empowering your puppy
At Fox Ridge Goldens, we believe that raising puppies using a structured and well-planned curriculum is essential for their development and growth.
That’s why we use the empowering your puppy curriculum developed by Jeanette Forrey, which helps our puppies become the best version of themselves.
Meeting our puppies’ needs in a specific order is paramount to ensure their happiness and fulfillment. First and foremost, we establish boundaries and limitations, offering structure and guidance that promotes a sense of security and stability. By providing clear expectations, we empower our dogs to thrive within a structured environment. Next, we focus on mental and physical stimulation, engaging their intelligent minds and active bodies through various activities and exercises. This not only keeps them physically fit but also sharpens their cognitive abilities and prevents boredom. Finally, love and affection flow naturally within this balanced framework. By first addressing their needs for boundaries and stimulation, we create a solid foundation upon which a strong and healthy bond can be built. This approach instills a sense of purpose, confidence, and contentment in our dogs, ensuring they lead happy and fulfilling lives as cherished members of our families.
Our puppy curriculum focuses on empowering each puppy to lower their fear levels, increase their confidence, and practice startle recovery. By doing this, we can ensure that our puppies are well-rounded, happy, and confident in their abilities.
Our curriculum includes various socialization and training techniques, including exposure to different sounds, sights, smells, and textures.
By using this advanced curriculum, we can prepare our puppies for the real world and set them up for success in their new homes. Our puppies are confident, well-behaved, and adaptable, making the transition to their new homes a smooth and stress-free process for both the puppy and the new family.
At Fox Ridge Goldens, we are dedicated to providing our puppies with the best possible start in life. Our advanced service dog curriculum is just one way we do this.
This program does not create perfect puppies, but gives them the foundation for you to continue their training. Giving you a happy, healthy, and confident puppy that will make a loving and loyal companion for years to come.
ENS & ESI
Early neurological stimulation (ENS) and early scent introduction (ESI) are two important techniques used by breeders to help their puppies grow into well-adjusted, confident dogs.
Early neurological stimulation is a series of specific handling exercises that are performed on puppies from the age of 3 to 16 days old. These exercises involve holding the puppy in various positions, gently stimulating its senses, and exposing it to different sensations such as cold and heat. By doing this, the breeder helps to improve the puppy’s neurological development and reduce stress, which can help the puppy adapt more easily to new situations as it grows older.
Early scent introduction, on the other hand, involves introducing puppies to different smells during the first few weeks of life. Breeders may use scents such as vanilla, lavender, or even different types of food to expose the puppies to new and interesting smells. By doing this, the breeder helps to create positive associations with different scents, which can be helpful in training the puppy later on.
Both ENS and ESI have a number of benefits for puppies who go through them. By improving neurological development and reducing stress, ENS can help puppies become more resilient and better able to handle new situations as they grow older. ESI, on the other hand, can help puppies develop a strong sense of smell and create positive associations with different scents, which can be helpful in training and socialization.
Overall, breeders who use ENS and ESI are helping their puppies grow into confident, well-adjusted dogs that are better prepared to handle the challenges of the world around them. If you’re considering getting a puppy, it’s worth asking your breeder whether they use these techniques and how they can benefit your new furry friend.
EARLY SOUND INTRODUCTION
Introducing puppies to sounds as early as their ears open, around 18 days old, can have a number of benefits for their development and well-being. By exposing puppies to different sounds and noises during this critical period, breeders and puppy owners can help their pups become more resilient, confident, and better able to handle new situations as they grow older.
One of the main benefits of introducing puppies to sounds early on is that it can help them become more desensitized to different noises. Puppies who are not exposed to sounds during this critical period may become fearful or anxious when they encounter new or unfamiliar sounds later in life, which can make them more difficult to train and socialize. By introducing puppies to sounds early on, breeders and puppy owners can help prevent this fear and anxiety from developing, and create a more well-adjusted dog.
