My mission is to ethically provide healthy, well-mannered, and beautiful Golden Retriever puppies to individuals and families. All of my dogs are part of our family and they are loved and cared for in our home. They do not live in kennels and cages outside or in closed-off bedrooms. Furthermore, I use genetic testing, breed-specific conformation standards, and health clearances to guide mating selections. I personally train all my dogs and puppies and do my best to ensure a warm, loving and stimulating environment. Furthermore, I am always looking for ways to seek out innovation and design to seize all opportunities to teach puppies boundaries and what is expected of them in the short time they are with me. I provide the highest-quality nutrition and supplementation which is optimal for general health, bright eyes, solid bones and soft and shiny coats.
Please be sure to check our exciting news regarding the upcoming litter featuring the famous “Daniel the Golden Retriever” GCH CH HILLOCK’S JACK DANIELS who was the first Golden Retriever to ever win a Best in Sport at the Westminster in 2020. I am pairing this famously stunning boy with our incredibly intelligent field retriever Jolly June-Bug! With her brains and his beauty, this little group of Goldies will not disappoint! You can go directly to my AKC page for more details here.
Please carefully look over my website to learn as much as you can about my program. I do my best to convey as much information as I can that I think would be of interest to you to help you be the best Golden Retriever owner you can be!
The following video depicts me training six-week old Fred who is mastering the AKC Puppy S.T.A.R. program.
If you are here then that means you’re seriously thinking of adding a Golden Retriever to your family. The Golden Retriever is the world’s most popular breed and there is a reason for that! They are the best dogs. They are intelligent, intuitive, devoted, loyal and eager to be your best friend to the end of time.
Perhaps you’re wondering how to begin your search for just the right puppy who will bring so much love and joy to your home! Please allow me to share a few things to consider when trying to find the right breeder and what to look out for in your quest.
Personality, Temperament and Behavior
Personality, temperament and behavior are what makes up a puppy’s overall presence. I will break them down here to help you have a better understanding so that you can keep this in mind when choosing your next best friend.
Personality is inborn. It describes introversion and extroversion. Just like people, puppies are born with a hard-wired personality. They can be shy on one end of the spectrum to boisterous and bubbly at the other. As a breeder, I begin to see this within days of birth. I can tell who is going to be ready to conquer the world and who would prefer to watch it go by. You will want to find a puppy that matches your family. If you have kids with high energy, then an outgoing puppy who will want to play is the right choice. If you are an elderly person looking for a companion, maybe a little more low key would be the speed to choose.
Temperament is a type of behavior that is not influenced by learning. It is also inborn like a personality. An example would be a puppy that loves to retrieve versus one that does not. It would be the dogs ability to tolerate new experiences with curiosity and wonder to indifference. I have had puppies from the exact same litter where one puppy would prefer to love on their person and cuddle rather than play fetch all hours of the day. If you are not interested in taking your puppy out to play three or four times a day for 20 minutes at a time then you would probably better suited to the pup that wants to lounge around being lazy and chilling out. As I ask you questions about your family, I am trying to find a good match to set everyone up for success!
Behavior is what is created from learning. It is dictated by the environment and stimuluses. Careful and intentional interactions to help build trust and opportunities of learning create confidence and interest. As the days pass and puppy is exposed, behaviors will emerge from their personal history day by day. These positive and negative experiences will influence behaviors that you will begin to see trending. Be ready to spend time with your puppy. Be ready to think about these experiences that you are intentionally providing. An example might be knowing a bad storm is coming and being there with your pet as the sound of thunder rolls through the house. You might even try playing the sounds of a storm ahead of time (exposure therapy.)
Just like human beings, puppies are social creatures and are influenced by every single stimulus; positive and negative. It seems simple to think that every pup would come with a clean slate and how YOU bring them up is going to determine the kind of dog they turn out to be. Yes, the way you raise them is vitally important but more than you might realize, the personality, temperament and behavior of a puppy begins long before their birth. It is imperative for a good breeder to know this and be prepared to provide the right environment for the expecting mom and her upcoming litter. Research has shown that a stressed mother will often raise puppies who go on to show emotional and behaviroal problems. Factors like extreme temperatures (from being left outside), parasites, illness, diesease, inadequate nutrition, physical, mental, intellectual and emotional neglect all wreak havoc on the pregnant moms overall health and well-being. When the mom is treated with care, love and special attention for the duration of her gestation (which is 63 days), her babies will be more likely to be emotionally stable and be born with a tolerance and desire of being handled. It is important that the mother is cared for in a way that helps her feel safe and secure.
