Tag: woody-russbaca

Goldador (Golden Retriever x Labrador) litter available

1st Apr 2026

In the early hours of the 31st March Willow whelped her 2nd litter, a litter of Goldadors. The father is our very own Woody the Golden Retriever. We’ve chosen this pairing because we believe they compliment each other well: They are both affectionate, playful and biddable. Willow was a perfect mother for her first litter and she is being again for this litter.

Health Testing:

Willow: Hips 4/4=8, Elbows 0, BVA eye test Clear (October 2025)

Woody: Hips 3/4=7, Elbows 0, BVA eye test Clear (October 2025)

They also each have some DNA testing done as well, more info available on their pages (Willow) (Woody)

We currently have a few black males and females available, 2 golden males and a gold female available.

Week 1

For the first week of life our focus is on keeping them and their environment clean, checking that they are gaining weight and ensuring that Willow has everything she needs to stay healthy and be able to care for them.

At 3 days old we evaluate whether Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) is needed. ENS is, to briefly summarise, a quick set of routines to carefully add a little bit of stress into the puppies life for a maximum of 30 seconds a day, because if puppies experience a small amount of stress at this age then they are more likely to grow into adults that can handle a bit of stress. This is something we only do with smaller litters that have an abundance of milk, are healthy and are experiencing no stress at all (as too much stress can have the opposite effect). As Willow has had a large litter we have elected not to do ENS, as they are squabbling over teats and therefore they are getting all the stress and challenge naturally. The pups are of course still handled daily.

For the next 2 weeks the pups will be contained in this whelping box. This is essential as they are born blind and deaf and so if given too much room they will separate from each other and get lost, causing stress and making Willows job of caring for them harder. The whelping box is made of easy to clean materials and the floor is lined with vet fleece to provide the pups with good traction. Pups that are slipping around at this age are more likely to get hip/elbow dysplasia so it is important for us that they have a good grip.