Puppy Information For Labrador Retriever & Golden Retriever

 
Health Guarantee
SIEVERS KENNELS
 
Every effort has been taken on our part to see that all  puppies leaving Sievers Kennels are in excellent physical condition. It  is our goal to reduce the odds of producing a defective pup and at the  same time preserve and enhance the breed’s natural retrieving desire and  hunting instinct as well as a family quality pet.
 
Each puppy leaves with a packet of puppy information, sample  of diet, and registration papers. They are up to date on their shots,  dewormings and  dew-claws removed.  Microchips are optional.
 
For this health guarantee to be in effect, you will need to  take your puppy to your veterinarian within 96 hours of pick-up for a  well-puppy check-up. If the veterinarian finds the puppy unhealthy or  unsound at this time, we will refund full purchase price (upon puppy’s  return, along with a written explanation from your veterinarian and all  the paperwork) or pay for medication (up to purchase price of puppy).  This is the buyer's choice.
 
We also guarantee all genetics for 12 months. If the  veterinarian finds genetic fault we will replace your puppy with a puppy  of equal value. Genetic hips/eyes for 30 months.  On hips, x-ray must  be read by OFA. If the OFA Foundation finds a problem we will replace  your puppy with a puppy of equal value. On eyes, a certified eye  veterinarian must evaluate problem for replacement of puppy. In order to  replace your puppy, we must receive a copy of the x-rays, results, and  registration papers. We hope you will enjoy your puppy for years to  come.
 
We have taken steps to ensure that your new puppy is healthy.  Your puppy has been selectively bred for excellent quality, health,  soundness, intelligence and good temperament.

 
First Days At Home

Diet: PURINA ALL STAGES
How Much: 1  1/2 - 2 cups at each meal and leave for 20-25  minutes, then put food up. Your puppy should be fed 2 times daily.  (Breakfast and Dinner Time)
Water: Fresh water at all times. However NOT in the crate!
Lead:  No longer than 6 feet.
Collar: 10 to 16 inch adjustable nylon.
Chew Toys: Puppy Nylo Bones, Rope Bones, and Kongs. Hedgehogs  make wonderful crate buddies. Absolutely NO RAW-HIDE even through  adulthood, they may cause BLOCKAGES!!!
CRATE TRAINING-We highly recommend you crate train your puppy. (42INCH DOUBLE DOOR) By doing so,  house-breaking is made simple. The puppy will not potty where it has to  sleep. Also when you're not home the puppy will be in a "safe place."
DANGER!!! Remove collar before putting puppy into crate. Collar can become hung-up on something causing a risk of strangulation.
Put lead on puppy and walk 2 times daily around the edge of your  yard. Using both the front/back doors. This will let your puppy know  where his or her boundaries are.
It is very important to spend as much time with your new puppy in the first 2 weeks as possible.
We recommend you take time to enroll your new puppy in obedience school no earlier than 4 months of age.
Good Training Books: Waterdog and Family Dog by (Richard Walters) and Retriever Training for the Duck Hunter by (Robert Milner).
We would like to take this time to thank you for choosing us as  your dog breeder. We have and will do everything in our power to help  ensure you have a life long companion.

YOUR 1ST TWO WEEKS  AT HOME ARE SO IMPORTANT FOR PUPPY'S TRANSITION! SPEND AS MUCH TIME WITH THEM AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN!
 
 
Crate Training Your New Puppy
A major problem new owners face is where will the puppy sleep and  what will we do with our puppy when we have to leave the house? Both  problems can be solved through use to the crate.
Using a crate is NOT cruel.  The crate takes the place of a den,  which ancestral dogs slept in for hundreds of thousands of years. Modern  dogs retain the den instinct, which is why use of a crate is so  effective in housebreaking. A dog will not potty where they sleep if  they can avoid doing so. This is a throwback to the days when dogs were  both predators and prey, and needed a safe place to sleep and raise  their young. If they eliminated in their den, other predators would seek  them out through the scent and prey upon the young and weak.
The trick is to make the sleeping area small enough so the puppy  can't us one end as a bath-room, and the other as a bedroom! Crates  should be large enough so the dog can lie down and turn around in a  tight circle. I suggest buying a large enough crate so that when the pup  is full grown it will be large enough.  You can block off the crate  with a piece of plywood or put cardboard boxed in the back to make the  crate smaller. This area can be expanded as your pup grows.
Never put Puppy outside alone! Puppy needs his pack leader to be  outside with him to encourage him and to praise when he performs  properly. If Puppy is left out by himself, it will take longer for  understanding the housebreaking concept.
Use the Leash, but let pup walk where he wants, as soon as he  relieves himself, swiftly praise him. Bring Pup inside only when you are  certain he has finished. There will be times when you know your puppy  has to of, but he is fooling around in the yard.  WAIT! DON'T bring  puppy in before he finishes - that is just asking for an accident and  your pup will be happy to oblige.
Each time you put your pup in the crate, praise him. Don't let the  pup out if he is making noise, he will get the idea that making noise  will get him his way. This is a terrible habit and is much easier to  avoid than to reverse.  Be firm from the start.
It will take about 2-4 nights before pup begins to look on his crate  as his special place. If you use crate properly, your house will be safe  from puppy destruction and pup will be safe from danger that lie in  wait for lonely, bored and curious puppies - chicken bones and other  garbage, dog toxins like chocolate and cleaners, and some indoor plants,  wires that could electrocute pup if chewed, and many more.
Please use your crate; it will save you many headaches and dollars.  Your puppy will be happy in his safe place when you are not available.  Do not leave puppy in crate for more then 4 1/2 hours at a time through  the day.
I would like for you to take puppy out to potty first thing in the  morning, last thing in the evening, after play, after naps, eating and  after drinking. Carry him out the very same door to the very same spot  in the yard. You are developing good habits in your puppy. When taking  puppy out of the crate carry him out also. If not, puppy will potty  somewhere between the crate and door. Remember he is out of his sleeping  area.

