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Goldador Guide Dogs Puppy Service Dogs Training

Rocco/Libby Litter 1: First Crate Exposure – Video Clips from 2026/08/07

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Crate Training Starts Early

Introducing puppies to crates before they leave for their new homes is an essential part of our litter separation process.

In the video clips below, you’ll see two groups of four puppies encountering crates for the first time. With the door removed, the pups are free to explore at their own pace. A small amount of cheese was used to encourage curiosity—and none of the puppies showed any hesitation.

Why Crate Training Matters

Whelping facilities and new owners alike should work to make the crate a “happy place” for the dog, even if the primary goal is simply to facilitate future safe confinement when necessary (such as during travel). When a puppy arrives at its new home, the crate should be used frequently throughout the day as part of the adjustment period. This gives the pup a safe retreat amid a new environment filled with unfamiliar people, sounds, smells, and possibly other animals, with which the crate can be used to control the new interactions.

Building Positive Associations

As the dog matures, we recommend establishing a consistent habit: always feed meals in the crate. Occasionally offer treats and rewards that are exclusively given inside the crate. When paired with a cue like “kennel up” or “crate,” puppies will willingly enter on command—with no resistance—because the crate becomes associated with positive experiences alone.

Important: The crate should always remain a safe haven, never a place of punishment or timeout. It should be integrated regularly into the dog’s life.

Crate training also serves as the primary tool for housebreaking—a topic for another time.

We hope you enjoyed the video clips!

Goldador Guide Dogs Litter Puppy Service Dogs

Rocco/Libby Litter 1: Week 4 Summary for 2026/08/04

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All weights are in pounds.

Puppy (Collar)Week 3 (2026/07/28)Week 4 (2026/08/04)% Change
1 – Ms. Ruby (Red)3.404.3227.19%
2 – Mr. Emerald (Green)3.114.0530.38%
3 – Mr. Sapphire (Blue)2.983.6522.50%
4 – Mr. Onyx (Black)2.893.6425.95%
5 – Ms. Pearl (White)2.813.2916.99%
6 – Mr. Amethyst (Purple)3.694.6125.06%
7 – Mr. Gold (Yellow)2.914.0037.56%
8 – Ms. Topaz (Pink)2.352.8722.24%
Average (This Litter)3.023.8125.98%

Weight Summary:

Mister Gold wins the week at 38%. His female counterpart is Miss Ruby at 27%. Mister Amethyst leads the overall and is beginning to pull away from the rest of the field. The overall female leader is Miss Ruby and she is likely to hang on to the female title all the way through to week nine. Miss Ruby is still second in the overall but we think she is likely to be caught by both Mister Emerald and Mister Gold over the next several weeks. There comes a time when it happens that most of the boys overtake the lead female and for those particular two boys, that time is likely soon. We will see if Ruby puts up a fight.

The weight gain typically slows down for a week or two during early weening. We have observed this in most litters, if not all litters, where the puppies have to adjust a bit and they might eat a little bit less.

A note on Topaz:

Historically in our data for the other breeds, being the smallest puppy in the litter hasn’t meant much, if anything at all. We’ve had the so-called “runt” of the litter eventually become the biggest dog. Here is an example of one of our Goldens who was the “runt” by the name of Sonny (Coswald’s You are My Sunshine).:

Sonny grew up to be a very large golden and is a working service dog today.

We’ve had the smallest up in our Laekenois litters be the litter boss several times and grow up to be quite large if not the largest.

That being said, a puppy the size of Topaz will be passed over by the guide dog evaluators and most other service dog organizations so we are going to make her available to the public. More on her and that happening later.

Puppy Development:

We have started the weening process with bowls of milk as we mentioned we would do last week. Here’s what that looks like:

Upcoming:

Real food and the separation process begins.

Have a good week and God bless.