Our Puppy Information Page


We have tried to put together the most comprehensive and complete
puppy information page possible. If you have any questions
please do not hesitate to contact us.

Our puppies are born and raised in our home and on a very structured rearing program to ensure they are healthy both physically and mentally.

Please follow the links below to learn more about our program in detail.

Our Breeding Practices
Puppy Care and Development
The Bio-Sensor Training Method
Our Rearing and Socialization Program
Vaccination and Deworming Schedule
Explanation of Puppy Evaluations
Placing Puppies with Full Registration
Getting Ready for a Puppy
Placing a Verbal Reservation
Reservation by Deposit
Requirements for Families
Our Guarantee Program
Optional Insurance Plan
Interest Free Payment Plan
Methods of Payment
Pricing Information
Did you know some pups are born with small white spots on the back of their front feet called "Bolo" marks? This is a sign that the famous Dual Champion Banchory Bolo is an ancestor and was considered a sign of quality in the early 1900's!
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OUR BREEDING BELIEFS AND PRACTICES


Every serious breeder has guidelines that they follow concerning their breeding program. They have a direction in which they would like to take their line and each breeding should be a step in that direction. Breeding and supporting a “line” of dogs is a difficult and ongoing venture. There is always something that can be improved upon and a breeder must understand that they will never produce the “perfect” Labrador, but that doesn’t stop them from continuing to try.

When considering a mating, we look at each of the prospective parents to see how that mating would be beneficial and improve the overall quality in the puppies produced and the breed as a whole. When ever we produce a litter we intend to keep at least one puppy for ourselves to move our program forward. If by 4-6 months that puppy does not end up being what we were striving for we locat a loving family match for him or her.

Some breeders focus on one aspect of the breed such as producing a top show dog, high retrieving ability or producing a dog that can do therapy, service or rescue work. The most complicated breeding program is one that takes all of these into consideration and that is our focus. Mental and physical health are the priority of our program but we do enjoy a good looking Labrador that also has a natural interest to retrieve. We prefer dogs with soft mouths, a gentle and trainable disposition, above average intelligence, a strong drive to please and a moderate to low energy level in the home. We like dogs that will be manageable and a joy to be around in the home but when asked to work, they will, with no hesitation and great enjoyment.

We are often contacted by families looking to purchase a puppy but they “are not looking for a show dog”. We would like to point out that though titles are not the most important focus of our program, we do obtain some, and feel it can be a way of determining quality and ability.

Even out of a “show” litter there will only be a couple of puppies considered to be show quality. These puppies can only be selected by someone that has a trained eye and have certain characteristics that will move our program forward. The remaining puppies are not any less desirable as companions and still very high quality. Just not what we are looking for at that particular time in our program.

The vast majority of our puppies are placed as pets with loving families. Once in a while we will have particular puppies available to homes interested in allowing us to show and/or breed them later and the minimum of their full purchase price will be refunded as a thank you. If you are at all curious about this agreement or if you are interested in purchasing a puppy for competition or breeding please contact us for more information.

We will also be looking for a few select foster homes to raise and train our puppies, obtain the therapy dog titles and visit nursing homes, hospitals and individuals that would benefit from the companionship of a dog. Some dogs will be placed with children that have special needs, others will continue with therapy work and some will be selected to participate in our breeding program. Participation in this program will take dedication but is very rewarding. If you are interested in more information please contact us.
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PUPPY CARE AND DEVELOPMENT


From the moment we do the breeding to produce the litter our concern is to ensure that each puppy matures into a well rounded, happy and healthy adult. All of our puppies are born and raised in our home and they are under constant supervision. We love our puppies and go beyond what is expected of us as breeders to make sure they are happy, healthy and thriving. Below is a guide-line that will assist you in understanding the steps we take to meet our goal.

PUPPIES AT ONE WEEK OF AGE:

During their first week puppies spend 90% of their time sleeping and 10% of their time eating. Being very susceptible to heat and cold, we constantly monitor the temperature of the whelping box as well as the production of milk and the care that they are given. Often we find ourselves literally sleeping with the dam and her puppies for the first few days to ensure every puppy is being fed and doing well and once they are past four days old we sleep in shifts. Their central nervous systems are developing rapidly at this age and they gain a significant amount of weight. By the end of the week the puppies should have doubled in size. We also supplement them with bottle feedings which ensures proper human bonding. It is important to us that they think of us as their foster parents and a source of security. By this time we have also introduce the "Bio Sensor" method of training which we cover in the next section.

PUPPIES AT TWO WEEKS OF AGE:

At two weeks of age the puppies ears and eyes begin to open slightly and they are able to move about the whelping box by "scooting". We deworm them with pyrantel and their nails are trimmed weekly from this point on. We continue the Bio-Sensor Method of training.

PUPPIES AT THREE WEEKS OF AGE:

At three weeks of age their ears and eyes are open fully and their teeth begin to come in. They attempt to stand and walk and have developed their sense of smell. They begin becoming very aware of their environment and playing with other litter mates is their main focus. We begin to hear them bark and growl and their little tails start wagging. We also (weather permitting) take short trips outside to explore and deworm them with their first dose of fenbendazole. Visitors are now allowed to come and view the babies but no outside animals are allowed on the property.

PUPPIES AT FOUR WEEKS OF AGE:

At four weeks the puppies are now on mashed (gruel) food supplementation, though they still need their mother for stability and additional feedings. Each puppy is given individual attention and at this age and we introduce them to the scent of birds. Depth perception is now present and the puppies are dewormed with their second dose of pyrantel.

PUPPIES AT FIVE WEEKS OF AGE:

At five weeks the litter has established a dominance order. Rapid growth and development is present and play begins to become more exuberant. Weaning begins at this age once the mother agrees and we begin socialization and the first stages of crate and house training. The puppies are given their first evaluation and we begin doing alpha rolls and other exercises to ensure they accept their role in the human pack.

PUPPIES AT SIX WEEKS OF AGE:

At six weeks of age each puppy is given more individual time and attention away from their litter mates which is critical for proper development. They are introduced to loud audio stimulation while eating and often to distant gun fire. Though their mothers will still check in on them, the puppies are fully weaned and we take on the role as their parental figure. Crate training is in full swing and they begin to become more self assured and at ease on their own. We also begin to see how interested each puppy is in retrieving by introducing them to birds and water (weather permitting). Puppies are given their first vaccinations and the last dose of fenbendazole and pyrantel.

PUPPIES AT SEVEN WEEKS OF AGE:

The puppies at seven weeks are on dry puppy food and given a dose of heartworm preventative. They have total hearing and visual capacity at this age and are very curious. Each puppy is taken for car rides, is working on house traning and should have a good start on being crate trained. Each of them is given a written evaluation For energy level, personality, intelligence, trainability, retrieving desire and conformation. In order to be considered a superior match for their prospective family they must score an 85% or above on their examination. They are allowed to join their new families after 49 days.

Some states have recently changed their laws and require puppies to be at least 8 weeks old before placement. These new laws are to protect the health of puppies being produced by puppy mills that are sold to dog brokers and then delivered to pet shops.

I have read some articles on the issue stating that the new laws are to ensure puppies are raised properly and not separated from their mother before 8 weeks of age. I can assure you that the people that have backed these laws have not raised puppies properly (or not at all). Puppies that are still dependant upon their mother for care, even at 8 weeks, are not physically or mentally ready for a new home.

If by 6 weeks the litter is being properly cared for, fed and cleaned up after the mother decides she would rather spend the majority of her time away from the litter regaining her strength and her proper weight. If you do not care for a litter properly she will not be willing to leave. She will regurgitate the majority of her food for them, allow them to continue to nurse and continue eating their fecal matter to keep the “nest” clean.

In the wild wolves will come together as a pack to provide food for a litter, nurture them and become their care giver for periods of time to ensure that their mother can have some time to herself. As members of the mothers family we are her “pack” and we should do the same for her. Wolf mothers are rarely left on their own to care for a litter and when they are there is a very high mortality rate for puppies and even for the mother.

 If you are unable to pick your puppy up at 7 weeks, or would prefer to leave it for an additional period of time, we are happy to hold any puppy that has been reserved by deposit until it is 9 weeks at no additional charge. This allows plenty of time for families that can not alter their schedules to receive their puppy at 7 weeks or for those concerned that 7 weeks may be too early for separation.

Additional time is available, but the puppy must be paid for in full and there will be a small fee of $8.30 per day to cover our continued feeding and training plus any additional fees for required vaccinations, dewormings and vet care. If additional training arrangemets have not been made and a puppy is not claimed by 10 weeks of age we must take into consideration the needs of the puppy and have the right to keep your deposit and offer this puppy to another family.
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THE BIO-SENSOR TRAINING METHOD


The U.S. Military developed a method in their canine program that still serves as a guide and is an oustanding method of rearing. In an effort to improve the performance of dogs used for military purposes, a program called "Bio Sensor" was developed. Later, it became known to the public as the "Super Dog" Program.

