Exciting News!!

We have had an exciting few days here at the farm! We helped Riley welcome into the world 6 beautiful chocolate Labrador puppies on Monday, September 10. Riley and her puppies are all healthy and doing well. It is a miracle to watch Riley's maternal instincts kick in as she tends to and nurtures these most precious babies. 

We have had a number of inquiries into the availability of puppies. All puppies have wonderful families waiting to meet them and bring them to their new homes. If interested in learning more about adopting a puppy from a future litter, please email your inquiry to ashlingplacelabradors@yahoo.com.

We are often asks what goes into raising puppies? Many believe that the momma does most of the work, and while in theory that is correct for the first few weeks, we are not just sitting back and kicking up our feet. These are very critical weeks as the puppies are helpless - they are born with their eyes and ears sealed shut, so they depend on Riley and us to give them everything they need. While Riley is the primary caregiver of these sweet pups, it is our job to ensure that Riley is getting everything she needs in order to be a good provider and nurturer to her babies.

In addition to making sure their basic needs are taken care of, it is our belief that puppies have needs that extend beyond nutrition and comfort. These first few weeks the puppies will undergo rapid neurological growth and development. We have found that their response to touch and stimulation is incredible, so we begin the socialization during these first weeks immediately. The best way is simply through the human touch. We handle and cuddle the puppies several times throughout the day in order to create a pleasurable connection to the human touch. Furthermore, we use this time to handle their paws and clip their nails.

But, it doesn't stop there...

The first three weeks are considered to be a critical time to begin stimulation exercises. In addition to the daily cuddling time, on the third day through the 16th day, we incorporate early neurological stimulation exercises into our daily routine. These are a series of five exercises that were developed by the US Military to help improve the performance of military dogs and has since become known as the “Super Dog” program. The five exercises completed once daily are:

1. Tactical stimulation (between toes)
2. Head held erect
3. Head pointed down
4. Supine position
5. Thermal stimulation

Extensive research has shown that doing these exercises during this critical time in the puppies’ lives can lead to the following benefits:
1. Improved cardio vascular performance (heart rate)
2. Stronger heart beats
3. Stronger adrenal glands
4. More tolerance to stress
5. Greater resistance to disease
​
To learn more about the “Super Dog” program, you can access the full article by visiting the Breeding Better Dogs website. Also, here is a quick video to watch and learn more about what these exercises entail. 

---

Be sure to follow our Facebook and Instagram pages for your daily dose of puppy sweetness!