What continuing education have you done?

During the summer of 2022, my daughter Lana and I took the Empowered Badass Breeder course. This course teaches responsible breeding and health testing of all dogs. This course also strongly teaches puppy evaluations so we can place puppies accordingly. No puppy is "perfect", but we can give you a great start. We also use ENS and ESI. 

What food do we feed our dogs and puppies?

Your puppy has been weaned onto PawTree’s Turkey and Sweet Potato dog food. To avoid upsetting the GI system and creating diarrhea in your puppy, I highly recommend for you at least feed PawTree for 9 weeks. If you want to change then, that is fine, just make sure you always feed high-quality dog food. Always remember that the nutrition you feed can affect your puppies later in life.

Click on this link to see my recommendations and some of the products we use and love from PawTree.

I feel like I’ve been around the block with canine nutrition! I tried several kinds of dog food, and I was never happy with the results. It seemed like my dog’s hair coat and energy were lacking. After much searching and experimenting, I’ve settled on PawTree. Within a couple of weeks of switching, all my dogs have a softer coats and a lot more energy. Overall, it just seems like their health is better with PawTree. Other brands tend to skimp on the quality of minerals and vitamins in their dog food, and PawTree does not which makes us think that is why my dogs reacted so positively to PawTree.

PawTree does not use corn, soy, or wheat; they use high-quality proteins and antioxidant-rich formulas. I also like the natural source of glucosamine which helps to maintain joint health in our large breed puppies.

How soon shall I start training my puppy?

So, you are about to be a puppy parent - Congratulations! Maybe this is your first time or maybe you are adding to your crew, either way, we are so excited for you. We want to make sure that you are prepared to be the very best puppy parent you can be and offer you an amazing resource.

Being a responsible dog owner ensures that you provide a plan to train your canine companion to be the calm, well-mannered and the best behaved doggie that you could ever want. A trained dog is less stressful, not only in the beginning, but for life. Proper socialization and manners will give you the dog you are envisioning. But you have to do the work and stay committed. They deserve it!

Start training them the day they come home and do it from the comfort of your own house. Online training is one thing, but an entire lifetime membership is a whole new adventure for you and your pup. Please get started today, before you pick up your new fur baby, and make a plan to set you both up for success! Make sure to download the app!!

So, how do you do that? Visit www.baxterandbella.com and use coupon code: REJOICERETRIEVERS for 25% OFF. That means for $178, you can feel confident that you are giving your pup and your family the relationship you desire for a lifetime of fun, excitement, and happiness!

What is ESI?

• ESI is an Early Scent Introduction. ESI is a procedure we do that helps pups with nose awareness and confidence. ESI is also done on days 3-16. We expose them to a different scent each day. We hold the pup close to us and let them smell the item. We chart their reaction on their chart. A positive reaction is a puppy showing interest and moving toward the scent. A negative reaction is a puppy trying to move away from the scent. If there seems to be no reaction it is considered neutral.

• A dog’s scent abilities are so important in many ways. Service and therapy dogs depend on their scenting abilities. Studies have proven that stimulating their scent early can dramatically increase scent ability later in life.  Some dogs just naturally have a more natural nose instinct.

What will I need to bring my puppy home?

• Food and water bowls.

• Old towels or blankets

• Chew toys

• Puppy shampoo, conditioner and grooming brush​

• Crate large enough to provide for puppy growth​ - we recommend using a 42” crate with a divider so that you can gradually increase the space as your puppy grows.

Do you feed any supplements?

Adding fish oil gives your puppies a DHA boost for developing brains and ensures proper cognitive development.

Large dog breeds are predisposed to joint issues such as hip dysplasia. By testing the PennHip’s on our adult dogs, we do everything we can to prevent such issues. However, a lot depends on nutrition and the environment. We recommend a joint supplement such as  PawTrees Joint Support for Dogs.

I also keep Gastro Pro Plus on hand. It is a wonderful blend of Probiotics, Prebiotics, Enzymes, and Herbs. I personally don’t feed it all the time, but it would be awesome to! It supports proper digestion and bowel health.  Good Health begins in the gut!!!

What is ENS?

• ENS stands for Early Neurological Stimulation. Research shows that if you stimulate a puppy's neurological system during the early neonatal period of a puppy's life, you can change a puppy for the rest of its life. What are the results that have been observed with ENS?

• Improved cardiovascular performance (heart rate)

• Stronger heart beats

• Stronger adrenal glands

• More tolerance to stress

• Greater resistance to disease

• Stimulated pups are found to be more active and more exploratory.

• In my mind, it’s a win-win situation!! It doesn’t hurt them and if it can be a benefit, we will definitely try it!! ENS consists of six exercises that are designed to stimulate. The handling of each pup once a day from days 3-16 involves the following exercises:

• Tactile stimulation (between toes)

• Head held erect

• Head pointed down

• Supine position

• Thermal stimulation (on a cold washrag)

• Each exercise is performed very gently and we hold the pup very securely! It is only done for 3-5 seconds. Sometimes it seems so short, but I do feel it makes a difference!