JDV Foundations

Puppy Whelping to Raising

Joie De Vie Beaucerons is committed to giving our puppies the best possible start in life to prepare them for a smooth transition into their future homes.  Our goal is to nurture each puppy into a social, happy, confident, eager to work/show, and healthy new member of your family! We use the following methods to accomplish our goals for their foundation:  Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS), Puppy Training - The Von Falconer Way, and the Rule of 7.  Those methods will be detailed below. We also implement drive development and teach the puppies to use a doggy door before leaving our home. 

Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS)

Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) is a process that introduces mild stresses to very young puppies in a controlled way. These stresses help stimulate the neurological system which improves the growth and development of the pup’s immune system, cardiovascular system, and stress tolerance.  ENS is done for 2 consecutive weeks starting 3 days after the puppies are born. The process consists of 5 simple and harmless exercises, which are: tactile stimulation, lying in the supine position, held with head held up, tilted upside down, and thermal stimulation. Each exercise is done for 3-5 seconds and the entire process takes about 30 seconds. Tactile stimulation is done by gently tickling or touching in between each of the pup’s toes with a Q-tip. The supine position is achieved by holding the pup in both hands belly up (some pups squirm in this position so a solid but gentle two handed hold is necessary). To hold the pup with head up simply hold the pup in both hands so that the tail is pointed to the ground and the head is above the tail towards the ceiling. From the Head held up position tilt the pup over and hold so the head is towards the ground and the tail is towards the ceiling. You’ll need a damp cool towel for the thermal stimulation. You lay the pup right side up with its belly on the damp cool towel.

These 5 painless and simple exercises are done to prepare our pups for their life’s journey. Only 30 seconds a day for 2 weeks and we see a great improvement in their immune systems and stress tolerances. We will do Early Neurological Stimulation on our pups because of the proven benefits and know it helps them grown into lovable canine citizens.

Puppy Training - The Von Falconer Way

Day 22-28 - single most important week in a puppy’s lifetime

  • Now aware of his environment, he learns to accept discipline & learns submission.

  • Touch conditioning every day this week: very quick touch of each puppy twice a day.

  • Introduce puppy toys of all different materials. Rubber, vinyl, plastic squeak toys, metal, glass (small brown vitamin pill bottles with no lid), Leather, and fabric (long sock tied in 2 knots). Do not skip any of the materials. 

  • Guard the puppies against trauma of any kind. The puppy can be moved for about 30 minutes to a new environment but keep the main environment the same and make sure they are there most often.

Day 29-35 - Sound conditioning:

  • Make loud bangs 4 times a day when puppies are sleeping, eating, playing, but NOT while they are looking at you or coming towards you.

  • Play recordings of babies crying, trains, crowds, traffic. etc. The dam should be away from the puppies while this is being done.

  • Introduce stable male as “daddy” to teach them different perspectives from the start.

Day 36-42 The Following Response: 5 minutes daily per pup up to week 7 with no one around

  • Take each pup separately to a large grassy area. Place pup on grass and walk away without speaking or looking. Go 10 feet, stop, face the pup, and wait quietly.

  • Clap hands, move body back and forth until he sees you and approaches.

  • Hold the pups head in your hands for 3-4 seconds, then walk away slowly again.

  • Repeat over and over until the pup follows you when you walk away.

  • Continue sound conditioning and introduce new people, animals, wheelchairs, strollers, and children.

Rule of 7

Dr. Carmen Battaglia created the Rule of 7’s as a guide to increase a puppy’s exposure.  Make sure your puppy is current on all shots before taking him out into a strange area.  By the time a puppy is 3 months, make sure he has:

  1. Been on 7 different types of surfaces:  tile, vinyl, linoleum, carpet, gravel, concrete, wood, grass, dirt, and wood chips.

  2. Been in 7 different locations:  living room, front & back yard, hallway, basement, car, garage, laundry room, bathroom, kitchen, kids room, Vet’s office, groomers.

  3. Eaten in 7 different locations:  exercise pen, yard, bathroom, basement, laundry room, living room, back yard.

  4. Met and played with 7 new people:  include someone in a hat, walking with a cane or in a wheelchair or walker, children and older adults.

  5. Been exposed to 7 challenges:  go through a tunnel, climb on a box, go up and down steps, run around a fence, over obstacles, play hide and seek, go in and out of a doorway with a step up or down.

  6. Eaten from 7 different containers:  human hands, plastic, cardboard, frisbee, pie plate, tin pan, frying pan, elevated bowl.

  7. Played with 7 different types of objects:  sticks, big balls, small balls, rope toys, soft fabric toys, squeaky toys, plush toys, paper or cardboard items, and metal items.