Based on years of research, the military learned that early neurological stimulation exercises could have important and lasting effects. Their studies confirmed that there are specific time periods early in life when neurological stimulation has optimum results. The first period involves a window of time that begins at the third day of life and lasts until the sixteenth day. It is believed that because this interval of time is a period of rapid neurological growth and development, and therefore is of great importance to the individual.

The "Bio Sensor" program was also concerned with early neurological stimulation in order to give the dog a superior advantage. Its development utilized six exercises, which were designed to stimulate the neurological system. Each workout involved handling puppies once each day. The workouts required handling them one at a time while performing a series of five exercises.

Listed in no order of preference the handler starts with one put and stimulates it using each of the five exercises. The handler completes the series from beginning to end before starting with the next pup. The handling of each pup once per day involves the following exercises:

1. Tactile stimulation - holding the pup in one hand, the handler gently stimulates (tickles) the pup between the toes on any one foot using a Q-tip. It is not necessary to see that the pup is feeling the tickle. Time of stimulation 3 - 5 seconds.

2. Head held erect - using both hands, the pup is held perpendicular to the ground, (straight up), so that its head is directly above its tail. This is an upwards position. Time of stimulation 3 - 5 seconds.

3. Head pointed down - holding the pup firmly with both hands the head is reversed and is pointed downward so that it is pointing towards the ground. Time of stimulation 3 - 5 seconds.

4. Supine position - hold the pup so that its back is resting in the palm of both hands with its muzzle facing the ceiling. The pup while on its back is allowed to sleep struggle. Time of stimulation 3-5 seconds.

5. Thermal stimulation - use a damp towel that has been cooled in a refrigerator for at least five minutes. Place the pup on the towel, feet down. Do not restrain it from moving. Time of stimulation 3-5 seconds.

These five exercises will produce neurological stimulations, none of which naturally occur during this early period of life. Experience shows that sometimes pups will resist these exercises, others will appear unconcerned. In either case a caution is offered to those who plan to use them. Do not repeat them more than once per day and do not extend the time beyond that recommended for each exercise. Over stimulation of the neurological system can have adverse and detrimental results.

These exercises impact the neurological system by kicking it into action earlier than would be normally expected. The result being an increased capacity that later will help to make the difference in its performance. Those who play with their pups and routinely handle them should continue to do so because the neurological exercises are not substitutions for routine handling, play socialization or bonding.

Five benefits have been observed in canines that were exposed to the Bio Sensor stimulation exercises:

1 - Improved cardio vascular performance (heart rate)
2 - Stronger heart beats
3 - Stronger adrenal glands
4 - More tolerance to stress
5 - Greater resistance to disease

In tests of learning, stimulated pups were found to be more active and were more exploratory than their non- stimulated littermates over which they were dominant in competitive situations.
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OUR REARING AND SOCILIZATION PROGRAM


If you have read this far I am sure you have a fairly good understanding of our rearing and socialization program here at Coldwater.

I have read countless articles concerning puppy raising. Most of them are a broad written piece that pertain to many different breeds and give information such as “ you should never let your puppy on your furniture or he will believe he is equal to you. If you allow this and attempt to move him as an adult he may bite you”. Obviously they do not own a properly bred Labrador.

I am a firm believer that a dog should know his or her place in the family pack, but when dealing with Labradors they are very biddable, gentle and accommodating. Our Labradors are allowed on all of our furniture, they are given human food and we do many things that most articles say we shouldn’t with great success and no trouble what so ever and that is due to our careful selection, breeding, rearing and socilization process.

In the “Our Breeding Beliefs and Practices” portion above I point out that every breeder has a different focus for their breeding program. Because every breeder has a different focus then of course every “line” of Labradors differs slightly in looks, actions, temperament, intelligence, energy level and so on depending on what is important to the breeder. I can tell you that there is a vast difference between some of the Labradors we produce and others we have purchased from other breeders even though they are the same breed.

Some lines are very very soft or shy. Have you ever met an adult dog that cowers as you approach? Most people would say “That dog has been beaten”, and though this could be true, the chances are that the dog was just never properly socialized as a puppy or the line or individual puppy was prone to softness. I have seen it countless times where two puppies from different lines were raised in the exact same situation and they will turn out to be completely different in all aspects as an adult.

My point here is that if the breeder is only worried about one attribute such as what a dog looks like or how birdy it is in the field then you are only focusing on one aspect of the breed and ignoring others. Great, so the dog is a beautiful Champion, is it at all intelligent? How will they know if they never require the dog to learn? So it can fetch a bird like no other, can it be a calm family pet in the house? Is it posession aggressive? How do they know if it is always kept in a kennel situation?

If you have a breeder that really does not have a focus and is producing Labradors just to sell them, then they really do not have a focus at all. They are more than likely breeding what ever dogs they can get their hands on and not really worrying about what they are producing. You get my point I think.

It is true that if you are breeding correctly and really care about the breed you make very little money. 95% of the money we make from our puppy sales goes back into their veterinary care, housing, food, treats, training, supplies, competition and so on. So many people visit and say "Oh you guys must make SO much money!". In the long run after the bills are paid we do not. We are lucky to get a new pair of shoes when we need them. The dogs always come first and that is how it should be. It would really be much easier to just go work at Burger King full time. We would make about the same amount of money and actually get some sleep! No joke.

Many think that just because a dog is AKC registered that it must be a quality animal. That isn’t so at all. As you can see, producing a Labrador that looks and acts like a what a Labrador really should is completely up to the breeder. AKC is only a registry and responsible for the paperwork and that is it. They primarily rely on the honesty of breeders to keep producing Labradors that are what they should be. If a breeder is only worried about making money and produces a litter of puppies that look and act like Poodles AKC will not question it and register them as Labradors anyways. Quite scary I think.

We are concerned with all aspects of our Labradors. We appreciate a great looking dog, but we also live with our Labradors and so their personalities, their ability to get along with others, their ability to learn and retain information, their willingness to please us and so on is passed on through selective breeding. We produce puppies that are very easy to train, easily socialized and are mentally stable and well rounded.

As our puppies get older there are some that are naturally more dominant and others that are more submissive. By promoting the submissive puppies and interrupting the dominant behavior of others their personalities are altered and they are not allowed to become the alpha or omega of the litter. They are all given time away from their litter depending on what the individual puppy requires. The training and guidance we provide to each of them is also different depending on their requirements and needs.

We implement Alpha/Omega exercises for all of our puppies. These include rolling the puppy on his or her back and staring it in the eyes until they relax and look away, cupping your hand around the puppies muzzle, requiring the puppy to submit to holding their paw, trimming their nails, checking their teeth, cleaning their ears and general grooming. We also take food away from each puppy on occasion while eating to ensure it is accepting us as their pack leader as well as other exercises.

With the use of the Bio-Sensor Method, the Alpha/Omega exercises and altering our program for the individual needs of each puppy we consistently raise very uniform litters. Each puppy will still have slight differences of course and some litters are focused for more of one attribute than another, but we have found our method to be very reliable and produce puppies that will accept being dominated yet are not prone to dominating others.
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VACCINATION AND DEWORMING SCHEDULE


Before we can explain the vaccinations and medications that we give to our puppies we believe we should explain to you the why we give them. If you would like to skip past this portion, the actual deworming and vacciation schedule is below.

DISTEMPER -
 Canine Distemper is caused by a virus closely related to the human measle virus. It is considered the most serious viral disease of dogs in the world. Approximately 50% of nonvaccinated, nonimmunized dogs infected with CD virus develop clinical signs of the disease and approximately 90% of those dogs infected with CD die. All the bodily secretions of an infected animal contain the virus, it is highly contagious, and it is primarily spread by an airborne route. It's more frequent and acutely affects pups under 3 months of age. Early clinical signs include anorexia, diarrhea, and dehydration. As the disease progresses, fever, depression, vomiting, and bloody diarrhea may be observed accompanied by signs of respiratory distress. Coughing, labored breathing, inflammation of tissues around the eyes and nose, and mucopurulent oculonasal discharge may occur. If dogs recover from Distemper they often have lifelong complications. Like Parvo, Distemper vaccine should be administered every three (3) - four (4) weeks from six (6) to sixteen (16) weeks of age with annual boosters.

PARVOVIRUS -
 Parvo is caused by a virus that attacks the lining of the small intestine of all canines. Infection results in enteric disease characterized by sudden onset of vomiting and diarrhea, often with blood. Susceptibility cannot be avoided. Any puppy exposed to the virus during the susceptibility period will most likely come down with the disease, regardless of many vaccination schedules. The virus is spread by a fecal-oral route. This means that the virus is passed, by the billions, in the stool of an infected canine and then ingested by another canine. It can live in the environment for years and still be infectious, and can be spread on hands, boots, feed dishes, etc. A puppy should receive a booster every three (3) - four (4) weeks from six (6) weeks of age until at least sixteen (16) weeks of age. People often begin vaccinating before six weeks of age, but it is a widely accepted fact that interference from natural antibodies (the immune protection pups get from their dam) blocks the vaccine.Another common mistake is to vaccinate more frequently then every three weeks. The immune system can not respond to vaccines given more frequently than three week intervals, and a decreased immune response may even occur. All dogs should receive annual revaccination, and females should be boosted two (2) weeks prior to breeding.

