How we do things around here
Many curious buyers often ask us what it's like here at the Ranch. So we thought we would share some of the finer details with you to give you a fuller picture of what life is like here for our dogs and our pups.
Environment:
All of our dogs and puppies live inside with us, no barns or outbuildings for our crew! On top of lots of warm snuggly places to relax and rest inside the home we get to enjoy a huge fenced backyard full of grass to dig holes in, gardens to get muddy in, and nooks and cranny's to explore! At night the crew all take turns sleeping in the big human bed and sleeping in pairs in large clean crates.
Food:
They eat raw mostly, but we do use high quality kibble occasionally. They get snacks of veggies, treats of all sorts, green tripe, etc.
Healthcare:
Along with regular veterinary care we have our veterinarian screen our dogs for the OFA recommended health concerns and get genetic health and colour traits done by Embark. The information we get from their results drives our breeding choices, and who is in the program.
Screening can only due so much, so we try our best to stay in contact with all of our pups to get a full picture of their health as well. If a health issue arises in one of our puppies we take immediate action and retire the parents.
Whelping: Mothers start breeding at around 2 years of age. Each mother will have between 1 and 5 litters depending on the individual's needs. But often they are retired early, between 3 and 4 litters. If they are healthy and everything is going as expected they will have pups every 1+ years.
When we are expecting pups, mothers are never left alone. We are with them for support and care the whole time. When needed we use veterinary care to make sure that everyone is safe and as comfortable as possible.
Puppies:
AKA Meeps live in the home 100% of the time. The are underfoot like regular members of the family until they are ready to go home. Their bedding is changed every day, baths given when needed.
We do superdog training with them from day 1 (not literally, more like day 3). Gentle physical stimulation at first, sound stimuation with audio tracks using doorbells, engines, fireworks… etc. The pups get regular deworming, vaccination at 8 weeks, and then they go off to their new homes.
We send each one home with 30 days insurance coverage, a puppy kit with food, toys, treats, and smells of home, a health certificate, and a health guarantee. Each pup is sold with a non-breeding contract and includes a return to breeder clause if something happens and the pup needs to be re-homed.
We offer support throughout their lives. Offering advice and council at any time. Resocialization if something isn’t going well (usually through pup puberty - haha).
Retirement & Rehoming:
Some of our dogs stay after retirement and some we do re-home. We decide what is best for them based on their personalities and individual wants and needs. Some would prefer smaller scale packs in which to thrive.
Our Extended Family:
Our buyers are considered our extended family. We ask them to fill out an application that tells us about them, their home, and why they think a dachshund is a good fit for them. They in turn get the opportunity to meet our dogs, see our home, and meet us!
We choose family that we feel would be a great fit for the breed. If something doesn’t go well or as expected (a life change of some kind) pups are welcome back without judgement and with open arms.
Best of all we often have pups come back just to visit us. Sometimes they stay for just a couple hours, or sometimes they board with us while their families go away on vacation and we get to hang out for days or weeks!