THE MILK & HONEY WAY
A little look at what happens before one of our puppies becomes yours.
There’s so much more to raising puppies than the eight weeks you see on social media.
For us, it begins long before puppies are ever born learning our dogs, studying genetics, planning pairings, caring for our mamas and constantly learning how we can do things just a little bit better.
Then the babies arrive, and the real fun begins.
Here’s a peek behind the scenes at what goes into raising a Milk & Honey puppy. ♡
IT STARTS WITH OUR DOGS
Loved first. Always.
Before they're ever a mama or a dad, they're our dogs.
We believe the dogs at the heart of our program deserve wonderful lives of their own. We spend time getting to know their personalities, strengths, quirks and everything that makes them them.
Our breeding dogs are carefully chosen with health, temperament, structure and genetics in mind, because the puppies we hope to raise tomorrow begin with the dogs we love today.
HEALTH ISN'T THE EXCITING PART
But it’s a big one
There are plenty of adorable things about breeding dogs. Health testing isn't exactly one of the glamorous ones — but it's one of the most important.
Our breeding dogs complete extensive genetic and health testing appropriate for their breed and size, including OFA evaluations and additional testing we feel helps us make informed breeding decisions.
We study more than a checklist of test results, too. Genetics, structure, temperament, pedigree, coat traits and how two dogs complement one another all play a role when we're considering a future pairing.
Because putting two beautiful dogs together is easy.
Knowing why you're putting them together matters.
SOME THINGS ARE WORTH WAITING FOR
Some of the pairings we're excited about today began as ideas years ago. We're constantly looking ahead watching puppies grow, evaluating potential future parents, studying genetics and thinking about what each generation can bring to the next.
Our goal isn't simply to produce puppies.
We want each generation to give us something worth building upon while staying true to what we love most: sweet temperaments, beautiful structure, healthy dogs and those wonderful family companions that make doodles so easy to fall in love with.
We’re planners around here
MAMA GETS A LITTLE EXTRA LOVE, TOO
Pregnancy, delivery and raising a litter ask a lot from our girls, and caring for them is every bit as important as caring for their babies.
We closely watch our mamas throughout pregnancy, provide quality nutrition and veterinary care, and make sure they're comfortable, loved and supported through delivery and the weeks that follow.
When it's time for babies to arrive, we're right there beside her even when “right there” means sitting on the floor at 3:17 in the morning with coffee, towels and absolutely no plans of sleeping anytime soon.
It's one of the hardest parts of what we do.
It's also one of the most special.
Because she's doing the hard part.
THEN COME THE BABIES
Tiny paws. Big responsibility.
The newborn stage is quiet, sleepy and incredibly sweet — but there's plenty happening behind the scenes.
We closely monitor our puppies from birth, tracking growth and development while giving mama the space and support she needs to care for them.
As puppies grow, their little world grows with them.
We begin with Early Neurological Stimulation and Early Scent Introduction before gradually introducing age-appropriate handling, sounds, textures, surfaces, toys, movement, new environments and everyday experiences.
We aren't trying to overwhelm tiny puppies with the world.
We're introducing it to them one little piece at a time.
RAISING MORE THAN CUTE PUPPIES
Once those little eyes and ears open, things get BUSY.
Our puppies move through an age-appropriate curriculum designed to encourage curiosity, confidence, resilience and the ability to work through new experiences.
Throughout their time with us, puppies are introduced to things like:
Daily handling + touch exercises
Household sounds and everyday life
Different surfaces + textures
Sound exposure
Age-appropriate enrichment
Problem-solving activities
Crate introduction
Potty foundations
Grooming + handling preparation
Car rides
New environments
Beginning manners
Individual experiences
There are plenty of cuddles mixed in there, too.
Probably too many, if you ask the puppies we're tempted to keep.
Those first eight weeks matter.
PERSONALITY OVER PRETTY
Because you're bringing home a best friend not a color.
We love a beautiful puppy just as much as anyone.
But the puppy with your favorite markings isn't automatically the puppy whose personality fits your family best.
We spend weeks observing our puppies in everyday life and watching their individual personalities develop. As they get older, we also complete temperament evaluations that give us another little window into who each puppy is becoming.
We use all of that information to help our families make thoughtful puppy selections.
Looks may be what catches your eye.
We want personality to be what makes you fall in love.
READY FOR HOME
Before our puppies leave Milk & Honey, they receive their veterinary care and health examination, and we make sure our families have the information and resources they need for those first days together.
Then we pack their little things, take entirely too many last-minute pictures, sneak in a few extra kisses and send them off to the family who has been waiting for them.
It's happy.
It's bittersweet.
And somehow, after all these puppies, it still gets us every single time.
And somehow, eight weeks disappear.
THE PART THAT COMES AFTER
Go-home isn't goodbye.
One of our favorite things is getting a picture months or even years later and seeing that tiny puppy we once held curled up on someone's couch, celebrating a birthday, going on vacation or simply living their very ordinary, very loved life.
That's what all of this is for.
We're here for our families after go-home day, and we hope you'll keep sending the updates, asking the questions and letting us watch your puppy grow.
Because once you've loved them from their very first breath, you never completely stop wondering what they're up to. ♡
THIS IS MILK & HONEY