CORONAVIRUS -
 Corona is caused by another species-specific virus which attacks the small intestinal lining. The symptoms of the disease include lethargy, anorexia, and depression. The sudden onset of vomiting occurs, in which blood can sometimes be found. Diarrhea is moderate to severe and is projectile. Feces is yellow-orange colored with blood and mucous occasionally found. In some kennels Coronavirus has been quite a severe problem. Most veterinarians consider this vaccine somewhat optional with the exception of certain kennels. If not incorporated into the standard vaccination schedule, I recommend Coronavirus vaccination at twelve (12) weeks with a booster at sixteen (16) weeks, and do not routinely revaccinate older dogs.

LEPTOSPIROSIS -
 Lepto is an acute infectious disease that is characterized by depression, fever, and loss of appetite. The mucous membranes are usually deeply congested. Jaundice sometimes occurs indicating severe liver involvement. The kidneys can also be damaged, resulting in Uremia, vomiting, dehydration, Polyuria (excessive urination), and polydipsia (excessive thirst). It is a bacterial disease which seems to be having an upswing in varying locales across North America. The organism is shed in the urine of infected animals and is contagious by penetration of abraded skin or mucous membranes. All dogs should receive at least four vaccinations against Lepto as a puppy. Most commercially available Distemper/Parvovirus vaccines also include Lepto in their combinations.

PARAINFLUENZA -
 Canine Parainfluenza is a highly contagious respiratory disease which contributes to upper respiratory disease and Infectious Tracheobronchitis. It is one of the three major diseases that causes ITB which is also labeled "Kennel Cough." Characteristic clinical signs of CPI Infection is coughing that may be intensified by activity or excitement. Environmental factors such as drafts, colds and high humidity may enhance susceptibility to the disease. Typically, CPI is self-limiting, with a course of 5 to 10 days duration. However, secondary bacterial infection of the respiratory tract are not uncommon, and may complicate the clinical syndrome. Like Lepto, Parainfluenza is given in combination with Distemper/Parvo.

BORDETELLA -
 Bordetella is also one of the three most common causes of Canine Upper Respiratory Disease Complex, known as "Kennel Cough." The symptoms include a harsh, dry cough, aggravated by activity or excitement. The cough is followed by retching or gagging in an attempt to clear small amounts of mucous from the throat. Body temperatures may be elevated as secondary bacterial infection takes place. This disease is highly contagious and is readily transmitted to susceptible dogs. Like Coronavirus, Bordetella is administered at twelve (6) and again at sixteen (16) weeks with an annual booster.

TRACHEOBRONCHITIS -
 Infectious Tracheobronchitis (ITB) is often inappropriately labeled "Kennel Cough" which is more of a syndrome rather than a distinct disease entity. Some of the more commonly involved organisms at work are CAV-2, Parainfluenza, and Bordetella Bronchiseptica. The syndrome is highly contagious and may cause a dry, retching couth that can lead to a severe Pneumonia. Puppies should be vaccinated with CAV-2 and Parainfluenza four times and Bordetella two times with an annual booster containing all three types. These three separate diseases that cause ITB (or Kennel Cough) are explained in more detail.

ADENOVIRUS TYPE I and II -
 Infections are primarily respiratory, evidenced by Pneumonia, Bronchitis, Tonsillitis, and Pharyngitis. CAV-2 is one of the causes of Infectious Tracheobronchitis (ITB) that is often labeled "Kennel Cough." CAV-2 has not been associated with Corneal Opacity ("blue eyes"), Uveitis or virus localization in the kidneys, which may be characteristic of Canine Adenovirus Type 1 (CAV-1) infections. This virus is spread in the bodily secretions of infected dogs and a wide variety of carnivorous wildlife. Infectious Canine Hepatitis is rare in dogs today due to the efficacy of the vaccine. Like Lepto, Adenovirus is given in combination with Distemper/Parvo four times.

LYME -
 Lyme Disease is caused by a bacterial organism known as Borrelia Bugdorferi. It is transmitted by the bite of an infected tick. The most common clinical manifestation is one of pain in multiple joints. In regions where vaccination is warranted, puppies should receive two (2) doses three (3) - four (4) weeks apart. Lyme is a serious concern and vaccination requirements should not be taken lightly if you spend time in the outdoors.

RABIES -
 Rabies is an invariably fatal disease which affects all warm-blooded animals (including humans). The virus is spread in the saliva of infected animals and can be absorbed across abraded (broken or irritated) skin, mucous membranes, and even the eye. A single dose of vaccine is given at three (3) - four (4) months of age with a booster of Annumune at one year old, and then a booster of Trimune once every three years after that.

INTERNAL PARASITES -

 HOOKWORMS -
There are four species of hookworms that infect dogs (Ancylostoma braziliense, Ancylostoma caninum, Ancylostoma tubaeforme, and Uncinaria stenocephala). In dogs, A. caninum is the most common hookworm and causes the worst disease. A. tubaeforme is more common in cats than dogs, and is less likely to cause severe disease than A. caninum. Dogs in the Northern states and in Canada are more likely to be infected with U. stenocephala as it prefers cold climates and A. caninum prefers warm climates.

A. caninum hookworm infestation in dogs can lead to severe anemia, especially in puppies. These hookworms have big appetites and attach to the intestine and feed on the dog's blood. The other three types of hookworms are less likely to cause severe anemia but it is a potential problem with them. Signs of hookworm infection include weight loss, pale color, black or tarry looking stools, weakness, anemia and death. In areas in which hookworms are prevalent there can be skin disease in pets associated with exposure to the larval worms as well. The following are a list of clinical signs of hookworm infestation in canines:

Dose, age, immune status dependent; may be severe and life-threatening
Primarily a disease of puppies, since adult dogs exposed as puppies have a premune status due to presence of arrested larvae
Dermatitis
Puppy pneumonia
Enteritis, bloody diarrhea, blood loss anemia

Life threatening for pups - may show signs as early as 2 to 3 weeks of age in a peracute case (puppy crashes without prior signs of disease) or may occur in an acute stage at 3 weeks to weaning where there are eggs in the feces, bloody stool

Hookworms can be acquired from the mother's milk, from penetration of the skin by hookworm larvae in the environment and from eating hookworm larvae. Some vets think that it may also be transmitted during pregnancy from mothers to puppies but this is controversial. One of the problems with hookworms is that they can accidentally infect humans. This creates a problem called cutaneous larva migrans, which loosely translates to worms migrating through the skin. Humans pick up the hookworm larvae from areas contaminated by dog feces and they penetrate the human's skin just like they would the dog's. Since they don't belong in the human they don't develop into adults but just migrate around in the skin, causing sores and inflammation, until they die. This is a good reason to keep dogs and cats from defecating in playground areas, beaches and other places where people's skin is likely to come in contact with the ground.

Fortunately, the monthly heartworm preventatives are also effective at controlling hookworms and can provide a measure of protection against the possibility of the cutaneous larva migrans syndrome occurring in the humans that own dogs and cats on heartworm preventative medications. In areas in which heartworms are not a problem but hookworms are, it is a good idea to consider having a pet's stool examined for the presence of worm eggs once a year and when clinical signs that may indicate infestation occur.

ROUNDWORMS -
 Roundworms (Toxocara canis and Toxascaris leonina) are found in the intestine of dogs and are a major hygienic concern because they are transmissible to people. Because people get infected by ingestion of dirt contaminated with the feces of infected dogs, roundworm elimination should be the concern on every responsible pet owner. An average-sized dog passes 136 grams of feces daily and it is known that a dog with a "light" roundworm infection may pass 10,000 eggs in every gram of stool. If 12% of the 80 million dogs in America have "light" infections, 1,300 metric tons of dog feces containing 13 trillion roundworm eggs are discharged in the streets and lands of America every day!! In different surveys, 0.3 - 15% of soil samples and 7 - 31% of house yards or children's sandboxes contained roundworm eggs.

Your plan of attack to eradicate roundworm infection should be: to eliminate roundworm infection from dogs; to prevent dog defecation in areas frequented by people, and; to educate your family and friends about the risks and appropriate control measures.

Concerned pet owners should collect their pets' feces every day and place them in the garbage or burn it. Flushing the feces down the toilet is inappropriate because many eggs survive sewage treatment. There is some fear that roundworms may be passed by a puppy licking the owner. While the transmission rate through this avenue of infection is probably very, very low it is still a good idea to observe good hygiene and wash hands and faces after playing with the puppy. Also, Humans should clean vegetables grown in the garden before eating them. For most people, these preventative measures are just normal procedures but it is good to know there is a reason for all this caution!

