Dog Food
Food is the foundation of good health. We know as pet parents it can be overwhelming to decide what food will provide our pets the proper nutrition to live healthy, vibrant lives.
While dogs can survive on most commercial brands, Life's Abundance & PAWTREE are both brands we have found our dogs and puppies thrive on.
Every dog is unique. Why should they all eat the same thing? The answer is: they shouldn't! We cater each litter to the formula that best suits them.  Ask which formula to order for your unique puppy.  
We want you to purchase this EXACT food so your puppy has a smooth transition.   At their young age it is imperative not to switch their foods as it can cause digestive upset. We encourage you to order yours before your baby arrives. It is ordered direct from the company, we do NOT stock this food.  So please be sure to order from the site :) In order for us to track the 5 year guarantee, you must be signed up on auto-ship for that five years.  

Dishes
Fancy dishes are not required, we use stainless steel dishes or stainless steel feed buckets that can be clipped to the whelping box or pen.  They are non-chewable and easy to keep sanitized.  A popular alternative are the raised feeding stations/stands.  They help keep your puppy from spilling and tipping the dishes. If you find your puppy is spilling the water dish, you may like using the water bottle alternative.  

Nutri-cal Calorie Supplement
This is a must have to keep on hand for low blood sugar or times puppy doesn't seem to be eating

What is Litter Box Training?

Overview of Training
Litter box training is not just for cats, and is indeed possible with puppies!  It has been a series of trial and error to understand what method will work best with puppies, and how they think.  Dogs are pack and den animals similar to their distant relatives the wolves.  They prefer to eliminate in a specified area if given the opportunity.  We have developed a system of training our puppies that is patterned after the way wolves teach their young.  By creating a separate 'whelping area' and 'weaning area'  the puppies learn to eliminate away from their bed.   In our home, we use a whelping box to create this area---it has a separate whelping side, and  weaning side.  We introduce them to the Bark Potty litter box in three stages, appropriate to their age and development.  The puppies naturally want to be clean, so our system works very well!   The fact that our mommy dogs also use litter boxes helps too, as she will teach them to go in the box, while keeping the whelping area clean during this initial stage.   As puppies start to understand  eliminating in the litter box, we are able to give them more space to explore, and once they master that area, they finally graduate to the third stage, and have full access to the entire puppy pen (as seen in our videos and pictures) This is when they are now ready to go to their forever homes, and the pen area will be duplicated for a stress-free transition.

Below are the puppy essentials we recommend purchasing to make the easiest, stress-free transition for puppy--- from our home to yours.   When duplicating our puppy pen area, you are able to keep the puppy in a safe environment until it is older and has a stronger immune system.   We feel that the first month in the forever home, a puppy is not quite developmentally ready to begin regimented house training, and puppy still needs to be isolated from unknown dogs for risk of catching parvo or other diseases.  Use this time to bond, allowing puppy to become acclimated to you and your household before serious training begins.  We have given them a wonderful head start and have worked very hard to teach them valuable potty skills!

Litter Box Choices
One of the biggest challenges as a breeder in rearing puppies is dealing with their mess. Yep, it is challenging keeping those fluffy little puppies CLEAN. The old method of raising puppies involves lining the floor with newspaper and constantly picking up poo all day long. You can imagine how often you are bathing babies when they end up stepping and rolling in their messes all the time!

After years of being fed up with the mess, we researched several methods, we follow  the Misty Method, yet have tweaked it to fit our needs and set up.

Litter Box Training
This is the cornerstone of our successful potty training system featured in our Habibi Method program.  All the puppies are litter box trained.  We use a litter box with litter, as it has been the most successful product for us--- so ask us which option the puppy is accustomed to before purchasing something else.  Any change will confuse puppy.  If you choose pellets and a box, there are a couple options, either inexpensive pine pellets or paper pellets (Exquisicat brand from Petsmart).  You can purchase a large jumbo sized pan, (The Puppy Go Here box from our Amazon Store or Sterilite Modular boxes work like a charm!) You can purchase these items for a very small investment.Many families ask if they have to use a litter box forever. The answer is, "it is completely up to you!" The beauty of this method is that we have taught your puppy there is a specific place to eliminate.  This training makes the transition to going outdoors a breeze for our families, as the puppies have already mastered the litter box concept in their puppy safe pen.  Many families have their dogs cross trained, meaning they use a litter box and also go outdoors. Some families live in RVs, High Rise apartments or simply choose to use the litter box exclusively.   Which house training method you choose for your home is your choice, and we provide assistance to all of our families with our 7 day schedule and a specific 2 week house training plan (included in your puppy packet when you bring home your puppy),  for those that want to teach their dog to go outside exclusively.   Are  Habibi Bears completely housebroken at 8 weeks old?  Heaven's no, but they are leaps and bounds ahead of the average puppy.   Many families report back that their puppy has very few accidents if any, so while we would love to boast they are housebroken, the reality of it is they are still babies, they can still regress.  Cleanliness and routine will make all the difference in how well your puppy is house broken.

