What Breeders REALLY Do!

Ever wonder if you wanted to breed a dog and what a breeder goes through? I'd bred dogs before but not Border Terriers. And not in the last 25 years or so! So I boned up about breeding and whelping and all the possible problems you might encounter. I read books, attended seminars and watched DVDs. Come the big day I was as prepared as I could be. But the whelping was the easy part, and, in retrospect, maybe not the most important part. Sure, you need to get the pups out and everyone stable and nursing. The first week is nerve racking. Dewclaw removal can be traumatic. If someone gets sick, what should you do now? But I believe that the real work begins with the rearing and socialization that starts around week four.

I have seen Borders that bark at just about everything and everyone; there are many web sites that say BTs are "barky". I have even seen "aggressive" BTs. Thus I was determined to do everything I possibly could to socialize and introduce my pups to the world as best as possible.
I made a list and started checking things off:
Pee and poop on papers. Intro them to crates. Don't jump up when I approach; calmly (somewhat) sit while I come closer.
This is your food- enjoy it, but do not play IN it (too much!).
This is a broom; you do NOT eat it or chase it! Here's what a vacuum cleaner sounds like and the doorbell, the telephone and the microwave.
Come on out and watch TV with us (in your crates) and BTW, please behave; i.e do NOT cry and whine. I am impervious (I hope!) to that and will not let you out until you behave.
This is how to eat treats from my hand; you do NOT go into my pockets yourself even if I am laying down next to you! And you do not jump up and put your teeth anywhere near me, especially on my ears or face!
This is what a hardwood floor feels like, while this other thing is carpet. Yes, its soft! No, you don't get to pee here either! This is what grass feels like underfoot; isn't that neat? This is sunshine and THAT is your shadow!!! Yes, it is following you!
This is how we ride in the car. This is a vet and her office- no, you don't treat her like a sibling! Yes, she has some treats too, but you have to earn them!
This is the grooming and show table. Yes, that "other" dog there IS YOU- that is a mirror!
This is a collar and this is a leash. We go to nifty places when these come out! No, the collar does NOT go in your mouth and you do not get to EAT the leash!
This may taste terrible but it's necessary. Please "Enjoy!" Would you rather have worms? Here, have a treat! See? I'm not SO BAD!
Oops, we just poo'ed off the papers. Too bad! Now let's go outside and see if you have anything else to do. WAIT! Don't STEP in it! Let ME clean it up!
This neat, new toy is a cardboard box! See I have put some holes in it so you can play house and hide 'n'seek! And THIS is a PVC pipe! (Think Earthdog!) No, you do not EAT the box!
These are the "older" dogs. Treat them with SOME respect, please. That is, if you value your lives! Though they have seen ALL this before, (and done it themselves), even their patience is limited.
And these are "little people" - they are the SAME AS ME. Don't ever forget that, even if they forget who you are and how to treat you correctly.

When all that (and more) is done, then you can start to believe that you have prepared your puppies for their new homes. And maybe, just maybe, you have started down the road to becoming a true breeder!