Puppy Care, Rehoming, & Training
Puppies are born inside the family sunporch and remain indoors for about two weeks. Then they are transferred to the kennel outside with a heated, insulated nursery. At three weeks old, when they begin to eat, they expand their territory a bit, to allow them more outside exposure. At four weeks old, they have the option to visit the entire fenced kennel area outside (even in the Winter). The puppies learn to go to the bathroom OUTSIDE, which is the beginning of potty training. At five weeks, a puppy playpen is set up, thus allowing the puppies to play in their own area, away from their parents if they choose. This is the beginning of independence!
At this stage the puppies also have "HOUSE LESSONS", which means they learn how to adapt back to being indoor puppies and overcome their fears of being completely in a new environment. By the time they are ready to leave Marshwood for their new homes at seven to eight weeks old, they are extremely well-socialized and adaptable. Although there are many opinions on the optimal age to rehome, I believe these puppies need their own people with whom to bond and receive undivided attention at this age. There is much research, including that done by Guide Dogs for the Blind to suggest this is a desirable age to rehome. One dog trainer found no difference in behavior and trainability in puppies rehomed from seven to sixteen weeks old.
I also believe that a puppy profits from the social development attained by remaining with the mother and litter mates until the time of separation. Due to sustained nursing, even while the puppies are eating puppy food at seven weeks, they seem to be larger than most peers of their same breed. Our current sire was smaller at seven weeks, as the litter of puppies we had who were two weeks younger! Although coming from a large breeding facility, which separated the puppies from the mother earlier, he took to his adoptive mother and returned to nursing right along with my litter:)
There are many folks visiting the puppies on a daily basis, so they are well adjusted to human beings. I give them temporary names, and have them all noted for color and temperaments. I do test them for submissiveness and future training ability, by clapping my hands to have them follow, putting them on their backs to see if they resist, etc. I have not had one of dozens of puppies fail!