JUMP START TRAINING
As a special service to our clients and as part of our ongoing commitment to giving each R Ranch puppy the best possible start in life, R Ranch Golden Retrievers proudly introduces our JUMP START TRAINING program starting with our 2018 litters. Using the same techniques taught at Bergin University of Canine Studies ,the only accredited university exclusively devoted to advancing the human-canine partnership through research and education, is what gives every R Ranch puppy that wonderful head start in life. Created by Dr. Bonita Bergin, who invented the concept of the Service Dog to assist people with mobility, and later other, limitations n 1975 and who founded not only Bergin University but also Canine Companions for Independence (CCI), the first nonprofit to train and place Service Dogs.
Our Jump Start Training Program here begins with Early Neurological Stimulation, or ENS for short. As the puppies progress from neonates to toddlers, additional exercises and an Enriched Environment are employed to stimulate the puppy's developing senses. Socialization -- to humans, fellow dogs and other animals -- is begun and the puppy is gently exposed to a variety of new noises, scents, textures and experiences to minimize inappropriate fear and excessive sensitivity. Beginning at three weeks and continuing throughout its time at R Ranch, the puppy begins its Command and Cue training in which the pup is introduced to house training and manners, self-restraint along with basic obedience commands and cues used in the public access training of Service Dog candidates. All of this is achieved with the use of positive reinforcement, using age-appropriate training intervals, and takes place in a clean, healthful and loving environment, with the goal of engendering a love of learning in the young pup, who sees the process as a form of play and bonding with its humans.
In sum, each R Ranch Golden puppy will receive the same start in life as that provided at the world's leading service dog organizations. Only a relative handful of breeders offer similar early training for their puppies; those who do, typically charge thousands of dollars extra for this service. The training is certainly worth it, but we here at R Ranch would like to offer it as part of every one of our puppy packages. We believe in giving our beautiful English Golden Retrievers and their new owners every possible advantage in their new life together. And that starts from selecting the best possible breeding pairs, from dams and sires with championship lines, sound health and great temperament, and continues with the best possible care during pregnancy, whelping and the pups early introduction to the world.
Warning: It is important to understand that we are NOT representing any of our puppies as guaranteed service dogs, nor for that matter, even as fully trained companion animals. Like learning, training is a lifelong process, and no dog -- not even the best-trained working dog -- is a robot. We can however boast that several R Ranch Goldens have gone on to complete their training and become certified as Service Dogs and Therapy Dogs. It is to your benefit to Stay clear of any breeder or trainer who tries to convince you that an eight-week-old puppy will become a guaranteed service animal. No responsible party can make such a claim; there are simply too many uncontrolled variables involved.
Instead, what we can and do promise is a puppy that has received every possible early advantage for optimal development into a cherished member of your pack -- a JUMP START on life, so to speak.