Because pups may start passing eggs as early as day 21 of life, the first treatment must be administered before this age. Since reinfection is common from the environment as well as in the mother's milk, treatment must often be repeated every two weeks until the pups are 49 days old. In practical terms, this means treating pups at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks of age. Bitches should be treated at the same time as the pups since they are most often the source of the pups infection. All bitches should be presumed to be carriers of roundworms even if they have had negative fecals prior to whelping since the worms often persist in her system in a resting stage. The following list discusses how bitches carry roundworms and infect pups before they are even born:

Roundworm larvae migrate to somatic tissue (liver and lungs), including skeletal muscle and remain there in a quiescent state
Only resume activity in pregnant bitches following the 42nd day gestation (third trimester)
May establish an infection of the small intestine by tracheal migration
Usually infect the fetus via the umbilical vessels; initially they attack the pups liver, then lungs at birth. This is the primary reason that bitches should be wormed before breeding, during the last week of gestation, and each time the pups are wormed.

Once the initial infection is treated properly it is a good idea to occasionally check a stool sample for the presence of worms or to consider prophylactically administering deworming medications if the situation seems to warrant it. It is hoped that at some point in the future a vaccine will become available for roundworm control since current control measures seem to be only marginally effective. For the present however, routine treatment of pups and bitch, as well as environmental control are necessary and essential.

TAPEWORMS -
 Tapeworms (Taenia pisiformis, Dipylidium canium, Enchinococcus granulosus, and Echinococcus multilocularis) are found in the intestine of dogs and are a major hygienic concern because they are transmissible to people. Dog-rabbit tapeworms (T. pisiformis) have a life cycle that starts with them living in the small intestines of wild foxes, coyotes, and wolves where they produce eggs that are shed in the feces and subsequently contaminate the local environment. Rabbits then become infected by ingesting these eggs which then form hundreds or even thousands of "hydatid cysts" in the tissues. When dogs or their wild cousins eat these rabbits they can be infected with hundreds to thousands of adults. These adults latch onto the wall of the intestines and after about a month, start shedding eggs. These eggs are then immediately infective to other animals, including people. To complicate matters further, these tapeworm eggs can remain infective in the environment for several months.

Infected dogs may seem clinically normal while shedding large numbers of infective eggs. The eggs are generally first seen in your dog's feces or sticking to the hair around your dog's rear. These specialized muscular egg cases are actually segments of the worm that are full of eggs and they look like a small, flattened, grain of white rice that moves. As the egg case wiggles around it is spreading thousands of tapeworm eggs which are too small for the naked-eye to see.

Adult tapeworms appear to cause very few clinical problems in dogs. However, this is the real point of concern since infected people are not as lucky. Alveolar hydatid disease in humans, caused by Echinococcus multilocularis, is a very serious infection that usually involves the liver. Early in the course of the infection, patients may be misdiagnosed with other liver ailments. Involvement of other tissues, including the lungs and brain can also occur. Since over 50% of people with alveolar hydatid disease die, this is considered the most lethal worm infection that people get. It is therefore important for all dogs and cats in high-risk areas be screened for tapeworm infection. This is more difficult than it sounds since infection with Echinococcus eggs can not be readily differentiated from the more common tapeworms which do not affect people. Veterinarians finding tapeworm eggs on fecal exams usually closely examine pets for the rice-like grains known as proglottids which are found with common tapeworms but not the lethal variety. Occasionally more dramatic methods are necessary to try to recover worms from suspect pets. A more convenient blood test is available to diagnose infection in people and hopefully similar tests will soon become suitable for pets.

The best defense is increased public awareness of this condition. Personal protection and hygiene are important, especially to those individuals that may contact feces from potentially-infected pets. Children are particularly at risk. Mulch that contains feces from dogs, cats, wolves or foxes should not be used on gardens. Beagles should be discouraged from consuming rabbits or any other type of wild rodent.

Fortunately for pets, there are medicines that are safe and very effective for treatment. People are not as lucky and surgery still remains the preferred treatment.

In conclusion, Echinococcus multilocularis, may cause a mild problem in pets but if people get infected, the results can be fatal. In order to minimize the risk of human infection the public must increase its awareness of the potential complications that are associated with the parasites.

WHIPWORMS -
 Surveys consistently identify whipworms (Trichuris vulpis) as one of the most common parasitic worms of dogs in North America, while only infrequently being reported in cats or humans. They live in the lower aspects of the intestines (the cecum and colon) where they latch on to feed. Sometimes they cause no problems at all but they may cause abdominal upset (colic) or diarrhea, often tainted by blood and mucus. When eggs are laid in the intestines, they pass into the feces and become infective within 9-10 days. When consumed by dogs the infective eggs hatch in the intestines and the larvae parasitize the intestines and matures further.

Many people do not realize that dogs do not begin to shed whipworm eggs in their stool until about 3 months after being infected. At that time each female whipworm may pass from 1000 to 4000 eggs per day into the stool. Complicating matters further are that female whipworms are long-lived, surviving for months or years in the intestines. The life cycle therefore includes a larval stage in the small intestine, an adult stage in the large intestine, and infective eggs that pass into the feces.

Diagnosis is not always easy since it depends on finding whipworm eggs in the feces. Remember that animals are infected for 3 months before they begin to shed eggs and you can appreciate the problem. Once females begin shedding eggs, they are usually recoverable by direct smears and centrifugal flotation. They are not as easily found with standard fecal evaluations. In some instances, the adult worms are actually seen attached to the lower bowel during endoscopic procedures.

Treatment is also not straightforward because of the peculiar life cycle of this parasite. Although many medicines are effective in removing adult worms, the larvae are less reliably cleared. Therefore treatment must often be repeated in 3 weeks and often, in 3 months as well, when the larvae have evolved into egg-producing adults. The biggest hindrance to effective treatment is that animals are often re-exposed to environments in which whipworm eggs are plentiful, and are thereby re-infected.

It can be difficult to control exposure to whipworm eggs on lawns or soil but concrete can be effectively disinfected. Proper disposal of egg-containing dog feces is critical.

COCCIDEA -
 Coccidia are small protozoans (one-celled organisms) that live in the intestinal tracts of dogs and cats. They cause disease most commonly in puppies and kittens less than six months of age, in adult animals whose immune system is suppressed, or in animals who are stressed in other ways (e.g.; change in ownership, other disease present).

The primary sign of an animal suffering with coccidiosis is diarrhea. The diarrhea may be mild to severe depending on the level of infection. Blood and mucous may be present, especially in advanced cases. Severely affected animals may also vomit, lose their appetite, become dehydrated, and in some instances, die from the disease.

Most infected puppies encountered are in the four to twelve week age group. The possibility of coccidiosis should always be considered when a loose stool or diarrhea is encountered in this age group. A microscopic fecal exam by a veterinarian may detect detect the cysts confirming a diagnosis but often it is missed and an antigen test is required.

It should be mentioned that stress plays a role in the development of coccidiosis. It is not uncommon for a seemingly healthy puppy to arrive at his new home and develop diarrhea several days later leading to a diagnosis of coccidia. If the puppy has been at the new home for less than thirteen days, then he may have had coccidia before he arrived.
br> Coccidea is everywhere and very difficult to guard against. Especially in facilities who’s dogs attend competition events, visit dog parks and participate in other multi-dog activities.

Fortunately, coccidiosis is treatable. Drugs such as sulfadimethoxine (Albon®) and trimethoprim-sulfadiazine (Tribrissen®) have been effective in the treatment and prevention of coccidia. Because these drugs do not kill the organisms, but rather inhibit their reproduction capabilities, elimination of coccidia from the intestine is not rapid. By stopping the ability of the protozoa to reproduce, time is allowed for the puppy's own immunity to develop and remove the organisms. Drug treatments of one to three weeks are usually required for treatment. Preventative medication should be given to puppies for at least a week after going to new homes.

GIARDIA -
 Giardia are protozoa (one-celled organisms) that live in the small intestine of dogs and cats. Giardia are found throughout the United States and in many other parts of the world. Infection with Giardia is called 'giardiasis.

Most infections with Giardia are asymptomatic. In the rare cases in which disease occurs, younger animals are usually affected, and the usual sign is diarrhea. The diarrhea may be acute, intermittent, or chronic. Usually the infected animals will not lose their appetite, but they may lose weight and deteriorate quickly leading to death in severe cases. The feces are often abnormal, being pale, having a bad odor, and appearing greasy. In the intestine, Giardia prevents proper absorption of nutrients, damages the delicate intestinal lining, and interferes with digestion. In many ways it resembles coccidea, but in other ways it is different.

Giardiasis is even more difficult to diagnose than coccidea because the protozoa are so small and are not passed with every stool. Tests on serial stool samples (one stool sample every day for three days) are often required to find the organism. Special diagnostic procedures, beyond a routine fecal examination, are necessary to identify Giardia.

It can be a dilemma for your veterinarian. What you see (or do not see) is not always a correct indication of what you have. A negative test may mean the animal is not infected. However, few, if any, laboratory tests are 100% accurate. Negative test results can also occur in some infected animals. If a negative test occurs, your veterinarian will often suggest repeating the test or simply treat the animal.

