Preparing For Your Golden Pup   Our Goldens are only adopted through face-to-face contact with the adopters - absolutely no third parties. (Please note that this means that if you live too far away you will have to jump through hoops to get a puppy from our kennel.) Initial information is usually exchanged by e-mail and then by telephone. Then, if both parties are interested in further discussions, an appointment to visit our kennels is arranged at our mutual convenience. Please plan to spend at least one or two hours at this visit. This appointment is always made on the understanding that there is no obligation by either party and it is not expected that a commitment is made during this visit. (We actually prefer that no deposits be exchange during this visit. Go home and think about this commitment.) Please discuss your plans for a pup with other members of the family and adjacent neighbours. Why the neighbours? Of particular importance is your proposed location of the pen, especially if it is to be along a perimeter fence. It is a good policy to be sensitive to your neighbours' concerns, especially with regard to their sleep times. Try to arrange for your neighbours to meet the new pup when it arrives, or as soon as possible afterwards. This might even be a good excuse for a block party; Goldens often become neighbourhood pets. Please check your city zoning by-laws, very important if you already own one or two dogs. When your pup moves to your house, virtually everything will be different. One of the few things that can and should be the same is his food. Ensuring that you have the proper food on hand for his arrival will help him cope with the transition. Since the premium food that your pup is on is Orijen brand food is not sold by all retailers, we recommend that you locate a convenient supplier in your area. Location such as Global pet food and Ren's pet Depot.	BEFORE You Get You Puppy You must complete your education about puppy education before you get your puppy. All behavior, temperament, and training problems are so easily preventable, if only you know how. Please read this book before getting a puppy.	Outside Accommodations It is most essential that the pen and/or fencing plus the doghouse or shelter be in place before your pup arrives. Without this, toilet training could be become a nightmare. Fencing must be a minimum of four feet high and the area must be a minimum of 100 square feet. Dog run panels are highly recommended and we recommend the Co-op bran. (Very well made) The shelter should have a wooden platform or other suitable floor of at least two feet by four feet. If possible, you should consider making it double that size. The ideal surface is crushed stone with a minimum depth of three inches. The usual stone is "clear" or "clean" 3/4 inch and up crushed stone or pea stone. You will need a minimum of two yards to cover a 8 by 10 pen; however since stone is inexpensive and trucking is very costly, you might consider ordering a whole truckload. Store the extra stone in a convenient place (possibly in your driveway) as you will need it to fill in holes and to add as the original packs down. It is a good idea to put railway ties or some other border material around your pen area to prevent the spread of the stone onto your lawn. If you prefer not handling the stones then 2’ X 2’ sidewalk stone make a great clean dig proof area for you puppy. These patio stones are cold and are not good on the growing puppy joints, so make sure you have a rubber horse mat near the door for the pup to stand on. Natural or made (e.g. overhead tarp) shade is absolutely crucial for the hot months. Since every situation is different, you should discuss the outside accommodation with us in detail before investing in the materials.
Equipment Wire dog crate - 24, 26, or 28 inches wide for males, 48-inches long and 36-inches high Metal Food bowl (4 cups female or 6cups for a male) Water bucket for the dog run (for winter months - preferably rubber) Combination leather 6’ leash and adjustable collar for training Chew items nylon bones, Kong ball etc… Want to know where to go for the best price in pet supplies. Go to "Ren's Pet Depot" in Oakville. 4002 Trafalgar RD, Ontario toll free 1-866-736-7738 Click here for a list of things you should buy before your puppy comes home. We will provide all our future puppy owners with a 10% discount on all food collars, leashes, brushes, bowls, crates, beds and any other accessories or supplies at Rens. If we forget please ask us for one when you visit the pups.		Poop Disposal This should be planned in advance so that you are ready for the pup's arrival. Methods vary from using the regular garbage (double bagging) to composting to mini-septic systems. If you have any questions on this, please ask us.