Furthermore, a good breeder will pay close attention to the temperament of the Dam and the Sire. Especially important is the temperament of the mother as the puppies will be learning how to behave in various situations from her in the the first eight weeks of their lives. This is the time when the puppies soft skills are learned (social skills, communication, learning ability, conflict resolution, dealing with frustration, etc.). If the mother has a nervous, worried, possessive or fearful temperament, those traits will likely be passed down to the litter that is learning from her. That oftentimes translates to a puppy with behavioral issues from the very beginning. That is the last thing that you and your family will want to deal with.
A word of caution: There are plenty of novice breeders who are looking to make some quick money. Furthermore, you may hear people use the term “puppy mill” and “backyard breeder,” and those things do exist unfortunately. These precious babies are left unattended outside in cages or bedrooms. I have heard HORROR stories of people’s experiences as they had been shopping around. Nine times out of ten they end up with dogs who are skittish, nervous and hard-to-train. By the time you get that particular puppy, it is highly likely that you and that poor baby have a long road ahead trying to unlearn being fearful and destructive. This is how those pure bred dogs end up in shelters and many times both the owner and the dog will suffer their entire life dealing with issues. You may hear some people saying “adopt, don’t shop.” This is wonderful if you have the time and inclination to take on a dog that will more than likely require special attention and care helping them to cope ! Those pups are lucky to have you and I fully support the decision to go that route if you choose to.
Here is a checklist of questions to consider when finding the right breeder:
- Does the breeder rear the puppies in their own home? Puppies raised in the home are going to have similar experiences that are in your own home. If you are looking for a pup to live in your home, you want their earliest experiences to be domestic ones. This will make a lot of your training go more smoothly because they have been exposed to typical sights, sounds, smells, and experiences of day-to-day living.
- Are you able to see the puppies with their momma? This is important because you will want to see the interactions between the mom and her pups. Is she gentle and loving? Nurturing and playful? This is HUGE!
- Do pup and mama look happy and healthy? Are their energy levels high? Are ears and eyes clean and bright? Are tails wagging? A mama dog who has recently had puppies might look a bit tired but does she look relaxed and content?
- Does the breeder have other dogs in the house? Are they happy, friendly and wagging their tails?
- Does the breeder have several different kinds of breeds and ages? This is often a red flag and can indicate a puppy farm or unscrupulous breeder. Proceed with caution.
- Health Tests and Genetic Reports: Make sure you get a copy of DNA and any health clearances of parents and grandparents. OFA reports can be verified through OFA
- Ask the breeder if they are going to be available for follow up questions and advice. Good breeders are keenly interested in keeping up with their puppies for life if need be.
- Does your breeder have references? IF they have a website, look for testimonials.
- Does your breeder have questions about your lifestyle, home and family dynamics? A good breeder wants to be sure that the puppy that they place in your care is a good fit so be patient with the inquisition. 🙂
- Do you feel that you can communicate well with the breeder and that you feel comfortable?
As you can see, it is important to keep these things in mind when beginning your search for your new family friend. Look for a breeder who has happy and friendly dogs. Ones that are raised in the home and that are dearly loved and treated like family. It makes a world of difference. Link to American Kennel Club Page
Important Facts to know about Golden Retrievers
According to the Golden Retriever Club of America, “Goldens are a Sporting breed and need regular exercise, and this is most pronounced during puppyhood (up to approximately two years of age). While most Goldens can adapt to a less active lifestyle once they are mature and trained, puppies and adolescents often have energy to burn. If not given an appropriate outlet, this energy may be channeled into behaviors that are destructive and appear “hyperactive.” And even though the puppy is mentally still a youngster, physically he may be a strong and sizeable dog that can be difficult to manage when energy is pent up. Rule to remember: A physically tired puppy is a well-behaved puppy!”
