Our ultimate goal as Goldendoodle breeders is to provide healthy, happy, well socialized family pets. Our acreage has lots of room to run and a creek to play in! Along with our kids, extended families and many good friends, the puppies get lots of love, playtime and socialization. This allows them to be more well-adjusted little puppies when they go to their new forever homes.
We raise our small to medium-sized Goldendoodle fur-babies right smack dab in the middle of our home - amongst the hustle and bustle of a busy household with children.
This closeness enables us to properly care for both mother (who deserves extra love and support both during and after her pregnancy) and puppies, ensuring they are in excellent health and are thriving, right from the day they are born. Having our litter in the centre of our home also means our puppies are, from a young age, exposed to a variety of sights, sounds and smells, which we are confident will help ensure your puppy is an easy going, resilient, and much-loved member of your family.
We only raise one litter at a time.
Each litter takes hundreds of hours of care. From the sleepless nights assisting mamma dog and comforting puppies, to the SuperDogs Program for early neurological stimulation, Early Scent Introduction (ESI), socialization program, to daily one-on-one training sessions with each pup, and everything in between, we pour ourselves into each litter we produce.
Our three boys help with socialization of course (snuggles, cuddles and lots of love!) and they are also involved in training, each with a different role to fill. My husband and I take care of all of the rest of their needs.
We select only the finest dogs to use in our breeding program. This doesn’t just mean that they are beautiful (which they are!) but that they have an amazing easy-going temperament, are easy to train, resilient, outgoing, gentle, and eager to please. By doing this it ensures we are only breeding the best doodle puppies. All our moms and dads go through a series of genetic testing and OFA exams for hips and eyes. For more information, please contact us with your questions.
Being home full time means there is always someone around to care for our puppies right from the start. The first 8 weeks holds a number of important developmental stages, including the very precious canine imprinting stage – where the puppy gains behavioural and personality traits that cannot be undone, nor can they be properly learned in a kennel.
During the first 16 days of life, we utilize the Bio Sensor program (a.k.a. Super Dogs) for early neurological stimulation. Originally developed by the U.S. Military in their canine program and based on years of research, the military learned that early neurological stimulation exercises could have important and lasting effects.
The main benefits that have been observed in canines exposed to the early neurological stimulation exercises are:
- Improved cardio vascular performance (heart rate)
- Stronger heart beats
- Stronger adrenal glands
- More tolerance to stress
- Greater resistance to disease
Alongside the Bio Sensor Program, our puppies are also exposed to Early Scent Introduction (ESI). A training program pioneered by Dr. Gayle Watkins, PhD, long time Golden Retriever breeder and the founder of Avidog International, ESI is the process of introducing puppies to different scents during the first 16 days of life. This early brain training accelerates development. It kickstarts the olfactory and neurological systems and may result in earlier proficiency and improved performance over what would normally occur without intervention. Overall, early scent introduction is an important aspect of a puppy's development, and can help to set them up for a happy, healthy life.
I have a real interest in neurological development and how it can affect a puppy and its individual growth. As a breeder, it is my goal to continue to learn and build my breeding program and continue to set myself apart from others out there! I’m the kind of person who gives my all in everything I do, and I don't take my responsibility as a breeder lightly!
If you’re interested in learning more about the Super Dogs program for neurological development, here is an interesting and easy-to-read article. If you'd like to learn more about Early Scent Introduction, here is an excellent interview with Dr. Gayle Watkins, where she outlines the benefits of the program.
The next, and most influential time in a puppy's life occurs between 3 and 16 weeks. Fear can begin to develop in a puppy starting at about 5 weeks of age and slowly increases until it peaks in the fear imprint stage during the 8th week (fear is not present in newborn puppies).
The Narrow But Critical Window
There is a narrow but important window of opportunity between 3 and 6 weeks of age when a puppy’s anxiety levels are at their lowest they will ever be in their entire lives. Anything your puppy is exposed to during this time will therefore be associated with lower anxiety as an adult. It will be forever ingrained in their central nervous system and will always be associated as something that is pleasant or neutral because during this period it is then interpreted as a non-fearful, non-anxiety producing object or experience.
This is the time when we start incrementally introducing the puppies to stressors that they will most likely encounter later in life. (Noises like the doorbell or vacuum, being touched while sleeping, etc.) We also work with the puppies to develop their problem-solving skills and mental agility, as these experiences are permanently ingrained during this time. Because we hand raise our puppies in our home, we can do this on a much more personal level, and devote more time during this precious stage.
Raising Your Puppies
The Art of Raising a Puppy by the Monks of New Skete is an excellent practical guide for raising a companion dog – we highly recommend it. In addition to regular handling, we start the New Skete methods outlined below after the neurological stimulation exercises are finished at 16 days.
- Snuggles & Smells: Snuggle the puppy, rubbing them all over, breath into muzzle, to let it become acquainted to human smell, associating that smell with comfort.
- Mild Stress, Then Comfort: Hold puppy into the air with one hand until they start to squeal, and then hold them close and comfort them. This helps them realize they can gain comfort from humans.
- Belly Rubs: Gently flip the puppy over and hold them in crook your of arm. Give it a tummy rub. This teaches them to submit to your authority.
- Brushing: Gently brush each puppy to help it become accustomed to handling and grooming. Doodles require regular brushing and trips to the groomer and this helps make that process stress-free for them as adult dogs.
- Separation = Independence: Separate pups for 3 minutes. Gather pups individually and comfort them, then return them with their littermates. This gives them a chance to become accustomed to being separate from their littermates before they go to their forever homes, which enables them to handle separation anxiety much better.
Raising Strong, Adaptable Dogs
We strongly believe that puppies who are exposed to mildly stressful exercises at an early age will develop into dogs who are more adaptable to emotionally challenging experiences later in life. With all of this being said, it is your responsibility to do your research and ask what type of socialization program other breeders have in place and how the puppies are being worked with - this is a very important distinction between breeders. Please do your homework and choose wisely!
The Journey Continues
It is also important to remember that even though we do all these things to make your puppy easier to train, the process has only just begun. It is your responsibility to continue consistent training and proper socialization which can mould your puppy into an exceptional life-long companion. This takes time, patience, research, and diligence.
Our door is always open and our phone is always on. We welcome all our new puppy parents to contact us if they ever have questions or concerns. That’s what a “Lifetime Of Support” means – and it’s just part of the Red Ridge difference. We are always here for you!