Veterinarian If you do not already have a veterinarian, you should try to locate one before you take possession of your pup. Neighbours with pets (preferably large ones) are a good source. Also, we may be able to put you in touch with other owners of Goldens in your area so that you can get the name of a vet who is particularly good with this breed. Ideally the vet clinic should be available for emergencies on a 24 hours basis. We will arrange for the pup's initial worming and first shots at seven to eight weeks with our vet as well as the vet exam and passport. Your vet will advise you of his recommended schedule for further shots (boosters and rabies). Your puppy’s schedule could look like this: 8 weeks, 12 weeks, 16 weeks, basically very four weeks a new booster. Most vets recommend a daily or monthly preventative medication for heartworm. After the first year this is no problem; however, in the first year, should you and your vet decide to put the pup on this medication, please ensure that the pup's weight is monitored closely to ensure the correct dosage. I strongly advise you to look at the following recommendation from W. JEAN DODDS, DVM the foremost specialist on vaccines in dogs. With the high cancer rates and the connection to vaccines in the U.S. W. JEAN DODDS, DVM has come up with a MODIFIED VACCINATION PROTOCOL. Please read and try to copy this a bring it to your vet. "Vaccination Protocol" "Canine Vaccine Guidelines"		Obedience Classes You should contact local Kennel and Obedience Clubs and/or private trainers to find out the availability of group lessons and minimum age for such classes. We can give you the phone numbers for clubs in your area or you can purchase the Dogs In Canada magazine for the listing. PRIVATE lessons are NOT recommended because your pup needs the socialization that a class setting provide.
Caring For Your Golden Retriever Pup Congratulations on your choice of a Golden puppy. If this new member of your family is well cared for, the rewards will be immeasurableYour puppy has been wormed and immunized as appropriate for its age. The vet passport from Oro Veterinary Clinic shows the immunizations received. If you have not already done so, please consult your veterinarian after taking your puppy home. On your first visit, bring the immunization record for your vet's information. Refer to the Veterinarian section above.		Registration Certificate and Identification We will send you the pup's registration certificate within six months of sale. Please make sure that we have your new address should you move in the interim.Your pup has a microchip please register it with the CKC. Should your Golden ever get lost or stolen, the microchip provides proof of your ownership and a means of locating you. The ownership can be traced through the CKC.
Diet And Feeding Routine Your puppy is on a diet of Of Royal Canin Maxi puppy, when you get him feed him this food for a month and then witch to the Royal canin puppy food. We also feed Kirkland dog food from Costco to our adults or the adult Golden Royal CANIN Food in Canada it can be found or ordered through Global pet foods, Pets Smart or Rens. You must feed a good food to your Blackpool Golden puppy to keep the soundness and health guarantees in effect. If you want to give supplements, you may add some of the following supplements: FOUR-IN-ONE PROBIOTICS & DIGESTIVE ENZYMES - beneficial bacteria, digestive enzymes, Vitamin C & Barley Grass FLEXICOSE or Glucosamine from Costco Daily 500mg - joint support supplement for growing joints. MSM-Nutritional Sulfur- not all MSM is alike - important for large breed dogs that often have issues with metabolic nutrient malabsorption of their diet. NZYMES dietary enzymes - in chewable Pet Treat or Granular (goes further.) OX-E-DROPS- antibacterial, antiviral, antifungus - keeps pH of the gut healthy. FOR VARIETY ADD-   "Tripett" Green Tripe canned meats. For a safe,  balanced raw option use Honest Kitchen dehydrated raw   Fresh water must be available at meal times. Never let your Golden eat food without plenty of water alongside. Ideally, water should be available to your Golden at all times when outside, particularly in hot weather. When housebreaking your puppy, control water intake after meals. He can have some but you control how much. Table scraps should never be given to a pup under six months. After six months of age, they may be given occasionally, provided the regular food is being eaten consistently and adequately. Chew items are great for healthy teeth and gums at all ages. During the teething period, they are indispensable. You can choose from hooves or smoked bones. Remember these rules: Nylon bones are the best Never give bleached or non pressed raw hides Hard bones given excessively will wear out teeth Limit giving hard bones once he has his adult teeth Never give rawhide, pig ears and cow hooves unsupervised.		