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How They are Raised

Every FoxFire litter is the result of extensive planning and preparation long before the puppies are born. From pedigree research and comprehensive health testing to thoughtful pairing decisions, each step is taken with purpose. Careful attention is given to the dam’s nutrition, as well as creating a warm, private, clean, and calm whelping environment designed to support both mother and puppies from day one. This reflects a lifelong commitment to each puppy’s well-being  - one that begins well before birth.

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Our goal in raising puppies is to place a strong emphasis on early socialization, continuing this intentional approach from their first day with us through the day they leave for their new homes.

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We follow the Puppy Culture and AviDog programs to provide a structured foundation that supports confident, well-rounded development. As the puppies grow, they are introduced to new sights, sounds, surfaces, and scents each week, along with age-appropriate challenges and exercises that promote cognitive growth. This thoughtful approach helps build the confidence, resilience, and stability needed for puppies to thrive in both family and working environments.

The Nursery

Main Floor Run

Puppies are gradually transitioned to an enclosed, enriching play space off our main living area, allowing for increased exposure to household sights, sounds, and daily activity.

A clean, quiet, warm, and bright private nursery designed to provide a safe, calm environment for puppies during their earliest developmental stages.

Outdoor Time

Puppies are introduced to a clean outdoor puppy run, enjoying short, supervised play sessions each day to build confidence and begin early environmental exposure.

Weeks
5+

Weeks
3-8+

Weeks
0-3

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The Nursery

Pre-Birth to 3 Weeks of Age

A Calm & Intentional Beginning

Puppy Culture Protocols

Well before the puppies are born, each expectant Momma dog spends dedicated one-on-one time with us in the nursery to become comfortable and familiar with the environment. This space is designed to be warm, well-lit, quiet, and private, providing a peaceful setting away from the rest of the household. For the first 1–3 weeks, puppies are raised in a dedicated room located off our master suite, allowing for constant supervision and attentive care.

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We place great importance on being present with our momma dogs during whelping and the early postpartum period. Preserving the ability for our dams to whelp naturally is a key part of maintaining the integrity of the breed, and they are always given the opportunity to deliver freely when it is safe to do so. Our dams are closely monitored and supported throughout the process, with intervention reserved only for situations that could compromise their health or in the event of an emergency. This intentional, hands-on approach fosters trust and strengthens the bond between us and our momma dogs during these critical early weeks.

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Once the puppies’ eyes and ears open, typically around three weeks of age, the litter is thoughtfully transitioned to their main floor run. There, they begin experiencing the natural rhythm of our home, taking in a variety of sights, sounds, and scents that support confident, well-adjusted development.

0-14 Days Old

  • Early Neurological Stimulation on days 3-16

  • Individual Cuddle sessions

  • Clip Nails & Introduce Baby Dremel

  • Introduce a sleep nest

  • Closely monitor weight gain 

  • Add pee pads outside of the sleep nest

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14-21 Days Old

  • Individual longer cuddle sessions

  • Introducing new tactile items (big toys, crackle paper, pieces of fleece)

  • Introducing new experiences (explore new rooms, new visitors, walking outside of whelp box)

  • Nest area expands

  • In house socialization slowly begins

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Puppy Pen

3 - 8+ Weeks of Age

An Interactive & Enriching Environment

Once the puppies move beyond their neonatal period, they transition to their main floor living space located just off our kitchen. This area is bright, warm, and highly interactive, allowing puppies to remain closely connected to everyday household life. The environment is intentionally designed to evolve alongside the puppies, changing as they move through different developmental stages.

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Throughout their time in this space, puppies are introduced to a wide variety of novel tactile experiences on a daily basis. Under close supervision, they are encouraged to explore new and unfamiliar objects -  from crinkly materials and unstable surfaces to interactive sound mats and problem-solving challenges. These experiences are carefully selected to promote curiosity, confidence, and healthy fear recovery, while ensuring puppies are never pushed beyond an appropriate threshold. Both inside and outside of the pen, puppies are met with new, enriching experiences each day that support cognitive growth and resilience.

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Shaping Behavior & Building Foundations

uring the transitional and early socialization periods, we intentionally focus on shaping behavior using Puppy Culture and Avidog developmental phases as our guide. From the earliest days, puppies are supported through age-appropriate challenges that promote confidence, resilience, and thoughtful problem-solving.

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In the Transitional Period (approximately weeks 2–3), we begin gentle handling and early awareness exercises as puppies’ eyes and ears open, supporting neurological development and early curiosity.