There are several treatments for giardiasis. Fenbendazole is an antiparasitic drug that kills some intestinal worms and can help control giardia. It may be used alone or with metronidazole. Metronidazole can kill some types of bacteria that could cause diarrhea. So if the diarrhea was caused by bacteria, and not Giardia, the bacteria can be killed and the symptoms eliminated. Unfortunately, metronidazole has some drawbacks and should not be used on pregnant animals.

It is possible these treatments only remove the cysts from the feces but do not kill all the Giardia in the intestine. This means even though the fecal exams after treatment may be negative, the organism is still present in the intestine. This is especially true of the older treatments. So treated animals could still be a source of infection for others.

The cysts can live several weeks to months outside the host in wet, cold environments. So lawns, parks, kennels, and other areas that may be contaminated with animal feces can be a source of infection for your pet. You should keep your pet away from areas contaminated by the feces of other animals. This is not always easy and in most cases impossible.

HEARTWORM -
 Heartworms can only be transmitted from animal to animal by mosquitoes. When a mosquito bites an infected animal, young heartworms called microfilariae enter into that mosquito's system. Within two weeks, the microfilariae develop into infective larvae inside the mosquito; these infective larvae can be transmitted to another animal when this mosquito takes its next blood meal.

The infective larvae mature into adult heartworms in approximately six months. During the first three months, the larvae migrate through the animal's body, eventually reaching the blood vessels of the lungs. During the last three months, the immature worms continue to develop and grow to adults, with females growing to lengths of up to 14 inches. The worms damage the blood vessels, and reduce the heart's pumping ability, resulting in severe lung and heart disease. When the animal shows signs of illness due to adult heartworm infection, it is called heartworm disease.

If adult worms (5-7 months post-infection) of both sexes are present, they will mate and produce new microfilariae. The microfilariae can cause the animal's immune system to mount a reaction; this immune reaction can actually cause damage to other organs. This life cycle continues when a mosquito bites the infected animal and becomes infected by the microfilariae.

If your dog has been recently or mildly infected with heartworms, it may show no signs of illness until the adult worms have developed in the lungs and signs of heartworm disease are observed. As the disease progresses, your dog may cough, become lethargic, lose its appetite or have difficulty breathing. You may notice that your dog seems to tire rapidly after only moderate exercise.

Because it takes 6 months for a heartworm to become an adult, puppies under 6 months of age do not require a heartworm test. Antigen tests detect the presence of adult female heartworms, and antibody tests determine if your pet has been exposed to heartworms. The antigen test is most commonly performed, and is very accurate in dogs. Further tests, such as chest radiographs (x-rays), a blood profile and an echocardiogram (an ultrasound of the heart), may be necessary to confirm the diagnosis, to evaluate the severity of the disease, and to determine the best treatment plan for your dog.

As with most medical problems, it is much better to prevent heartworm infection than to treat it. However, if your dog does become infected with heartworms there is an FDA-approved treatment available. There is substantial risk involved in treating a dog for heartworms. However, serious complications are much less likely in dogs that are in good health and when you carefully follow your veterinarian's instructions.

The goal of heartworm treatment is to kill the adult worms and microfilariae present in your dog, as safely as possible. However, when a dog is treated it is important to consider that heartworms are dying inside the dogs lungs. While your dog is treated, it will require complete rest throughout hospitalization and for some time following the last treatment. Additionally, other medications may be necessary to help control the body's inflammatory reaction as the worms die and are broken down in the dog's lungs.

VACCINATION & DEWORMING SCHEDULE -

2 weeks -
Dewormed with Pyrantel

3 weeks -
Dewormed with Fenbendazole

4 weeks -
Dewormed with Pyrantel

6 weeks -
Fort Dodge Duramune Max-5-Cvk/4L
(Canine Distemper, Adenovirus Type 2, Coronavirus, Parainfluenza, Parvovirus Vaccine Modified Live and Killed Virus Leptospira Bacterin)
Intra Trac III
(Canine Adenovirus Type 2, Parainfluenza-Bordetella Bronchiseptica Vaccine. Modified Live Virus, Avirulent Live Culture.)
Heartgard heartworm preventative
Dewormed with Fenbendazole and Pyrantel

7 weeks -
We often send a one week supply of Albon home for each puppy to combat against stress and possibly contraction of coccidea.

We recommend that you repeat the Duramune vaccination again at 9, 12 and 16 weeks. The Intra Trac II must be repeated at 16 weeks. A Rabies vaccination must be given at 16 weeks. We also recommend that you vaccinate against Lyme disease at 12 and 16 weeks if you are active in the outdoors. Heartgard is required monthly but can be skipped during the winter months.
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EXPLINATION OF PUPPY EVALUATIONS


When describing our puppy evaluations we often say “We test for energy level, personality, intelligence, disposition, trainability, retrieving ability and conformation”, when in fact our evaluation covers much more than that. It took us many years to put together an evaluation system that we feel is complete and offers accurate results. There are many other tests out there, but ours is the most complete evaluation we have seen. I am in the process of writing a book where this evaluation will be included but in a more rounded all-breed version.

Our evaluation covers areas such as:
Prey/chase drive, carry desire, willingness to share, persistence, play extent, possessiveness, attention, recall, following, social attraction, trust, physical sensitivity, mental sensitivity and stability, oral sensitivity, ocular sensitivity, scent sensitivity, social dominance or submission, restraint, intelligence and memory, curiosity, retention, disposition, forced aggression, confidence, rebounding after correction, energy level and complete conformation evaluation.

We test each puppy for each application three times. This gives us an idea of retention, acceptance and other areas as we go through during the test. Each time we test the same application we award a number to the response. At the end we give two scores, an initial score and an average score. At the end of the test we can determine more about the puppies personality and sensitivity. We have given each need required by the family a sore that the puppy needs to meet in order to be a match and it must be an overall 85% match to be considered for that family.

There are many of these results that do and will change as the puppy becomes an adult. They are altered by socialization, proper training and nurturing to promote confidence and suppress dominance and expand retention. The areas that we have found will not change to any great degree are energy level, disposition, play extent, attention, all physical sensitivities, mental stability, intelligence and memory. The other areas, such as retention, can be formed and molded by how the puppy is trained and by environment. Conformation can even change slightly, especially when speaking about the head; substance; size; and rears of the dog.

Testing the puppy is only one aspect of the findings. We get to know each puppy individually and already have an idea of what puppy would be a good match. If our personal findings do not agree with our examination findings it indicates that we have to revisit areas such as mental stability, curiosity, attention and overall confidence and take that into consideration.

Concerning energy level, when we say a puppy is moderate in energy level we must explain that even a puppy that we consider high in energy is still NOT a hyper puppy. Hyper is a puppy that is constantly moving about, not paying attention, scatter brained and without focus. You can take a puppy that is high in energy and ignore it, not train it or provide it with any outlet and form it into a somewhat hyper puppy. That is why it is so very important that our puppies are matched properly with their homes. The bouncy puppy that a more laid back family may be attracted to may not be the best match for them later and can become quite overwhelming. Also, you can not assume that because that particular puppy is being laid back or exuberant at that particular moment you are observing it that you are seeing the puppies actual personality.

We often have litters spoken for in advance and normally by the time the puppies are ready to go they are all spoken for. Occasionally you will see an older puppy available and that is because we have either decided to hold on to a couple competition prospects from the litter to determine which we will be keeping or the puppy was not an exact match for the family that reserved him or her and we are just waiting for that perfect match.

We do not believe in “first” or “last” picks of the litter. Your first pick could the next families last and because it is normally based on only physical attributes and how the puppy acts during that short visit it is an unfair and inaccurate way of determining which puppy is the best for your family. All of our puppies are going to be great looking adults and so we ask that you please take our recommendations to heart.
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PLACING PUPPIES WITH FULL REGISTRATION


The question of whether or not to offer particular puppies with a full registration is an ongoing debate between Jody and I. On Several occasions we have been taken advantage of by people promising that they will put a title on the puppy (or allow us to do so) that we place with them only to find out later that they are not willing to cooperate or have already neutered the dog. They may have had good intentions initially or they may just have wanted one of the “show” puppies of the litter as a pet. Not only was this unfair to us but we have lost valuable portions of our line due to these circumstances.

The argument is that if we do not agree to place competition and/or therapy puppies with people that are interested in providing service, competing and continuing the line are we doing the breed a service or a disservice? What if that particular person will mature as a breeder to become well respected and established? Without the assistance and mentorship of someone in the breed how will they ever gain a start?

Without a good start, and no way to get going, we would be stopping people from accessing excellent lines for the foundation of a breeding program. If denied these quality dogs they will either revert to lesser dogs, purchased from breeders that really do not have the experience or ability to mentor them, or/and eventually may give up, or worse yet, become an unethical breeder just putting together what ever they can get their hands on. Not to mention also forming an opinion about "show" people that is negative and unfounded.

