We raised a high-quality pet AKC Golden Retriever puppy for over 8 years, and the references from our families with photos can be seen on the Golden Retriever section of our website. The foundation of our breeding program has always been sound health and great temperaments. Our female Golden Retrievers are sisters from different litters, with the same backgrounds, so this makes it easier to predict for us in terms of puppy personality, size and appearance being more consistent. Our adult dogs are all screened to rule out the presence of genetic faults and are chosen for their intelligence, great temperaments and beauty. We acquired these breeding adults as puppies, from proven kennels that have solid reputations for providing quality offspring. Our Golden Retriever females were selected to produce puppies for families that will be healthy and happy for many years to come, sharing their loyal and loving spirits. We are lucky to have Maximus (Standard Poodle, photo above left) and Bogey (Miniature Poodle, below) for our sires in the Goldendoodle breeding program.  They have all the “right stuff” – health clearances; sunny dispositions and calm temperaments; intelligence and beauty.

Our kennel consists of three climate-controlled, specially designed barns located adjacent to two large, chain-link fenced areas. 

The first fenced space is 100’ X 135’ with grass and trees and the dogs have their own stock tanks for swimming pools to stay clean and cool! They love playing in the grassy areas and the swim tanks. 

The second fenced area is 80’ X 80’ and is next to a forested area.  There is a concrete-floor nursery barn (see photos below) for the newborn puppies and their mothers, with air conditioning and heating, and fans for air circulation.  On the back of that special barn is a concrete pad divided into kennel spaces with fencing (see photo above right).  When they are old enough, the puppies play outside in the sunshine. 

 

 

Food 

We now feed only Royal Canin dog food. Click HERE for their website.

Important note about food content and allergies:
Always check your dog food for peanut or peanut products/by-products, especially important to those families with peanut allergies. When a dog eats a food that has peanut content in it, then licks a child that has peanut allergies, it can mean a severe outbreak of hives or even a trip to the hospital.

Our puppies are administered vitamin C as part of Dr. Belfield's program (see The Reading Corner) to protect joints. Puppies are sent home with a six month supply of vitamin C to continue this benefit. 

Puppy feeding includes our giving supplemental bottle feedings with Enfamil, to help keep the mother dogs from becoming depleted and to give them a break from those young’uns every day!  The puppies love their bottle feedings and it really makes them love humans!  What a good start to their socialization.

Living Spaces & Sterilization

The large, open, grassy yards are mowed and kept free of trash, dog deposits and debris. Using a pressure washer mounted to a trailer, we sterilize the yards weekly with a bleach solution.  The barn and nursery interiors are swept, scrubbed and sterilized daily with a bleach solution.  Both yard spaces and interior living quarters are kept free from ticks and fleas with regular applications of chemicals to prevent their occurrence.

The nursery spaces are filled with fresh cedar chips, or if the puppies are younger and still in the whelping box, the sheets are bleached and replaced daily.  The nursery barn floors and the outdoor kennel run spaces have concrete floors.  Puppies are raised on sterilized concrete the entire time they are at our farm to minimize the occurrence of worms and other parasites.

The food dishes and water pails are scrubbed with bleach solution and kept full of food and clean, fresh water through the day.  Food and water is replaced in the evenings.

The dogs have large, stock watering tanks in the outdoor spaces for swimming and playing.  This helps keep the dogs happy, fresh and clean!  They love to play in the water.  They all have toys, and the big butcher bones that you can buy at WalMart or Tractor Supply stores.  Though these are death to lawnmowers, the dogs just can’t do without them!

Our adult dogs are rotated regularly into our home, for “their turn” at being Dog of the House.  This keeps them from being “kennel dogs” that are never part of a family life or home.  We love each and every one of our adult dogs and know them individually.

Besides the special veterinarian exams and screenings for hereditary defects, our dogs make regular visits to our country vet for checkups, immunizations, and parasite prevention.  Their immunizations are kept up to date, and they are given medications to prevent internal parasites as well as being treated with special bath solutions to prevent ticks and fleas.  They are kept brushed and clean.  The poodles are also taken in regularly to the groomer, for the lamb cuts to keep them cooler and more comfortable in the warmer months, and free from mats.  The groomers clip the hair in their ears to prevent infections.  We’re all clean, healthy and happy here at Timshell Farm!

Puppies receive dewormings at 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks of age and receive their first two immunizations at 6 and 8 weeks of age.  They go for a vet’s exam before being sent to their new homes for airline certificates and a final check-over.  The pups stay with their mothers until they are able to eat dry dog food without it being softened for them.  During the last week of nursing, the mothers are only with the puppies at night, for a gradual weaning.

Specialty Reproductive Veterinarian Services

For our females to give birth to Petite Goldendoodles, the services of a reproductive specialist veterinarian are required.  We take our dogs to Dr. Esmond in Dallas , Texas for his expert care in this area.  The collection from the male is accomplished and then artificially inseminated into the female.  Our smaller, more compact Petite Golden Retriever females are the mothers for the Petite Goldendoodles.  This is an exciting new aspect of our breeding program and you can read more about it in the Petite Goldendoodle sub-section!

Puppy Socialization

Before they leave our farm for new homes, the puppies are well socialized with the Rogers family, other adults, children, and a farm cat. They have taken rides in their crates in a truck. They are played with and physically loved every day. They have only limited exposure to people from outside our farm, in order to keep them safe from parvo virus and other diseases or illnesses that could harm them, since they are at risk not having their immunizations yet. Still, we carefully allow certain adults and children to take part in the fun of puppy play!

It is important for the puppies to stay with their mothers and litter mates until they are 8 weeks of age, for good “pack socialization” in addition to their bonding with humans. Puppies will grow into well-adjusted dogs if they are allowed to spend this time with their original family! It has been shown that when dogs are taken from their mothers and siblings before they reach 8 weeks of age, often these are the dogs that will not get along well with other dogs.

Below are photos (from left to right is the progression) that show the temperament test that can be done on puppies to see if they have overly aggressive traits. The puppy is first put onto it’s back and you scratch it’s belly. At first there is supposed to be a mild little struggle from the puppy, but it should relax and become more and more calm as you stroke it’s chest or tummy. After about 30 seconds of tummy rubbing, you should be able to remove your hand and at least for a few seconds, the puppy should stay and be in sort of a mesmerized state, totally relaxed before it jumps up and starts playing again. These photos are of Oliver when he was 7 weeks old.