What You Can Expect From Us
When you buy one of our puppies, you are buying a part of our family and beginning a connection to the larger Samoyed family. These puppies are the focal point of our lives and consume all our energy for the first months of their lives. These little puppies come from healthy, well-conformed parents with sound bodies and temperaments–their mother and father are cherished family companions and working dogs, not kennel dogs.
Home-Raised Pups:
The pups are raised in our rural home so are accustomed to family life and enjoy open spaces to run and explore. They have been extensively handled and socialized since birth, and have received dedicated constant human attention. Bio-Sensor and Novel Scents exercises are done with the pups from three to sixteen days of age (See Dr. Carmen Battaglia’s article in the AKC Gazette-May 1995). See Links section for video and explanation (Early Scent Introduction-Avidog). By the time they go home between eight to ten weeks, they have been introduced to a variety of humans sounds and places, begun their housebreaking to potty boxes and have learned to keep their sleeping spaces clean, begun simple obedience training and impulse control, and have been introduced to crate training and car rides.
Matching Pup to Owner:
We make every effort to match each owner or family with the pup that best suits them. Since we know our pups better than anyone, we do not allow our buyers to select their puppy. This is why all the information gathered from prospective owners about their life style, experience with dogs, and expectations for their pup are so important. We will have other breeders or AKC judges evaluate their conformation.
Quality Rearing:
Our puppies receive the best of care while they are with us. They are raised naturally, nursing as long as their mother will allow and transitioning to a raw and super-premium kibble diet (Farmina) as weaning begins but not earlier than 5 weeks. We do maternal nomographs to determine exactly when the pups can respond independently to a vaccine to be protected for most of their lives. They will be vaccinated against Distemper/Parvo before they go home and we provide a tailored vaccination schedule and REQUIRE you confirm protection by titer your puppy once the vaccinations are complete. This is the only way to know for sure that they are safe against these deadly diseases. After immunity is established, titers, rather than routine revaccinations are recommended. The pups are also wormed regularly from four weeks of age on and will have a fecal exam following their final deworming prior to going into homes. Each pup also receives an individual examination by our veterinarian and eye exam by a Board Certified Opthamalogist.
Lifetime Support:
We have a lifetime commitment to all of the puppies we breed. We expect to remain in contact with our puppy owners throughout the dog’s life. There is a Litter facebook group set up for the sharing of photos, stories, -a forum for advice and shared experience with samed-aged pups. Additionally, there is a 'Related Litters' closed facebook group for breeders and dog owners related to this litter, and a closed facebook group for members of the Avidog Puppy College program that will go with each puppy (1 year subscription). This program offers many webinars on topics of interest, weekly live calls with a professional trainer, email and Facebook access to the trainer and maintains an archive of valuable recorded calls. These canine experts will be your team.
Lifetime Commitment:
We will take any dogs of our breeding back at any time for any reason. We will place the animal into a new, loving life-long home where it will be a cherished member of the family.
What We Expect From You
We expect that you have researched the breed, do not have allergies to Samoyeds, and are certain that Samoyeds are the breed for you. Beyond having stunning looks, they are a working active dog needing appropriate mental and physical exercise and have a high need for human attention. They are NOT the ideal pet for most American families, who are overscheduled and much too busy to add an active, intelligent puppy to their household and cope with the extensive grooming and attention needs. A bored Samoyed will become a destructive Samoyed. We expect that you will have evaluated your current and future circumstances and have made a sound decision about whether you really have the time and energy to add a Samoyed puppy to your family.
Right Pup at the Right Time:
Once home, we ask that you have a relatively clear calendar from when you take your puppy home until it is 17 weeks old so you can focus on its 'selective' socialization (including a puppy kindergarden) and training as your puppy. Although, your puppy may not have full immunity yet, there are time-critical socialization needs in this limited window of time <AVSAB Puppy Socialization>. This early period is critical to a puppy’s long-term development and must be designed to get the most out of these few months. <Puppy Wellness and Early Socialization> Vacations, business trips or heavy deadlines requiring long hours away from the puppy are not congruent with the work involved in preparing a young dog for its lifetime. Because they will be in a sensitive period and possibly not immune yet, you absolutely should not board your puppy, but should provide consistency as it adjusts to its new home and family. The learning that occurs during those first months cannot be recaptured later. <Avidog 97 Ways to Create Great Puppies!> , <PACT Socialization Chart>
Super-Premium Food:
Our puppies must be fed a super-premium balanced kibble or a raw meat diet for the duration of his/her lifetime, either homemade or commercial, but we advise owners feed a commercial raw diet or super-premium 'all life stages' (not puppy stage) kibble during the first year of critical growth so the calcium: phosphorus ratio is correct (critical for proper bone growth). The pet food industry has seen changes in the last few years never seen before that have increased diet-induced fatalities, toxicities and harm to our pets. Although raw feeding and/or high quality kibble are expensive, they are essential for the health, well-being, and longevity of your companion.
Partner in Vet Care:
We also expect our dog’s owners to become partners with their veterinarian in their dog’s health care, rather than turning all decisions over to their vet. Nomographs and titering can work with typical recommended vaccination scheduling with minor tweaks- perhaps delaying the last shot by 1-2 weeks. But simply following the standard 8/12/16 week protocol could leave your puppy unprotected if your puppy cannot respond until week 17. It is absolutely essential to do a titer to confirm immunity, which is often life-long immunity. This is the additional step your vet may not be accustomed to. Aside from the legally required routine rabies revaccinations during the puppy's lifetime, our puppy should be titered for distemper and Parvo immunity, not routinely vaccinated every year or three years as titers will confirm revaccination is not needed. If a titer shows a need for another vaccination (a zero level of protection), yes, by all means, revaccinate. In addition, both our pups’ owners and veterinarians should be familiar with and committed to the American Animal Hospital Association's 2006 Vaccine Guidelines, including using none of the "Not Recommended" vaccines.
The Dog is a Family Priority:
Another of our expectations is that we have is that your puppy will be a significant and beloved member of your family. He or she should live in your home (not in a kennel or back yard) and receive premium food, thoughtful and professional medical care, and lifelong training/work.
Professional Guidance:
In the first year, we expect our buyers to commit to an evidence-based training guidelines and advice offered through the Avidog Puppy College membership. Permit only safe, non-concussive short exercises (See guidelines in link below) appropriate to your puppy's age. Limit stair use and slippery hard surfaces (can contribute to hip dysplasia) per guidelines and consider what active outlet will work best for your family for the life of the dog. Dog walking will not be enough for this active breed. We highly recommend weekly formal training classes as they love the mental stimulation and enjoy the special one-on-one time with you, beginning with a Puppy Kindergarten.