New!  From time to time, your Golden will go off his food for a day or two. This is normal and usually not a cause for concern. If this becomes a persistent problem, please consult the breeder. Stools may be soft; this is normal with the recommended food. If the stools become liquid or the pup loses bowel control in the house, you should stop feeding for one day and the next day cook boiled rice the day after this cooked rice with boiled chicken. If the problem persist consult a Canine Nutritional Consultant. Linda Arndt has a wonderful website full of articles about balance nutrition. She offers advice on proper nutrition during all stages of life and even during those trying times. New!  Food guarding is something pups do to their littermates. To stop them from continuing this with you or your children follow the following method of training. Some old training methods are still out there and these trainers will recommend that you hit the puppy or feed him from your hand only. We find aggressive methods just lead to more aggression. Withholding food just convinces the pups that they need to guard their food even more from you. Many owners do not have the time to do this properly and pups end up not getting enough nutrients for their growing bodies. We recommend that you give the pup so much food he walks away from his bowl. Then add more food call him and put your hand in his bowl give him some of the tidbits. Do this every day for two weeks. Then you can start doing it while he's eating his regular size meal. Dogs that have been hit while eating (old method) will take months to trust you again. Just sit by them while they eat. Do not touch them or look at them or talk. Dogs read body language more than humans. He will watch you and eat fast. If you give him more food than he needs he will slow down when he's near then end of eating and is almost full. Remember if the pup went hungry he will feel the need to protect his bowl if he doesn't feel hungry it's not important for him to guard his food. All pups should trust that they won't go hungry that you will provide for them. You will need to rebuild that trust.
Feeding Pups Under 5 Month Pups under four months are normally fed three times a day unless you are working. Once in the morning once at 5pm and a cookie before bed time. 9-10 pm. Feeding is normally done in the dog's crate. Please check with us before trying any alternative method. Most pups will poop within 10 minutes of eating (if you feed them on a regular schedule); so they should be brought to their pen or yard for at least 30 minutes after eating and you should ensure that they have pooped before bringing them inside. The quantity of food to be served at each meal will vary according to age, individual metabolism, level of activity and ambient temperature. Thus you must adjust the quantity of food served as described in the next paragraph. Check with the breeder regularly. Absolute daily minimum for all ages is two cups and a small can ; maximum is four/five cups and a small can for a male. To adjust the quantity of food served, check the food bowl after each feeding. If the bowl is licked clean for seven days in a row, add a little more food (usually a ½ can) at the next feeding. Should the bowl have more than a few crumbs remaining for three days in a row, then reduce the quantity slightly. If you know your dog is wanting more than he needs (excess fat) the reduce the food. If the poop becomes liquid, reduce the quantity of food. Be careful some Goldens are food vacuums so don’t let them fool you if they look plump you’ve overfed them. Small dog or cat biscuits may be given between meals as treats. Light brown liquid stool indicates excess quantity - go to smaller treats - cat biscuits are excellent for this. Avoid liver treat, as these tend to promote diarrhea.		Feeding Pups Over 5 Months From four months on, your Goldens will normally need only one or two meals a day. They will also grow very fast. You will need to put them on FLEXICOSE or Glucosamine specially if they start showing growing pains. (see "Panosis" on the web) A single meal may be offered in the evening, since this will be a large meal make sure you’re not exercising the dog before or after meals. Check with the breeder for more details on bloat. Some Goldens seem to do better if left on two meals daily and this is okay as well. After two years of age and after neutering some dogs might start gaining weight please reduce food intake or switch to a low call diet. Do NOT feed less than two (females) to four(males) cups of food a day; adjust the levels of protein and fat by eliminating the can food. Dogs need to chew and eat if you don’t provide it they will chew or eat other things. Eating the right amount of food also reduces stress and anxiety. Exercice is always better than to diet so please exercice him/her daily.
