Apsara puppies are whelped and raised in our home in Central Massachusetts. Puppies are loved dearly and given the best start possible before heading off to their homes. Planning for a litter starts well before breeding, and each step of the process is carefully planned for each individual litter and individual puppy.
Breeding and Raising
Apsara’s breedings are carefully planned. The first step in the process starts by a close inspection of the selected dam’s temperament. Temperament traits to improve on are identified and a list of stud dogs who would complement the dam is then drafted. After closer examination, a stud is selected, evaluated, and health tested before breeding. If that stud does not pass temperament or health screening, the list is re-examined and another stud is selected.
Pregnancy is as much of a retreat as it can be. Our mamas-to-be are spoiled to their heart’s content. We fill their days with their favorite pampering and enrichment activities while keeping them as active as is safe and possible. Stressful events are avoided at all costs. Meals are delivered as many times a day as necessary and wanted - sometimes even by airplane fork. Fetal brain development begins in utero and we know that mama’s hormones have an impact on puppy temperament, so we do everything we can to flood her with the good stuff.
Once a litter is on the ground, socialization and exposure begins. When Ezri decided to raise puppies, she took a look at all of the puppy-raising protocols and programs that she could find and researched why each exercise or task within a program was done and where it originated from. Apsara then designed it’s own exercises and puppy raising protocols to match our program and goals. The objective is to raise confident, social, biddable, and thoughtful puppies with completed socialization checklists and strong puppy training foundations who will take just about anything life can throw at them in stride. Exposure to new sights starts when eyes open, and novel sounds are introduced daily when ears are open. From bunny fur in weighing boxes to bumpy mats to scoot across, sensory exposures vary by day to expose puppies to as much novelty as possible at age appropriate levels.
Problem-solving exercises at Apsara start at just one week of age, or as soon as puppies are better able to scoot/crawl. A puppy’s individual problem-solving skills, frustration tolerance, resilience, thoughtfulness, readiness to ask for help, and many more traits that go into these activities are evaluated. Puppies will meet several other people, pets, dogs, and objects. They will practice handling and grooming exercises, be introduced to several training exercises, and have a strong foundation in house training, crate training, leash walking, and house manners. Group and individual outings help with socialization, exposure, and confidence building. Sleep-overs help puppies get used to sleeping somewhere new and help the dam with separation from the litter. Once placements are selected, training and exposure exercises are tailored to each puppy to prepare them as best as possible for their new homes. We go above and beyond to ensure Apsara puppies have the best start possible.
All puppies are microchipped, de-wormed, vaccinated as appropriate, and genetically tested via Embark if needed before going home.