No matter what paperwork you have in place, a contract is only as good as the people that sign it. Getting to know the people that are requesting a show/breeding/therapy puppy from us can only be so fool-proof and obviously it has not worked well for us in the past.

The only way to ensure that a person will follow through with what they have promised is to co-own the puppy with them and retain partial ownership until the contract is fulfilled. We require at least a minimal title to be obtained and proper clearances to be completed at the age of two. If the owners are not already established competition or service breeders, we may also require that we guide them through their first litter by providing stud service in exchange for a puppy if their Labrador is female. We will not allow any of our Labradors sold under such an agreement to be bred until the contract is fulfilled unless there is a good reason for the delay.

The key to forming a good relationship with us is to not agree to do something that you are not willing to do. If you are interested in a solid show prospect and are willing to obtain a Championship then you will be offered a top show prospect. If you are only interested in obtaining a minimal title such as a WC, JH or CD to simply fulfill our contract then your puppy will still be a top quality puppy, but chances are you will not be getting the top show puppy of the litter. For most, this still a super start for any breeding program.

I will make sure you understand the requirements and the cost of the title you are interested in and I will always be here for support and help. If you have not put a title on the dog in a very fair amount of time we will be allowed to take possession of the dog to ensure our contract is fulfilled and any money we put into their title is owed back to us. If we are not reimbursed the ownership of the dog will need to come back to us.

We are often asked if we have puppies that we are willing to place “free of charge” if allowed to reproduce for us. The answer is normally no. We usually require the initial purchase of the puppy but you just never know and so I would urge you to always ask us. Most of the time the puppies we have that we are willing to place at a reduced rate or at no charge are older puppies that we know are show or breeding quality but would do much better in a family situation. In a family situation they normally have to be within a few driving hours of us and we are willing to take financial responsibility for their clearances, title and reproduction. The Labrador is considered “offered for lease” from the owner for a fee and the agreement is very different for males and females of course.
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GETTING READY FOR A PUPPY


Feeding, Treats and Things to Remember

We currently feed Kirkland Adult Chicken in the maroon bag and all puppies under 6 weeks are on Kirkland Puppy in the yellow bag purchased from Costco at around $25.00 for a 40# bag in the adult and $12.00 for a 20# for the puppy.

We used to swear by Iams and walked by the Kirkland food several times at Costco paying it no attention. A breeder friend of ours uses it and is very happy with it and so we began checking into the ingredients and we were greatly surprised.

This food is manufactured by Diamond Pet Food, has a recipe unique to Kirkland/Costco and in my opinion better than any of their foods. Through independent study scored a 110 vs. Iams at 87. The adult has Glucosamine, Condroitin, Omega 3 & 6 as well as a coat builder. We “tested” a few of our dogs on this food and felt it surpassed Iams and so we have switched and will never go back.

Growing puppies are getting bigger daily and so following bag feeding direction is some times difficult to do. We recommend that you follow the bag amount as best as you can but if the puppy eats the food quickly and you feel that he could use a bit more weight, give him a bit more. If he does not eat all of the food in 5 minutes and walks away from the bowl, pick it up. I some time use this with adults as well.

A Labrador should never be offered free choice food or water for several reasons. The most important at a young age is that if they eat and drink constantly through out the day they will also eliminate constantly also. Controlling the intake of food and water will greatly increase your chances of house and crate training your puppy as quickly as possible.

The other reason is that Labs can be prone to over eating and get overweight. Being overweight AT ALL is not recommended for any large breed puppy. When looking down from above, their waist should have a nice taper to it. If you can see the ribs through the coat they need more weight and if they resemble more of a sausage shape they need less food. By allowing your dog to become overweight, especially between the age of 8 weeks and 12 months, greatly increases your chances of joint issues. I can not stress this enough.

Other foods that are considered higher quality say you can feed your dogs 2-3 cups of food each day and that amount meets their daily requirements. This may be true nutrient wise but could you live on only 2-3 cups of food each day? I would think not. By offering an adult dog two meals each day and a dog biscuit or snack at night you are satisfying his or her empty stomach and they will be much less likely to try to steal things off of the kitchen counter, get into the trash and eat their own fecal matter. If you are offering the larger amount and they are still acting like they are starving you can ad rice, baby rice cereal in a box, green beans or other fillers to satisfy their need to fill their stomachs.

When feeding we always put the food in the bowl and then ad warm water over the food filling it to ½ the height of the food. Adding water increases weight of the food, so fills their stomach to a higher capacity, but also has been found to greatly reduce the chances your dog will contract bloat and torsion, which is where the stomach bloats and turns. This is a serious situation requiring emergency surgery. It is not common in Labradors but can happen. Please ad water to your dogs food and also never feed your dog when he or she is panting heavily or has just had a fair amount of physical exercise.

As far as treats anything works just fine as long as you use them in moderation. The standard bagged treats or biscuits sold at any store are just fine.

Remember that the following are NOT able to be given to dogs!

Artificial Sweeteners
Large amounts of Sugar in general
Grapes or Raisins
Raw Fish
Any type of Alcohol, Beer or Wine
Onions and large amounts of Garlic
Too much Iron (large quantities of Liver or vitamin supplements)
Mushrooms
Chocolate
Broccoli
Tomato stems or leaves
Avacado
Pits from Peaches or Plumbs
Apple seeds
Rhubarb Leaves
Small Bones and most Chicken bones (please ask if unsure)
Cat Food
Coffee, Tea or anything with Caffeine
Milk or other Dairy products
Raw Eggs
Yeast Dough
Ibuprofen
Acetaminophen


Crate Training

Is a crate cruel?
No. Dogs are naturally denning creatures. A den provides a safe and secure environment that literally becomes home for the dog. A crate is a simple and effective way to take advantage of this instinct and provide an area that is purely his own. It provides a place that is safe from the hazards of the home, safe from destructive behaviors when unattended, and secure in the knowledge that his master is coming back for him. Crate training provides a controlled and structured environment for your dog that he will appreciate. Quite often, as the puppy grows and freedom is earned, the dog will return to his crate for a nap whether or not you told him to and whether or not you close the door. It's his place.

Why should I crate train?
Taking advantage of the denning instinct gives both you and your dog peace of mind, and allows your puppy to adapt to his new environment much faster. When used correctly, the structured environment can greatly ease house breaking and certain behavior problems, and prevent household accidents by routine effective confinement thereby avoiding frustration and the dog's confusion by your reaction to certain behavior problems. Puppies learn from their mothers not to eliminate where they sleep. Crating your puppy teaches him to hold rather than to eliminate. Without a crate, your puppy will eliminate where convenient instead of holding, and it will take much longer to teach him the correct behavior of holding until he is brought outside. Crate training also allows your puppy some quiet time. When your puppy is getting to rambunctious, and your just can't keep up anymore, you can crate him and he will soon settle down, giving your both a break. The crate should never be used as punishment. In this example, you are just crating him for peace of mind for you both. After all, a crate is much cheaper than replacing a couch, chair, woodwork, wallpaper, etc.

When can I start crate training?
Your puppy can begin training as soon as it comes home as we have started the process for you already. Even older dogs with some behavior problems can greatly benefit from crate training. The structured environment has many benefits for dogs of all ages. Older dogs who chew up the house when you're gone, (separation anxiety), will be much happier being prevented from causing trouble rather than being punished for it. The method of training is the same for any age dog.

How do you crate train? First, you choose a crate that is airline approved whether or not you'll be flying. These are the crates that are mostly hard plastic with wire mesh windows and door. This more closely approximates the denning of choice. The crate should be large enough for your dog to stand, turn around, and lay flat on his side comfortably. Many articles tell you to put the crate in a room of the house where the dog can see most of the activity but I do not agree with this. The crate should be a place where he knows it is a time out and that he is to go to sleep. Putting them in a place with distractions just makes no sense to me. I would choose a laundry room or place in the house that is quiet.

Use a blanket to cover the crate at night or during nap times so there are no distractions but be sure to pull it away from the door so the baby can't pull it in and chew it. We also line the crate with a few sheets of newspaper and then tear some strips on top of that. If an accident would happen to occur it makes for very easy clean-up. Towels and beds will not be able to be used until you know for sure your puppy is accident free and Wee-wee pads are not useful at all. They just turn into something to play with and are very messy. We do offer a chew toy or something that doesn't make noise such as a rawhide but not anything that has stuffing or is fluffy. Also, no water should be in a puppy's crate so you don't force an accident.

Your dog is a valuable part of your family. Let him participate, enjoy, and share. Your dog should never be denied the human companionship he needs and craves but also never be denied his instinct to den.

Dog Training 101: Using Positive Reinforcement
Learn smart tips for training your pup with positive tactics
By Steve Thompson Posted June 23, 2009

 Puppies and older dogs like to play, and without proper guidance, they will take ownership of your favorite pair of slippers, the pantry, your garden hose and anything else that isn't nailed down. One of the easiest and most effective ways to stop bad behavior and encourage good actions is through positive reinforcement. You'll build a foundation of trust and respect with your dog while saving your furniture from his relentless jaws.

