Mothers & Babies

From Mating to Going Home 

Our mothers & babies

A look at what happens at BlueBreeze from the time a new mum comes into season through to the day our puppies leave for their forever homes.

Once the new mum comes into season she is permanently moved to the human house, where she spends her time being spoilt and pampered. At some point during her season she is mated to an appropriate male that we have selected. Choosing the right Sire is a process that takes several weeks or months of research and comparisons, along with a deep understanding of what is behind the pedigree of both the Sire & Dam. 

Gestation is 61 to 63 days. 

A few days prior to the babies being born I move in with mum and sleep beside her and the whelping box until the babies are 10-14 days old. I am there to help mum with the delivery of every puppy, which are most often born in the middle of the night. 

Baby puppies are born with their eyes & ears sealed, while they cannot hear or see, they can certainly smell and have no problem at all finding their mum and her milk. At day 3 we commence our socialisation program with ENS – Early Neurological Stimulation. ENS is a series of 5 gentle exercises that last for 5 seconds each, they improve future stress tolerances and cardiovascular health. It has long been recognised that puppies raised with ENS mature at a faster rate and perform better under certain problem solving tests.

Sometime between 10 & 14 days puppy’s eyes begin to open, they can see for the first time. Their ears are also now fully open and they can also hear. While I have been talking gently to the puppies since the day they were born, I now increase my conversations with them. I now introduce toys to the whelping box. 

At 3 weeks of age the weaning process commences, we introduce the babies to solid food with one meal per day. This is a messy process until the babies learn not to walk and swim through the dinner bowl, some will even fall asleep in their bowl. 

At 4 weeks of age mum & her babies are moved out of the whelping box to the puppy house. Here they can play to their hearts content and obviously have a much greater area to explore. I do not separate mum from her babies, unless she tells me she wants some time away. I also allow mum to feed her babies for as long as she has milk, which is usually 6-7 weeks. Once the babies move to the puppy house, we take weekly photos of them putting them in the gallery section of our website, so our puppy buyers can see the development of the babies through until the day they depart. 

Through these weeks we continue our socialisation program.

When a puppy is 3 days either side of 8 weeks it is most like its adult self, this little window is where all good breeders make their final decision on which puppy they are keeping. Therefore, at 7 ½ weeks of age we hold a “puppy assessment” day, where long time Golden breeders and often a breed specialist dog judge come to view & assess the litter. We compare each puppy to the breed standard & select those puppies being kept at BlueBreeze for our ongoing breeding & show program plus those puppies going to other show or dog sport homes. Show home orders always get first priority.

At 8 weeks of age the babies are ready to go to their forever homes. On the day they are due to depart we arrange appointment times for each of the “pre-approved” puppy buyers. The new owners come and choose their puppy, with our assistance. We bath the baby and complete the paperwork, answering any questions you have along the way. 

A day or two after the puppy has left BlueBreeze, I make contact with every new owner to “check in,” answer any more questions and ensure the puppy has settled into the new home. 

As a registered responsible breeder, my responsibility to my puppies doesn’t end the day they depart. I am available to my puppy buyers for the life of the dog, to assist you in anyway, answer any questions you may have as time passes. 

BlueBreeze puppies are raised using a number of different socialisation activities & programs, commencing with ENS (Early Neurological Stimulation), which starts while the babies are in the whelping box.

We also have enrichment activities for our babies once they move to the puppy house. These activities & programs are all aimed at socialising the babies, so when they leave us to go to their forever homes, they have a sound golden temperament – kind, friendly & confident. 


When you buy a BlueBreeze puppy you get: 

  • A pedigree puppy, bred by a registered breeder with Dogs NSW and a member of The Golden Retriever Club of NSW Inc. 
  • The puppy will be micro-chipped, vaccinated and wormed 
  • Registration with Dogs NSW on the Limited Register. Main register or show quality puppies maybe available but conditions apply 
  • An 8 deep family tree plus the ANKC (Australian National Kennel Council) official pedigree certificate 
  • A 40+ page booklet giving you all sorts of information on the breed. What to feed, a weight chart so you can manage the puppy’s weight as he or she grows 
  • A list of foods, plants and other things that are poisonous to dogs 
  • Guidelines on how to settle your new puppy into your home 
  • All BlueBreeze puppies come with 4 weeks free pet insurance through Knose Pet Insurance 
  • All BlueBreeze puppies are sold with a written 100% money back guaranteed contract, should your puppy be diagnosed with a debilitating hereditary disease within the first three years of life – conditions apply.