We raise our puppies in our home.  We have converted our attached garage into a room that is dedicated to our canine activities, including puppy rearing.  For the first three to four weeks, the whelping pen is in my office, where I spend quite a bit of time.  Then, they are moved to our kennel reception room, which is just off the living room, right next to our laundry facilities, so that we can keep an eye on them all throughout the day, and so that they can be privy to all the comings and goings, as the main entry to the house is in that room.  Clients come and go through the reception room as do any other visitors we receive.  Doors slam, dogs bark, our parrots squawk and we usually have an indoor cat that resides in our reception area, as well. 

For the fist three to four weeks, we use an extra large dog crate (which has been augmented for puppy safety) as the whelping pen.  It offers the mother and puppies ample room, but not so much as to allow a puppy to get lost.  My office is warm and draft-free, quiet and away from any annoyance from other dogs.  I believe that mother dogs need this sort of tranquility in the first few weeks with her puppies.  During the first three weeks or so, we use blankets, which we launder daily, as opposed to newspaper, for bedding.  This offers the puppies excellent footing while nursing and provides a soft, warm bed.

We make certain that the puppies are maintained at optimal temperature, while assuring that the mother remains comfortable, as well. 

Once the puppies are active, they and their mom are moved to a 4 x 8 pen with solid sides that rise up around 2 feet which keeps the puppies safe from getting caught in any type of fencing and prevents drafts.  We use cedar shavings to maintain a dry and sanitary home for the puppies.  At that time, we also allow the puppies to run and play several times a day in the room.  We set up age specific challenges to help stimulate the puppies’ minds and bodies.  We offer toys of all types both in their whelping pen and in the kennel room.  During summer months, we also take six week old (and older) puppies outdoors to run in the grass and to explore natural scents.  Weather permitting, we take older puppies outdoors in winter months, as well. 

Pups are started on some solid foods (mushy gruel) starting around 3 weeks old while mom continues to nurse them.  Weaning begins at at six weeks of age (mother is limited access to the pups), and by 7 weeks of age they no longer require their mother's nourishment and are eating solid food, exclusively.  Once mom is out of the picture (and, sometimes before then, depending upon how strong of a protection drive their mother has), the puppies are exposed to other dogs at this stage to continue their socialization.