Frequently Asked Questions

What are Snitker Goldens and why are they special?

We're glad you asked! Anytime we have the opportunity to share why we do what we do, we get excited. Over the years, our program has been shaped, honed, and grown from its simple beginnings. We have watched Goldens change lives and have felt humbled to be a part of it. Many Snitker Goldens now serve as Emotional Support Animals, Therapy Dogs, and Service Dogs; others are simply man's best friend for their families and that is just as important to us.

What drives us are the people we serve, be they individuals looking for a lifelong companion, adults or children with special needs, veterans returning home with great challenges, or those looking to work with their Snitker Golden to give back to their communities. Our Snitker Goldens leave for their forever homes with work to be done, with people to serve, and it is our desire to provide these puppies with the skills they need to do their job well and this takes a very special puppy. :)

Frequently Asked Questions

We strive to be transparent on our site in how we raise our Snitker Goldens, but that doesn't mean you're going to find all of your answers by looking at pictures. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions. We hope this helps!

On this page...

1. You talk a lot about imprinting. What is it?

2. Your facility looks top-notch. Can we visit?

3. I want to choose the best puppy. How do I do that?

4. How much are your adoption fees?

5. OFA, FCI, BVA, PennHip, Optigen? What are these and why are they important?

6. English Cream or American Goldens?

7. So you choose my puppy for me...how does that work?

8. Do you have health guarantees? I worry about things like cancer.

9.My job keeps me away from home all day. Can I still adopt a puppy and is socializing really that important?

10. How do I register, train, and feed my new pup?

11. Why don't you raise your pups in your home?

1. You talk a lot about imprinting. What is it?

You're right, we do! Imprinting is a huge part of our program - something we feel sets us apart and differentiates us from other breeders.

Im•print (v): to impart a strong or vivid impression; to fix firmly, as in the mind; (n) a distinguishing influence or effect.

Puppies are impressionable for the first 16 weeks of life. Both positive and negative experiences are etched into their memories that will enormously impact what kind of companion that puppy will ultimately be. At the very minimum, your breeder will be the responsible for half of this imprinting period and possibly all of it. Getting to know your Golden Retriever breeder and their care practices is essential in choosing the best puppy and breeder for you...because even the best lines and pedigrees in the world need a positive and intentional imprint to live up to their potential.

Puppies imprint to:

their mother
their litter mates
people
sounds
other animals
places and etc.

We take this responsibility of your puppy imprint very seriously. We realize that our care is all that they will know during those first formative weeks and it is our aim to introduce them to a world of healthy discovery, good behavior, and positive experiences. While it is true that some of this will happen naturally in a healthy environment, it is the intentional and knowledgeable efforts that raise the bar to excellence in the imprinting process. We can't overstate enough how this process builds trust between the puppy, the handler, and his or her environment. And trust builds confidence and relationships, encouraging healthy development.

After birth, we focus on human touch: gentle handling and cradling, providing a warm comfort, and introducing them to our touch and smell. The experiences we offer your puppy start small and as they grow, develop into full-fledged outings and opportunities to learn something new. They are exposed to daily challenges, sounds, environments, car rides, children, strangers, grooming/baths, veterinary checks, and a host of other socialization practices.

What sets our imprinting and socialization practices apart is our individual attention and care for each puppy. We evaluate each puppy's response to a particular experience and/or setting, noting where we might further strengthen a future experience and work towards that. This isn't something we do once a week - we typically do this twice a day until they go to their forever homes. We also practice the “Rules of Sevens”, to ready your pup for the transition into your home. Our original concept for our Puppy Barn provides with a perfect environment to intentionally encourage development physically, socially, and emotionally, while addressing behavioral tendencies, using redirection and reward techniques, and maintaining our zero-tolerance for biting/mouthing in the early stages of development.

Starting Spring 2012, we implemented the use of Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS), based upon the “Bio Sensor” program developed by the U.S. Military to encourage dog performance in military measures (read more here). ENS exercises are performed once a day from day 3 to day 16, as recommended. In addition to loving, caring, and playing with the puppies, we provide a clean environment, allowing us to introduce puppies to chew toys, encouraging desired play behaviors. We are always looking to improve our program, making additions to our imprinting process where we can. Television, radio, car rides, "super"sounds of whatever we can find. . . . big black wigs, floppy hats, you name it. . . it's our heart to keep a solid environment of safety and assurance, and yet intentionally stretch our puppies to experience new things while they are young, building their trust with us, helping them to know that "new" does not equal "scary." That's our intention. And we feel very purposed in that effort.