Each new, positive experience will help your puppy flourish into a confident companion.  Allow your puppy to learn passively by letting them explore on their own, but make sure he is 100% supervised and that it is a controlled environment.  Be very careful not to break the bond of trust by using harsh training methods. Training should be viewed as fun and positive. The rule of 7 helps boost confidence, social behavior, and their train-ability.

 Puppy FAQ

  • -Vaccinations up to date

    -Deworming up to date

    -AKC registration

    -Microchip

    -Written health guarantee

    -Optional ear crop for pet puppies

    -Extensive socialization

    -4 weeks of doggy door training

    -Daily support with ear posting of cropped ears

    -Ongoing education and advice about the breed, nutrition, and training

    -JDV family: connect with other JDV Beaucerons for support and fun sharing in our private JDV owner Facebook group

    -Lifetime support to buyer, will always take the dog back if he/she is no longer wanted or able to be cared for

  • Click here for Pet Companion Contract.

    Click here for Show Contract.

  • JDV Beauceron puppies are between $2500-3000.

    $1500 for Cropping **optional

    $750 Deposit for Health Testing at 24 months

  • We offer a written health guarantee and hip dysplasia warranty as described in our puppy contract. More on our Application page.

  • AKC registration may not be transferred, and the Dog may not be re-homed without breeder's written consent.

    Joie De Vie Beaucerons will, in all cases, take back any dog which is no longer wanted and/or cannot be kept by the Buyer(s).

    In the case of a Return, all shipping/transportation costs are the sole responsibility of the Buyer(s). Buyer(s) agrees to provide Joie De Vie Beaucerons with the AKC Registration Certificate correctly signed, at or before the time of return. Joie De Vie Beaucerons shall have the absolute right to demand rescission of any transfer in violation of this paragraph, and shall be entitled to immediate return of the dog with the AKC Registration Certificate correctly signed. The Dog may not be euthanized without Breeder's written consent.

  • When you buy a JDV Beauceron you are not just purchasing a dog but becoming a part of the JDV family.

    This means you will have daily support with ear posting of cropped ears, ongoing education and advice about the breed, nutrition, and training, invitation to the JDV family private owner Facebook group, lifetime support from us, and we will always take the dog back if he/she is no longer wanted or able to be cared for.

    We offer endless support to our owners to ensure that every puppy develops as they should into ideal companions like their parents, grandparents, and generations preceding them. 

  • We are not a large "kennel" and we do not breed as a career.  We are a household in a suburban neighborhood, and our dogs all live inside with us as part of our family. 

    Our puppies are born in a private nursery area inside our home. Puppies spend ages 4 through 8 weeks living in our kitchen where they learn to use the doggy door as a head start on potty training.  We focus a tremendous amount on building the confidence of our litters by exposing them to new people, noises, surfaces, and environments constantly, all while growing up in a family home environment.

    They get extensive socialization with our young children, neighborhood kids, and with friends of all ages that come over to visit and play with them.  After 6 week age, we take them on daily trips to nursing homes, schools, hardware stores, outdoor malls, and hiking in the hills behind our neighborhood.  We want to make certain that every new owner is committed to continuing this critically important socialization throughout the first 6 months of life.

    We offer endless support to new owners, to ensure that every puppy develops as they should to become ideal companions, like their parents, grandparents, and generations preceding them. 

  • Please submit the Puppy Application and once you’re approved a $750 deposit to get on our wait list. We receive a high volume of applications every day and only consider those with thorough responses. We will call you to proceed if we think you could be a good fit for one of our dogs. After speaking with you, we might invite you to submit a deposit. Follow-up interviews will be conducted with each person who has submitted a deposit after the puppies have been evaluated for drive and conformation between 6-8 weeks of age. Deposits are refunded in the case that we feel we do not have a puppy to match your goals and lifestyle, if you choose not to wait for another litter.

    We give special priority to professional trainers wanting a demo dog, and applicants in Las Vegas, California, Utah, or Arizona that are willing to let us show the dog.

  • We match the right puppy to the right home. Puppies are matched according to their potential compatibility with the lifestyles, desired activities, and goals of applicants, not necessarily in the order of deposits received. Structure and temperament evaluations will be performed by unbiased third party professionals between 7-8 weeks of age, and they can go to their new homes at 8 weeks of age. We are not willing to make placement decisions prior to evaluations.

  • We offer continued socialization, potty training, and ear posting beyond 8 weeks of age for $100/week.  We can also facilitate specific high-level training, such as service dog work or scent work with one of our trusted professional trainers before they go to live with you.  Fees depend on your individual goals and the duration of training.

    Please visit our training page to read more.