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Puppy Checklist
Below is a checklist that we put together with items we consider essential for you to consider/purchase for your golden retriever puppy before he/she gets to your home! We recommend to start looking at these items early and make a plan to get them ordered so they arrive before your puppy does.
1. Quality dog food
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Your puppy will be started on Inukshuk Professional 26/16. We have chosen this food due to the high quality ingredients that will promote a healthy immune system and support your puppy's growing joints. We also like it due to its affordability compared to other brands of similar quality and its accessibility. This food is an All Life Stages Food, so it can be continued safely throughout your puppy's entire life. This is what most of our adult dogs currently eat and what our own puppies are all raised on. You can add treats and toppers to mix it up if you feel that is necessary. They do have other varieties also if your dog has other nutritional needs
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*We do order this food at a discount by the pallet directly from the company and offer to let you buy bags directly from us at $60 (You can also buy this from Chewy with free shipping for $67). You can buy your first bag(s) from us when you pick your puppy up or if you live close enough, we don't mind if you want to buy future bags as well. Give me a heads up if you want to buy any bags.
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*Even if you intend to feed your puppy something else, we do recommend you keep your puppy on the Inukshuk Professional 26/16 for at least the first 4-6 weeks to keep things fairly normalized and then take 2-4 weeks to have a good long transition period to the new food to avoid upset tummy (food transitions, especially if done to fast, will almost always create an upset tummy).
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Click HERE to be taken to our Nutrition page to learn more about what we use and recommend
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​2. Daily Supplements
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Your puppy will be started on NuVet Wellness Supplements as soon as they begin to eat mush. For puppies, we use the powder form. All of our adult dogs also get NuVet supplements daily. Adding in a daily supplement will support your puppies immune system and help to fill any nutritional gaps that they may have. I recommend a wellness/immune supplement continuing when you bring your puppy home to help build the immune system and then start an agility supplement (glucosamine) around 6 months of age. This can also be given earlier if the puppy has growing pains. ​
3. Treats for training and chewing
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We use and recommend Life's Abundance treats that are soft and perfect size for training (lots of varieties but our favorites are the Nutritional Rewards and Berry Treats )
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Great options for chew items are Antler Chews, Yak Chews, Dehydrated Cow and Pig Ears, and Bully Sticks.​
4. Crate
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We recommend for cost efficiency to buy a large wire crate with a divider you can move as your puppy grows. The divider will allow you to alter the size as the puppy grows and save you from having to buy different size crates! Always take your puppy's collar off when going into a crate so it does not get caught up. For riding in any vehicle, we recommend going with a crate such as the Ruffland & Gunner kennels, as they are a lot more durable and will keep your pet safer in the event of an accident.
5. Hygiene Items- Shampoo/ear cleaner/bath mist
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NuVet all have nice quality shampoo, ear cleaner, bath mist, etc. with safe and natural ingredients.
6. Beds
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Our favorite beds to use are the Kuranda raised beds due to being comfortable, space saving, and most importantly, easy to clean. The Kuranda brand are also chew and dig proof, making them longer lasting! To save money I would skip buying small beds and just go straight to buying large beds.
7. Collar/leash
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Your puppy will go home with a puppy collar and leash.
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​We make home made biothane collars and hand-stamped tags ourselves, so if you would like either of those in the future, reach out to us!
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8. Toys
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Your puppy will go home with some common toys we personally use. Great options are rubber balls, chew resistant stuffed toys, fleece ropes, West Paw Toys, Kong, etc.
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We are able to buy "Snuggle Puppies" at a discounted price by the box and offer them to you for $25 (Normal cost $33). This is a toy that has a heartbeat and heat pack that helps puppies adjust from being separated from their siblings. I use these myself every time I am crate training puppies and highly recommend them. Let me know if you would like to buy one and you can pick it up when you pick up your puppy.
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We are a West Paw Partner and can offer you products at 15% off and free shipping (pick up when you pick up your puppy) if you make your order through us. You tell us what you would like and we will make the order and have them here for when you pick your puppy up. These are chew resistant tough toys that we highly recommend and use ourselves. I will make an order for each litter if I have individuals interested. Reach out to me if you are interested. Order will need to be placed by the time puppies are around 4 weeks of age. Products we use here regularly are Qwizl (bully stick and treat holder), Rumble (treat holder similar to Kong), Bumi, Skamp, Twig, Taylor, Darby, and the Jive.
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We make home made fleece rope toys, which are a safer alternative to regular rope toys. Your puppy will go home with the regular size but reach out to us if you would like any additional toys!
