Your 8-Week Old Snitker Golden

What should I expect from my puppy's first 8-weeks experiences?

At 8 weeks of age, your puppy has:

• Manding behaviors - puppy can sit and give eye contact and take treats from your hand
• Understands simple commands:   
  • “Yes!” (marker word)
  • “Sit” (added with manding practice)
  • “Potty/Outside” (has been trained to a potty box and outside, using artificial and real grass for pottying
  • “Uh-uh” (correction word)
  • “Let’s go!” (the beginning of walking on a lead
  • “Here pup-pup!” (the beginning “come” command)
• Imprinting milestones reached:
  • ENS exercises Day 3-16
  • Individual feedings (at least once a day) starting at 6 weeks of age
  • Individual training sessions starting at 6 weeks of age:  indoor, outdoor, training room
  • Individual holding time daily (except for Sundays), where we work on eye contact, comfort with all levels of handling, and building relationship
  • Sight and sound socialization
  • Has experienced tunnels, inclines, steps, wheel chair/walker, baby pools (weather dependent), and surfaces and toys of all kinds, with new items introduced daily
  • Uses a dog door
  • Sight and sound socialization beginning as early as 2-3 weeks of age, including radio and television
  • A no-mouthing policy - pups are taught not to mouthe on fingers, toes, etc. 
  • Taking treats nicely from your hand to reward
  • Crate training
  • Guarding screening
  • Traveling in vehicles (as a group)
  • Weekly baths beginning at 2 weeks of age, including blow-dryer and grooming table
  • Weekly nail clipping and ear cleaning
  • Grooming work (clipping toe/ear hair in preparation for regular grooming)
  • Toothbrush
  • All ages of puppy handlers (child through adult)
  • Has practiced walking in heel position without lead (* this is one of our final sessions.  Not all litters are ready for this step, but many do have at least one session individually)  Please keep in mind:  all of these benchmarks are subject to change due the developmental schedule of a particular litter.  Some litters are quick to learn, others take their time.  Some litters mouthe early!  some don't care to try it and have a delayed start.  The point is that we assess each litter's development, adjusting for their readiness to move forward with each new experience.
• Two veterinary check-ups 
• Daily weights the first two weeks/weekly weights thereafter
• First series of shots
• Regular worming schedule
• Fecal testing (group sample tested at 6 weeks of age and tested for Giardia, Coccidia, and worms)
• AKC limited registration paperwork completed for you
• Lifetime enrollment into AKC Reunite
• Microchip implant
• Canvas tote including:
  • 6# bag of Life’s Abundance puppy food
  • Life’s Abundance shampoo and Body Mist (familiar scent to your puppy)
  • NuVet and NuJoint supplements to get started
  • Fleece blanket with our recognizable scent 
  • Vet Health Check form with your puppy’s results from the second vet visit and additional paperwork
  • Two complimentary books from Suzanne Clothier’s Relationship Centered Training (RCT)

And finally, as a special gift to all of our Snitker Goldens families, we offer coaching with Stephanie Kelley, puppy coach and teaching extraordinaire! Stephanie has a history of working with our program first-hand, which enhances what she offers to our clients. During the final weeks leading up to Puppy Pick-up Day, Stephanie answers any questions regarding the developmental process, what to expect, Q & A’s clients have, and training materials (videos) for our clients to help with a more seamless transition of bringing a puppy home. Our clients love their Zoom meetings with Stephanie, and benefit from her knowledge and inviting personality, whether they are first-time puppy owners, or long-time Golden lovers. We’re grateful for Stephanie’s expertise and her ability to connect with and prepare clients for that special day of picking up puppy!

---

What's special about us?

What is paramount about our program is that we spend (nearly) all day, every day in the care of your puppy (except Sundays, as we keep that day's work light). This is our profession. This means that we are assessing your puppy’s personality and skills on a daily basis, tailoring those imprinting experiences to what is needed for each puppy to thrive. Of course, every puppy will have strengths and areas to work on at 8 weeks of age. It is our goal to discover these areas and strengthen their experiences accordinly.

​Temperament testing is performed at 7 weeks of age with an experienced puppy evaluator, whom the puppies have never met before. Testing is completed in a new environment with new aids that have never been experienced for more accurate results. These results are then coupled with the information we have gathered over your pup’s first seven weeks of life, and matched with the Family Profile filled out by your family. With a Master’s degree in Therapy, I am committed to matching puppies with families based upon best fit, considering temperaments, family’s lifestyle, desired traits, whether there is a working role (or not), among other factors.  This process often takes days, with the results being our best effort to match you with your newest forever family member. 
​

Our puppies are well-known for their eye contact and relational quality, as well as for the manners they have already established.  Our Snitker Goldens families invite one, two, or even three of our Goldens into their family circle, experiencing a lifetime of Golden cuddles and laughter. 


​
We are honored by the trust you extend to our family to nurture and imprint your newest family member for you, and we thank you for that opportunity.  It is our joy! - Rhonda

---