Small Wonders Kennel

Description

Why Choose a Small Wonders Puppy?
You're here, so it's likely you've seen one of our ads for available puppies or someone you know referred you to us because you're beginning your search for a puppy. I am always completely overwhelmed by the number of advertisements there are for puppies of every breed. It's probably a safe bet that you are too. I think my first question to any breeder would be, "Why you? Why should I buy my puppy from you instead of one of the other thousands of breeders I've seen advertising puppies?" I think that's a pretty fair question. In answer, I'm going to tell you what we do and what we believe at Small Wonders Kennel. Somewhere in the telling I think you will find a few good reasons to choose a Small Wonders puppy. I will include many pictures and videos, making this a kind of virtual tour of Small Wonders Kennel and ours and our dogs' lives. Great Parents, Great Puppies We believe that every great puppy begins with great parents. What comes to mind when you think about what a "great puppy" means to you? Healthy, playful, smart, well socialized, stable temperament? These might be some of the descriptions you would use? We agree. Every puppy born is a living, sentient little being and, like all living things, who or what they will become is dictated, to a large degree, by the parents who bear them and the environment in which they're raised. Of course, when it comes to living things, there isn't a 100% guarantee of anything but if you start with great the odds are better that you will end up with great. So... before we even think about puppies, we think about the parents who will produce the puppies. This doesn't mean, to us, the dogs that are most likely to win in the show ring or that most perfectly match the breed standards as determined by judges and registries. This means dogs that are in exemplary health, have friendly, dependable temperaments, display a high level of intelligence for their breed, and have the stability to be good pack members. These are the dogs that will produce the best pets, the healthiest friends, the most loyal and long-lived companions. And that is our focus. 30 Years Experience + Continued Learning We believe it is our responsibility to see that every dog in our care is healthy, comfortable, safe, happy, and has the opportunity to reach its potential. Together, Jan and I have more than 30 years experience with dogs but neither of us ever believes there is nothing more to learn. We keep abreast of new studies, research, and training techniques so that we can improve the lives of our dogs wherever possible. For example, a research facility in the U.S. studied the effects of dogs kenneled alone versus dogs kenneled in groups and concluded that dogs housed in groups were physically healthier, showed fewer signs of stress, were more stable, and exhibited better social skills than dogs housed by themselves. Dogs are pack animals by nature and, in nature, would learn social behaviour, who they are in the hierarchy and many life skills from more experienced dogs in the pack. It makes sense that when a number of dogs are being housed in one area, they would benefit from the security and social order of a pack. As a result of this and other studies, we started housing our dogs in small groups that include elders, young to middle-aged adults and older pups, just as a pack would in nature. The results have been wonderful. Nervous dogs became more settled and content. Dogs that never seemed to eat enough developed healthy appetites. Rambunctious, nippy pups learned some manners. The dogs exercised more, became more playful, slept better at night, were cleaner in their shared "den" and just seemed happier. This is one example of how staying abreast and being willing to try an alternative approach has benefited the dogs in our care.