  
Biting And Mouthing
It is normal for young puppies to bite and nip.  It is a part of  their normal play behavior. However, what is cute as a 3 month old puppy  quickly becomes a problem when your puppy continues the same problem as  a 90 LB dog it is no longer Cute. Play nipping and biting many times  turns into true aggression as the dog begins to feel that he or she is  the leader of the pack. Here are some tips you can try to stop your pet  from putting his teeth on you:
Like all problems, prevention is always the best cure. Don't put your  hands into the puppy's mouth when playing with him. Instead encourage  your puppy to play and chew on toys. To make it even more undesirable  for the puppy to put his mouth on you, you can spray your hands with a  strong perfume or a bitter tasting spray lie "Biter Apple".
The next time your puppy puts his or her teeth on you, yelp in a loud  high pitched voice similar to an injured puppy, Littermates let each  other know when a bite is too hard by yelping. This should shock your  puppy when he or she realizes that he or she has hurt you and they may  lick your hand to show concern. Immediately praise your puppy for  licking you and say "Good Lick".
If your puppy isn't responding when you "yelp!" it may be time to be  sterner with your puppy to show that you are the leader in the house and  biting isn't allowed. Start by telling the puppy "No Bite!!" in a stern  voice and then ignore your puppy for a few minutes.
If your puppy still continues to bite at your hands you can give him  or her shake down similar to that of a mother dog which is used on her  young. Grasp the puppy by the scuff of the neck and give a GENTLE SHAKE.  Then grasp the puppy by the sides of the neck and look into his eyes  and again say "NO BITE". Another way from keeping your puppy from biting  is using the LIP. What you are doing is pinching the top lip against  the puppy's tooth. Of course you are doing this while the puppy is  biting you and most of the time the puppy will think he's biting  himself. This is instant discipline!!!! It may take a while for the pup  to realize that you're in charge and you will not tolerate biting but  gradually your puppy will get the message. Life for you and the puppy  will be much happier once the puppy realizes that he is at the bottom of  your family pack. It is never advisable to strike your puppy with you  hand or newspaper on top of head, as it will make you puppy fearful of  these things, and may lead to your grown dog biting a stranger that pats  him or biting the newspaper boy.

 
Housebreaking Strategies
DO
Do start with a schedule. Dogs are creatures of habit so feed your  puppy at the same time each day and allow him to go out after playing,  eating and sleeping. Be patient and don't rush him. When he performs,  praise him.
Do feed Purina (Focus) Chicken & Rice for puppy. You can get this diet at your Vet office or a pet store.
Do feed your puppy at least 2 times daily. Remove food after puppy  eats while leaving the water out at all times. Remove both food and  water at least 2 hours before bedtime.
Do use a 50/50 vinegar and water solution to deodorize the areas the puppy has wrongly used.
Do use a crate to housebreak. The puppy will not potty where it has  to sleep. Only give the puppy enough room in the crate for him to turn  around and lay down until he is 4 months old.
Do follow the principle of "earning rooms." Once the puppy is 4  months you can try leaving him unsupervised in one room of the house for  various periods of time. After 7 straight days without an accident,  allow him access to one more room. Again, after another 7 consecutive  days have been accident-free, allow him access to a third room, and so  on until he has the run of the whole house. But if he has an accident at  any one stage, return to the previous stage and continue your program  from there.
DON'T
Don't supplement the pup's diet unless specifically instructed to by your vet.
Don't paper train your pup unless you plan on having him always go  inside the house. Paper training in my opinion only confuses the pup.
Don't expect your pup to have good bladder control before he is 4  months old. He isn't mentally or physically capable of holding himself  till then.
Don't shout at, hit, or otherwise abuse your puppy for having  accidents. You will frighten him, thus interfering with his ability to  learn what you want him to do. If you find a mess, take him to it and in  a low tone, tell him how displeased you are as you point to the mess.  Then take him where he should have gone. golden retriever puppies labrador retriever