finding the right puppy is important, but before you can find the right puppy, you need to find the right breeder. Make sure you find a responsible, knowledgable, caring and involved breeder before bringing a new pup into your home!
Have questions? Leave a comment or write me at: kindred.pup@yahoo.com
Until next time
