Our Girls

Our Program 

Over many years we have developed a program for our dogs where they can thrive and pass on their amazing genetics to families all across the country. We typically will raise a puppy from one of our dogs, or purchase a puppy or adult dog from a well known and respected breeder. Once the dog is at least 1 year old we will begin OFA testing for their hips and elbows. The OFA test and the PennHip test are foundational in establishing a dog in our program. Genetically we usually know that they are clear based on their parents’ genetic panels, but we still run a genetic panel on all of our dogs to confirm that they have great genetics to pass on. Once they pass their OFA hips and elbows preliminary test and DNA test they are able to join our program! We also rely heavily on our Veterinarians, who play a large role in our program, and we have learned so much from them. We have been very blessed to find a wonderful vet who specializes in reproduction and is also very active in our local dog breeders association, PA Animal Welfare and Safety.

In our program we are working with mother nature, so we typically only know our schedule of any upcoming litters about 4 months in advance. Once one of our girls comes into season, which is their heat cycle, she will be bred and have a 2 month-long pregnancy. Once the puppies are born it will be another 8 weeks until the puppies are ready to go home. This is what creates the 4 month timeframe. I can give a general idea of if we will have a litter around a certain time based on their previous cycle, but it is a very flexible timeline.If you are looking for a puppy several months in advance we do take reservations, but it is with the clear expectation that it is a flexible time frame and we will keep you updated as we get within the 4 month window.

Over the 8 weeks that the puppies are here with us we enjoy giving weekly updates to everyone who has a puppy reserved so they can see how the puppies are growing and changing. Once the puppies get to 5-6 weeks old everyone is invited out to meet and pick their puppy. Then once they are 8 weeks old the puppies are officially old enough to go to their new homes!

Once you take your puppy home we love to stay in touch, so we appreciate all the updates! It’s amazing to watch them grow, and it’s such a joy to see our puppies thriving in their new homes.

We will continue introducing them to new items, as well as begin teaching them some manners, like sitting to say “please”. Puppies do not get trained in days or even a month, but their brains truly are like sponges at this point, and they learn very quickly what is acceptable and what is not. Once a puppy learns they will get a high value treat, like a piece of hot dog or cheese, they are much more motivated to sit and pay attention. But puppies are puppies and we don’t want to take that from them! It is vital to their growth that they get lots of play time as well, so we like to take them outside as often as we can to get their zoomies out and to have them explore new sights and sounds that are found outside. We have always found crate training to be essential in not only potty training, but also creating a safe space for them to take naps, hang out, and rest, so we start introducing the crate around this point as well. They do not go home crate trained, but we do introduce it and begin making good associations with it so it is a smooth transition for them.

Another thing we’re conscious about is their environment and floor surfaces. We want to introduce them to as many new environments and floor surfaces as we safely can before they go home. This includes grass, pavement, concrete, rugs, and turf, and more. We also take them to our veterinarian around the 7 week timeframe for their wellness exams. The ride to the vet is also helpful in introducing them to a vehicle and preparing them for their trip home.

Around the 8 week point the puppies are ready to go home! Pennsylvania state law only allows a puppy to go home at or after 8 weeks of age, so we follow this without exception. Typically puppies go home around 8-9 weeks, depending on timing. As a family we keep a pretty simple lifestyle and spend most of our days at home, so we are able to be pretty flexible with scheduling a pick up time for your puppy, but we do keep Sundays as a family day and don’t have Rock Haven Families come to visit or take home a puppy on Sundays.

Sometimes we have puppies available after 8 weeks old, and people sometimes wonder, “Is there a reason they weren’t chosen?” or “Am I missing something by purchasing an older puppy?” I can confidently tell you that if you purchase a puppy after 8 weeks old it is only to your advantage! After the majority of the puppies go home at 8 weeks we heavily invest time into training the remaining puppies for their new homes. This includes teaching them to sit, lay down, and go in their crate. The question of why a puppy is chosen has many different answers. Some people are looking for size, color, or temperament, but most families choose puppies based on the one they connect with the most, and typically it’s the first one that comes to them!

We breed based on these factors as well, so it’s our goal that there really is no “wrong” choice, and if it’s hard to choose then we are thrilled that we did our job!

Our puppies will always be precious to us, and that means our Rock Haven customers truly become our Rock Haven Family. It’s such a privilege to provide a puppy that will have a decade of impact, and we do our very best to provide the foundations for your puppy to thrive and grow in their new home.