How we raise our puppies

What is the AKC Bred with H.E.A.R.T program? What does it mean to you?
HEALTH Certifying that our breeding stock is health tested in accordance with the recommendations of our breed’s National Breed Club.
EDUCATION Promising that we will pursue AKC provided or AKC approved continuing breeder education so that we stay educated on the best breeding practices, including advances in canine health.
ACCOUNTABILITY Agreeing to comply with the AKC Care and Conditions Policy, including inspections by the AKC, and promising to share with AKC health testing and continuing education documentation.
RESPONSIBILITY Accepting responsibility for the health and well-being of the puppies we produce and for complying with all laws regarding the ownership and maintenance of dogs.
TRADITION Upholding the AKC’s tradition of breeding purebred dogs that are happy and healthy.

In ADDITION to THE AKC REQUIREMENTS for the Bred with H.E.A.R.T. program Our Breeding Stock all comes from Europe. The parents of our Breeding Stock were Bred to the SV (European Standard).

In order to be able to breed a German Shepherd in Germany, your dog must have completed the following (minimum requirements):

GERMANY:
1) Certified Healthy Hips ~ All of our foundation dogs come from German Shepherds with Certified (SV) Healthy Hips and Elbows. SV = German (which has even more stringent evaluations than that of the OFA or American evaluations).
2) They must have their Schutzhund Title (SchH I, II or III OR have their Herding Title
3) Must have their (BH) ~ Temperament test with strangers, in and around traffic as well as obedience testing.
4) Endurance Testing (AD) ~ Includes a 12 mile marathon where the trainer rides a bicycle and the dog trots along side.
5) Must have their Korung ~ Structural, Temperament, Courage thoroughly evaluated and tested.

U.S.A: No minimum requirements. Before purchasing a puppy be sure you understand what you are paying for! The purchase price of your puppy may be inexpensive initially from backyard breeders but could be much more expensive in the long run. Finding the right breeder is priceless!

Central Coast German Shepherds ENS - Early Neurological Stimulation

As part of the way we raise our puppies and to give our puppies a head start we use the "Bio Sensor", "Super Dog" Program. This program was developed by the U.S. Military through their Canine Program. ENS is believed to impact the neurological system by kicking it into action earlier than would be normally expected. The result being an increased capacity that later will help make the difference in performance. ENS is time sensitive and must be performed from the third to 16th days of a puppy's life. Benefits include improved cardiovascular performance (better heart rates),stronger heart beats, stronger adrenal glands, more tolerance to stress and greater resistance to disease. It is proven that when the techniques are applied correctly, during only the specified time, the puppies will have benefit of superior advantages that will last the puppies lifetime.

ESI - Early Scent Introductions. ESI contributes to successes in hunt tests and field trials, nosework, search and rescue work, obedience, tracking and more. We can also identify puppies that have a strong desire to scent train by using the ESI during the critical 3 - 16 days of life when their senses are totally dependent on only touch and scent, before their eyes and ears even open. This can assist us in placing prospective Diabetic Alert or Seizure Alert puppies with higher success rates. ESI also can result in excellent performance as Search and Rescue and detection dogs, as well as speed and confidence in every sport involving scenting, from nosework to barn hunt. Pet puppies also benefit from this early scent stimulation. We have seen improvements in confidence and stability in our pet and service dogs. Research in dogs shows that scent work has an additional benefit for our dogs. Dogs that are taught and engage in scenting have a more optimistic attitude toward life and with that, fewer behavior problems.

Along with the ENS, ESI , Spa Days, Trips to town, Trips to the Vet, Play Days and hiking, socializing with adult dogs, friends, elderly and children to mention just a few, here's a little more about what a day looks like at Central Coast German Shepherds.

By the time our puppies go home between 8 and 10 weeks of age they are well on their way to potty training. Our puppies are born in a custom made whelping pen that has what are called Pig Rails. The Pig Rails protect the puppies from mother laying on top of them and squishing them against the walls. The Whelping Pen is set up in one of our bedrooms initially and then moved to the living room at 4 weeks of age when they are ready to be around the activities of normal family life. I am there for each and every puppy delivery to assist with removing the sack, providing cord care, weighing the puppies and recording any details of delivery. Sometimes delivery can go for as long as 46 hours from Early stages of labor to completion of delivery! There is a vinyl floor under the whelping pen and plenty of clean blankets. The Whelping Pen is completely sanitized and blankets changed a minimum of twice daily at this time.

At about 10-14 days old the eyes and ears will open. We play all types of music and sounds at soft levels levels of volume at this time. As they get older we play the sounds louder to desensitize the puppies to loud and unexpected noises. Once the volume is raised we begin playing a television with all types of movies. The movies help to decrease light sensitivities to puppies. Western movies are a great tool for desensitizing puppies to loud noises such as gunshots. With the puppies in our living room they become accustomed to family life and noise around them including vacuum cleaners. They walk on carpet, tile & wood floors so when they go to your home they are already familiar with the environment of a home instead of just a backyard or kennel! That's just one of the differences we can make as a small breeder.