This intentional and focused approach to imprinting is what sets us apart and allows us to provide your puppy with a positive imprint that will not only benefit you, but your Golden for a lifetime.

2. Your facility looks top-notch. Can we visit?

Thank you to those who tell us our facilities look very nice. We work hard to create an environment that is both people and canine friendly, meeting the needs we all have.

You may have read that a good breeder will allow you into their facility. Years ago, we did this and entertained visitors. During our first state inspection however, our inspector highly recommended no traffic in and around our facilities to protect our program. We took his advice, as well as the advice of our veterinarian, and do not open the facility, nor grounds to visitors.

At Snitker Goldens, we make it a priority to show you where and how your puppies (and our adults) are raised. We realize you may only see portions of a breeder’s facility online, so we decided we wanted to open this up to anyone to view, so that you could have your questions answered by disclosing those images on our website. Of course, our images are clean and spotless, but in the everyday, when we are working fully with our puppies, we also let you see real everyday'ness of our Puppy Barn when we have chips flying all over the floor because little puppies are learning to use a potty box (see our Updates blog for more). We show you all of this so that you can be part of the process of your puppy’s nurturing and experiences. Additionally, we do this so that you see what’s going on without compromising our bio-security for our puppies and our pack. You may meet with us on our front lawn or in our home. We’re happy to do this! But please, we ask you to honor our program (and ultimately, your puppies) by respecting our policy.

3. I want to choose the best puppy. How do I do that?

It's only natural to want the best puppy for yourself, your family, your children or grandchildren. We believe that puppies are very much like children - each comes into this world with a host of wonderful attributes and things he or she has to work on. Despite that we might wish it so at times, there is no perfect child and there is no perfect puppy. However, if your breeder is doing the job he or she should be doing, then every puppy is a great puppy with his or her own unique blueprint.

Having said the above, we believe there are only "great" puppies if experienced and knowledgable handlers are working with your pup in the imprinting period. We continually strive to offer more focused and intentional handling practices to make this happen each season, with each puppy - and we do our best to help match that best puppy fit for you and/or your family.

For more on our placement process, please see FAQ "7. So you choose my puppy for me...how does that work?"

4. How much are your adoption fees?

Adoption Fees reflect pedigrees and our Specialized Imprinting and Puppy Enrichment Program. While each of our puppies will be handled in the same caring and professional manner, some puppies may boast of parents or grandparents who have won national and international titles. Though each of our dams and sires hold special places in our hearts and our program, our adoption fees reflect the lengths to which we have gone to secure pedigree and breeding rights. We do not charge an additional fee for first pick, second, pick and so on. Our fees remain the same in a given litter for male/female and our puppies are placed with their families based on each puppy's unique blueprint as well as each individual and/or family's unique desires and needs.

All of our puppies are also guaranteed to be free of any clinical symptoms associated with Ichthyosis. This adoption fee also includes a prepaid lifetime microchip registration as well as AKC Limited Registration. Please inquire for adoption fees pertaining to the litter(s) you are interested in.

Full registration adoptions are not available and there are no breeding rights; spay/neuter required.

All adoption fees (for puppies picked up/delivered in the state of Iowa) are subject to 7% Iowa Sales Tax as required by law and due by check or wire transfer on or before the puppy's fifth (5th) week.

5. OFA, FCI, BVA, PennHip, Optigen? What are these and why are they important?

Yes, there are different clubs and different associations that provide evaluations for radiographs and blood samples. We know many breeders who use some/any or all of these. We have even “tested” readings by testing with one association and resending radiographs to another association to compare results. Our position on these different associations is that we accept all of them. We realize there are different ages in which dogs can be tested and cleared, different scorings and interpretations, and different opinions. The point being to us, that the dogs are being tested. We make our clearance results public, and you may view results listed on K9data. Currently, K9data does not publish PennHip scores, which is what we have used for hip evaluations in some of our Goldens. In this case, there will be no hip report listed on K9data. If you would like to see a PennHip report for any of our Goldens, please contact us and we will provide this for you.

6. English Cream or American Goldens?

Though we may use the terms "English Cream" or "American" in conversation to distinguish between genetics, we have taken the European approach and simply refer to our dogs as Golden Retrievers throughout our website.

There is a wealth of good information available on the differences in genetics as well as a host of misinformation. Simply put, English Cream generally refers to Golden Retrievers of European descent, while American refers to Golden Retrievers with lines originating in the United States. A good rule of thumb to follow is: is my chosen breeder taking the necessary steps to promote good health in his/her program and do I like the type of Golden Retriever my breeder is working to produce with his/her breeding program?