Grooming Toenails should be clipped as necessary (usually monthly or bi-monthly); often only the dewclaws need to be clipped. Ears should be checked at least once a week and cleaned as required. If your Golden tends to get ear infections, then daily cleaning is required. Bring you golden to see the vet as it could be a yeast infection. This requires a special solution called Surolan. At each stage of your Golden's coat development, we will show you the grooming techniques and equipment necessary. There is no charge for these grooming consultations. The first lesson is normally given when you pick up your pup. Then, when your pup is approximately a year old you should talk to us on how to maintain mat free neck, ear trimming and feet trimming. We can show you what to do by showing you what we do on one of our own dogs. Or you can make an appointment with us. This latter grooming session also includes a full check up by the breeder including comparison with a littermate and verification of the microchip. We encourage owners get a dog blowdryer to blow that excess water and blow the hair out in the tub instead of around the house.		Disinfecting the Dog The dog pen should be disinfected at least weekly in warm weather. When the temperature drops below freezing for any part of the day, you do not need to disinfect at all. There are many ways of disinfecting. The method that we recommend is to heavily sprinkle fine salt over the stones and then wet the pen with a hose. Hay salt and common fine salt are available from rural feed stores in 40 Kg bags. If this method is not suitable for your situation, please consult us for alternative methods. Between disinfecting times, you can keep your pen free from odours by hosing each spot from which you scooped poop. If your dog is on cement you can use a mixture of Javex and dish soap and an industrial broom. Make sure you rinse and let dry before letting you dog in the run. Vinegar will also eliminate odors naturally.
Cautions Do not spay/neuter early wait until the bones have stopped growing 2 years in a boy after the first heat in a female.( Please look up California's research on the damages from early spay in golden retrievers.) Do not over exercise your pup in the first six months. Daily walks are fine if you adjust the length to the pup's size and stamina. The pup can self exercise in his pen. If in doubt, please consult us. Protect your pup in the first year from rough handling such as being tackled or sat upon or rough play with older dogs. As a pup, do not let him jump out of the back of pick up trucks, vans or station wagons. Goldens should not be tied on a rope or chain on a regular basis. As a very temporary measure or while traveling, this may be necessary: however, on a permanent basis, only a fenced yard or pen should be used to contain your Golden. When a Golden is tied up they must be supervised. When your Golden is at home, he should not wear a collar except when being trained. Regular wearing of any type of collar will wear the fur around the neck and spoil your dog's appearance. Flea collars may result in allergic reactions. If kept in a salted dog pen and groomed regularly, your Golden should not have a flea problem. Choke or slip collars should only be used in conjunction with a leash. Any other use could be dangerous. Electric fence collars should only be used occasionally for training. As soon as the dog is train remove the prong collar. If left on it can be dangerous. Agility, obedience jumps, backpacking, fly ball and other forms of work should NOT be attempted until your pup is at LEAST one year of age. We would be pleased to advise you on this.		Dog Clubs To get the most fun and benefit out of owning a pure bred dog, we strongly urge you to join a local breed club. You will get newsletters and be eligible to participate in all sorts of activities, including seminars on field work, tracking, rescue work conformation and obedience plus social, charity and fun events. In addition, you should consider joining and supporting a local all-breed kennel or obedience club, usually the one where you take obedience lessons. Besides learning more about dogs, you will have opportunities to participate in activities open to all breeds such as obedience trials, flyball races, agility competitions, tracking, hospital visitations, etc.
Welcome To Our Family Now that the business part of our relationship is over, and you have adopted a Blackpool Golden Retriever into your family, you are now part of our family. If you need advice concerning your Golden we are as close as your phone, day or night. When you have "news" we are interested. Please keep in touch.