Genuine Goldens is a small hobby kennel owned by Skip and Lyndsey Keller. We are located in southern Ohio, in the small town of Wheelersburg. For reference, we are about two hours from both Columbus and Cincinnati. A 30-minute drive will take you to
Ashland, Kentucky and about an hour drive will bring you to Huntington, West Virginia.
Our kennel is currently made up of five breeding dogs and two retired dogs. All of our dogs are registered with the American Kennel Club (AKC) and/or the Continental Kennel Club (CKC).
Since 1987, we've always had at least one Golden. Along the way, we've rescued strays, attended training camps and sessions, and even successfully trained a Golden Guide Dog puppy for
Pilot Dogs, Inc of Columbus, OH. To read more about how I fell in love with the Golden Retriever breed, read the story of Lady. Breeding Goldens was always on the tip of my tongue, and in 2008 we had our first litter. Breeding dogs was everything I thought it would be, and everything I didn't think it would be! It is a lot more work than what it looks to be, with unknowns around every corner. It is a definate labor of love, that should not be taken lightly!
The rest of this page will tell you a little more about how we do things around here. You can learn about how we feed our dogs, where our dogs live, and how we train, socialize, and groom our dogs. We'll also spread the word about our favorite products, none of which we are endorsed.
Genuine Goldens
"Authentic Golden Retrievers of a great vitality, temperament, and apperance"
Visitors since
October 12, 2008
About Us
Our Feeding Plan
We feed our dogs and puppies from the Science Diet line of dog and puppy foods. Our puppies are sent to their new homes with a sample of puppy food. We recommend that you feed the highest quality dog food that fits into your budget. While the basis of our dogs' diet is kibble, we also supplement with vitamins, raw meat, raw bones, and raw eggs. We may not be total raw or homemade dog food feeders, but we strongly support those who have done the research and do so! The dogs are fed twice a day, while puppies are fed three times a day until they are six months old or until they lose interest in their afternoon meal (usually around 3 months of age). Our dogs are fed together as a pack out of their own bowls and rarely eat confined in their kennels. In order to establish ourselves as pack leaders, each dog must sit on command before they receive their meal. Once each dog starts eating, their bowls will be removed after 10 minutes OR once they walk away from their food. In the picture below, you will notice that one of our dogs eats out of a blue bowl. Gunner literally inhales his food, which is quite dangerous because it can lead to choking, bloat, and even death. We purchased a Brake-Fast food bowl to help slow down Gunner's fast eating. While it doesn't slow him down completely, it definately helps. We highly recommend this bowl if you have a dog with a similar problem.
Our Kennels
Most of our dogs live outside most of the time. Very young puppies and older Goldens live in the house away from the cold weather and for extra care and training at these critical times of their lives. Everyone loves coming in the house for individual attention any chance they get. Our house is just not big enough to house our family and all of our dogs! While outside, our dogs are kenneled. Each dog has at least 50 square feet of space. We often house our dogs together using the buddy system. Our male dogs and those in training or being boarded have individual kennels. Our kennel floors are covered with concrete to keep the dogs from digging and to help keep the dogs and kennels clean. Each dog has its own dog house, although they usually share. We use A-frame canopies over top of the kennels to provide shade and help protect the dogs from the elements. The kennels are in our side yard, which is completely fenced in as well. When we are outside, which is three or more times a day (practically all day in spring/summer), all of the dogs are let out together into our yard where they play together and interact with us as well. Our dogs LOVE running off-leash on our six acres of fields and wooded land. We are strong believers in the pack instinct within dogs, so we rarely keep one dog isolated from the others. Our dogs do not LIVE in kennels, but they do sleep there!
Socialization
Socialization plays a major role in how well a Golden reacts to many situations. We like to take our dogs individually to different locations they are unfamiliar with at home. Not all of them enjoy the car ride, but they all love "getting out of the house". They enjoy all of the individual attention they receive from us and complete strangers. Whenever we take our dogs out into the world, whether it's a walk to a playground or a trip to see the vet, we always receive complements not only on how beautiful our dogs are, but on how well-behaved they are as well.
Grooming
Grooming is essential to keeping our dogs gorgeous and keeping their skin and hair healthy. Once a week, our dogs are groomed. This includes a 30-minute brushing session, nail trimming, ear cleaning, and hair trimming when necessary. In the summer of 2008, I discovered the Fur Buster. This is the most productive grooming tool for grooming dogs. It is a MUST for any Golden owner to have. The amount of fur it will get off of your dog in a relatively short amount of time is amazing. In the spring and summer, each grooming session is followed by a monthly bath. Any dogs staying inside during the winter receive a weekly bath. They are then brushed a second time after they have dried from the bath. I use a homemade dog shampoo that will kill that doggy smell and last all week!
Identification
Our dogs all wear nylon collars with identification tags at all times. You will rarely find our dogs without identification, unless they have just been bathed/groomed. For years we have used traditional tags that hang from the hook on the collar. Tags were always coming up missing or getting caught on fencing or other objects. When we were able to actually keep a tag attached to a collar (Mason went through five ID tags before he was one year old) they were often not engraved deeply enough and the information literally started to wear off the tag. In 2006, we discovered the best dog tags ever, Collar Tags!!!! These tags attach directly to the dog collar, by feeding the collar through two slots on the tag. These tags come in various sizes and for different collar types. These tags cannot get lost, unless of course your dog loses its collar altogether. Since ordering our first Collar Tag, we replaced all of our current hanging tags with new Collar Tags! We will never buy another traditional dog tag again and we HIGHLY recommend them. They are well worth the money!
Health Care
Health care is something I am very picky about when it comes to my dogs. There are two phrases that come to mind when it comes to this area: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" and "Less is more". In other words, it is definately worth preventing health concerns, but the right way. Over the years, I've come to realize that many people (including veterinarians) "overdo it" when it comes to vaccines and drugs. I'm a big believer in natural remedies and things like delayed vaccinations.
Puppies are dewormed every two weeks until 12 weeks of age. We deworm our dogs every two months. Each dog is kept on a monthly heartworm preventative year-round. We use flea and tick treatment as needed. Frontline Plus is our favorite for stopping fleas and ticks! We vaccinate our puppies against Parvo and Distemper at six, nine, and twelve weeks of age, and at three and six years of age. They receive a vaccine against Rabies at six months and every three years thereafter. Our dogs are never vaccinated when they are in heat, pregnant, nursing, or sick or injured as this can only further damage the immune system. We believe vaccinosis is real, even though many people are either unaware or uneducated on the subject.
Taking care of all of our dogs is hard work, but it is a labor of love!
This page was last updated: February 7, 2010
Contact Us!
lyndseyrkeller@yahoo.com (email checked 1-3 times daily)
Call (740) 876-4225 from 8am to 8pm EST (please leave message; if busy, please email me!)
of Wheelersburg, OH
Mason, Raven, Daytona, Daffie, Rylee, Miley, Gunner, and Lacey enjoying dinnertime.
Our new kennels, constructed in April 2009.