At the end of the day, if you are happy with the practices of your breeder and you can trust his/her work with your future companion, it matters not whether they be English Cream or American. It matters that you find the right "best friend".

7. So you choose my puppy for me...how does that work?

In regard to puppy placement, as we continually work to improve our program each year here at Snitker Goldens, we are always looking at ways to better what we do, creating a best-case scenario for our puppies and our new owners. We really strive to make our puppy placement a priority, and in recent years have seen this evolve into a stronger practice, based upon more intensive aptitude testing we have adopted from the service dog organization, Veterans Moving Forward, Inc. (VMF).

We have been yoked with VMF for several years now and have learned techniques that they use for puppy aptitude testing, ones that we feel are extremely effective in assessing temperaments. We've used Volhard puppy testing for years, but have adapted to VMF's testing, which is a combination of Volhard and Clothier methods. This testing information, coupled with all we learn from our puppies in 7 weeks of intensive handling, provides us with valuable information regarding our puppies' personalities.

Some of our puppies will be used in future therapy, some in service, some for comfort work, and some as companions. Every once in a great while, we have a puppy who will be trained for hunting, though this is not the focus of our program. Each of these areas are specific to the work and role that puppy will play, and we realize not all puppies are created equal for each work. Simply put, some puppies are better suited for one area over another. This is also true for temperaments of families and/or new owners. Not all families are created equal. Some families have lots of members and are movers and shakers, while some families are a newly married young couple, or yet some are older and retired. Sometimes we even have single parent owners. Some new owners stay at home more, some are away from home longer. And all these things matter. We take into consideration what your family dynamics are like, your family needs, and your family activities. Sometimes, as Stephanie says, it is the family who needs a particular puppy, and sometimes it is the puppy who needs a particular family. We consider this all.

Our puppy placements are based upon all of the information we receive from our puppies, and all you share with us about your home and family (after the puppies are born, we ask you to fill out a Family Profile Questionnaire, which is confidential and only shared with Snitker Goldens staff). We believe this only makes our puppy placements stronger, and matches will be made according to temperament and personality, with all of the above considerations. We feel this is best for the puppies and for the new owner(s).

Of course, there will still be a case for reservation order in a litter - this means, for example, that if we have reservations for eight (8) puppies, and our litter arrives with six (6) puppies, we will fill the first six reservations (based upon gender chosen). So reservation order will still be used in part to determinine adoptions in these cases. For each season, we work to fill each of reservations first, before we open up any puppies to those people on an adoption waiting list, or before we take reservations for the next season. We really do our best to be honest and fair in all we do, and our practices have served us well as we work to help fill each of your hearts and home with a Golden puppy.

8. Do you have health guarantees? I worry about things like cancer.

The health of your puppy is a big deal. It's important to you and it's important to us! Though, as with humans, it is impossible to produce a perfect puppy, we strive to continually improve our pairings and our Goldens in an effort to breed healthy animals. In animal husbandry, it is not as simple as eliminating an undesirable characteristic. For each hurdle crossed, another arrives. In this way, we are always in motion. Always learning, always seeking to improve.

In regards to emotional investment, we acknowledge that to love someone and some thing is to risk. There are no guarantees of the heart.

In regards to your financial investment, we guarantee all of our puppies to be in good health, pursuant to the attached licensed veterinary health report when purchased. We guarantee the puppy to be free from any life-threatening congenital or hereditary defects within one year from the date of birth. We do not guarantee against communicable diseases, such as giardia, coccidia, parvo, etc., mild-moderate hooded vulvas, nor Cryptorchidism, otherwise known as undescended testicles. We also offer a two-year additional health guarantee for your puppy with the continuation of our food and nutritional program. Please contact us for more details.

Further explanation of your health guarantee is specified in our Purchase Agreement, which you will have opportunity to review prior to your reservation. We’ll do our best to answer any questions you might have for us, and will provide you with detailed worming schedules and preventative care taken for your puppy during his/her first eight weeks.

9.My job keeps me away from home all day. Can I still adopt a puppy and is socializing really that important?

You are not alone! Many of our families juggle a myriad of responsiblities and others find themselves in a season of great flexibility. Having a full-time job does not mean you cannot adopt a Snitker Golden, however, it does mean that we will work with your purposefully to find a solution that works best for you.

