How Sunshine Acres Beagle Puppies are raised

(A tricolor Newborn beagle puppy! This one has a white muzzle and medium blaze)

Sunshine Acres Beagles

Our family's devotion
to hand-raising
companion beagle puppies for approved indoor pet homes.

Raising indoor family-oriented beagle puppies for companion pet homes is a mission that requires unlimited devotion at all hours of the day and night. When one thinks of raising puppies, the focus may often rest on the privilege of cuddling such adorable babybeagles, which is an enjoyment beyond words. The magnitude, however, of properly raising these little family members from the day they enter this world to the day they are ready to enter their forever homes to begin adapting and learning the ways of their unique lifelong household is an unparalleled aspiration that has fully captivated our very lives.

The nature of our homey, family raised puppies really makes a wonderful difference as they go into responsible pet homes. We start them off right, hand raising our babies from birth, and bringing our infants into the comforted and loving family atmosphere from the start. As each puppy is born into the world, we are right there with the new mommy, comforting her and helping her along the way in our Whelping Room/ Nursery room which we had built 5 year ago as an addition to our new home on acreage woods.

As a mom and two kids, we have worked hard all of our lives towards our dreams for Sunshine Acres, and have come a long way over the years and are proud of what we have accomplished. Building the whelping nursery room was definitely a major help in our efforts, whereas before moms had their puppies in our bathroom floor, now they have their own areas inside with automatic waterers and doggy doors to go outside and get exercise as they please, helping the production of milk for their babies. The newborns have comfy sheets that rest upon warm heating pads, beneath the comforting glow of heating lamps which can be turned on or off as needed. These first two weeks consists primarily of nursing & sleeping, and we are cooking up plenty of nutrient rich, milk-producing treats and food for mom to eat while constantly nursing & taking care of their newborns. We make watching over (and snuggling!) the newborns our number one priority during this crucial time. Throughout each and every day we pick up our puppies, cuddle them, and talk to them. We truly believe they can hear us even during those infant days; their eyes may be closed those first 2 weeks of life, but those ears are often seen perking up at our voice, an always enchanting sight to see.

As they open their eyes around 2 weeks old, this time when we hold them, they can see who we are! They stare with those big, innocent eyes and have this look on their face as though they are thinking “It’s you, I know you, wow…” They are just taking it all in and connecting the dots, remembering our touch from their first weeks of life. It’s the most amazing thing to see, and such an honor to be a part of.

That 3rd week with newly opened eyes, the puppies are getting up, interacting with each other and learning even more about gentle human contact. They have been handled and spoken to from birth, and once their eyes open they can begin learning from their human caregivers.

Teeth start coming in at 3 weeks, and over the week mommies begin spending less and less time constantly tending to the puppies & cleaning up after them. The puppies start eating canned Eukanuba &/or Iams Puppy food for a few days, then with dry Small Breed Puppy mixed in, until finally learning to eat just the dry kibble and drink water versus momma's milk. We introduce them to their toys, and consistently remind them that their toys are good to chew on and play with. During this time they have begun socializing, and focusing on their human caregivers rather than mother Dog for all their needs, and learn to look to humans for both love and instruction.

By the time they leave our home & hands, she is out of the picture, making for a much easier transition to life in a human family.

We begin the babies on learning to use paper, and keep their bed clean. When they go onto the paper to go, we say “hurry up” so they can begin associating that word with go to the bathroom, making for easier potty breaks in the future if consistently used in their new home. We place a clean sheet of newspaper over where they went, and the next time the go onto the paper they will walk over that area and then be able to smell where they had gone previously. Since dogs are scent triggered, they will know they are to go there again for hurry-ups. Then we periodically clean out the whole setup and start over with fresh paper and bed so that the room is always pleasant smelling!

We give our puppies de-wormer at 2 weeks old, and do so routinely every 2 weeks- worms & eggs can be easily picked up in the soil by any dog anywhere and the whole process can start all over, so we give it regardless of whether they have them or not. We like to do the puppies’ shots in front of their new owner, and put the label off of the vial onto the health records so that the customer can tell their vet that they saw the shot done and won’t be forced to repeat that shot for a fee, which some vets do on the basis that many breeders say they do shots but didn’t. Therefore we like to do it in front of the person so folks know it was done, and can more easily avoid that unnecessary expense. The label also shows exactly what is in the shots so the vet can see what has been given.

