When it’s Golden, It must be Harvestime!.......................................


A Little Bit About Us....


Thank you for your interest in Harvestime Kennel. Golden Retrievers are the only breed that we are involved with. I am impressed with the versatility of the breed, the ease of training them and their wonderful dispositions! Unfortunately, as with any popular breed, there have been many poorly bred Goldens. Sometimes these are from families that aren’t educated in health issues and clearances and think “AKC” or the color of the dog stands for quality. Sometimes they are from breeders who want to make a quick buck and don’t want to risk getting clearances since it would certainly cull some of their breeding stock, not to mention the expenses involved. I think the quality of Golden Retrievers has been declining over the years and it is difficult to find a reasonably priced, quality Golden.

Our family has been involved with Goldens since 1989. We have been members of the Winnegamie Dog Club since 1994 where we have trained in Obedience, Conformation and Agility. I have been an Obedience Instructor at the club since 1996 and am currently the Director of Training. I am also an active member of Northern Flyway Golden Retriever Club since 1993 as well as belonging to the Golden Retriever Club of America. Our family has competed in Obedience, Conformation and some hunt tests for the past several years. I also attend two to three seminars each year dealing with training methods, grooming, nutrition, conditioning and handling.

Harvestime Kennel is State Licensed, #268158-DS. We passed our initial inspection with zero violations and high praise from the inspector! "This is exactly what we are looking for!"

We are a Christian family and firmly believe in giving back for the blessings we receive. From EVERY litter either a puppy is donated to a Service Dog organization or a minimum of 10% of each litter's gross profit is donated to a charitable organization such as Life Promotions, Heifer International or World Vision.

All of the dogs we own have multi-purpose pedigrees and come from reputable breeders. They all have hip, eye, heart and elbow clearances as do their parents and grandparents. Although there is no absolute way to eliminate all health issues in a pup, by having ancestors with clearances certainly lessens the odds of the problems occurring. I like to see many Champions (CH) in a pedigree. These dogs are bred for correct structure, coat and movement, not to mention beauty. I also like to see Obedience titles (CD, CDX, UD) and Rally titles (RN, RA, RE). This shows the trainability of the dogs and their willingness to please. Some hunting titles (WC, WCX, JH, SH, MH) and tracking titles (TD, TDX) will show the dogs ability to do what they were bred to do. I don’t like to see many hunting titles in a pedigree because, although these dogs are very intelligent, I feel they are often too high strung for the average family pet. My goal is to produce healthy, friendly, beautiful dogs that are easy to train. Several of my pups have been placed as service dogs.

After my dogs are over three or four years old, and we have done all the "hard part" of teaching house manners and earning some obedience/rally titles on my dogs, we often will place them in "foster homes" where a family gets to enjoy the company of a great dog and the dog gets all the one-on-one attention they love! The dogs come back to have a couple litters and then retire to their "foster homes" permanently. This also gives me more time to spend on my younger dogs and everybody wins!

Not only is the genetic background important to consider when choosing a puppy, the socialization and health care are also important factors. All of the pups from Harvestime Kennel are raised in a grated whelping box right in our dining room. This can get a bit smelly during the last couple weeks but I think it is essential that pups experience all the sights, sounds, and smells of an active household. At birth each pup is given a different colored collar, and we monitor them separately throughout their time with us. The pups are weighed every seven days to ensure they are gaining weight equally. At 4 weeks the pups are introduced to a variety of sounds by sound effect CDs played at various volumes. When a pup gets used to hearing thunder, fireworks, sirens, and gunshots and finds that nothing bad happens to them, they will more easily accept these sounds in their new homes. We also introduce them to a variety of playthings including stuffed toys, rubber balls, metal and even pigeon wings. If weather permits, we let them play in water. The pups are held a lot. The rule is- if you’re watching TV- hold a pup!

The pups receive very complete health care. Dewclaws are removed around three days old. We don’t allow them to be held by visitors until they are three weeks old. They are wormed at two ,four and six weeks. The pups receive a complete veterinary check-up where eyes, ears, lungs, hearts and overall health is checked plus they get their first puppy vaccination.

The pup’s personality traits are evaluated every couple days from 5 to 7 weeks. It’s surprising how much personalities can range in a litter. When the pups are reserved for a family, a Puppy Preference Questionnaire is to be filled out. This asks what you are looking for in a pup’s personality and energy level, if you’re looking to compete in any area, and what color and size you prefer. Because we interact so closely with the pups, we choose which pup goes to your home. The cute, sleeping puppy with the halo on that you just can’t resist may actually be the “brat” puppy who may not fit your level of experience and patience at all!! It is VERY important that you understand that we will choose which puppy you will receive. We do not make exceptions to this rule.

When the pups are around 5 weeks old I hold a Puppy Session at my home. This can also be done when you pick up your puppy. This takes about 2 hours and I will discuss house training, basic training, health care, nutrition, and how to groom your pup. You will also receive a folder with a ton of information. I stock many of the grooming tools that I use and sell them for the same prices as in the catalogs. I also have extra bags of dog food on hand. Your pup will go home with a stuffed toy that has been in the whelping box for a couple days to ease the transition from our home to yours.

It is VERY important that our pups go to good homes! Dogs are wonderful pets but are also a huge responsibility. Goldens can live 10-13 years so this commitment needs to be well thought out. If, after carefully reviewing the information sent to you, you would like to reserve a puppy please contact us to get on a list. There is no down payment until the pups are one week old. At that time $200 is due.

Sincerely,

Deb Zierler

(Click here for a printable version of this information.)

Our mission statement:
To not only breed healthy, versatile, personable Golden Retrievers but to also make a difference in the lives of people that our dogs touch.

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