Our Specialized Imprinting and Puppy Enrichment Program produces puppies who not only understand how to interact with their humans but desire to interact with their humans. Golden Retrievers are, by nature, an extremely social animal who craves touch, communication, and interaction - isolation is a terrible position to place any animal in.

Isolation at home for a puppy will set both you and your pup up for failure. Isolation leads to boredom and boredom leads to poor/bad behavior. The time and effort you spend in investing in your puppy's life now will reap great reward in the years to come.

If your job or other committments keep you away from your home and your pup for large portions of time, we would encourage you to explore options that other Snitker Golden Families have employed successfully:

Asking a neighbor, friend, or family member to commit to yours and your puppy's success with you.
Employing a college student or young person to socialize, train, and play with your puppy.
Use daycare options in limited amounts (after your pup's vaccinations are completed). Your puppy needs you.

Our biggest priority is the relationship you will have with your puppy and your puppy will have with you.

10. How do I register, train, and feed my new pup?

REGISTRATIONS:
You don't need to register your pup for anything except classes! We do the work for you.

We include, free of charge, your puppy's AKC limited registration, a lifetime microchip registration, and a lot of other perks simply because we want you to be able to just return home with your pup. There will be plenty of things on your plate without having to worry about registrations and fees.

TRAINING:
Part of developing a relationship with your puppy includes training...we require each family and/or individual to enroll their puppy in Basic Obedience training classes. It is our desire that each of our puppies will become lifelong companions with their families. Classes provide:

Basic Obedience Training for puppies
Continued socialization with other pups/dogs/people
Bonding between puppy and family through training
Training skills for family members
Just overall good experiences for growth for both puppy and family!

Rearing excellent companions is very important to us. Even if you have trained a puppy before, we believe it is important for a puppy's social skills as well as being an excellent bonding opportunity for you and your puppy. We want you and your puppy to have every chance at a rewarding relationship, and this is a big part!

FEEDING:
We use Life's Abundance puppy and dog foods, both dry kibble and moist diets. We also use NuVet and NuJoint supplements for our new born puppies as well as all of our adults. Our vitamins and foods meet human grade standards, and we believe this to be the best nutritional choice for our Goldens. For additional information regarding our philosophy about food and nutrition, please see our Food and Supplements page. As a new puppy owner, you will be provided with a starter bag of both Life's Abundance and NuVet vitamins to continue the healthy start that your puppy has been given.

Your puppy will start with mother’s milk, gradually moving to gruel, then to moistened Life's Abundance large breed puppy food, and then finally to dry kibble. In addition to solid foods, your puppy will receive NuVet vitamins in his/her daily intake. (Before this time, NuVet supplements are given to puppy's mother, providing this boost to newborn puppy's immunity gap through mother's milk.) Your puppy will be group fed for the first six weeks, and then will have individual feedings added in the remaining two weeks with us before going home. This allows us to screen for any guarding issues, redirecting any behaviors that we see. It also allows your puppy to eat alone, not competing with siblings for daily servings. We can monitor intake as well as provide a sense of “slowing down” and just-eating time for individual puppies. Some puppies want to eat fast, some slow. We just like to give your puppy an opportunity to eat at his/her own pace and learn about our Alpha position in the process. Your puppy will be touched on the tail, feet, stomach, face, and just overall “bothered” during some of these mealtimes – this is to get him/her used to the idea that if someone bumps into or touches him/her during mealtime, it is OKAY. We don’t want any puppies getting the idea that it’s okay to turn around and show displeasure. So we work to screen this for you.

11. Why don't you raise your pups in your home?

Though some breeders will advocate for raising puppies in their homes, we feel bringing our home to our puppies, simply cannot be beat! This was a revolutionary idea for us and one we spent years designing and implementing in the year 2010. During the first two to four weeks of our puppies' lives, we are actually living in our puppy barn. Yes, that's right! So we move our home into their home. We're now seeing other breeding facilities use the same ideas and this is great because of what it can give to both the puppy and the breeder.

In our Puppy Barn, we can allow our puppies the necessary space for tactile learning. Some days, there are wood chips, toys, pots and pans (read more about our Specialized Imprinting and Puppy Enrichment Program), balance beams, play gyms, etc. strewn from one end of the facility to the other - something that is just not as realistic in a home - and this changes on a day-to-day basis. During potty training exercises - the inevitable mistake isn't on Grandma's heirloom braided wool rug...it's on sentiment-free rug that can be tossed in the washer. Our facilities have afforded us incredible space, flexibility, and sanitary spaces to raise our puppies - all with the sights, sounds, smells, and comforts of home. :)

What are Snitker Goldens and why are they special?