Hoekema Homestead Goldens

There is a misconception in what I do here so I wanted to try to bring some light to this subject…

Yes, I pour every ounce of my passion into making great puppies, but… I do not make great dogs and certainly not perfect dogs. Let me explain… 

 

These pups that I have so lovingly raised, helped to open up their world at a very early age, exposed them to so many different experiences, potty trained, crate trained, socialized every moment of the day, handled, cared and loved on often around the clock, indeed go out my door as well balanced, confident, capable amazing great pups. 

They are ready to take on the world the moment you take them home. I pass along this bright vibrant torch to you. It’s now your job to take this torch,  keep it lit and help it thrive. 

 

The reality is no great pup is going to magically turn into a great dog unless you actually put in the effort, time, care and love in keeping this amazing pup on the right path. 

 

I send out many great resources to each of my families and do my very best to start them out on the right foot but really how you raise your pup is going to be in your hands. 

 

This new pup has just been uprooted from it’s only home it’s ever known, taken away from it’s many siblings and only mother and planted into a new environment, new people, new smells, sounds, energy fields, and expected to be behave exactly the same way it has been the last 2 mths. Of its life. On the flip side of this, pups between the 7th & 8th week are desperately looking to attach onto a single person, a sole family and are extremely eager to show you what a good pup they are. But, please have some empathy for your new pup as it adjusts to its new life. 

 

There is a 3-3-3 rule when it comes to bringing home your new puppy - 

The goal of the 3-3-3 rule is to help your new pup adjust to their new environment and build a strong foundation for a long and happy life with you.

 

The First 3 Days

During these first three days, it's important to give your new puppy plenty of space and time to explore and adjust to their new home.

They are going to need more sleep than you want to give them. Puppies grow extremely fast so sleep is going to be key to give them enough rest to do so adequately. Consider keeping them in a quiet room away from the commotion of the rest of the family for their nap times.  This is a time for them to adjust being away from their littermates and get comfortable in their new surroundings in their new home. Give them this time and they will bloom very soon.

 

The First Three Weeks

After these first three days, slowly and quietly introduce your new pup to other family members and pets. Keep them on their baby schedule provided and make sure to give lots of positive reinforcement for good behavior. Don’t give them too much freedom too fast. This is one of the biggest mistakes new puppy parents make. Keep them in a playpen or a blocked off section of your home. The more successes you can have the better. They are extremely eager to please so let them know they are being a good pup for you. Raising a new pup takes a lot of hard work from each and every member of the family, a mighty amount of calm and collected patience and consistency for miles. Realize transforming a great pup into a great dog is not going to come in 3 days, 3 weeks or even mths. It is going to take time. Have confidence, hold faith, that all your research, all your reading, all your plans you have put into place to set yourself up for success, are going to not only work but pay you back ten times over down the road. 

 

The First Three Months

By the end of the first three weeks of having your new golden puppy home with you, they should be fully comfortable with their new home and their new family. 

During the next three months, continue to reinforce positive behavior at every chance you get. Open up their playpen space in your home little by little and give them the opportunity to prove to you that they are fully potty trained in your home. 

Once your new pup is fully vaccinated you can expand their exposure to new experiences. Introduce them to swimming, short hikes, to new people and friends. 

Consider enrolling them in obedience classes or training sessions to help them develop good habits and build even more confidence. This is also a good time to establish a routine for exercise, playtime, and training.

By the end of the first three months, you have built trust and a true bond with your new pup which gives him a complete sense of security with you. Your new puppy should be well on its way to being the amazing golden that you always dreamed of owning. With this patience under your belt to give your new fur ball this time to adjust, grow and prove itself to you, you can give yourself a pat on the back and be proud of who you’ve helped in becoming a really great dog.

 

Tips and tricks on raising your new puppy -

 

Know that there’s more than one way to raise your new puppy. You need to find the groove that works best for you. 

Just because a method worked for me here, does not mean it will work for you and in your family and home. Please, by all means go ahead and try different routines, different locations for your crate or playpen, new ways to train and handle your day to day with your new pup.

 

Puppies are very much like raising babies and young children.

They go through all of the life stages of a human baby; they just do it faster, much faster, so hold on for what's ahead. They teeth, they will try to bite, they need to have continuous guidance with potty-training, they will ‘yell’ when they want attention, they will misbehave if they get too tired, they will eat all your snacks in your house if given access to them, and they push boundaries as teenagers. It is going to be your job to raise them with consistency, a strong positive hand and a quiet, calm energy. 

 

Always lead with a quiet slow calm energy field -

Puppies have energy to spare so let’s not bring extra. Be the model you want to see. Do everything at half or even quarter speed. Speak softly and quietly or even not at all. 

 

Great Puppies take time and effort to train to be great dogs-

 

If you want to train a behavior into your new puppy, you need to work it repetitively before you can expect them to get it consistently. Yes, retrievers are smart, very smart, almost TOO smart, so watch for this. Since dogs don’t generalize a command, it means that “stay” in the living room doesn’t immediately mean the same thing as “stay” in your backyard, or the park, ect. Your new pup is also going to be distracted easily so training in many different environments is going to be very helpful in successful training. 

 

Don't expect perfection, not soon, perhaps not even ever-

 

It’s not realistic to expect perfection out of any living creature really. Yes, retrievers are extremely smart and they are a breed that is going to be as close to perfection as any dog that you will ever have the privilege of owning, but they will never be perfect.

With a new pup, accidents are bound to happen; they are babies, so give them your grace. You can read every book and watch every video in existence to prepare yourself for this new addition and still be caught off-guard when your pup zigs when you expected them to zag. 

 

 

 

Have a strong support system in place -

 

There’s many misconceptions in bringing home a new pup and another one is that it’s going to be a piece of cake, a walk in the park, easy peasy. Well I’m here with some really strong coffee for you to deeply inhale…. You are going to want to have backup. Puppies are hard, take a lot of time, a lot of dedicated consistency and eat away at your patience. Have every family member on board in raising this new pup. Get them to agree that it is going to be a team effort and have instructions clearly in place on how every task is going to be completed in the same way so pup is not confused. 

This is not a purchased piece of merchandise that can be returned in a few days because you weren’t happy with it and how it performed after a few days. This is a serious long term commitment that you have to be dedicated towards if you want this great pup to turn into your forever great dog. And know, I will always have your back. 

 

Remember, your new pup is small now and may bat their darling eyes at you, bite at your hands and jump at your face and you may see this as cute, but if you don’t want them to do this as a full grown dog, then please do not allow them to do this now.  Lead with strength knowing that this great puppy will become your great dog down the road. 

All this dedication put into continuing with consistency is going to lead to great things in the future. This sweet pup that I so lovingly pouring my everything into will be as close to your perfect dog one day as you possibly could have imagined. 

So as much as I can’t promise you the world, I can promise you this,.... You will have your great dog, your ‘perfect’ companion, your forever furfriend. May this be the start to a beautiful friendship.