About our puppies/puppy raising:

Why are our puppies well worth the price ?

I hope that this list will answer that and some other frequently asked questions as well. It is long but I think worth the read.

• Our puppies are purpose bred, from health tested parents. Our dogs are tested for hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, eye diseases, heart disease, and thyroid disease. In addition our dogs have DNA tests for eye, skin and neurological diseases (golden retrievers). Our adult dogs are also free of diseases for which tests do not currently exist, such as severe allergies, epilepsy, and early cancer deaths
• Our puppies are bred from parents that conform physically to the breed standard, have temperaments that allow them to safely interact with other dogs and people; and have the attributes we desire in a hunting dog (birdiness, prey drive, biddability, desire to retrieve, and love of water).
• Most often the stud dog is not on the premises. Why – Because this allows us to choose and pick from stud dogs that live anywhere, and have what we want to cross with a particular bitch. We recently traveled from southern CA to northern MT; and then to Vancouver Island, Canada to accomplish breedings. We have used shipped frozen semen in the past from both living and deceased dogs. One of our young girls is sired by a stud dog that lives in Denmark. Our WHPG bitch’s mother was imported from Germany. This gives us genetic diversity and helps us produce healthier puppies. We currently have one male golden retriever and he has sired a few nice litters.
• Our puppies are raised in our home and receive our undivided attention. When they are neonates they have a person sleeping in the same room with them to monitor their safety. Neonates are weighed twice a day and their weight gain and health is carefully monitored.
• Neonates are taken through a program of early scent introduction and early neurological stimulation (where scent exposure, and mild stressors are applied to boost the developing brain).
• As they grow they are introduced to litter training, which helps them learn the appropriate places to eliminate and then makes the later job of housebreaking a piece of cake.
• Puppies are exposed to age appropriate dog toys, animated toys, agility obstacles such as tunnels and teeters, ball pits, wading pools, noises and experiences such as grooming tables and blow dryers. This helps give them confidence to face the things they will encounter later in life.
• Puppies are exposed to many different people. We welcome visitors to the litter, and we import children (such as our local 4-H kids) to expose the puppies to adults of different types and children of different ages.
• Puppies are exposed to hunting by exposing them to bird wings, dead birds, live birds, retrieving, loud noises, and if the weather cooperates water and swimming.
• Puppies are exposed to crate training and car rides; and sherpa bags if any will be traveling to their new homes by air.
• We allow the mother to interact with the puppies until they leave to their new homes. This helps them learn how to act with an adult dog, and start to learn dog language from an adult dog.
• Puppies are weaned directly to dog food. We use both premium puppy kibble and raw foods that their dam is also eating.
• Puppies are exposed to our puppy tolerant adults and often have “aunties’ helping in their puppy area and whelping box. This teaches the puppies how to react to other dogs that are not their mother.
• Puppies are evaluated for health, temperament, conformation and hunting attributes and this information is used in conjunction with personal observations, communication with clients and client questionnaires to best match each puppy with each home.
• Nomographs, an immune titer extrapolated from their mother’s titers , are evaluated for each litter and used to determine optimum vaccination schedules unique to each litter. This allows minimal but effective vaccinations for the puppies. a recommended schedule for follow up vaccines and individual titers is included with the puppy packet.
• Prior to going to their new homes, puppies are given their first veterinary examination; first vaccines; dewormed; microchipped with a registered microchip and AKC registered. Most puppies are registered with AKC Limited Registration.
• Puppies go home with a starter package that in the past has included a tote, leash and collar; toy that has been with mom and littermate; and a notebook with information about the puppy and his/her parents and puppy raising.
• Our support does not stop when the puppy leaves our home. We offer guidance and maintain contact with our buyers throughout the dog’s lifetime.