Ethically and Responsibly Bred, Health Tested Golden Retrievers for ALL
Est 2019 - Boise, Idaho
We Do Things a Little Different Around Here
Inspired by health, longevity, and stability
We raise our pups
1) Holistically- no harsh chemicals/ pesticides/ herbicides
2) We implement puppy culture, ENS, ESI/ T/S
3) We test puppies with the Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test at 7 weeks old
4) We DO NOT remove our puppies dew-claws
Health
No Harsh Chemicals, Pesticides or Herbicides
All of our breeding dogs are health tested to CHIC standards! Learn more HERE
We follow and recommend the Dr. Jean Dodd vaccination protocol, accepted by the Animal Health Foundation and taught at 27 Veterinary schools in the USA.
We encourage owners to vaccinate between 10 and 12 weeks, when maternal antibodies are not inhibiting any immune responses. We vaccinate our own dogs at 12 weeks, and then titer throughout their lives to ensure they are protected.
Learn more HERE
We submit fecal samples for each puppy at 4 and 9 weeks of age. If samples come back positive, we will de-worm the entire litter, but if the samples do not detect the presence of worms, casts, or eggs, we do not deworm the puppies before they leave for new homes.
Of course,
WE WILL MAKE EXCEPTIONS if requested, or preferred and we offer the option for puppy buyers to have their puppies vaccinated with DAPP before they go to new homes.
We will also provide a copy of a genetic inheritable disease test IF we are breeding a dog who is a known carrier of an inheritable genetic disease. We will NEVER produce puppies that will be at risk of inheriting a testable genetic disease.
The Puppy Culture Program
Creating resilient and stable minded puppies
From early on we use puppy culture to shape confident puppies who tackle obstacles head on without fear. This method of raising puppies is called Puppy Culture, invented by Jane Killion. Puppy Culture is a program developed by Jane Killion, professional dog trainer and breeder. It is a comprehensive, organized program for breeders to follow during the first weeks of a puppy’s life. By doing just the right things at just the right time, we can give your puppy the best start possible.Puppy culture protocols include puppies staying with their littermate and their mother until 10 weeks of age, this allows us to help our puppies learn critical skills they will need for the next step of their lives, such as bite inhibition, potty training, sitting when they want something instead of jumping or barking, leash manners, crate training and learning how to interact with adult dogs.
ENS: Early Neurological Stimulation
Shaping confident puppies ready to take on the world
ENS:
Early Neurological Stimulation was developed by the US military and believed by experts to enhance the natural abilities of dogs and give them a superior advantage. It involves subjecting pups aged 3-16 days to 5 forms of stimulation that lead to small amounts of “stress.” It is said to benefit puppy development in 5 ways:
Improved heart rate
Stronger heartbeats
Stronger adrenal glands
Better tolerance to stress
Greater resistance to disease
It involves 5 different exercises:
Tactical stimulation-stimulate the bottom of the paw pads with a cotton swab
Hold puppy's head up for 3-5 seconds
Hold puppy's head gently down for 3-5 seconds
Hold puppy on his back for 3-5 seconds
Put puppy's belly down on a cool towel for 3-5 seconds
ESI and T/S
Early Scent Introduction and Textures/ Sounds
Early Scent Introduction (ESI) is done in conjunction with the ENS training. ESI is designed to enhance puppy's ability to identify and react to specific scents and work the area in a dog's brain that processes information submitted by the nose. This area in the brain is 40 times larger than in a humans brain.
How ESI is done:
A new and novel scent is introduced to the pups each day starting at Day 3 & ending Day 16 of puppy's life. We use smells that pups may encounter in their future lives, jobs, and sports, such as birds feathers, essential oils, leather, rope, game animals, antlers, plants, etc..
T/S: Textures and Sounds:
Different textures and sounds are introduced to the puppies around the age of 3-4 weeks old. We bring in different materials such as stones, tiles, fabrics, wood, and play a number of different sounds for them to listen to, traffic sounds, alarms, animals, events, airplanes, thunder storms, winds, chimes, etc..
The Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test
Developed by the Guide Dog Foundation in 1930!
