What it is, how it works, why we do it!

Scent Imprinting

Our Early Scent Imprinting program is a unique experience that we decided to offer after two very successful trial runs with our first litters. So far it has proven to be a wonderful addition to our puppy raising protocols and can help reduce the stress of integrating into a new home for the puppies!

What is it?

When the pups turn 5 weeks of age, we ask families to take a small stuffed toy ( beanie baby sized) and to sleep with it in their beds for a week in order to transfer their individual scents to the stuffed toy. In addition to the toy, we ask families to take hair samples of the existing animals in their home, bag them separately, and send them through the mail to our home!

How it Works

We take the stuffed toys and begin scent imprinting as soon as pups are matched to homes! We let them play with their toys, snuggle them in crates and eat their meals next to their toys. We also transfer the hair samples to scent tins and begin introducing these samples during play, letting the puppy sniff the tin, and rewarding for any interaction. We also pair the tin with treats during training sessions and manding exercises in order to build not only a positive association with the scent, but also a calm one! In this way we are able to introduce the pups to the new family members before they go to their new homes!