We tend to our puppies’ needs with all our time, guidance, & the best we can offer, just as we expect from the devoted pet homes they go into, once they're ready to bond & begin learning about their forever pack’s order. At this innocent yet attentive homecoming stage, they are eager to learn from everything around them, and they absorb interaction like a sponge, making it one of the best times to introduce them to lifelong habits.

As puppies develop, they will seek masters who can show them the right way to living a long healthy & happy lifestyle, and they trust following those masters who prove to make the best decisions for the pack as a whole, therefore it is important for the forever family to guide their adaptation to the unique home & lifestyle, so the puppy can more easily understand that this human pack has boundaries for a reason- for the good of the pack, and can learn what they need to do to fit in & start living in harmony!

From their first day home they will begin learning the best way to fit into their unique pack, and can adapt to any lifestyle that they begin learning from. This is the time to guide their adaptation; Be a responsible master for your learning and growing puppy by understanding each situation, responding correctly so that your puppy understands the pack lesson, & committing to a responsible instruction plan. You can lead the way with the benefit of our years of experience raising companion beagle pets.

As an approved pet home who has made that sincere commitment to becoming a sunshine acres family, you will have access to our years of accumulated advice, and follow our Guidance in taking over the wonderful responsibility of raising your new family-oriented sunshine beagle baby, and shaping them into your very own unique Companion Pet for everyone’s harmonious enjoyment for the years to come!

We start them off right, and now its up to you to continue raising your new baby beagle.

Review the Advice on our Guidance pages

so that everyone is prepared to start things off on the right foot from the beginning,
when it’s the easiest to establish lifelong habits in your forever pack.

We hand raise our baby beagles in our home, not in cages like many breeders...

We don't use wire floor pens off the ground, or boring and monotonous cement floor kennel runs with chain link fences, or like other breeders do...

WE believe this is why our pups are well socialized with children,
and other animals to fit into family life & a great pet lifestyle!

(Pups from 3 different litters hang out on the bed with the kids while they watch a movie.)

dogs raised in cages, or kennel runs, are not often handled and can be nervous, and uneasy with new people or animals.

When you purchase a Sunshine acres beagle puppy, you receive a new puppy care package from the Iams and Eukanuba company with a book on what to do for your new family member, a bag of the food they have been eating, a health folder with the pups health records showing shots, including the labels off the shot vials, de-wormings, and vet follow-up dates. Current shot series done, health folders provided. We provide proof of shots vs most local breeders who don't. This saves you having to repeat those vet visits for shots and wormings.

If you hadn't already sent your own choice of toys for your new family member to enjoy while growing up here, we often include toys, greenies or rawhide chews as we have them if you'd like, so that they have something familiar to play with. You are welcome to bring a blanket, or toy to rub on the littermates or send something to go in with the litter to take home with their scent, so the first night away from home isn't so hard.

Dewclaws are removed whenever possible, to make nail cutting easier. Already started going on paper and outside, and used to being around the family indoors vs cheap caged pups from local hunters. Easy to keep new puppy in a bath floor or laundry room etc. less shedding coats, less bathing required, no hound odors. Less exercise required when from show champ, and indoor companion dogs than our competitors Hunting hound variety who want to get out and use their noses to track animals..

Our pups are kid cuddled cuties from AKC show champion bloodline origins, not caged hunting stock. That results in a Big difference in desire to stay home with the family. The majority of our customers have had a beagle growing up or had one in recent years and most who have had the hunting variety don't want to repeat that mistake and recognize the difference.

All our adult dogs & ancestors are American Kennel Club registered so you know they come from Purebred Pedigreed Parents. We provide copies of both parents/ancestor's papers to our customers to verify this. In order to avoid other breeders from trying to purchase and use our pet only puppies in their breeding programs we do not individually register the litters. We do not sell our pets to hunters or breeders, only pet homes, so our dogs are DNA tested to prevent breeding of our very special less shedding and rare colored house pets. Even having one litter by one of our Sunshine Acres Beagles is not allowed, and we will not make exceptions or grant individuals registration of their puppy in order to do this.