Topper for your Pen
Management is key! We want to prevent this from happening, so think ahead, once they learn to climb...you can't unring that bell.  Some puppies do learn to climb out, so making a topper out of lattice is something to consider. 

A simple hinged topper was a suggestion submitted by the Geoffroy Family.  They had the lattice cut into two sections, hinged it to pieces of wood so it can be opened easily for cleaning, and zip tied in place, with the opened side closed with reusable zip ties.  We have found using the kennel pins to work great as well, and we use these for anything and everything in our home!

Dog Crates: your pup's bed

Dog Crates
We believe in using crates with all dogs, and would definitely consider it to be puppy essentials!  (read our blog post) It is a crucial part of successful housebreaking, training calm, teaching your dog to self soothe, eliminate and prevent separation anxiety.  Did you know that most dogs with higher energy and behavior issues are typically NOT crate trained?  Our Crate Training protocols are sooo helpful and part of our Pup Start program and course!  We created step by step charts and a process that will help anyone through the transition with ease! 

Getting the correct crate is important! Puppy needs his den to feel safe and secure, for resting. Place your puppy's crate inside the play yard so it has access to its bed, food and potty while you are away. This is an important aspect of training your dog, and really makes it so much simpler. We find the families that do not follow a routine and crate training/confinement schedule tend to have more problems in completely housebreaking their puppies. Crate training will make the transition from litter box to being completely housebroken much smoother. Many families (us included) have dogs that are cross-trained, meaning they are trained to go potty outside or use a litter box.
We love the Petmate Elite 500. You will need a transition crate before your pup is ready for this size, or you can block off the back half until they grow into it. If your pup is being shipped, it will arrive in a transitional sized crate that you can use while its still small. Another option for the home is the Wire Crate. We recommend purchasing the covers for them, to create the Den environment for your dog. Or cover it with a blanket.

What size do I need?
There are so many brands to choose from, and each manufacturer has different dimensions. For our ADULT miniature sized dogs, we use a 200 series crate. 

Training Books - New puppy checklist

Obedience & Therapy Training
Our puppies are raised using a socialization program that develops strong bonding instincts and sets them up for their career as an ESA, Psychiatric Support Dog, Service or Therapy dog.  We love clicker training, but you can also mark the moments easily with the word YES.  Either way is going to bring similar results.  You choose which resonates with your particular learning style.  We love the books and clicker training videos by Karen Pryor, and this is the system we have used to develop our breeding program. Puppy essentials can include many things, but training is definitely at the top of the new puppy checklist in terms of priority. For those that want to learn clicker training, we highly recommend her system.  We are hearing amazing stories from families that are using her methods.  

Puppy Training & Behavior
When you bring home your new puppy, he is a fish out of water.  He will need your patience and guidance in order for him to feel secure and establish a new routine and schedule.  Most puppies will regress or temporarily lose some of their training due to the newness of their new home.  So this is NOT anything to stress over.  It's to be expected, so don't panic!  For many families this initial transition can be overwhelming if not prepared.  We recommend going through all the Habibi University  courses and going through the Habibi Method Training & Raising handbook BEFORE puppy arrives.  This will prepare you for your new family member, and also keep you in control of the situation by being prepared for every potential issue.  Our families that take the time to prepare find that it was worth its weight in gold.  Instead of panicking and not knowing what to do, they are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to use this new system with their puppy.  Watch the videos with your family and discuss together. This is a fun time, and a great learning experience for all of you.   As with all new experiences, they come with a period of acclimation.  Just like bringing home a new baby, you have to learn each other's signals and body language; a getting to know each other period.  The good news is that this transition is so short, and your puppy will adjust and settle in quickly when you remain calm and confident!   This is what makes puppy a GREAT family pet, loved by all. Don't forget to do this important part of bringing home your puppy!