1. Use food The most common type of positive reinforcement used in dog training is food. It's the same concept as rewarding yourself with a Starbucks Frappuccino after a particularly grueling workout or an ice cream cone when you've completed a project at work. However, there are other forms of positive reinforcement that can work equally well. If you don't like the idea of popping out a dog biscuit after every incident of good behavior, you can use petting, verbal praise or a round of fetch as positive reinforcement.

The point is to reward good behavior with something your dog enjoys. The benefit of food is that most dogs are motivated by a tasty treat and will automatically look to you for more. This keeps their attention focused on you and allows for constant training throughout the day.

2. Give yourself time to learn - Like any method of dog training, positive reinforcement takes time to master, and it is perfectly acceptable to make a few mistakes. If you've never taken a training class or read any literature, expect a learning curve and don't beat yourself up for making mistakes.

3. Key words - You'll want your dog to understand and respond to certain commands, and the earlier you expose him to those commands, the better. According to The Humane Society of the United States, some of the most common words used in dog training are "sit," "stay,"" heel," "come," "down," "off" and "leave it."

4. Lead by example - Show your dog what each word means by helping him respond correctly. For example, if he is on the couch, and you don't want him to have furniture privileges, say "off." Then, gently guide your dog back to the floor. Once he is there, praise him, or give him a treat immediately to show that was what you wanted.

5. Be consistent - Respond to each behavior the same way every time your dog does it. Training your dog is not effective unless you are consistent as often as possible, which means your pooch can't be welcome on the couch only sometimes.

6. Never stop teaching - A bored dog can be a destructive dog. Once you've established the correct responses to the commands you want your dog to learn, keep the lessons coming. For example, you might want to praise Fido every time he settles down with a chew toy because he is using an approved item rather than the armoire you inherited from grandma. This is especially important with smart and/or high-energy dogs, such as border collies. If you don't keep them interested, they'll find something to do -- and you might not like the result.


Toys, Chews and Fun Things

We mentioned above that we get our dog food at Costco. Well they also have a huge bag of rawhide roll chew of 20 for $12.00. That is a huge bargain and we recommend those instead of the ones with the knots at the ends. For smaller puppies the sticks that are chopped and reformed are also very safe as well.

Shopping for dog supplies can be very difficult. There is such a variety that you never quite know what to get. Here are a few pointers.

First off if you are looking for cheap plush toys check out your local Goodwill store. You can get an armload of quality toys there for just a few dollars vs. one toy for $12 at a designated pet store. You just have to check the toy for the small plastic beads that are dangerous, bows that can pop off and eyes that seem easy to remove. If there are parts you are worried about simply remove them.

Always, no matter where you purchase your toys, make sure your puppy is never alone when playing with toys until you know their chewing tendencies. Some puppies are very gentle with their toys and just seem to carry them around while others love to dig in, demolish and some times that leads to swallowing pieces. Once you know how they treat their toys that may once again change between the age of 4-6 months while they are teething. During teething time be sure to have plenty of toys around or they may go for your personal items to relieve their gum pain.

Balls are fun but be careful about tennis balls. They are fine for pups but as the dog grows they become fond of playing with tennis balls and you will find at full maturity that a tennis ball is too small for them and can get lodged in their mouth. Many adults also rip the covers off of the ball and try and eat them and so if you are going to start off with balls use a ball that you can purchase different sizes of and that are made of durable rubber. Kong has a wide selection of toys that I would recommend. Though they are pretty pricy they are worth their weight in gold and there are some that you can even put a treat inside for extra enjoyment.

Tug toys are fun but unless you have no plans of doing any retrieving with your puppy, for hunting and enjoyment, I would not recommend them. Tugging teaches the pup to be hard mouthed and not to want to share unless you can separate the retrieving from the tugging right away and even then there are some dogs that get attached to the tugging motion and prefer that over retrieving. Normally it will make them bite a bit harder on objects also and so damage to game can be a concern. This should be considered and addressed on an individual basis.

Frisbees are a favorite here and the ones that we recommend are the ones from Petco. Their Frisbees are pliable and if they chew and swallow portions of them I have noticed they are some what digestible and at least easy to pass. The standard ones purchased at toy stores are usually too ridged and break into sharp shards which are very dangerous. The higher priced ones that you play golf with may be a possibility for the heavy chewer but we have not experienced many of those type and so can not recommend them.

Besides these that we have mentioned there are tons of alternatives out there. Just take time to see what your puppy likes and dislikes, how they interact with toys and how destructive they can be and if they swallow or spit out pieces and then you can make a more educated decision on which are best for your new baby.


Car Rides

We will have already introduced your puppy to cars and taken him or her for a few rides around the countryside by the time they join your family.

Most puppies are usually a bit worried on their first ride in the car but quickly learn that it is not a monumental event and settle in to sleeping, sitting on your lap or they lay down to enjoy a chew toy. Taking your puppy for a ride to the vet, to meet family or to the park is very important. It isn’t hard to get them to the point where they run to the car when you ask them if they would like to go for a ride.

Things to bring with you on your first few puppy car rides are paper towels, wet wipes, plastic bags, rawhides, plush toys and towels or sheets to line the seat. Make sure you take him for a walk before getting in the car and that he has not been fed in the last hour or so before your ride. If the puppy has to potty he will start frantically looking around and whining and this is your cue to pull over fast. It isn’t uncommon for the puppy to have to go after only being on the road only a few minutes. After that the initial excitement is gone and they settle in very well the rest of the way.

You can bring a crate with you but we prefer to have another person hold the puppy during your ride home. Having the security of a lap is a good idea in our opinion for their first ride home but if another person is unable to come with you a crate will do just fine. The puppy may cry a bit on the way home but that is normal and he should bounce back as soon as you reach your destination.
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PLACING A VERBAL RESERVATION


Placing a verbal reservation with us will hold your spot on our reservation list for up to two weeks while you continue to contact and interview other breeders. Our primary concern is making sure that you are satisfied and feel comfortable with the breeder and puppy you choose, not that you purchase a puppy from us. We encourage you to contact as many other breeders as possible during your search. Ask them as many questions as you can, check out their guarantee/insurance, rearing and breeding program and see if you feel comfortable.

Remember that all puppies are cute and you will be compelled to take one home. Be sure you inquire about the adults in their breeding program as well. Your puppy will grow quickly and before you know it will be an adult. If you are happy with the adults in their breeding program the general rule is that you will also be happy with the puppy that you purchase. Mothers often look tattered and thin from nursing a litter no matter how well cared for and so please keep this in mind.

If you find a breeder that seems to be annoyed with your questions or concerns or is unable to answer specific questions about their Labradors, especially having to do with health, please be wary. If you would like a list of questions to ask, that every breeder should know the answer to, we would be happy to provide that for you.

As we have mentioned on some of our other pages, each family that contacts us usually has an idea of what they are looking for in their new puppy. Some would prefer a particular color, sex or size. Some families would like a puppy that excells in retrieving desire or is available during a specific time period. Other families are only concerned with finding the best possible match using our evaluation process.

If we currently have a puppy available that you are interested in you may have already found your match, but when reserving in advance we give YOU the chance to set your own perameters. Tell us what is most important to your family. Is it the lenght of time that you have to locate the puppy? Have you had the best luck with only males or females? Are you especially drawn to a particular sire or dam that we have at our home? Any or all of these guidelines can be applied and given to us along with your reservation. If we are unable to meet your perameters you will be refunded your deposit in full or allowed to extend or change your perameters, your choice.

To continue to hold your reservation past the two weeks we do require a deposit. If at any time you decide to go with another breeder we will never take offense to this. We are happy to provide support and help to all other ethical breeders and knowing you have found your match makes us very happy. Just let us know that you have found a puppy so we can update our list and if we can assist you in any other way please just let us know.

In order to hold a verbal reservation, the litter you are interested in must be 5 weeks or younger. Once we begin doing preliminary evaluations, the matching process begins and deposits are required. We are sure you understand that it would be unfair to the puppy to deny him or her a well matched definate home due to a verbal reservation. We will do our very best to give you as much time as possible and will take contacts in the order they are received.
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RESERVATION BY DEPOSIT


Some families prefer to send us a deposit without placing their name on the verbal reservation list. We are honored that you have decided on one of our puppies but the verbal reservation program is in place for you if you decide to utilize it.

We require a deposit of $250.00 and this is applied to the final purchase price of your puppy. If we do not produce a puppy that matchs your parameters we will refund your deposit in full or allow you to move it to another litter or expand your criteria, your choice.
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REQUIREMENTS FOR FAMILIES


We require two letters of recommendation from outside members of your family, co-workers, friends or your veterinarian to be considered for one of our puppies. It must include their name, address, phone number, email address and detailed information concerning how they know you and why they feel you would provide one of our babies the love and care they require. The letters can be sent over email or along with your deposit, which ever is easier for you.

