Nicholberry Goldens

There is no better way for me to describe what our rearing process is like than to recommend my book, Puppy Brain. It details our intentional protocols and provides a comprehensive explanation as to why they make such a profound impact on who a puppy becomes.

 

Our puppies are born in our home and we are there the entire eight weeks to support mama and her babies. They are never moved to a detached room or barn, nor do we hire staff to rear our litters. It is all us.

 

Puppies are well socialized with the sounds of everyday living, including the vacuum, blender, and piano. They spend their days with the family. Whether it's on the kitchen floor or outside in the puppy-proof puppy yard, they are constantly exposed to a variety of textures (grass, concrete, synthetic turf, tile), smells (cats, horses, goats, other dogs, and whatever's cooking in our ever "open" kitchen), and of course touch (lots and lots of cuddling!). Throughout their day, they are safely introduced to the outside world, playing and exploring, and most importantly, learning to trust the many hands who gently handle them.

 We cannot overemphasize how critical enrichment is for the long term development of a puppy, and much the way we “imprint” new foals, we “imprint” our new puppies. While they are in a “quarantined” area (in order to prevent any possibility of parvo and other illnesses), they can see and smell all of the activity on our little farm.

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Our puppy rearing protocol is driven by intentionality:  each week, we manipulate their environment and activities to correspond with their development.  ​These are critical windows that profoundly affect who a puppy becomes as an adult. We calendar each of these windows, insuring that every puppy has the stimulation and enrichment to which they are receptive in that particular developmental phase. 

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All of this takes time.  Lots of time. And it requires true hand rearing.​

Last, there is a balance between protecting puppies and exposing puppies, and we strive to achieve a perfect balance. There is the old adage that it takes a village to raise a child, and we believe the same is true of puppies. We are grateful for our crew of friends who help us expose our puppies to a vast array of people. And it's a win-win, because there isn't much that's more fun than playing with puppies.

 

The more we study and research, the more we discover about the profound impact of these eight  weeks with us . It is our commitment to you, and them, to do everything possible to help them become happy, resilient dogs.