Last revised June 12, 2011

If you would like to be considered for a pet puppy from Imagine, please contact me. See a copy of my standard pet/non-breeding purchase agreement. Animals sold with breeding rights have more comprehensive terms. Please contact me if you would like further details on a show/breeding prospect.

Before placing any of my puppies, I require the return my puppy questionnaire. Please be advised that the submission of a completed questionnaire is no guarantee that a puppy will be available.

Raising puppies the Imagine way

While it's true you can let Mother Nature and the dam raise her puppies without human intervention, this isn't the best way to produce a confident, well-socialized puppy that is able to cope in today’s stressful world. Here at Imagine, we feel it is critical to raise our puppies in the house with lots of interaction and exposure to a myriad of sights, sounds, textures and experiences. Raising puppies this way requires a lot of time and effort. However, seeing the results makes it all worthwhile. And, who doesn't like to spend time with puppies?

First things first:
Before the puppies are even born, it is very important that the dam of the litter be healthy and in good condition. Health clearances must be done and the bitch must be in good weight. Regular worming and vaccinations are current. Progesterone testing is done to determine optimum conception using PreMate. Once bred, the bitch is kept at home to help prevent exposure to disease and possible miscarriage of the litter. An ultrasound is done to confirm pregnancy and spot any potential problems. About one or two weeks prior to expected delivery, the whelping box is provided in a quiet, though easily monitored, position. The whelping box provides a safe "den" for the bitch to whelp her puppies. It has sides to provide some privacy and prevent drafts. It has a heated "whelping nest" to ensure that the puppies do not get chilled. Rectal temperatures of the bitch are taken and recorded during the last week of pregnancy as this is a very reliable way to predict oncoming labour. A sudden drop in temperature usually indicates the bitch will go into labour within 24 hours. We wait.

Labour is eminent.
Towels are provided in the whelping box to provide digging and nesting material during labour.

The puppies are born:
As each puppy is born, they are "roughed up" with a towel. This stimulates the puppy and helps dry it. The mucous is suctioned from their throat and nostrils, the umbilical cord is severed and treated with Betadine. The puppy is weighed, identified with fabric paint on its head, then returned to the dam for inspection and to nurse. It is very important that each puppy gets enough colostrum as it acts as the puppy's immune system. The puppies suckling also helps stimulate contractions. When the next puppy is about to be delivered, the puppy is removed to a warming box where it will stay warm and out of harm’s way while mom concentrates on her labour. The process is repeated until all have been born. An injection of Oxytocin is then given to the dam to help contract her uterus. Care must be taken that all of the puppies have been delivered before Oxytocin is given. Shortly after their birth, all of the puppies and dam are checked over by a Veterinarian to ensure that all is well.

The first week:
During the first week the puppies are blind and deaf. The most important things to watch out for is that they remain warm, are getting their fair share of nursing, and act like normal newborn puppies. They get handled and weighed every day. Records are kept of each puppy's growth. During this first week, normally at 3 - 4 days of age, the puppies have their tails docked and their dewclaws removed. It is important that these procedures be done at this young age because the puppy's nervous system is not yet fully developed. Although the puppies cry at the time, they are soon nursing and sleeping normally. It doesn't seem to bother the dam, either.

The second week:
The puppy's eyes and ears start to open somewhere around the 10th - 14th day. They start to move around on their wobbly legs. Daily interaction with the puppies ensures that they are developing well.

The third week:
Sometime during the third week the puppies are moved to a puppy pen. They now wear a ribbon or collar around their necks to identify them instead of fabric paint. They are still in the whelping box, but it is located at one end of the pen. The other end of the pen has a sunken litter box. It is a puppy’s nature to want to keep their sleeping area clean. If provided an area away from their sleeping area they will instinctively move away to urinate and defecate. It doesn't take the puppies long to start using the litter box, which is filled with unscented cat litter made from recycled paper. Lots of handling and playing with the puppies takes place... they are mobile and starting to be playful now.

Looking down into the puppy pen.
These puppies are about 5 weeks old. They are not using the whelping box anymore, only the heated nest for sleeping.

The forth to sixth week:
During the fourth week mashed up puppy food is given to the puppies. They are growing like weeds, now. The dam isn't spending as much time with the puppies now but still nurses them and sleeps with them. She can come and go through a raised door which doesn't allow the puppies out. The puppies have progressively longer active periods followed by naps. They still sleep a lot at this age. The puppies are exposed to a variety of different sounds, textures, and experiences. They get used to the vacuum cleaner, the radio and TV, as well as other pets and people. Exposure to supervised children is arranged. Different objects are placed in their pen including things to climb over and crawl under. Care is taken that each new experience is a positive one.

Chow Time	Exposure to children
family outing	Wagon ride!

7 weeks old - Temperament Testing:
At 49 days of age, the puppies are taken to be professionally Temperament Tested. It is important that the testing be done at this exact age because it is the time when their brains are fully developed and before other influences can mask the results. This is not a pass/fail type of test. The purpose is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each puppy so that they may be matched with appropriate new homes. Many of the puppies that are relinquished could be largely eliminated if Temperament Testing had been done. The puppy that would be ideal for a retired couple living a sedate lifestyle may not be the puppy ideally suited to an active family with children. Temperament Testing also identifies those puppies which will excel in obedience or other performance events.

8 weeks old - Puppy Evaluation:
At eight weeks of age the puppies are evaluated using the Pat Hastings method. This objective evaluation is used to identify the structural strengths and weaknesses of the puppies, as well as evaluate them for show potential. A thorough examination of all parts of the dog's anatomy is done, including a "suspended" evaluation. Structural faults are easily identified this way. It is important, for instance, if a dog is destined to be a performance athlete or working dog that they be structured correctly. If not, the stresses on the dog may cause the body to break down... resulting in lameness or a hesitancy to perform. Puppies are also evaluated on the ground moving. Even at this age, "show dogs" are evident. They have that definite "look at me" attitude and trot rather than "bunny-hop".

Puppy evaluation while "suspended"
NOTE: This is not uncomfortable to the puppy.

At 7 - 8 weeks of age the eyes are examined by a Veterinary Ophthalmologist (VO) for a CERF exam. During the same trip to Saskatoon, the ears are also cropped. If the cropping must be done before the puppies are evaluated at eight weeks, then there may not be a choice in having a natural eared puppy. I will try to accommodate an individual's preference for natural eared if I can.

9 weeks old - First Vaccination:
I follow the vaccination protocol of Dr. Jean Dodds, DVM of Hemopet. Her Minimal Vaccine Use schedule advocates the first vaccine be a Modified Live Virus of Distemper & Parvovirus given at the age of 9 - 10 weeks, with a booster of the same vaccine given at 14 weeks. The dog should receive another booster at 1 year of age. Following that, annual vaccinations are not necessary. With my own adult dogs I vaccinate every 3 years. Auto-immune diseases are becoming more commonplace. One school of thought is that over vaccinating animals can be a contributing factor.

Ready for their new families:
At a minimum, I do not let my puppies go until after their first vaccination. I prefer to keep them until they have had their second vaccination, especially if they have had their ears cropped. If their ears have been cropped, I do not normally let them go until the stitches are out and the ears are basically healed. Some taping of the ears may still be required, however. In that case, instructions are given on how to do this. By the time an Imagine puppy is ready to go to its new home, it has been well-socialized, is used to travelling by car, is crate trained and is well on the way to being house-trained. I want all of my puppies to be a joy to own, and ambassadors of the Miniature Schnauzer breed.

February 2010 Litter - Mynah X Digby

November 2008 Litter - Lacey X Carlos

February 2008 Litter - Lacey X Felix

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