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How We Raise Our Puppies

We started raising our puppies with the first litter from Hollie born in December of 2005. 

We did a lot of research on the subject to make sure we entered this with as much knowledge as possible.  As soon as they are born, they are weighed and continue to be weighed on a daily then weekly basis.  Their bed is a large basket lined with towels and soft flannel baby blankets.  Once they learn how to walk, I start training them to go pee on a training pad.  I do this by putting them on the pad as soon as they wake up from each sleeping period.  This is when they "go" the most often.  After about 2 weeks of this, they get the idea and start going to the pad on their own.

By this time, I also start getting them used to sleeping in a crate.  We have soft-sided crates that are very comfortable for the dog as well as portable.  Once the pups start climbing out of the basket, they have a hard time getting back in for the first several weeks.  So, I put an open crate near the basket lined with soft blankets. They very quickly adopt this as the new bed and really prefer it since it gives them a feeling of security with the 3 closed sides.

As soon as the mother starts to wean them, which is usually at about 4-5 weeks old, I start bottle-feeding them Esbilac, which is a fake mother's milk that has all the nutrients a pup needs.  Why would I bottle feed a puppy you ask?  Well, at 5 weeks of age they still feel the need to suckle.  They also do not have any teeth yet and are still very tiny.  This breed seems to mature slower than the larger breeds. 

Between 6 & 7 weeks old, I start putting the fake mother's milk in a 2" high square Tupperware container for them to drink from.  They are now fed 4x daily & once during the night, learning to lap up the milk very quickly.  When the pups show me that the milk is not enough to keep them full for more than a couple of hours, then I start feeding them dry food, well softened with fake mother's milk.  We always feed our dogs Science Diet Puppy Food for Small Breeds, which is a high quality dog food sold at most pet stores and some vet clinics.

When they are about 8 weeks old, I switch from the fake milk, which is quite expensive, to non-dairy creamer mixed with water.  As they get older, I slowly increase the amount of water and decrease the amount of milk.  At about 8-9 weeks of age, they have enough teeth to start chewing on some dry food along with the softened food.  Most puppies at 8 weeks old are eating all dry food.  But, the Maltese's teeth are so tiny, they have a hard time chewing through it.  For this reason, new parents should continue to soften the food for 2 of the 3 meals they get daily if it seems like they are not eating enough, until they are about 6 months old. 

One thing that did surprise us was the fact that most breeders, including the one who we bought our dogs from, charge a high price and give you nothing but a puppy.  We decided we wanted to give people a little more than that.  When a woman has a baby, she is usually sent home from the hospital with a large bagful of items to make the first week or two easier....formula, diapers, a blanket, coupons & more.  So, Will and I decided to do the same for our puppies & their new parents.  We send home with them most things that a new puppy might need....not only to help out the adoptive parents, but to make the transition easier for the puppy as well.  We call it our Puppy Package. 

Unfortunately, we have decided not to sell our pups to anyone who can't pick up their puppy in person.  This is for the emotional wellbeing of the puppy.  If you don't live in Western New York (near Buffalo or Jamestown), or within a couple of hours drive from here, please plan ahead to make sure your airline will allow you to carry your puppy on the plane with you.