About LMR
Since 2019, our goal at Lakemist has been to produce beautiful, companion dogs that are able and willing to compete in all aspects of Golden activities. We are a small kennel with a limited but well-planned breeding program. This means that each breeding is of tremendous importance to us and that we concentrate our efforts into caring for and socializing our pups. We use a blend of Avidog, a state-of-the-art puppy rearing and development program, Puppy Culture, and common sense, that gives all our pups, no matter their future, the best possible start in life.
Puppy Raising
The pups are raised in our home, so they are accustomed to the hustle and bustle of family life. Puppies undergo a well-thought-out development program during their first nine weeks. They are handled and socialized from birth, with daily individual attention.
Between three and seventeen days, we start AviDog’s Early Scent Introduction (ESI) program and the U.S. Military’s Early Neurological Stimulation exercises (see Dr. Carmen Battaglia's article in the AKC Gazette, May 95, and Golden Retriever News). This early neurological stimulation has been shown to improve cardiovascular performance, strengthen heartbeats, strengthen adrenal glands, increase stress tolerance, and increase resistance to disease. More information can be found on our page dedicated to ESI and ENS.
Our pups are also socialized with adults, children, and other dogs. By the time they go home between eight and nine weeks, they have been introduced to game birds, had daily walks, started their housebreaking and simple obedience training, and been in crates and on multiple car rides.
Puppy Match Day
Our goal is to carefully place each pup with a well-suited family. We make every effort to match each owner or family with the pup that suits him or her. To do this, we gather information from prospective owners about their lifestyle, experience in dogs, and expectation for this pup.
We also keep careful records of each pup's reactions and personality to assist in placement. During their eighth week, we evaluate the puppies' temperaments, using the Avidog Puppy Evaluation Test (APET). This test enables us to make the best match between puppies and owners, as well as helping new owners develop a training plan for their pup’s first year. In addition, we do structural and conformation assessments.
We have a long-term commitment to all the puppies we breed. We expect to remain in contact with our puppy owners throughout the dog's life.
All puppies are sold on non-breeding contracts with AKC Limited Registrations, meaning their offspring cannot be registered by the AKC. Puppies are priced at $3000, regardless of gender. A twenty percent (20%) discount is offered for military, veterans, police, first responders, and teachers. We also offer a limited number of puppies through the LMR Patriot Program, this is for the aforementioned.
Health
We carefully screen all breeding stock but the ambiguity surrounding the environmental and hereditary causes of hip and elbow dysplasia, cataracts, sub arterial aortic stenosis (SAS), epilepsy, thyroid, von Willebrand diseases (vWD), pigmentary uveitis, some cancers, progressive retinal atrophy, and other genetic diseases make a guarantee impossible.
There are no lines of Golden Retrievers that do not have health risks, including ours. Lakemist’s owners must educate themselves about the health risks present in Golden Retrievers and be willing to accept some risk that these diseases may show up in their dog.
We are always happy to discuss our breeding program with you in greater detail.
As we offer only a limited number of puppies each year, we do recommend reserving a puppy in advance of the actual whelping.
Email is preferred info@lakemist.net but you can also text or leave a message at 936-264-6320
Gigi Gilmore
Lakemist Retrievers