Another benefit of introducing puppies to sounds is that it can help them become more adaptable to different environments. Dogs who are accustomed to hearing a wide range of sounds and noises are more likely to be comfortable in new situations and less likely to become overwhelmed or anxious. This can make them better companions for their owners, and more adaptable to different lifestyles and living arrangements.
HEALTH TESTED PARENTS
If you’re looking to buy a puppy, it’s important to make sure that the parents have been health tested. At Fox Ridge Goldens, we take the health of our puppies very seriously, which is why we test all of our breeding dogs for a range of health conditions. This helps us to ensure that our puppies are healthy and happy, and that they will be able to thrive in their new homes.
Our health testing program includes a range of tests, including OFA Hips, Penn Hip, OFA Eyes, OFA Heart, and OFA Elbows. These tests help us to assess the health of our dogs’ hips, eyes, heart, and elbows, and to identify any potential health issues early on. We also perform a full Embark Genetic Testing Panel, which allows us to learn about over 200 genetic conditions that can affect our dogs.
By testing our dogs for these health conditions, we’re able to make educated breeding decisions that help us to produce healthy, happy puppies. We’re able to identify any potential health issues in our dogs before they have a chance to pass them on to their offspring, which helps to minimize the risk of genetic health issues in our puppies.
We believe that health testing is a crucial part of responsible breeding, and we’re committed to providing our puppies with the best possible start in life. By ensuring that our dogs are healthy and happy, we’re able to produce puppies that are healthy, happy, and well-adjusted – the perfect addition to any family.
So if you’re looking to buy a puppy, be sure to ask us about our health testing program. At Fox Ridge Goldens, we’re passionate and committed to health testing, and we’re always happy to answer any questions you may have. So if you are looking for a companion or a future addition to your breeding program do not hesitate to reach out.
TEMPERAMENT TESTED PUPPIES
At Fox Ridge Goldens, we believe that temperament is just as important as health when it comes to breeding puppies. That’s why we take great care to evaluate each and every one of our puppies using the BAB Temperament Test at 7 weeks old.
The BAB Temperament Test has been around for over a decade and was developed by Jeanette Forrey. It’s a comprehensive evaluation that assesses a range of temperament traits, including human focus, confidence, and tendeheartedness. By testing our puppies in this way, we’re able to get a better understanding of their personalities and temperament, which helps us guide you in selecting the right puppy for you.
We believe in the importance of giving our puppies a voice in placement, and we honor them by temperament testing every single one of them. This helps us to identify which puppies are better suited to certain types of homes, whether that’s a quiet home with no other pets or a busy household with kids and other animals. By placing our puppies in homes that are a good match for their personalities and temperament, we’re able to set them up for success and ensure that they thrive in their new homes.
Temperament testing is just one of the many things we do to ensure that our puppies are the best of the best. By focusing on both health and temperament, we’re able to produce puppies that are healthy, happy, and well-adjusted – the perfect addition to any family.
VET CHECKED & HEALTH GUARANTEED
We take the health and well-being of our puppies very seriously. That’s why we make sure that before our puppies go to their new homes, they receive a full wellness check from our trusted veterinarians at Fredericksburg Veterinary Clinic, Dr. Karla and Dr. Kristen.
Wellness checks are an essential part of ensuring that our puppies are healthy and ready for their new homes. During the checkup, our veterinarians thoroughly examine each puppy to make sure they’re free of any underlying health issues. This includes checking their ears, eyes, nose, mouth, and overall body condition.
Our puppies receive age appropriate vaccinations and dewormings.
In addition to wellness checks, our puppies are microchipped, giving new owners peace of mind that their new furry family member can always be identified and returned home if lost. We also provide a 2-year health guarantee to our puppy families, so they can feel confident that they are getting a healthy and happy puppy from Fox Ridge Goldens.
We are grateful for the support and care that Fredericksburg Veterinary Clinic and their staff provide to our Fox Ridge Golden puppies. We couldn’t do it without them!