Our sincere wish is that each one of our babies just be a spoiled pampered house pet in a Loving family home!

(All our Adult Dogs we own, and have purchased for selective breeding have always been pure bred AKC Registered Beagles over the past 16 years, in the development of our Sunshine Acres Beagle Indoor raised family Pet bloodline. )

In the event the mother or father of a litter came from the breeding of two registered parents and their pups were not registered we will be happy to provide the grandparents papers to show they are from purebred beagle ancestors. the papers arent why our customers buy their family pet from us... the many hours we spend with their future family member, and the years of selective breeding to achieve the best coats, and temperaments and desireable qualities for indoor companionship are what make our puppies so special folks come back for more !

Other beagle breeders in our area dont have pups during the cold months due to the fact that their dogs are out in cages up off the ground and its nearly impossible to heat those open cages for newborns to survive outside the way they raise pups in wire boxes vs indoors, like we raise our baby beagles on heated whelping areas with heat lamps in the ceiling above for warmth.

our moms get a whelping area with a doggie door that allows them to go out when they like they have automatic water so its always fresh, and as the puppies get old enough we move them away from mom for short periods onto paper in a low box with a bed and toys on one side..

a bathtub also works well... just so they have a choice of bed, or go onto paper ... we pick them up as youngsters and put them on the paper so they learn to go after naps, and food, or water... within 5-10 min. a pup will need to go... then as they learn this they spend less and less time with their mom until they are weaned from her. Once this is accomplished they move to a higher oak box, or tub, and spend some time alone, and with other pups ...to socialize them.

as you can see this pup is sitting in a bathtub with a cuddler bed on one end and paper on the other side..

this is the easy way to housebreak a new pup. when you have time take them outdoors too, and soon they are going to the door to go out..

I met with a couple recently who said they wanted one of our puppies because of the previous beagle they got from a hunter... they told us it was so hard to housebreak it took a year and then wasnt trustworthy , they too felt it was the wire floors when they are learning to go that made it not see the reprecusions of going where you sleep... it just drops through.. no labor involved for the hunter/breeder who raised it that way , but alot more work for the new family teaching it manners and cleanliness in the home !

Started in the tub our pups are easy to train when you have time ...they can be taken outside at the same time as going on paper without confusing them, you know that after meals , water , naptime, or playtime.. they will need to either be put on their paper confined area, or taken to the grassy area you have chosen for them.....pick one area of the yard to go to and take them there each time at first ...

they can learn paper is when you are busy, and outside is when you can take them for a walk..

Our Sunshine acres beagle puppies are family raised to be indoor pets .

Starting with a puppy raised in a cage like other breeders do it in the section above, is more difficult..
You must take it outside whenever it needs to go ! It hasnt used paper before ...

-vs -

Ours going on its own on paper at 4 am. in your bathtub for the first few weeks, till old enough to hold it all night ,

and then moving into a crate , or bed with You !

( we offer helpful hints on how to housebreak the day you pick up your puppy )

RULED BY THEIR HEARTS NOT THEIR NOSE !

Even though your family has no plans to show- the fact that the pups are out of show dogs back in their ancestry means, your puppy won't display the instincts of a field trial beagle, hunting, howling, the hound odors, and worst of all escaping your home and yard to go track prey, rather they have been raised as family companions for many years inside the home with no emphasis placed on tracking ability or instinct in the breeding, and will be loyal loving lap dogs, not howling hunting dogs.

	Some families have gone home and made their own box from wood, to be able to have their pup in the main room with them at first when they bring it home... this is a great idea ! Especially if your family is waiting to take one home .. there is time to locate everything and make it.. one family said it was a nice family project to make while they waited on their choice to be old enough to come stay in it !!	ok, I know , I know... My favorite "Grace" likes to be in all the pictures she can... LOL !! especially since she and I are constantly doing things together.. she is such a great companion ... going everywhere i go from room to room !