How Our Pups Are Raised

~ Located Near Wingham, On ~

A Calm, Intentional Start to Life at Bluevale Meadows

From the very beginning, our puppies are raised with purpose. They’re born and raised right here in our home — not in a kennel — where they experience gentle handling, thoughtful exposure, and age‑appropriate challenges that help them grow into confident, resilient companions. Every step we take with them has meaning, from early neurological work to the first little mazes they wobble through. Our goal is simple: to give each puppy the strongest, healthiest start we can before they head off to their forever families.

Australian Labradoodle puppy exploring bright chew toys in the whelping box at Bluevale Meadows

Early Neurological Work, Early Scent Introduction & Purposeful Handling

We begin Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) and Early Scent Introduction (ESI) with our puppies as early as day 3. These gentle exercises help support healthy brain development, resilience, and confidence as the puppies grow.

As ENS and ESI wrap up, we move into our 10 Steps to Purposeful Handling. This is where puppies learn that human hands near their eyes, nose, ears, paws, toes, tail, and collar are safe and normal. It’s simple work, but it makes a world of difference — preparing them for a lifetime of being handled by groomers, veterinarians, and the people who love them.

Australian Labradoodle puppy sniffing a small container during scent work at Bluevale Meadows
Australian Labradoodle puppy sniffing a stuffed frog toy at Bluevale Meadows

Let the Fun Begin… Early Exposure, New Textures & Potty‑Spot Imprinting

Once the puppies are about two and a half weeks old, the real fun begins. We start introducing them to age‑appropriate sights, sounds, and experiences — always gently, always with intention. Weeks 2.5 to 4 include brief loud noises, new daily items in the whelping box, different tactile surfaces under their feet, and a designated place to go potty.

This early work helps imprint the idea that there’s a spot for that — a simple concept that lays the groundwork for future potty training.

Leaving the Den & Crate Imprinting

Once the puppies are ready to “leave the den,” we introduce two styles of crates for their naps and nighttime sleep. They take to them gladly. Seeking out a cozy, enclosed space is a natural behaviour for puppies, so we offer both a wire crate and a travel‑style crate and let them choose which they prefer.

This early crate imprinting helps them see the crate as a safe, restful place — not something to fear or resist. It makes the transition into their new homes much easier for both puppy and family.

Australian Labradoodle puppy sniffing a stuffed duck toy at Bluevale Meadows
Australian Labradoodle puppies sniffing a sensory mobile at Bluevale Meadows

Obstacle Objects & Mazes to Help Build Confidence

Around weeks 4 and 5, we begin daily obstacle work with the puppies. This is where their little personalities really start to shine. We guide them through fun mazes and introduce “up, over, and under” objects of different shapes, sizes, and tactile surfaces. They continue to hear new sounds each day as part of their growing world.

They also learn that there is a time for play and a time for rest. Daily nap time is important — it gives their brains the chance to absorb everything they’ve just learned and helps them build confidence without becoming overwhelmed.

Stepping It Up & Imprinting a Recall Along the Way

By weeks 6, 7, and 8, the puppies are ready for a little more challenge — and they love it. At this age, they’re confident enough to take on new experiences with enthusiasm, and we step in only to cheer them on when needed. From free‑play areas in and around our home and gardens to obstacle courses with no turning back, they’re eager to explore it all.

Alongside this, we layer in common‑sense early training: imprinting a solid recall, introducing the beginnings of “sit,” and encouraging natural manding behaviours. These simple foundations help shape a puppy who is eager and willing to learn, setting them up beautifully for the training that will continue in their new homes.

Australian Labradoodle puppy exploring a sensory mobile at Bluevale Meadows

Ready for the Next Phase of Life

By nine weeks old, our puppies are ready to take on the next steps in socialization and family life with you. To help bridge the gap between leaving us and starting a formal puppy class elsewhere, we provide our families with a complimentary first month of access to the Dunbar Training Academy. This allows new owners to continue their puppy’s learning from the moment they arrive home, keeping the momentum going during those important early weeks.

Nutrition That Supports a Lifetime of Health

Feeding our puppies isn’t just about filling a bowl — it’s about building a foundation for lifelong wellness. Nutrition plays a critical role in early development, immune strength, and long‑term vitality. At Bluevale Meadows, we believe in feeding real, species‑appropriate food that reflects how dogs are designed to eat. We don’t follow trends or marketing claims — we follow biology, instinct, and the lived experience of raising healthy dogs.

Below, you’ll find an overview of how we feed our puppies, why we choose real food, and how we guide families in continuing that journey at home.

What Food Do We Give Our Puppies?

As someone who holds a certificate in Canine Nutrition, I believe it’s incredibly important to give our dogs — and especially our puppies — a species‑appropriate diet. This doesn’t always mean dry kibble. In fact, kibble can be one of the worst things you feed your dog if it isn’t ethically sourced or made with high‑quality ingredients. Rendered, processed kibble is exactly that: processed. Terms like “animal digest,” “meat meal,” “by‑products,” and the many names for corn leave most pet owners wondering what those ingredients actually are — and for good reason.

