...read this entire page to find out....

We have a special puppy socialization program and use early neurological stimulation included in our breeding program that gives our puppies a more secure, less
fearful, more trusting, calm, gentle, almost a bark-free, loving, very affectionatepersonality for life. Theyare moreattuned to human beings, and have more human-like qualities, than your typical lab, golden, or hybrid. We have instilled love bonds into our puppies with our program, and the bonding will begin from the moment you hold them in your arms.

First off, we give early neurological stimulation to each young puppy daily. This method is based on Dr. Carmen L. Battaglia's "Early Neurological Stimulation".

Benefits of Stimulation
Five benefits have been observed in canines that were exposed to the Bio Sensor stimulation exercises. The benefits noted were:
1. Improved cardio-vascular performance (heart rate)
2. Stronger heart beats,
3. Stronger adrenal glands,
4. More tolerance to stress, and
5. Greater resistance to disease.

In tests of learning, stimulated pups were found to be more active and were more exploratory than their non- stimulated litter mates over which they were dominant in competitive situations.

Secondary effects were also noted regarding test performance. In simple problem solving tests using detours in a maze, the non-stimulated pups became extremely aroused, whined a great deal, and made many errors. Their stimulated litter mates were less disturbed or upset by test conditions and when comparisons were made, the stimulated litter mates were more calm in the test environment, made fewer errors and gave only an occasional distress sound when stressed.
_{Source: "Early Neurological Stimulation"; Dr. Carmen L. Battaglia}

We also incorporate an Early Socialization Program daily that I designed myself, from my knowledge I attained from my Bachelor of Science University Degree, in Infant/Child Development and Psychology.

White Golden Retriever Puppy

My program is based on proven infant/child development theories, from decades of research by experts on psychological/socialdevelopmentof what makes a human infant grow to become a fully functioning, well balanced, happy, and secure person for life.

Black Labrador Retriever Puppy

When some of these components are absent in infancy and early childhood development, the result can bean antisocial personality, neurotic or psychotic behavior, and lack of being able to trust other humans fully, and lack of being able to form love bonds.

At the very least, ahuman or a puppy that lacks any of these components in their early development (first 8 weeksof life in a puppy), lives their life based on mistrust, fear, insecurity, and often encountersbehaviorproblems,and can not form normal lasting love bonds during their lifetime.

I started implementing my special puppy socialization program 10 years ago into our breeding program. Not to my surprise, but to my amazement, the same principals of the development of a neurotic free, well balanced personality in a human, also applies to a "T" to the solid, development of a well balanced puppy, which then grows into a wonderful, well balanced dog with unbeatable qualities.

We implement this program in our puppies lives from the day our puppies are born, throughout the time they are here with us at Golden Lightning. We use this program in
the raising of our puppies; Labrador Retrievers, our Golden Retrievers, and our Hybrid Labs/Goldens.

The outcome is remarkable, no matter what the breed, and no matter who the parents are. You can read the testimonials sent to us by our clients on our client photo & reference letters page of our website. See the client photo and reference letter page. Many tell us that they have owned labs, goldens, or hybrid lab/goldens, all their lives, but have never experienced a puppy with a personality so full of love, affection, gentle calmness, high intelligence and human-like qualities as our puppies have. The trademark of a Golden Lightning puppy... is an almost human like,affectionate, outstandingly, amazing personality.

Our use of Earlly Neurological and Early Socialization Programs, develops your puppy far beyond the average dog, and makes your puppy SPECIAL!

After finishing this page...click this link to go to one of our client reference letter and photos pages.

Cheaper dogs are no bargain, and I hope you don't fall into that trap. You not onlywould have todealwith the health and behaviorissues of a puppy of lesser quality, but the heartache can be overwhelming.

Start our right..purchase your puppy from a professional breeder like Golden Lightning that you KNOW has given your puppy it's best possible start in life. A breeder that truly cares about and loves your puppy, from the first day of it's life on...at the same level of love that you will give your new puppy, who will be part of your family for the rest of it's life.

Another page on our site you may like to visit after you finish this one is:

HOW WE RAISE OUR PUPPIES

We believe in living our lives, and want for those in our family, both our dogs and humans alike, to live their lives as holistically as possible.

We do not believe in using drugs for treatment, unless it is life threatening, or we or our dogs are in great pain. The body is designed to naturally heal itself, and with a little help from a holistic resource to speed things along, recovery can be just as quick going the natural route. We do not believe in giving dogs prednisone, or cortisone...those steroids never leave the body, and break down the bodies natural immune system...in essence create more problems in the long run.

We believe for both us and our dogs that the best daily prescription for life is to:

To breath fresh air daily, to drink pure, clean, uncontaminated water, to bask in some daily sunshine to enrich the mind, body, and spirit, to eat wholesome holistic foods, with the least amount of additives and preservatives as possible, to exercise and have a little fun to raise our spirits, clear the minds, put joy in our hearts, and keep our bodies healthy.

And of course a little prayer and gratitude thrown in for good measure, makes for a pretty good life recipe for man and his

best friend alike.

Unlike humans, dogs never forget to show or feel their gratitude, it is built into their spirit. We on the other hand, most of us humans, need to remind ourselves and get in the habit to be grateful for the good in our lives.

It is important for our overall well being to decompose and de-stress. Dogs get stressed too, and it is also important for them to de-stress through exercise and taking part in enjoyable activities to stay healthy.

We do not believe in using chemicals in our dogs or puppies environments. We do not believe in for using chemicals for cleaning dog or puppy areas. We do not believe in pouring chemical cancerous insecticide down the back of dogs, to keep fleas and ticks away. There are holistic alternatives to almost every chemical one, and we strive to find those for both ourselves and our dogs.

We clean our dogs sleeping areas with natural disinfectants, such as apple cider vinegar, or diluted eucalyptus oil. Cuts, abrasions, or ear yeast problems actually heal quicker with diluted tea tree oil rather than a pharmaceutical counterpart, in our experience.

We believe in boosting our dogs and puppies natural immune systems and keeping them strong with a daily supplement of NuVet Plus tablet. See our page on NuVet Plus for a healthy immune system.

See our NuVet Plus information page when you are finished with this page.

Our dogs are happy, healthy, holistic, and whole, as the result of our comprehensive holistic program.

Our adult dogs live at the ranch part of the time,and take turns being the "house dogs" in our homes as well. They have the best of both worlds. Our dogs love to exercise outdoors and live an active lifestyle, which keeps them fit and healthy.

A day of sunshine in the country running in the green grass or cut crop fields, or swimming in the ponds in the summer, running through the snow filled fields, playing tag and biting the snow in the winter, are all fun filled pass times that Golden Lightning Labs and Goldens enjoy at our ranch in southwestern North Dakota any day of the week.