We expanded the puppies’ area this last week and and they are loving the extra space! They’ve also enjoyed some new toys, and their first naps in their crates. The goal of our program is to make time in the crate low anxiety so that it isn’t any harder for your puppy to transition into the crate without litter-mates once they are home! You’ll see the doors are open. We leave them open until all pups have found themselves happily playing and napping inside the crate and then begin short windows (followed by longer ones) of the door closed behind them. They have also begun to successfully use the pellet…

Well, I’m not quite sure how Time does its thing, just steadily marching on without obstacle or permission, but here it is! This sweet litter is just 3 weeks away from their forever families! So, what does 5 weeks old look like for little labrador puppies? Well, here are a few changes: we’ve added toys to their play time they’ve begun playfully chewing and tugging on each other (which leads to some conflict resolution, they’re eating more and more puppy food and introduced water daily individual attention, as well as small groups away from litter and mom for short periods we’ve started using barrier challenges so that they don’t get…

The 4th Happy 4th of July Kindred Pup families! I hope it was a fun day/evening/weekend for you all! Just think: next year you’ll be accompanied by your new four-legged-best-friend! Thankfully, there weren’t many fireworks to be heard at our house on the 4th, but the dogs and pups did well with the noise that there was. Fireworks were lit off on the surrounding evenings and we were pleasantly surprised that the pups didn’t whine or get scared at all. Of course, a pile of your siblings certainly helps. Our goal is to send these pups home to you stable and confident, so that they are prepared for whatever noises…

One of the qualities that Labradors have is that they are relatively low maintenance. A treat, a hug, and an active lifestyle keep these dogs happy and healthy for years. While smaller breeds have gained in popularity over the years, and while grooming your pets has become more and more common place, I’m still pretty sure that the low-key grooming needs of Labrador Retrievers are one of the things that keeps them number 1 as “America’s Favorite Dog”. But that is not to say that they need NO grooming. If you’d like to keep your carpet from being 10% dog fur, a good grooming brush will do wonders, especially as…

These little lab puppies are so sweet and chubby and soft! I can already see the start of their big blocky heads and feel their sweet fur. Have I told you that Molly is the softest labrador EVER?? She truly has the best, most cuddly, soft fur. And their squeaks?! Total Gush! (For some fun info about these totally-for-human sounds check out this post! ) Puppies are still gaining weight and doing fabulous with Molly. We can’t wait for them to be up and around with their eyes open. Shouldn’t be long now! Have all of you settled on a name for your new Pup yet? I’ve heard a few of…

These sweet little lab pups are 5 days old already! Molly has done just a fantastic job feeding them, and all are gaining weight well, plumping up and scooting and rooting all over their whelping box! I am so surprised by their strength already and how quickly they move. We get to start ENS soon (you can check out some of that info in this previous post or this one) which is super exciting! There will be more info in the coming days and weeks about our progress, but know that we are all working away to make sure that these Kindred Pups are the healthiest, most emotionally stable and…

Early this past Sunday morning, June 16th, Molly delivered her first pup. And I mean early – just before 2 AM. All the puppies were born and happily nursing and resting with mama by 3 PM. Molly has already been an amazing mama to this litter of 6 which includes 4 males and 2 females. (For more info on our available puppies, check here.) They are gaining weight well and already showing their strength. To make the whole thing sweeter, they share their birthday with my second son, Elijah, who turned 11 that same day. I can’t even tell you how much he was hoping for that. Birthday festivities were…

You know, even though I am a breeder, I’m just not entirely sure that the details of a breeding are meant to be read and published in a blog. Suffice it to say, the owners of Stud dogs have their work cut out for them and they are worth every dollar. At least mine is. (Check out Karen’s breeding program for info on Heatherdowns!) But I will share this little tidbit, G rated of course, for any who are interested. We dropped Molly off with Karen for her scheduled “date” with Bronxx. Since Molly had done really well staying with Karen last year, and had already had a successful mating…

We are THRILLED to announce this upcoming litter! I’m not sure I’ve seen two better looking yellow labradors. They are a wonderful mix between the English and American styles – blocky heads, not too short to the ground, happily active but not wild. They are pretty much my ideal dogs. I’ll be posting more info about this breeding in the coming days, but I just couldn’t wait to share this with you. Now… we are back to the puppy prep. Until next time…

It’s hard to remember that a lot of the things that dogs (but especially puppies) do are super normal, even if they are super annoying. Chewing on your shoes? They’re teething. Not perfectly house-trained? Still learning. How long did it take your kiddo to potty train with no accidents? Restless and hyper? Dogs need exercise, play and attention like they need food and water. Labs more than others! SO…. what can be done? On a night when you walked in the door at 7, after work and a trip to the grocery store and you’re freezing and have a splitting headache? Hopefully there aren’t too many days like that, but…