A canine’s jaw is designed to tear, shred, and shear muscle and cartilage from the bones of its prey. Their teeth work like scissors, their throats expand for large portions of gulped food, and their stomach acidity is far higher than ours. Unlike humans, dogs don’t “chew” their food, nor do they have the same digestive enzymes in their mouths — particularly amylase, which breaks down starches. Many processed kibbles contain over 60% carbohydrates, and for a carnivore, that poses a real problem.

Dogs thrive on protein, fat, and bone.

Is Kibble an Option? Yes — When Chosen Carefully

We feed raw here at Bluevale Meadows. Our dogs and puppies are currently on Performance Raw, which provides a balanced foundation of meat, organ, and bone, along with a few natural supplements already included to round things out. We rotate through a variety of proteins within their recipes to give our dogs the nutritional diversity they’re designed to thrive on.

When it comes to kibble, we use it sparingly — and very intentionally.

The only kibble we offer is Carna4 baked, and it’s given exclusively to our mums. This isn’t for their nutrition (they’re primarily on raw), but for something far more fascinating: scent imprinting. From the second trimester through nursing, whatever a mother dog eats is passed to her puppies through amniotic fluid, through her milk, and even through the scent on her breath. Puppies learn what is “safe to eat” long before they ever touch a bowl.

So when a puppy later encounters that same familiar scent in kibble form, they recognize it as safe because it smells like mum. It’s remarkable how strong this early imprinting is, and there are some wonderful studies that explore this in depth.

Carna4 is one of the few baked, minimally processed kibbles available — and importantly, they do not use synthetic vitamins or minerals to balance their food. Instead, they rely on sprouted micro‑greens to provide naturally occurring nutrients. Even with that, we’re cautious. Some of their recipes contain brown rice, and we’ve seen sensitivities to that ingredient in a few of our lines — and for good reason. Rice simply doesn’t belong in a dog’s bowl. It offers very little nutritional value to a carnivore, and it converts quickly to sugar. In a dog’s system, excess sugar becomes inflammatory, which can trigger an overproduction of histamine. That inflammation often shows up as an itchy dog. Because of this, we stick to the Carna4 blends that do not contain rice.

And while we understand that kibble is easy — and real food can feel confusing for new pet parents — our puppies’ very first meals are real food. They begin life here with fresh, species‑appropriate nutrition, not processed pellets. The small amount of Carna4 they’re exposed to is simply to help them recognize the scent later on, not to replace the foundation of real food they start with.

When your puppy goes home, they’ll bring a small manufacturer’s bag of the Carna4 baked kibble they’ve been exposed to, along with guidance for continuing with fresh food meals, toppers, or even a full raw diet if you choose to feed that way.

Help and Guidance in Feeding Real Food

We guide our families in preparing real food if they choose to, or we offer simple suggestions for topping the bowl with fresh, species‑appropriate options. With so many health issues now being linked to processed kibble, we highly recommend adding real food to your puppy’s bowl — even if it’s just a small amount to start.

Many in the industry have said this, and I’ll repeat it here because it’s true:
“If your doctor told you to eat only a highly processed diet, you’d think they were crazy. Yet that’s exactly what we’re told to do for our dogs.”

Ingredient panels filled with unrecognizable items, endless fillers and starches, synthetic vitamin and mineral packs, and the promise of “real meat flavours” are not what a carnivore is built to thrive on.

A few eye‑opening facts:

If a food says “with chicken,” it only needs to contain up to 3% chicken — and that could be carcass, feet, or feathers, not the beautiful chicken breast pictured on the bag.

If the ingredient list simply says “Chicken,” then it must contain 28% chicken.

AAFCO does not list carbohydrates as a required nutrient — yet carbs make up the bulk of many kibbles. Why? Because they’re cheaper than meat protein. Plain and simple.

So when a brand says their food meets the “minimum” AAFCO requirements, that’s often exactly what it means — the minimum, not the optimum levels a dog needs to truly thrive.

For these stats and the many (well over a thousand) studies on canine nutrition, I highly recommend the book “Feeding Dogs” by Dr. Conor Brady. His website is also packed with excellent information, and his Masterclass on Canine Nutrition is absolutely brilliant — truly a must for any pet parent wanting to feed their dog (or cat) real food. 
Visit www.drconorbrady.com to access his course.

Building & Maintaining a Healthy, Robust Microbiome and Immune System

Our hope is always to see our puppies thrive throughout their entire lives, and a major part of that begins with what goes into their bowl. From the very first food we give them, it’s important to support the development of a strong, healthy gut — the microbiome. Are you aware that roughly 80% of a dog’s immune system lives in their gut? (It’s the same for us, too.)

Healthy, nutritious real food — from meat, organ, and bone to appropriate vegetables — provides everything a growing canine needs. Real food is biologically available, species‑appropriate, and exactly what their bodies are designed to digest.

But variety is key to building a resilient microbiome.

We start our puppies on a simple, lightly cooked mix of real food, paired with a gentle transition to fresh goat’s milk. We fortify the milk with healthy omegas such as eggs and/or coconut MCT oil. They happily lap it up, and it gives their developing digestive systems a beautiful, nourishing start.

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Wingham, ON, Canada