After weeks of waiting and worrying about your bundle of cuteness, the day WILL eventually come for you to pick him up.  We prefer to send our puppies home between 8 and 9 weeks of age and older . Be sure to puppy proof your home and review information regarding crate training, house breaking and feeding. Below is a list of important items when coming to pick your puppy up.

• Collar and Leash-your puppy will need a solid collar that measures 8"-14" as well as a leash you can hook on to the collar.  We recommend an inexpensive 20' lead that has a hook on both ends. This works best to keep your puppy attached to you wherever you go the first few weeks.
• Harness-Many different styles and qualities of harnesses exist.  After much searching and lots of experience, we recommend the Chai's Choice Best Outdoor Adventure Harness. (Please note we are NOT an affiliate-this is just a darn good harness :-)
• Toys-The topic of toys can be overwhelming so I will try to keep this short and sweet.  We recommend the following: something to retrieve (medium hexi balls are great to start with), something to tug, something with a squeaky and something to chew (bully sticks are great as are raw bones from your butcher).
• Crate pad/Towel-It's common for puppies to get a tiny bit car sick when traveling as youngsters.  Better to be safe than sorry.
• Water Dish-If you are traveling more than 5 hours, we recommend you bring a water dish.  We suggest bringing a little bottled water home to make the trip easier on your puppy. We do not recommend that you feed when traveling.  Puppies will be fine to wait until they get home to eat.

While it's natural to want to indulge your adorable puppy with treats, it's important to consider the potential consequences, especially for young dogs prone to upset stomachs. Treats, more often than not, can lead to digestive discomfort. Therefore, when selecting treats for your puppy, opt for those with minimal ingredients like chicken, beef, or sweet potato.

Similar to humans, puppies can develop sensitivities or allergies to certain ingredients. This is where single to minimal ingredient treats shine, offering pet owners an excellent means to identify and manage potential dietary issues. Their simplicity ensures that your puppy receives pure, unadulterated nutrition, devoid of unnecessary additives, fillers, or preservatives! A couple brands we love are "Full moon" and "Polka Dog."

At Rocklin Goldens nutrition is critical.  Over the course of the past few years, we have tested a number of dog foods and we want what works for us, the puppies, our adults and our new families. We have searched and researched to find a dog food that checked all of our boxes.

• Quality Source of Nutrition-On our nutrition journey we searched for a dog food that helps with joint growth and development, keeps hair coats beautiful without needing to add too much to the diet and is palatable to both puppies and adults. We are also looking for something that comes in fresh and stays fresh as we feed out a bag of food.  Be on the look-out for dog food that is so moist that it can mold as the bag nears empty.
• Readily Available-we searched for a dog food that most people (including ourselves) have ready access to. We have used a number of brands that over time have had "warehouse" issues and that doesn't work when we have babies to feed! If you are having trouble finding this dog food, please use the location finder for Nutrena. 
• Highly Reviewed-As with any nutrition-dog food is a controversial subject.  We have tried a number of food brands and we are pleased with the growth, development, spirit, temperament, hair coats and general health of our puppies and adults over time while using Loyall.  
• Consistent Formula-Unfortunately we have faced formula changes over time in a number of the dog foods we have used-Purina Pro Plan, Nutri Source and even Royal Canin. 

In the end nutrition is up to the​ new owner.  For us-Nutrena Loyall Puppy meets our requirements. We highly recommend feeding at least one complete 35 lb bag of the Nutrena Loyall Puppy before switching.  Research and past experience show that puppies can quickly develop loose stools when they are switched from their current dog food.  One simple way to avoid this is to remain consistent with their dog food.