Aubert's Airedales Weekly Update

Puppies, Puppies, Puppies...

We have had a good week at Aubert's Airedales, both Mitten and Maple's litters are doing great! Everyone is growling, barking, squealing and best of all, kissing and playing! 

Mitten's pups will be be temperament/aptitude tested next weekend, April 4th. I will contact puppy parents of Mitten's litter through out the week to discuss placement. Mitten decided to eat a baby porcupine this week so of course, Lawrence and I have had our hands full….never a dull moment at Aubert's Airedales/Aubert Den.


Maple's puppies are outweighing Mitten's litter. Developmentally speaking, they are catching up quickly even though they are 2 weeks younger! Maple's puppies will be temperament tested the weekend Mitten's babies go home, April 18th. 


I will add photos to this blog posting tomorrow as well as on our Facebook page. Stay tuned….

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Let's talk crates: 
To each his own… we use size Large/X-Large Black Wire Dog Crates, specifically Retriever or Journey brand. Females will need and want size large, males can go large or x large depending on the space you are willing to forfeit in your home ;-).  We feel the wire crate provides the security and comfort of a "den" for your pup while at the same time familiarizing he/she with their home and lifestyle. 


Dog Food: 
The dog food you will need to purchase is Life's Abundance ALL LIFE STAGES. We do NOT feed puppy food to any of our Airedales, ever! Please be sure to purchase the ALL LIFE STAGES kibbles.

A little about the food:
Life's Abundance is a high quality holistic food with a fair price point. Life's Abundance offers higher quality ingredients, diverse proteins, vitamins A,C,and E, prebiotic and probiotics. The food is sent direct from the warehouse and cooked using a fast bake process which allows superior nutritional content and maximum freshness. One of the main reasons we feed Life'sAbundance is that they have never had a recall!! (They have been in business since 1998). We also appreciate the consistency in product. The food always looks and smells the same from bag to bag. If you would like to buy Life's Abundance online, go to www.HolisticPetFoodandMore.com  
 The food can be purchased in some stores for a slightly higher price than online direct from manufacturer. We have it shipped to the house for less than the price of our previous dog food from the pet store.

Gear:
As far as collars and leashes, Airedales have smaller heads. Many times they can slip out of a standard collar. I use a nylon belt buckle style collar on all of our Airedales. They also all have a 6ft Nylon Leash. When we walk on a leash, I use a standard "chain collar". If used properly, this will not bother your dog. It is a nice tool to teach how to walk properly on a leash once basic ground work is laid. **I would much prefer to use harnesses on all of my dogs as they do a better job at distributing the resistance. 

For toys, we do not use or care for many plastic toys, especially those that are made in China. We only buy foods, toys and treats that are made in the US due to the quality control set forth. Many toys and treats from China are very dangerous because of their unregulated manufacturing process. 
Some of the best toys we have found would be; all KONG products as well as a toys called a SKINNEEEZ (I'm not sure on the spelling). Skinneeez are soft animal toys with squeekers WITHOUT STUFFING. We do not like stuffing. Our Airedales pull it out of the toys and will sometimes swallow it. Needless to say, we only use size appropriate stuffing-less toys now. 

Deer Antler Bones are our life savers!!! You will find them to be the best training tool/ teething instrument out there! We use these from 8 weeks onward, they will save your home from teething!!!

Helpful References

Here are a few helpful references for Puppy Parents, I will be adding to these weekly. This is a great way to learn and prepare for your upcoming Airedale as well as learn about what your breeder is interested in! Again, just for reference.  If you have any questions feel free to comment on the blog or email/call directly. 

www.TheDailyPuppy.com
"Training Your Superdog" - Author; Gwen Bailey 
Fun Games to Teach Dogs
Bringing a Second Dog into the House
Raw Food 
Natural Approach to Fleas
Essential Oil Use for Dogs
Dog Food Advisor
How to Deal with Puppy Crying and Separation Anxiety
Dog Nail Trimming the Right Way 
Trimming Your Dog's Nails
Crate Training: The Benefits for You and Your Dog
To Crate or Not to Crate? 
Using Temperament Testing to Choose the Right Dog for your Family
How to Socialize Your Puppy
AVSAB Position Statement On Puppy Socialization
Pre-Puppy Preparation- Whole Dog Journal Article 
The Misty Method- Potty Training Starts with your Breeder
How to Potty Train your Dog in 7 Days (this will take much longer for pups)