Breeding Program
At Family Tree Oodles, we take pride in raising confident, well-socialised puppies who are prepared for the real world. Over the last nine years, we have meticulously developed and refined our own tested and proven curriculum designed to give our puppies the best possible start in life. Our sound and touch desensitisation program is the foundation of our breeding philosophy, ensuring that every puppy leaves us with the resilience, adaptability, and confidence needed to thrive in their new homes.
Our approach at Family Tree Oodles is to raise your new furry family member for the Real-World. Our puppies are raised in an environment that provides a balanced blend of exposure, enrichment, and security. Situated on our 35-acre farm, our puppies don’t just grow up indoors—they experience the great outdoors, adapting to the sights, sounds, and textures of nature. To name just a few, they’ll hear the wind rustling through the trees, birds singing, roosters crowing, cows mooing, and even occasional machinery starting up. By the time they are ready for their new homes, they have been gently introduced to real-world sounds in a way that reduces fear responses and fosters confidence.
From an early age, we introduce our puppies to controlled exposure to various sounds to prevent noise sensitivity and fear-based reactivity later in life. Using a gradual and positive reinforcement-based approach, we expose them to:
• Household noises such as children noise, varying music genres, hair dryers, vacuum cleaners, doorbells, washing machines, and televisions
• Outdoor and farm sounds like construction, vehicles, machinery, barking dogs, and livestock
• Common life noises, including sirens, fireworks, thunder, and traffic sounds
This early exposure ensures our puppies do not develop noise phobias and remain confident in busy, noisy environments—whether they are heading to family homes, or therapy training.
Touch sensitivity is a common issue in dogs who haven’t been properly handled from birth. We take proactive steps to ensure our puppies are comfortable being touched, groomed, and handled in different ways. From just a few days old, we begin implementing:
• Cuddles, lots of cuddles. In these moments we also introduce the following, and many more;
• Paw handling to prepare them for nail trims and grooming
• Ear and mouth handling to ensure they are comfortable with vet exams and dental care
• Brushing and gentle restraint training to get them used to grooming and cuddles
• Surface exposure (introducing them to various textures like grass, tile, carpet, wood, gravel, and water) to build confidence in different environments
By the time our puppies go to their new homes, they are comfortable being touched all over, making them easier to groom, train, and handle in any situation.
Our curriculum is not something we created overnight—it is a result of nearly a decade of experience, observation, and refinement. Through careful documentation and real-world results, we have developed a structured, step-by-step process that ensures each litter receives the optimal level of exposure at the right developmental stage.
Our program is designed to:
✔️ Reduce anxiety and fear-based behaviors
✔️ Build confident, adaptable, and well-mannered puppies
✔️ Ensure a smooth transition into new homes
✔️ Improve trainability and social resilience
We do not take a one-size-fits-all approach—we know each litter and puppy is different. Through careful observations and evaluations, and our curriculum methods are changed and altered to meet the needs of each individual litter and puppy.
Because of our proven desensitisation techniques and real-world socialisation, our puppies leave us ahead of the curve compared to traditionally raised litters. They transition into their new homes with lower stress levels, greater adaptability, and an eagerness to learn. When you take home one of our puppies, you’re not just getting a dog—you’re welcoming a well-prepared, carefully raised companion who has been given the best possible start in life.
A glance at our program;
Week-by-week
Week 1-2: Birth to 14 Days
Begin early sensory exposure and bonding with the mother and littermates. Minimal handling, puppies are with mum and their littermates for the first days, allowing them to nurse sleep and bond. We ensure puppies are nursing well and gaining weight, through daily weigh ins to track growth. We begin gently touching the paws, ears, and face for short periods to start getting them used to being handled. In the puppies second week of life we begin to increase exposure to touch, gradually increasing to a firmer but gentle touch. Begin lightly holding puppy in different positions - upright, on tummy, on back etc. Introduction to wet wipes or a damp towel in preparation for grooming experiences.
Week 5-6: 15 to 28 Days
Continue introducing structured interaction with humans and objects, Soft introduction to bathing and grooming begins, this includes scissoring eyes, and hygiene areas and introduction to clippers and hairdryers for the puppies to begin to feel and hear the difference sensations. Toilet training continues, this is generally when the pups begin to fully grasp the concept of toileting on their grass mat. Crate training begins. Outside play and exploration introduced or continued. Puppies begin introduction to different animals e.g. wildlife, chickens and cattle. Crate training begins, gradually introducing moments of alone time in the crate. Puppies first car trip to the vet.
Week 3-4: 15 to 28 Days
Slowly introduce sound exposure - begin with common, everyday household sounds such as; children, doorbells, ringing phones and vacuum cleaners. Continue increasing sensory exposure, and encourage curiosity and exploration. Continual gentle handling, this includes placing the pup in situations to ensure their being exposed to lifelong situations such has vet and grooming visits. Introduce low-stress changes to their environment, allowing pups to explore different surfaces, textures and toys, some may include sound and movement. Expand human exposure, people with different toned voices and different ages. With mum now spending sometime away from the puppies we also begin toilet training.
Week 7-8: 43 to 56 Days
Weekly bathing continued, including hygiene grooming and nail cutting. Continued exposure to household items such as hair dryers, vacuum cleaner, blenders etc. Introduction to much louder sounds - usually done through speakers to control sounds of noises like fireworks and storms. Continue exposure to handling, grooming. Both indoor and outdoors play, in the warmer months we include water play. By now the puppies are beginning to hold their toileting movements throughout the day until we are outside. Recall training and introduction to collar and lead. Crate training continues. Ensuring pups are well socialised and exposed, setting them up for a smooth transition into their new homes.