At the time you take your new puppy home we have a contract that needs to be signed. A copy of what our contract states in below in the Our Guarantee portion but may vary slightly depending on if you are purchasing a competition puppy or companion puppy.
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INTEREST FREE PAYMENT PLAN


We understand that paying the total amount due for one of our puppies can be difficult and so we are happy to offer a one year interest free plan. Most breeders do not offer a payment plan and those that due normally charge an interest fee. Our policy is more than fair and allows you one full year. There may be instances concerning particular older puppies where we are unable to accomodate you with a payment plan but we will do everything we can to help you.

Our payment plan offers you the chance to take your puppy home and make payments with no interest for a full year. Our contract requires the deposit amount of $250.00 to be paid and then a payment plan will be agreed upon on a monthly basis for the remaining balance. We ask that you let us know as soon as possible if a payment plan is required as there are additional steps that need to be taken and contracts that need to be completed.

To enter into a payment plan agreement with us you must be able to provide us with a copy of your drivers license as well as proof of your address, employer and active bank account. We will never ask you for your credit score or any personal information such as your bank account numbers, amount of outgoing payments or proof of your actual income.

As we are kind enough to offer you this interest free payment plan and so we ask that you make sure we receive your payments each month by the agreed upon date. Though we allow one full year from the date of purchase to pay off your balance, if you are more than thee months late on your payments we will hold the right to take repossession of your Labrador and you will forefeit all money that has been paid.

If you would like to view our actual payment plan and contract please let us know.

Standard Payment Plan Example -
Purchase price of the puppy = $1000.00
Deposit paid = -$250.00
Remaining Balance = $750.00
Monthly payment due = $62.50
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OPTIONAL INSURANCE PLAN


There have been occasions where a puppy we have sold has been injured or has become ill and the substantial veterinary charges were not covered by our guarantee. Puppies are notorious for getting into things they are not supposed to, eating items that are not able to be digested and they are always more susceptible to communicable disease than adults. In some instances if the owner would have purchased this insurance they would have saved their puppies life.

"Petplan" policies provide the most comprehensive reimbursement for veterinary fees relating to treatment administered by a licensed veterinarian
for illness or injury (provided that it is not pre-existing or occurred during a waiting period) such as:

Hospitalization - including emergency treatment
Diagnostic testing - such as MRIs, x-rays, endoscopy
Surgery - including cruciate ligament surgery and organ transplants but not spay/neuter
Cancer treatment - regardless of the type of cancer
Non-routine dental treatment - such as tooth extraction, root canal but not routine teeth cleaning
Prescription medications
Referral and specialist treatment
Alternative and complementary treatments - such as acupuncture, hydrotherapy or chiropractic treatment

What makes this company different is that reimbursement is based on what your veterinarian actually charges. It is not based on what a benefit schedule dictates or a "usual or customary" fee determined by the insurance company.

 Depending on the type of policy that you select they can also pay for:
 Advertising and reward costs if your dog goes missing
Boarding fees if you're hospitalized and no-one else can look after your dog
Vacation cancellation due to your dog’s life-threatening illness or injury, and Compensation if you lose your dog through straying, illness or injury

In addition, all policies are fully customizable, with a choice of coinsurance (The percentage of your claim for which you are liable before any applicable deductible is applied.)

The Bonze plan with a $200 deductible and 80% coinsurance is a great plan that covers up to $8000 annually for your pet. For example -

 Let’s say your puppy jumps off the back porch on Monday afternoon and breaks his leg. You rush him into your family vet and the bill is $1000. You are responsible for a $200 deductible and 20% of the bill, so your portion is $400.

If your puppy eats a sock and requires surgery of course you would want to proceed to save his life, but what if the bill is $2800? Vet emergency clinics do not offer payment plans, if you are unable to come up with the funds on the spot your puppy doesn’t receive treatment. With the Bronze plan in place you are responsible for only $560 of that bill after submission.

Of course they offer plans with a 0% deductible and 0% coinsurance and that is available to you, but we have found the Bronze plan to offer more than adequate coverage and is the best value in our opinion. This insurance is very inexpensive and for the BRONZE plan mentioned above it runs between $160 and $280 per year depending on where you live.

I can not stress enough how important and valuable this plan can be, especially during the fist year with your new puppy as that is when Most accidents, emergencies and physical problems occur. We feel so strongly about this insurance plan that beginning January 10th of 2011 we will be offering a $100 discount off of our puppies price to families that agree to purchase a one year plan through "PetPlan". We prefer it to cover the range of 4 - 14 months if possible as statistically that period is most critical.

If you decide not to purchase or renew the coverage the next year, the standard genetic portion of our guarantee would take effect until your Labrador is 30 months old. Again, our guarantee can not offer anything close to what this insurance policy does and so we highly recommend you consider this insurance coverage for your new puppy and continue it. It could save you quite a bit of money and possibly the life of your Labrador.
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OUR GUARANTEE PROGRAM


- Seven day “no questions asked” return policy -
 If for any reason you decide not to keep the Labrador purchased you have seven days to return it for a full refund.

- Six month temperament guarantee -
 This Labrador is guaranteed against temperament issues of any kind for a period of six months from the date of purchase. If you feel your Labrador is unusually shy, aggressive or in any way exhibits a temperament non-typical of the breed you may return it for evaluation. If your Labrador is found to be unsound mentally you may exchange it for a Labrador of equal quality and we will retain possession of the unsound Labrador for training and further evaluation.

- Our Genetic Guarantee -
 If you decide not cover your Labrador puppy through the recommended insurance plan, we will guarantee his/her genetic health for a period of thirty months from the date of birth. This guarantee covers all genetic issues that inhibit your Labrador from living a normal and pain free life and that require veterinary intervention. Once the issue is properly diagnosed we will reimburse the owner up to the full purchase price paid for veterinary care, surgery or medicatons and we do not require the return of the Labrador.

This guarantee does not cover injuries of tendons or muscles, eye infections, digestion of large amounts of food or water that cause intestinal issues, mild infections that are not deemed of a genetic nature and certain forms of allergies that are not passed down through genetic inheritance.

Though we do everything in our power to guard against hereditary issues there is still a small chance that one may occur. That is the nature of dealing with living things. If you suspect that your Labrador has a hereditary problem that is covered under this guarantee please contact us immediately. If you do not contact us immediately for guidance concerning non-emergency cases your guarantee will not be valid. We can not stress the time and money that can be saved by following this request. The steps that are taken to receive your refund are as follows:

1) Contact us and describe your concerns.

2) Allow us to contact your veterinarian to ensure they have the capability to diagnose the suspected issue and provide them with information on the paperwork required from them.

3) Submit findings to the proper diagnostic registry or university/specialist for official results.

4) Request a form from us to be filled out by your veterinarian that will describe his findings, treatment and course of action for recovery.


Due to our extensive guarantee our Labradors can not be resold or change physical hands in any other way besides when training, exhibition or a title is the goal. If the individual listed as owner or co-owner on the AKC registration papers can not keep this Labrador, is unhappy with this Labrador or is unwilling or unsatsified with it, it must be offered back to Coldwater at a fair purchase price or generosity.

This Coldwater Labrador will be sold on a limited/non-breeding AKC registration and can not be bred to produce puppies of any kind unless sold on a full registation and with our written contract and approval concerning a particular breeding.

We hold the right to repossess any Labrador once owned by us that is found to have been bred to produce puppies of any breed or mix of breeds against our permission and under this agreement.

In all cases of voluntary return the purchaser is responsible for physical return of the Labrador to our current residence or arranging for pick up by us at the airport.

In all cases of repossession or return properly signed AKC papers must accompany the animal upon physical exchange or must arrive before airline or ground transportation is arranged.

In cases of suspected neglect or unethical treatment, Coldwater Labradors has the right to repossess the above Labrador for evaluation of physical and mental soundness at any time for the welfare of the animal.

If puppies are present during any repossession of a female they will accompany the mother and become property of Coldwater Labradors.

We love our Labradors and screen our prospective owners carefully. We understand that situations may arise out of your control and we are here throughout the life span of your Labrador to help in any way possible. If you ever need assistance or guidance please call us. Our worst fear is that one of our babies will end up in a shelter or in the hands of someone that will not properly care for it. Please assist us in our duty as a breeder by occasionally staying in contact with us so we will not worry about our babies.

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METHODS OF PAYMENT


We accept cash, money orders, bank checks and personal checks. All checks must clear our bank before the puppy is shipped
and must be made out to: Alayne Hartuniewicz
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GENERAL PRICING INFORMATION


Our puppies are generally priced between $800.00 and $1500.00 for companion puppies depending on the pedigree of the litter and titles on the parents. We do not base our puppy prices according to sex or color. All companion puppies are sold on a non-breeding/limited AKC registration and purchase agreement.

Competition prospects range from $1200 - $2000 and are only sold to already established competition homes
or on a co-ownership basis until a title is obtained or we know you are an ethical breeder. Some of our males are offered at no charge to serious show homes with services back ageement.
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