Puppies

What is Butternut Hill?

We are a husband and wife team of conscientious hobby breeders of AKC Golden Retrievers in northern Vermont, USA. We have been breeding since 1998. We are proud members of the Golden Retriever Club of America and Susan is the president of the Green Mountain Golden Retriever Club. We have 1 to 2 litters a year. Our dogs are vital members of our family and all live with us in our home, not in kennels. We participate in different venues depending on each dog's needs and talents -- including obedience, tracking, rally, hunting, showing and therapy work. Butternut Hill seemed to be a fitting name for us. We live on a hill at the base of Butternut Mountain, with our butternut colored Golden Retrievers who love to eat butternut squash. This is not a profit business for us. It is hobby of passion and labor of love for the Golden Retriever breed.

Our breeding philosophy

We love the Golden Retriever breed. Through our breeding program we strive to promote the health, temperament, workability and the beauty of the breed by adhering to the Golden Retriever Breed Standard as defined by the Golden Retriever Club of America. We feel it is important to retain the ability of the Golden Retriever to be multi-purpose. Each breeding involves in-depth research into the parent's pedigree, genetics, health history, longevity, structure, work ability and temperament. We adhere to breeding practices as recommended by the Golden Retriever Club of America. Each parent selected for breeding has PennHip / OFA Hip clearances, ACVO / CERF Eye clearances, ACVIM / OFA heart clearances and OFA Elbow clearances.

Our Puppy Raising Philosophy

Our puppies are born and raised in our home. We pride ourselves on providing a wholesome enriching environment with an strong emphasis on socialization to get puppies off to the best possible start. Like the military “Super Dog Program,” we perform Early-Neurological-Stimulation.pdf exercises as recommended by Dr. Carmen Battaglia. Besides the important interaction with their mother and litter mates, daily handling by us, additional enrichment activities begin at a very early age. Our socialization include exposing them to a variety sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touches, which we feel allows them to better cope as an adult dog.

Our puppies get to experience a variety of footing such as blankets, sheets, wood floors, tile floors, decking, carpeting, short grass, long grass, concrete, gravel, puppy agility equipment and sometimes snow. They are exposed to toys of all shapes and textures. They get to experience a variety of sounds from our household on a daily basis -- humans conversing, big dogs playing, television or radio playing, vacuum cleaner, washing machine, clothes dryer, dishwasher, front door slamming, etc. We believe in providing a variety of challenges such as climbing steps, going through a tunnel, playing follow the leader, learning to come to a whistle. We trim the puppies nails weekly with a Dremel. When the puppies are old enough, we begin the foundation for house training by taking the puppies outside as soon wake to relieve themselves.

All of our puppies are nurtured as part of our family pack. As they mature they interact with our adult dogs and household cat. The pups are exposed to car rides and short field trips to new safe experiences. And if the season and weather allows -- an opportunity is given to the puppies to go for a swim in a clean, quiet Vermont pond.

Responsibility of Socialization Continues

We strongly encourage new owners to continue socialization throughout the puppy’s young life. We recommend going places with your Golden Retriever to dog friendly hardware or lumber stores, romp in open fields (with the landowner’s permission), enroll in a Puppy Obedience and Basic Obedience class. These activities will help give the puppy a chance to experience new things and meet new people. Care should be taken that these controlled experiences are positive, and do not the put the puppy in a risky situation with unknown dogs. We recommend staying away from dog parks, especially until your puppy has become fully vaccinated.

Is the Golden Retriever Breed right for you?

Before deciding on acquiring a Golden Retriever it is important to become knowledgeable about the strengths and weaknesses of the breed. A Golden Retriever is not for everyone Is a Golden Retriever a compatible match for you? Goldens require a good amount of daily exercise, personal time, training and grooming. This breed is happiest when they are at your side or when they are working with you. As a breeder and owner, there are several health issues with the breed that concerns us. We recommend you read the following attachment from the Golden Retriever Club of America to become informed buyer: Information About Golden Retriever Health.

If you would like to get on our waiting list:

1. Submit a completed puppy application via e-mail or U.S. mail.

2.Arrange a time to come meet us and the dogs

Please Note: We sell our puppies only to people whom we have met in person.

We do not ship our puppies.

Want to reserve a Butternut Hill Golden Retriever puppy? What is the cost?

Once the puppies are born, we send a notification out to those on our waiting list. After which we will start accepting deposits from those who have submitted their application and have had their initial visit with us and our dogs. We require a non-refundable deposit of $300 towards the cost and commitment of a puppy. Our puppies usually cost around $1200 to $1500, depending on the breeding.

Puppy Visit Weekend

Once the litter is 6 weeks old, we encourage each family to come and spend time with the puppies during our puppy visit weekend. This also gives us more time to get to know you and your preferences better.

What is the process of choosing a puppy?

The choosing process is a collaborative effort. We do not do any final "picking" or "choosing" of puppies until they are 8 weeks old -- after they have had their temperament test and structure evaluation. We spend a lot of time with the puppies. We get to know each puppy's personality very well. When the puppies are ready to go to their homes, the new owners choose their puppy from 2 puppies, from which we also feel would be a good match. This process seems to work out real well for all. The last people to place a deposit will get the last male or female.

What else can you expect?

Each puppy will have been wormed, received first set of vaccinations against parvovirus and distemper, and will have been seen by our veterinarian. We recommend following Dr. Jean Dodds “Minimal Vaccination Protocol” and urge you to learn more about this beneficial vaccination schedule. Each puppy goes home with our custom puppy packet, which includes AKC registration, 5 generation pedigree, veterinarian health certificate, photos of parents, copies of the parent’s health clearances, a sales contract, information on puppy training, worming, vaccinations, a toy with mother's scent, a chew toy for the ride home and enough food for a few days. You can also expect a lifelong breeder relationship and support.

Going away on vacation?

Dana provides a pet sitting service for dogs that we have breed for $20/day (includes food). No need to board your Butternut Golden in a kennel. (We hate the thought of it.) Your dog can stay with us and play with their canine relatives, go for car rides, swimming, hiking, play ball, cuddle with us, or sleep on their bed of choice. If your dog is here for an extended stay we they’ll likely to get a grooming touch up, nails trimmed and teeth cleaned - no extra charge. It is a doggie vacation in the country. We always enjoy the chance to see and spend time with the dogs we produce. We do not provide pet sitting service to the general public, but Golden Retrievers from Butternut Hill are always welcome in our home! Just e-mail Dana at retrieve@butternutgoldens.com to schedule a day or lengthy stay.

Butternut Golden Retrievers Will Always have a Home

If for any unforeseen circumstance you find yourself unable to care for your Butternut Golden there is no need to ever relinquish your dog to a shelter or rescue. We will be sure to provide a loving home no matter the reason.

~ Our Favorite Links ~

Services

K9data Pedigree Database ~ www.k9data.com

DogTown Obedience ~ www.dogtownobedience.com

Karen Hocker Photography ~ www.karenhocker.com

Orthopedic Foundation For Animals ~ www.offa.org

Canine Eye Registration Foundation ~ www.vmdb.org/cerf.html

Golden Breeders Resource ~ www.goldenbreedersresource.org

Cannuck Dogs ~ www.canuckdogs.com

Diana Edwards Show Services ~ www.dess.ca

Infodog ~ www.infodog.com

Entry Express Service ~ www.entryexpress.net