Lets share our journey
Like many breeders we started out with two dogs who produced amazing puppies. Those two dogs were Pip and Chase.
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Pip is trained as an Advanced Therapy Dog, visiting hospitals and respite centres. Our initial aim was to produce a litter of puppies who could potentially go on to be therapy dogs, just like their mum.
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We soon realised after the first litter was sold there was a real need for puppies who come from good breeding, from parents with excellent temperaments, and who are free of health problems. This led to the desire to develop an ongoing breeding program.
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Given our previous experience in the world of genetics, we began to look more deeply in to the Golden Retriever breed. This involved getting our dogs' DNA tested and understanding exactly what the DNA test results meant.
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What we discovered along the way was amazing! What DNA testing our dogs has allowed us to do is take the guess work out of whether or not we should mate a particular pair of dogs.
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It has allowed us to breed out some of the common problems many Golden Retrievers have - one of those being a skin condition called ichthyosis. Over 50% of Golden Retrievers in Europe carry this gene. If two carriers are mated, the puppies will have active ichthyosis (a scaly skin condition). By being selective with breeding, we can ensure that none of our puppies are born with this condition.
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All of our breeding dogs have had their hip and elbows scored. This minimises the risk of a puppy having the problem of hip dysplasia.
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Hip Dysplasia is unfortunately common in larger breeds of dogs. It’s important to understand that whilst breeders can do everything in their power to only breed from dogs who have excellent hip scores, what you do as a puppy owner will also play a massive role. Factors such as excessive growth rates, inappropriate or excessive exercise too early, and improper weight and nutrition can magnify the risks of this genetic predisposition.
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When we breed, we are always looking to produce healthily puppies. It doesn’t stop with just hip scores and genetics though. We have also done a whole lot of research in to neurological development and good nutrition.
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High quality food plays a very large role in keeping our breeding dogs healthy. This allows them to produce strong healthy puppies. Our dogs are fed the best diet possible to ensure all our dogs are in prime condition before we consider mating.
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A few years ago we became involved with a dog trainer who has studied puppy development at length, starting from conception through to 2 years of age. Hence, we would start Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS). This involves putting the puppies under specific mild stimulation from the age of 3 days to 16 days. This is believed to lead to faster maturation and better problem solving capability in later life.
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The feedback we receive from our puppy owners confirms, hands down, that the puppies from us are very smart!
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With the help of our dog trainer we start puppy enrichment from 4 weeks of age, and by the time the puppies are 6 weeks old some very basic training has begun. It’s amazing how quickly puppies learn.
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Everything we do is done with the health, safety and development of the puppy in mind. All our puppies get exposure to new sight and sounds, including other dogs, alpaca, horses, cattle, birds, vehicles and don’t forget the chooks.
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To enhance your puppy experience, every puppy sold comes with a training package. This is provided by our trainer who has worked one-on-one with your puppy. Not only do you get access to a complete ‘First 12 Months Training Package’, but this also includes access to the trainer and ongoing puppy parent support.
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We want owning one of our puppies to be a a dream come true - for you and our puppies.
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Learn more about our training package.