About Us at
Almond Acres
We are a small family based dog breeder with only a few litters a year.
Here at At Almond Acres our dogs enjoy the beautiful freedom of our 130+ acre farm land, located just outside of Athens GA. With daily runs though the field or trails in our woods and playtime with their favorite toys. Not to mention rides on our UTV's. There is never a dull moment with our gang.
When it comes to our dogs our first priority is raising happy pets that are bred for quality, health and temperament, but we also take pride in the science of producing beautiful and coat colors.
Our dogs are first and foremost our pets, raised in our home and apart of our family. That is why we take the goal of a Forever Home so seriously.
Health
Because a puppy can inherit so much from their parents it's important to take all things into consideration, physical and mental. The parents of every puppy have been genetic heath tested and have excellent temperaments. They do not suffer from any neurological issues and have very stable, heathy temperaments. They also do not have any under lying heath issues. Nor do they experience any skin conditions, frequent illnesses, seizers, hot spots, allergies, sensitive stomach, or ear infections (which if often a big concern when it comes to poodles and other floppy eared breeds).
Every puppy will be given a health check by a licensed veterinarian, micro chipped, and vaccinated & dewormed age appropriately before ever leaving our home. They will also be feed a diet appropriate to their nutritional and developmental needs to ensure healthy growth.
We also know that environment has a large roll in the health of a dog. How they live, eat, play all have a big impact on their physical and mental health. So maintaining proper physical condition in our dogs with daily exercise and conditioning is a priority. Taking preventative measures when it comes to the health of dogs goes along way. Things like proper nutrition, grooming, dental health, maintaining a healthy weight and muscle mass can do a lot to reduce the risk of a number of health conditions now and down the road.
These environmental factors also extend to developing puppies, we always try to stay informed with current research in improving the current and future lives of our puppies. Puppies are not born with fully formed join, but instead develop them in the first 60 days of life. And while genetic do play a role, it is because of this crucial developmental period that environmental factors play a role in joint health. Our puppies are raised in controlled environments on soft, non slip surfaces and when age appropriate are given access to out door playtime.
A study done in Norway on the effects of environmental factors of growing puppies states that "Results indicated that puppies ≤ 3 months old should not be allowed access to stairs, but should be allowed outdoor exercise on soft ground in moderately rough terrain to decrease the risk for developing radiographically detectable HD."(Krontveit et al., 2012). There was also a correlation foud with unrestricted outdoor playtime and joint health. Stating that puppies born on a
farm or in a rural area were less likely to develop hip dysplasia than those born in a
single-family home in an urban or suburban area. this correlation was also supported by the reduced risk in puppies born in warmer months of the year, when out door play time is more available.
Socilazation/Training
Socialization
The first three months of a puppy's life is the most important time of socialization. Proper socialization from young age leads to more confidant, happier, healthier, less anxious dogs, who are ready for any adventure. Because it's so important, we make sure that each puppy will be socialized to the best of our ability while we have them.
I raise all of them on an extensive socialization programs starting from 3 days old. This includes things like
•ENS (early neurological stimulation)
•puppy culture startle recovery
•early grooming training
•Introduction to basic commands
•crate/ Kennel desensitization
•exposure to house hold items & sounds
•a variety of people and other animals
•regular handling
• sound recordings (cars, fire works, doorbells, crowds, ect.)
• Different thunder storms played as they sleep.
• differently life experiences, car rides, gator rides, long walks, creeks, and so on.
Potty Training
I begin teaching the foundations of potty training early by cultivating a puppies natural instincts. Starting around three weeks (when they typically start eating) a tray filled with grass pellet litter in introduced right out side of their "nest" where they sleep. The use of the grass litter will help give a sent association when they graduate to going outside. The litter trays are gradually moved farther away and closer to the door as their pen grows with them. Around this time is when I introduce the crates to help give better defined sleep, play and potty areas.
As They get closer to 6weeks I begin initial steps to training them to go outside. Setting them up for success by bringing them out at key moments when it's easy to predict the need to potty. During this phase we also introduced a cue word to better communicate the desired timing.