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​9. Brush/comb
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Our favorite tool to use when brushing our dogs is the de-shedding tool. It does the best job pulling out the loose undercoat while not damaging the top coat. Curry Combs are also a nice tool to use to get loose undercoat out. Both of these tools can be found on Amazon or Chewy.​
10. Nail clippers
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Make sure you are regularly trimming nails either yourself or taking them into your vet or groomer to be done! Before puppies go home, we trim toenails about every two weeks or sometimes once a week if they are growing quicker.
11. Veterinary care - Take a look at our page HERE for our Vaccination Protocol
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Make sure you do your research on veterinarians and find the best for your pet! Your puppy will have his/her first vaccines around 8 weeks before leaving our home but we recommend you get your puppy into your own vet within 72 hours of bringing them home for a wellness exam to get a second opinion and start building a relationship with your vet and chat about a vaccination schedule. Your puppy will need his/her next vaccines around 12 weeks and again at 16 weeks. Call your vet plenty early, many are booked out weeks in advance!
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12. Parasite control - Take a look at our page HERE for our Deworming Protocol
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Your puppy will leave with age appropriate preventative deworming. Set up a regular deworming schedule with your vet (we recommend your puppy continue to be dewormed at 10,12,16 weeks and then every 1-3 months after that depending on the deworming product). Make sure you get them on a heartworm, flea, tick, etc. treatment as well when it’s age appropriate if these are prevalent in your area.
4. Puppy Training or Obedience classes
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We highly recommend obedience classes of some sort. A well behaved dog that has rules and boundaries is a happy dog and happy owner.
If you have any questions or concerns about anything do not hesitate to ask us! If you think of something else you might need that we forgot to list on here let us know! :)
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Puppy Pickup Day!
A schedule will be made early on after puppies are born when they can begin going to their new homes. This is typically around the day they turn 8 weeks old and after they have had their vet visit for their wellness checks. We ask that you try to make these days work, if they do not, we can discuss another day. You will have plenty of notice to the day of their vet visit and day of pickup to make a plan. We do start charging $20 a day when the puppies turn 8 weeks old if they are still here as we will begin one on one training at this point. If you are interested in your puppy staying longer for training take a look at our Puppy Training Program page.
Final Payment; The total amount due will be what is left to be paid after you have put down your deposit or what you have left if you have been doing payments. I will confirm this with everyone a few days before scheduled pickup. We do not take personal checks and your puppy must either be paid in cash in person upon pickup or we can use the GoodDog payment platform. If you would like to use the GoodDog payment platform, let me know and I will send you a link. This payment must be done at least 24 hours BEFORE your puppy leaves to ensure no technical difficulties on the day of. You will have the option to pay with or without a fee and details associated with each option are given when you review the payment before sending. *To opt out of the fee, click the i beside "protection & support", scroll down and click on "learn more", scroll down to the very bottom and click on "change to friends and family payment".
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My address is 42 Papson Ridge Ln. Hall, MT 59837. If you type this into maps, it will lead you directly here! We are at the very end of the road on the right, it is a white house with white garage and white chicken coops/goat shelter. There is a sign that says "Goosetown Goldens" at the start of our driveway hanging on our fence on the left hand side. I ask that you shoot me a quick text or call when you get off the exit at Drummond (or go through Philipsburg), that way I can take your puppy out to potty before you arrive!
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On the day of pickup we will be doing the following;
1. Going through Folder that includes vet record, vaccination schedule, current feeding schedule, etc.
2. Registering Microchip & Insurance-both zero cost to you
2. Answering any questions that you may have!
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Please bring with you on the day of pickup;
1. Final payment in the form of cash
2. Crate or warm lap for your puppy to ride home. Some people prefer to let their puppy sit on their lap for the ride home as well but the safer option is for your puppy to ride in a crate.
3. Food/Water and bowls to let your puppy have a snack or drink during the trip. We typically keep food to a minimum on travel day to avoid car sickness but if you are traveling a longer distance this may be necessary.
I will potty your puppy before you get here and I recommend to drive as far as your puppy will sleep on the way home. Your puppy pack will include leash, collar, homemade blanket (smells like mama), toys, treats, other fun goodies and information packets. It will be your responsibility to purchase any food and other items for your puppy prior to bringing him/her home.
Again, it is IMPORTANT that you keep in mind that these puppies are not fully vaccinated and are very susceptible to parvo/distemper/ kennel cough, other diseases, all of which are easily spread. PLEASE make sure on the day of pickup you wear clean clothes (including your shoes) and avoid ALL places where dog traffic is higher and there potentially could have been unvaccinated dogs; Vet Office, Dog park, Pet Supply Store, Murdoch's, Home Depot, gas station, etc. We would really prefer you come straight from your house in clean clothes to us and avoid any stops along the way.