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Throughout the Primary Socialization Period (approximately weeks 3–8), we actively introduce foundational life skills. Puppies are gently conditioned to crate time, grooming table comfort, recalls, manding, play engagement through tug, early potty habits, and focus work. During this phase, puppies are also introduced to scent-based enrichment, including early exposure to odours such as wintergreen, thyme, and pine.

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As part of the Juvenile Preparation Stage (approximately weeks 6–8), we closely observe each puppy’s individual temperament and continue shaping responses to frustration, novelty, and interaction. Bite inhibition is carefully guided, early signs of resource guarding are addressed, and unnecessary vocalization is managed in a developmentally appropriate way.

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Because the puppy area is centrally located within our home, puppies naturally habituate to everyday household sounds such as laundry machines, vacuuming, clinking dishes, and general household activity. These layered exposures during critical developmental windows help produce environmentally stable, confident dogs who are well prepared for life beyond our home.

Puppy Culture Protocols

3-4 Weeks Old

  • Sound Protocols (classical music, habitual recordings, "upsetting" appliances

  • Home socialization begins

  • Startle Recovery

  • Whelping Box Reorganization

  • Baby's First Challenges (wet feet, sound mats, tiny and soft obstacles)

  • Raw Meaty bones introduced

  • Daily new experiences & textures

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4-5 Weeks Old

  • Barrier Challenges introduced

  • Feeding outside weening pen

  • Puppy Call introduced

  • Water introduction

  • Introduction to interactive toys (wobble ball)

  • Shaping Emotional Responses

  • Treating on Grooming Table

  • Outdoor Time at 5 weeks

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5-6 Weeks Old

  • Introduce hammock bed

  • Open door crates introduced

  • Scent circle exercise

  • Litter pen introduction

  • Begin basic free stacks

  • Begin manding with calm CER

  • Monitor little squabbles

  • Puppies begin to be weaned

  • Model good behaviours (recall, vocalization etc)

  • Adventure walk to develop follow response

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6-7 Weeks Old

  • Individual crate time with raw meaty bones for early stages of crate training

  • Car rides in groups

  • Walks to new areas of the property

  • Puppy Party with Breeder friends

  • Advanced Manding

  • Puppy call "Pop Quizzes"

  • 15 Minute potty breaks outdoors

  • Resource Guarding Prevention Exercises

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7-8 Weeks Old

  • Puppy Behavioural Evaluations

  • Puppy Party 2 with friends & children

  • Train away biting

  • Tugging Foundation

  • Advanced Resource Guarding Prevention

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8-9 Weeks Old

  • Structural & Temperament Assessments

  • Specialized Socialization

  • Advanced Sound Conditioning

  • Introduction to friendly outside dogs

  • Barrier frustration work

  • Calm CER to crate

  • Specialized training sessions depending on career of future puppy

  • Visits to home depot, chapters or garden centres

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How the Puppies Are Chosen

At FoxFire, evaluating temperament begins the moment a puppy is born and continues every day they are in our care. Through our Puppy Culture–based program, hands-on socialization, and daily interaction, we are constantly observing each puppy’s confidence, recovery, engagement, curiosity, and overall disposition as they develop. By the time puppies reach seven weeks of age, we already have a clear and well-rounded understanding of who each puppy is as an individual.

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Between 7–8 weeks, puppies take part in formal evaluations that help confirm and refine our observations. During this time, puppies are assessed on structure, expression, and movement, alongside temperament testing, including the Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test. These assessments provide valuable insight, sometimes reinforcing what we already know through weeks of observation, and occasionally revealing subtleties that warrant closer consideration. 

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Thoughtful, Purpose-Driven Placement

Our placement decisions are guided by the full picture of each puppy by combining daily observation, developmental milestones, formal structural and movement evaluations, and an understanding of each prospective home’s lifestyle and goals.

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  • Family and companion homes are matched with puppies who demonstrate stability, adaptability, and an energy level that best fits our homes on an individual basis

  • Performance and sport homes may be matched with puppies who show higher drive, focus, enthusiasm and engagement.

  • Show or breeding prospects are evaluated with additional emphasis on structure, movement, expression, balance and showmanship/temperament​
     

Because our process prioritizes long-term success over speed, most families will not know which puppy is theirs until evaluations are complete. While this requires patience, it allows us to make thoughtful, informed matches that set both puppies and families up for success.

The Volhard Exercises

  • Social attraction

  • Following

  • Restraint

  • Social Dominance

  • Elevation Dominance

  • Retrieving

  • Touch Sensitivity

  • Sound Sensitivity

  • Sight Sensitivity

  • Stability

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