Trenlock Retrievers

All parents in the breeding program are health tested in accordance with the Labrador Retriever Club and the Golden Retriever Club of America. Labrador Retrievers have clearances for; Orthopedic Foundation for Animal (OFA) Hips & Elbows, Eyes, Cardiac evaluations and are DNA tested for Exercised Induced Collapse (EIC), Centronuclear Myelopathy (CNM) Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) and D Locus (Dilute coloring). All dogs in the breeding program are CLEAR/Normal.

Golden Retrievers have clearances for; Orthopedic Foundation for Animal (OFA) Hips & Elbows, Eyes, Cardiac evaluations and are DNA tested for Ichthyosis, Degenerative Myelopathy (DM), Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA, GR1PRA, & GR2PRA), and Rental Dysplasia.

All clearances can be found on Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) website.

Curriculum

Trenlock puppies will be started off right, by going through an extensive puppy raising protocol. Below is a brief overview of our puppy curriculum and what we focus on:

• ENS/ESI

• Confidence

• Trust in humans and working FOR humans

• Learning to problem solve

• Compliant handling

• Daily Gentle Handling

• Daily Novel Object

• Daily Novel Tactile

• Daily Novel Sound

• Daily Movement Novelty.

• Daily Novel Environment

• Daily Sponge Baths

• Appropriate Startle Recovery.

• Sterile Environment Training (Taught Off Switch/Learning to settle)

• Obstacle Courses

• Luring

• Bird & Bumper Exposure

• Water Exposure (weather permitting)

• Potty Training

• Introduction to Luring & Command Shaping

• Introduction to Leash walking

• Assessing and Developing Correct Temperament

• Building the Retrieve

• Puppy Evaluations

• Crate Exposure

• Vet Exam, DAPP vaccination, Microchip

Please reach out for more details or questions regarding our Puppy Curriculum. This is just the surface of how we raise our puppies!

The puppies will go through Early Neurological Stimulation. This process has shown to have a significant impact on a dog’s confidence, sociability, health, cognitive development, and many other benefits. The process involves putting puppies in very brief and mild stressful situations, like laying on their back, being upside down, having their toes tickled, and laying on a mildly chilled surface for 3-5 seconds at a time. This has shown to improve dogs’ abilities to recover from stressful situations and to learn to cope with the stress, rather than react to it poorly or excessively. The puppies will participate in ENS from day 3-16 after birth.

Early Scent Introduction has been shown to improve cognitive development and nosework, exposing them to a variety of different smells at a young age. These scents will include birds, leather leashes, bumpers, various acidic and sweet scents, and some dog safe essential oils. I like to have a variety of scents to try out with puppies.

Potty Training

Litter box and potty training will be done with the puppies to aid in the transition to potty training at home. Puppies will get to explore outside and start to learn to go potty outside. Puppies will likely still need some help potty training in their new homes, but the foundation of potty training will be started around 3 weeks of age.

Crate Training

The puppies will be exposed to crate training in a gentle setting, also in an attempt to make the transition to home much easier. The puppies will be taught to self-soothe by experiencing a sterile environment for parts of the day.

Leash Training

Puppies will be lightly exposed to leash training. This can help them learn to stay calm on leash and avoid future leash pulling. They will not be learning a heel command, but simply the acceptance of a leash.

Novel Environments

Puppies will learn to explore new places that might be uncomfortable to them. They will learn to navigate various obstacles to improve dexterity. Part of this novel environment exposure involves taking car rides! Studies have found that taking puppies in the vehicle for very short drives between day 3-6 can significantly reduce the likelihood of puppies developing car sickness.

Startle Response

Puppies will go through exposure to loud, startling sounds (safely) to assess and teach a startle response and recovery. Puppies will be taught to quickly recover from things that frighten them, ideally to recover within 3 seconds. The goal is not to teach the dog to be completely fearless, but to recover from frightening events with composure.

Gentle Handling

Gentle Handling involves exposing puppies to touching ears, paws, legs, belly, and others. This works to desensitize them to touch that becomes necessary later in life, whether that be for a veterinary exam, nail trimming, or assessing an injury, teaching body handling from a young age can develop a more compliant dog.

People and Animal Exposure

The puppies will be meeting many new people in a controlled and safe environment. Socializing is not about the number of interactions they have, but rather the quality of interaction. The puppies will be meeting people in a systematic way that does not force them into the interaction, but rather allows them to explore it for themselves and become comfortable with strangers. They will be exposed to kids, people wearing hoods and hats, and people of different shapes and sizes. They will also be exposed to other dogs and animals in a similar fashion.

AKC Registration

Each puppy will be registered through the American Kennel Club on Limited Registration. If the owner wishes to have the registration changed to full, the requirements listed in the Puppy Purchase Contract must be fulfilled prior to the breeder lifting registration restrictions.

Temperment Testing

The puppies will be temperament tested to ensure that each puppy will be going to the home most suitable for their personality and drive. Not all puppies are meant for pet homes, and not all puppies are meant for hunting homes. In the past, we have used the Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test. This has not accurately depict the temperament of the puppy. We now utilize a scoring guide in various categories from Confidence, Tenderheartedness, Assertiveness, Nerve Strength, Focus, Prey Drive and many others!

Structure Evaluation

All the puppies will have their physical structure critically evaluated. A licensed DVM will also be evaluating and examining the puppies for any possible physical concerns. These findings will be documented in puppy “Report Cards” from the vet

Vet Check

All the puppies will be evaluated and checked by a licensed DVM as closely to puppy take-home date as possible. All puppies will be given their first Distemper/Parvo (DAPP) vaccination and be microchipped at the appointment, as well as having intestinal parasite screening done.

Deworming (Panacur Protocol)

Panacur Protocol involves deworming the mother of the puppies from day 40 of pregnancy to two weeks post-whelping. This protocol reduces the likelihood of puppies being born with intestinal parasites. Puppies will then be dewormed at 4, 6, and 8 weeks to ensure they are free of parasites. Puppies will still be screened for intestinal parasites at the vet check.

Microchip

All puppies will be microchipped and have the chips registered with the breeder’s name on the microchip. Owners are encouraged to add their names to the microchip account as well.

Dew Claws

Puppies will NOT have dewclaws removed! Studies show that of digit injuries that occur in dogs, injuries involving the first digit (dew claw) are the least likely to occur. Studies have also shown that the dew claw does retain a purpose in mobility, stability, and gripping. Given the research, Trenlock has made the decision to keep dewclaws intact, unless the position of the dewclaw is deformed and unsafe.