At 4 weeks old the puppies graduate to the nursery. This is where we transition the whelping pen into a play yard by removing the Pig Rails. There is now a play area with a sleep area and add what we call the weaning room. The weaning room is an extension to the whelping pen with a small open door that the puppies can go back and forth from the Den to the weaning room. The Den is heated with a heat pad in one corner so the puppies can escape from the heat if it gets too warm. Puppies can dehydrate easily so they are continued to be monitored very closely. The weaning room also has a vinyl floor for the ease of sanitizing and the floor is covered with pine shavings about 5 inches thick or Bedding Pellets. We use shavings instead of news paper because we feel it is most like the earthy materials that the puppies will be smelling when being taught where to potty outdoors when they go to their new homes. Spreading some Pine Shavings or Pellets in the area that you wish your puppy to eliminate may assist in expediting his potty training at home. Don't expect him to just go there, he is still just a baby, you have to show him! At this time we clean the Den at least 3 times a day to keep it very clean and sanitized. We remove most of the shavings & or Pellets twice daily in the weaning room, leaving just enough to leave a little odor for the puppies to get the idea that this is where we want them to potty. By eliminating the smells of the puppies having accidents in the Den, it encourages faster learning to potty in the weaning room. By 5 weeks old, the puppies are all going potty in the weaning room. This is a natural instinct and they catch on very quickly. Watch the video below on how this really works!

Once the puppies are all going potty in the weaning room we add yet another wing to the Den. This is a much larger area in the nursery area, we call this the Play Room because it allows for much larger play, socialization and exploration. We add new toys and obstacles daily for the puppies to crawl into and on top of. At this time we also introduce our outdoor exploration & hikes, weather permitting. The Play Room is closed off at night to assist in developing good sleep habits.

By 6 weeks old, they graduate to the outside nursery for short periods throughout the day. The outdoor nursery is set-up similar to the indoor nursery. It features a Dog house (the Den), a fully fenced outside play area and outside potty area, with pine shavings & or Pellets. The puppies are now eating three times a day and are completely weaned from nursing. Between the indoor nursery and outdoor nursery we are cleaning and sanitizing at least 5 times a day! The laundry is going non-stop by this time to keep all the blankets very clean to discourage the puppies from having accidents in the den. Every morning we feed the puppies, immediately (I mean immediately) head outside to potty and hike around to the outdoor nursery, weather permitting. Most of the puppies will make it all the way to the nursery and potty area before eliminating. With the puppies all outside now, we can easily clean out and sanitize the indoor nursery, with someone keeping a watch full eye on the puppies of course. We have hawks and predators in our area so we keep a very close watch on the puppies. While in the outdoor nursery, the puppies are introduced to the rest of the pack through the fence. The puppies are in the outside nursery for short periods of time during the day and return to the indoor nursery for safety while we take care of the rest of the pack. On the way back inside they get to play with some of the pack, with complete supervision of course, and take short hikes on the property. When they return to the indoor nursery, we clean and sanitize the outdoor nursery. The entire process all starts over again at Noon. Throughout the day we take time to let the puppies run and play in the yards. Right after Dinner, everyone is brought into the indoor nursery for protection from predators and cold well before dark. Once the human family has had a chance to have some dinner, and we are ready to settle down and relax. The puppies get to kick back with us and watch TV and gets some extra Loving. Whew, what a day. We will all sleep good tonight and it all starts over again tomorrow!

Video of The Whelping Pen and 9 Day old Puppies

Puppy Nursery is constantly changing. The potty box, feeding area and crate are always open but play areas are closed off during feeding, sleeping times. Play areas keep getting enlarged as puppies grow.

Our potty box now has a metal grate on top of it which keeps the puppies and nursery much cleaner.

By 4 weeks of age the puppies have now grown 5 times their birth size. Potty Training has started and weaning to solid food. Our day starts with taking the puppies out of the whelping pen to the indoor nursery as soon as they wake to have them potty in the shavings. The sleep / play area in the nursery is very small in order to encourage them to go out of the den to the shavings to potty. Once everyone has pottied, we open the run up for feeding and make their porridge. Each puppy has their own bowl so we can monitor their intake. Then we play for a bit then, close the play back to a small area to encourage potty in the shavings. Next we clean up the puppies, clean up the den, put them down for their naps, clean up the bowls and get them ready for the next feeding and clean up the indoor kennel from the night and start the laundry of their blankets. We go through 6-8 blankets a day so theres lots and lots of laundry! It's now about 8:30 and it all starts over again at 10:30. We do this 4 X's per day!