What we now know about dog cognition, is that they have very different sleep cycles than humans. Slow wave sleep is how humans and canines alike process the excitement of our day and rid ourselves of stressful hormones accumulated from both excitement and fear. Additionally, brain growth is so rapid and canines have an immature striatum (reward system) as well as immature prefrontal cortexes (decision and thought making), and sleep greatly aids the process of growth, neural pathway formulation, and healthy coping skills. Sleep is a huge focus for us here at Silkens of Sidhe. Adult dogs need between 12-16hrs of sleep in every 24hr period. A lack of sleep can contribute to intense psychological reactions to stimuli, hyperactivity, poor memory, and poor recovery skills when stressed. A dog’s sleep cycle is only 20 minutes long. which means that they need MORE sleep cycles in order to process their day. This directly impacts the environment and schedule we have set up for our mothers and puppies to encourage an easier transition when they go home to their families.

Outside of sleep, healthy meals and variety are important factors in long term health and wellness. We feed a combination of many different dog foods, as well as home cooked meals including grains, meat, fruits and vegetables. Dogs evolved to eat variety and thrive most off such meals. We don’t want food that is too HIGH in protein as an overabundance can contribute to aggression and fear based behavior problems in dogs as “lower protein intake may facilitate transportation of the amino acid tryptophan across the blood-brain barrier. which would result in increase in serotonin formation.”. Serotonin is a critical chemical that dogs need to feel happy and calm especially since they DO have an immature brain before the age of 2. We also don’t want a food that is low quality which can contribute to major health concerns which we are likely all aware of. Happy, healthy brains begin in the gut! Having a well balanced diet with variety is an optimal way to support female dogs coming into heat and working through pregnancy and postpartum. Milk is made rapidly and takes a lot out of a female dog. Thus supporting her with good calorie dense, warm, and nutrient rich food helps replenish her stores and keep her feeling more stable while supporting her puppies.

Following the ability to eat well, and sleep well, we believe strongly that supporting a mother emotionally postpartum is critical to the wellbeing of her puppies and herself. This of course is supported in the way we alter their meals, sleep schedule/area, activities and opportunities to dog, but furthermore is supported by 1. trusting nature and a mothers intuition and needs and 2. emotionally supporting her in whatever way she needs. That might mean she doesn’t want to leave the whelping box to eat because she has a strong desire to stay with her babies, in which case we will bring her her warm meals and hydration on a silver platter.

Alternatively this could mean she needs a break for a short time from her new puppies, this might mean we keep the puppies warm while she gets some one on one time on the couch with her humans. Again this is different for every mother. She can wean when she is ready and on no human timeline as nursing is healthy for the puppies, but also helps create healthy attachment styles in puppies too. She is not forced away from her babies at 6 weeks of age and is encouraged to interact with her puppies and teach them how to speak dog and use their manners.

The ability to be a regular dog and do things that come naturally to them comes above all else to us. Our dogs are allowed to dig holes in the yard, scavenge for treats, catch moles, lounge wherever they feel is most comfortable, and elicit affection on their own terms. We do not restrict our dogs in their ability to express excitement, or how they show fear. Keeping intact females living happily, freely, and as low stress as possible means following their lead, and not forcing a lifestyle most suited to a humans wants and desires. In addition, should this mean she does not have interest in puppy raising we will not breed her. This is tested over the course of months to years through puppies of all breeds and ages staying at our home on a regular basis.

Next we look at how we raise our puppies. Having a background in dog training and also early childhood education lends to this work. Of course basics like crate/independence and potty training will be started before all puppies go home. However, most importantly the puppies will be taught that humans are safe, the world is amazing, and they are capable and brave little monkeys who can explore the world in a joyous way. Early neurological stimulation leads into cooperative care (vet exposure and handling) routines, walking on uneven/noisy surfaces leads to exploring the city with wood planks and granite blocks, puppy parties in our home leads to meeting new people with confidence and kindness, exposure to children leads to the ability to watch children run at a baseball game without fear, healthy sleep habits leads to a puppy that can recuperate from excitement easier, scent associations leads to strong neural pathway associations of good feelings and hormones. Puppies need to experience a variety of sounds, locations, play styles and corrections and more. We bring our puppies on outings and do not separate them prior to having plenty of exposure to learning from each other and their mom.

There’s so much more that comes into play when puppies are in our care and we pride ourselves in sending home happy, healthy, and confident puppies incorporating all of the above and more. This will continue to evolve and shift over time as we grow and learn.