Please visit this page HERE to see how we raise our puppies.  This will give you an idea of what to expect, week by week, as you watch your new furry family member grow.

Do your dogs and their puppies live with you?  ​Our dogs live with us in our home.  Our females whelp in our living room and pups grow up around the hustle and bustle of our very busy home life.  Mama dog starts out with a whelp box and we provide assistance when needed during the whelping.  Very often staying up all night with our girls during whelp.  The pups and mama spend  3 to 3 1/2 weeks in the whelp box with pads, which are changed out multiple times during the course of the day.  We are meticulous about the cleanliness of the puppy area.  This gives them a good foundation in keeping their "den" clean, providing easier potty training as time goes on.   Around 3 1/2 - 4 weeks we take down the whelp box and put up a 30" high fenced play pen area.  We introduce a litter tray with canine grass.  They still have vet fleece(gray) along with the litter tray.  Little by little we shrink down the amount of vet fleece until they are using only the litter tray.  From this point forward litter trays are always offered in our home, until they leave.  At 6 weeks we switch to alfalfa pellets due to chewing on the canine grass.  By 5 weeks of age they have the option to use  a doggy door and learn from mama.  By the time they are 8 weeks they use the doggy door with ease.  Young puppies do not have strong bowels/bladders.  They still need to be watched closely and encouraged to have success with going potty outside as often as possible.  Depending on family dynamics and household consistency this can take anywhere from a few weeks to many months.  See our chart here on what to expect in potty training by age.  As breeders we spend most of our time cleaning, keeping records of growth and training.  8 week old puppies should be taken out to potty during the daytime every hour.

How much will the puppy be eating and how often?  We introduce TLC puppy food around 3 1/2 weeks.  We start out with two large slow feed bowls.  Puppy food is soaked in water for 10 minutes before offering to puppies.  They eat as a group when they first start out with food.  By the time they are 5 1/2 weeks we have transitioned them to eating individually in crates  (3 times a day, usually 6-7am, 11-12noon and 3-4 pm)    

What is puppy culture?  This is a philosophy of how we raise our puppies with regards to socialization and training.  We currently follow the puppy culture philosophy mostly with some of our own adaptations specific to our Golden retrievers.   If you have any question please don't hesitate to ask.

What do you mean by the term raising your dogs holistically?  This is the philosophy of caring physically for the whole animal.  We don't just treat physical symptoms of disease.  We optimize their immune system through diet and exercise, limiting chronic disease and the need for medical intervention.  We also have a wonderful local veterinarian for those times when she is needed.  Our adult dogs only need to go to the vet for OFA testing and rabies.  They do not have any chronic health issues.

What can we add to our dogs food to supplement their dry food?  Some of our favorite things to add to our dogs food besides, "Complete", are: ​Many of these items can be sourced locally but we have provided links here for ease