Raising your Beardie ;)

It takes a playground ;)

At the Breeder - the importance of early learning.

Exposure to all the aspects of modern life - noises in our homes - from washing machine, TV, to vaccum. Driving in the car, learning to walk on different surfaces. Early learning is very important, at Westerode we introduce our puppies to the noises, smells and sights of living in the city and the country.

Building confidence through play

The puppies learn through play - both with each other and their mother, so it is very important that they are given time and a safe place to play.

Stimulate the Senses

Their playground is both inside the house and in their yard. Grass, dirt and stone surfaces, wooden planks, cushions filled with air, so they move ; exploring and playing on all these different surfaces helps the puppies develop body awareness and builds confidence.

New elements are added as the puppies develop, more challenging surfaces, tarps, that make noises, water baths, tunnels and tarps over a table add a larger visual stimulus, making noises and moving in the wind.

Dealing with Change

Change is a part of our life - and being comfortable with a changing environment can be taught early on. The playground changes, every day, every other day, new pieces are added, and as new abilities develop and the puppies grow bigger and more agile, they play differently. Objects they already know are moved and placed differently. When the puppies come into their yard in the morning, something may just look different. And this is always greated with enthusiasm; at this age, new means interesting.

A great babysitter

Puppies are prone to seek out trouble, always eating something. The puppy playground is a great babysitter. When they come out the puppies are immediately engaged in playing and checking out what's new. There's little time to get bored. There's little need for us to redirect them from chewing on something that is not safe.

Each Puppy is an individual

This leaves us time to watch and learn about each puppy's personality. Who is first to explore something new? Can anyone transfer skills from one object to another? Is there a thinker in the gang ? How do they react if the object does not cooperate, do they get frustrated and angry, or do they give up? How quickly do they try again?

There is nothing more fun and natural than a puppy playground and watching the puppies at play.

Take a look through all the movies on our movie page:

The Puppy Playground

Page II
Page III

We strongly encourge our puppy parents to continue the playground - it is very easy to do at home, indoors and outdoors. There's no need for expensive exquipment. You can make your own from lawn chairs, PVC pipes and playmats, cartons and old phone books, a couple of planks and bricks from the Home Depot, if you have enough room.

We will also provide you with a workout schedule and training plan for your puppy - focusing on self control skills, focus on you - keeping your dog fit mentally and physically.

This is important ;)

Watching the puppies play on the play ground you will invariably notice the ones that are 'first'. Their behaviour on the playground let's you learn so much more about them - it teaches you what type of learner this puppy is, and it allows every puppy to develop at their own speed and develop confidence.