These tests determined that it was indeed possible to predict future behavioral traits of adult dogs by testing puppies at 49 days of age. Testing before or after that age affected the accuracy of the test, depending on the time before or after the 49th day. We took these tests, added some of our own, and put together what is now known as the Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test, or PAT. PAT uses a scoring system from 1-6 and consists of ten tests. The tests are done consecutively and in the order listed. Each test is scored separately, and interpreted on its own merits. The scores are not averaged, and there are no winners or losers. The entire purpose is to select the right puppy for the right home.
The test are as follows:
Social Attraction - degree of social attraction to people, confidence or dependence.
Following - willingness to follow a person.
Restraint - degree of dominant or submissive tendency, and ease of handling in difficult situations.
Social Dominance - degree of acceptance of social dominance by a person.
Elevation - degree of accepting dominance while in a position of no control, such as at the veterinarian or groomer.
Retrieving - degree of willingness to do something for you. Together with Social Attraction and Following a key indicator for ease or difficulty in training.
Touch Sensitivity - degree of sensitivity to touch and a key indicator to the type of training equipment required.
Sound Sensitivity - degree of sensitivity to sound, such as loud noises or thunderstorms.
Sight Sensitivity - degree of response to a moving object, such as chasing bicycles, children or squirrels.
Stability - degree of startle response to a strange object.
Why Dew-Claws are Essential!
!Why we DO NOT remove our puppies dew-claws!
FROM MYCNTRYE REHABILITATION CENTER:
"Dewclaw removal is a common practice for many North American dog breeders and owners but questions are raised over the appropriateness of removal. Amongst our European counterparts' removal of dewclaws is a rare occurrence. So what is the dewclaw and why is removing it something we should reconsider?
What is the dewclaw?
All dogs are born with a toenail on the inside of their front legs called the dewclaw. When looking at a dog's foot the toes that make contact with the ground are essentially the pinky, ring, middle, and index fingers - the dewclaws are like the thumb. Feeling the nail you should be able to move the dewclaw a little (forwards and backwards) and you'll probably be able to feel the tendons that connect the nail to the leg. The presence of these tendons suggests that the front dewclaw has a function and that removal of the front dewclaw may have lifelong consequences for our dogs.
There are some breeds (Great Pyrenees, Saint Bernard, and Briards) that are born with dewclaws on all four legs or even double dewclaws on the rear leg. Some believe that the presence of rear dewclaws on the Great Pyrenees was purposely bred to give greater stability when working on rough terrain and snow. However, in most breeds the presence of a rear dewclaw is rare and are often non-functional meaning that there is no tendon attaching. When feeling the rear dewclaws you'll be able to move the nail more freely as they're often only attached by skin.
When standing, the front dewclaw may not appear to be functional because it doesn't come in contact with the ground but observing the dewclaw when the dog is in motion tells a different story.
The function of front dewclaws
Picture
Five tendons attach to the dewclaw and play an important role when the dog is in motion. For example:
When a dog’s lead leg is on the ground during the gallop or canter, the dewclaw is on the ground to stabilize the carpus
When a dog turns, the dewclaw digs into the ground to support the structures of the limb and prevent torque
Some dogs also use their dewclaws to help them climb trees and out of water, or hold items as they chew
If a dog does not have dewclaws, there is a higher potential for the carpal ligaments to stretch and tear which could result in laxity and arthritis over time (OUCH!). This can then result in more stress being generated through the dog's carpus, elbow, shoulder, and spine as it tries to compensate for the lack of digit.
Previous research has thought that our dog’s third and fourth digit were the most important due to their central location within the feet and due to their length in comparison to other toes but research has shown that substantial weight is also placed on the fifth pad and on the metacarpophalangeal and metatarsophalangeal pads. This observation was also found within the present study with digit 5 seeing the most amount of injury. The researchers suggested that forces applied when dogs are turning at high speeds on the agility course may act as repetitive stressors to digits 3, 4, and 5 and that these digits may be of more importance to athletic function than previously recognized.
Of particular note is the research found that the first digit (the dewclaw) was at a low risk of injury. The results of the study suggested that the removal of the dewclaws in the forelimb may be a risk factor for injury to other digits. The front dewclaws may have a function in preventing torque on the limb, and as such, the removal of dewclaws may predispose the dog to injury."