The Texas Rose Difference

At Texas Rose, our puppies are valued treasures. They are loved from the moment they are born, when I am assisting/supporting mom (usually in the middle of the night) in her birth. They live in our home and hear noises (once they can hear after the first few weeks) of our children screaming, other dogs, clanging dishes, the vacuum and much more.

It is my belief and understanding that having a good recipe of genetics, temperament, clearances and socialization is what makes all the difference in the puppies. “The proof is in the puppies”. I hear often that, “I don’t need a show dog, I just want a puppy”. I completely understand this thinking from a non show home stand point, really, because I felt the same way until I started seeing the differences in my own pups. Parents that have show lines have the correct height, movement, angles and temperament for their breed, and each litter has its’ own personality, so genetics absolutely play a role in temperament of the litter. Knowing and understanding a good pedigree also guarantees you that you actually getting and “English” or “European” golden retriever. Also, seeing a lot of “champion” dogs in your puppies lineage, means that the there are a long line ancestors that have been health tested.

The first 16 weeks of life are a critical “imprint” period for the puppies, some say 12. Your breeder, (hopefully) has your puppy for half to three quarters of that time. The personality of your puppy rises and falls in the first 12-16 weeks of life, and it’s this window of time that will determine and shape who they will be as adult dogs. It’s hard for us to wrap our minds around this sometimes, because it takes us much longer to develop as humans.

They say, we as humans spend the first 8 years of our lives developing our core beliefs, and then we spend the rest of our lives trying to prove them. A puppy that isn’t constantly handled and exposed to the world will think that people and the world are to be feared, thus becoming a timid, shy, even dangerous and aggressive dog regardless of the family into which they are placed. Goldens, of course, tend to the timid, shy, and fearful spectrum more than they would aggressiveness, but the latter is also possible.

THE PUPPY SOCIALIZATION PERIOD-THE FIRST 16 WEEKS OF YOUR PUPPY’S LIFE- IS THE MOST IMPORTANT AND CRITICAL PERIOD IN SHAPING YOUR DOGS FUTURE TEMPERAMENT, CHARACTER AND BEHAVIOR TRAITS. If you, and more importantly, your breeder misses out on the knowledge, experience, time and effort to socialize your puppy properly during this time, you can not simply go back and fix the temperament problems later. The saying, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”, may have come from this understanding. It is absolutely crucial that the breeder you choose not only has the knowledge and experience to know WHAT to do and WHEN to do it (AND ALSO IMPORTANTLY WHAT NOT TO DO!), but actually take the time to DO IT. If you and your breeder miss this critical window, you will spend your time battling poor behaviors.

If a puppy is raised in a kennel, left to develop just amongst its litter, it will not experience proper socialization. Our puppies are raised with our two star socializers, my daughters 5 and 7, and constant other visitors. They are raised in our home and exposed to the regularities in a home environment. They are let to sit on the couch with my girls and explore the house (one or two at a time) to get used to being in a home environment. They are night time crate trained (starting 5 weeks old) and potty training (keeping environment clean) starts at 4 weeks old. This is the basis of our socialization, but it is just the tip of the iceburg. We are of 1 of 3 European Golden breeders in the US, that are recognized and participate in a program called “puppy culture”. It is this program that has developed through trainers, breeders, medical doctors and veterinarians, and behavioralists, to pin point exactly when and how to socialize puppies in a scientific and organized way. Our program is science and love combined with an already amazing breed, and we truly, truly believe that we have the right “recipe” for the ultimate family, service or therapy dog.

The old adage, “You get what you pay for”, is certainly true in this circumstance. A good socialization program is more than just playing with and holding the puppies a lot, though this is still better than a puppy raised in a kennel. I know this, because my first litters were raised on a lot of love, but didn’t have the strategic science behind each stage of development and knowing precisely what to do. I can say with confidence, that there is a huge difference in our own puppies since we have started this program.

Last, this is a partnership. As I say often, this puppy and one day dog, will live in your home, play with your kids, grandkids, neighbors, parents, friends and interact with you on a daily basis. I want you and the puppy you choose to be successful in this relationship. I have them for the first 8 weeks, but it is your job to continue proper training and exposure in your own home. I will continue to partner with you in helping your puppy become a “good citizen”, and I believe it is well worth the investment to also partner with a good trainer for the next critical weeks and months. Most puppy classes don’t begin until 16 weeks old. This is great for obedience training, but it will not help you with the socialization of your puppy. It is important that we understand the difference between obedience and socialization. Temperament and socialization is the foundation on which your dog will build its’ training and obedience skills on, but these two things are different. Your trainer will help you socialize your puppy for weeks 8-16. Learning commands such as sit, down, leave it may come naturally to the puppy during this time, but training should not be the goal during the first 12 weeks.

Does doing puppy culture/proper socialization guarantee that I will have a “good” dog? Not necessarily. Each puppy has it’s own temperament that it is born with. Certain puppies are just naturally “good” and others have to work for it. What can be guaranteed is that each puppy will be better than they WOULD HAVE been had they not been properly socialized. I have seen the difference in litters out of the same parents turn out completely differently, when the only difference was strategic and organized socialization. Thank you for taking the time to read this, I hope to partner with you and your family one day to raise the perfect companion.