About Us

Hi! I’m Lauren, owner of Origins Goldens.

My family and I live in beautiful east Tennessee. We are a family of five with three young children who adore our dogs and love to help care for and train them. Our first family Golden Retriever joined us in early 2020 during “the pandemic”, a handful of months before our oldest child was born. She was not my first Golden, however! Growing up, my parents had brought home an older Golden from a breed rescue, called Ginger. Sweet Ginger left a mark on our family and we eventually brought home a male puppy some years after Ginger was gone, and his name was Mozart. We also had Labs during my childhood, and naturally I fell in love with Retrievers. Goldens, though, have a special place in my heart. So, when Kyra joined our family in 2020, I started doing research.

I joined the national breed club, the Golden Retriever Club of America. I learned about canine genetics, about proper puppy socialization and exposure and behavior shaping. I read articles, watched webinars, and took breeding courses on GoodDog based on the Avidog puppy raising system. In 2022, I bred my first litter. I knew that I would love the puppy raising, but I was surprised to find that, as quite an introvert by nature, that meeting and interacting with the families was another favorite part! My goal was to make ethically bred Goldens accessible to families, and to share what I learn about dog development, breeding, training, and especially about the Golden Retriever in general, with the public.

 

Breeding Considerations

Our philosophy of breeding begins with the parent dogs, and a question: “What do I hope to accomplish with this litter?” This question always ties into my ultimate program goal of producing versatile Goldens who can excel in sports, in the field, and eventually, in the show ring. The GRCA has a title called “Versatility Champion” which recognizes dogs who excel in these three areas, earning high titles in things like Hunt Tests, Conformation, Agility, Obedience, etc, and if I had to sum up my overall goal for Origins, that would be it. However, I would also add that my dream is to see my pups in family homes, loved by their owners, and that I could inspire families to try new things with their dogs – the AKC has a plethora of family dog and companion titles, and my greatest pride is not in seeing what my own dogs do, but what my families can accomplish with the puppies I bring into the world! There is no bond quite like it!

Our parent dogs must pass a few criteria before officially becoming a part of the breeding program. First, all of our dogs are DNA tested as puppies through Embark to learn about any genetic conditions they might carry and pass on. We breed only clear and single-copy carriers, making sure to breed those carries only to clear dogs so that our puppies will never be affected with something like Ichthyosis or Muscular Dystrophy. Embark currently tests for 9 individual breed-relevant genetic conditions.  Next, we continue to health test through the OFA to the standard of the GRCA and of the Canine Health Information Center (CHIC). This means a cardiac exam by a certified veterinary cardiologist, annual eye exams by a certified canine ophthalmologist, and xrays of the hips and elbows to screen for dysplasia. If our dogs fail any of these tests, they are “retired” from the program. I also evaluate my dogs continually for temperament and breed type. Because I have a goal of one day breeding dogs who could show, and because structure dictates movement, function, and longevity in a dog, I am always striving to improve conformation or structure in each generation of dogs I produce. Equally important in the puppies I keep as breeding prospects is their temperament and level of drive – I only want to produce dogs I can comfortably take in public around strangers and children and other animals, dogs that will be equally at home in a family environment as they are working a job, whether that be picking up ducks on a hunt, alerting their handler as a service dog, or visiting a nursing home as a therapy dog. 

When I choose a pup to keep, and they grow up to be something I would want to reproduce, I look for a complementary dog to breed to. Not just the closest, or the dog in my own house, but something that has a trait that will improve something in the one I’m breeding.

 

Puppy Raising

Our puppies will always be raised indoors. It is important to me that the puppies are acclimated to a home environment, accustomed to the sounds of things like the dishwasher, vacuum cleaner, and more. They will also be taken outside on what Gayle Watkins, co-founder of Avidog and Breeder of Merit with the AKC calls “adventure walks”, which benefit the puppies in many ways, including more exposure/socialization. A little timeline of their time at Origins:

• 0-3 days: bond with mom, registration of litter, newborn photo shoot, receive deposits from families, announce litter “theme”! Families on the waitlist will be invited to a private facebook group where they will receive updates and information, as well as be able to see the dogs and families from previous litters. 
• Days 3-16: Early neurological stimulation and early scent introduction, taking advantage of this critical development period with a goal of improving the puppy’s stress response, cardiac strength, and boosting his/her confidence as an older pup and adult dog. Daily handling and regular nail trims.
• 3 weeks old: When the puppies become “toddlers” and begin wobbling around instead of scooting, we introduce the potty trays to help maintain a cleaner environment and begin potty training the puppies to a specific area of the box. Later, the puppies are sent home with the same pine pellets the puppies are trained to in the whelping box to mark a desirable “potty area” at their new home. Puppies also receive a first dose of dewormer this week (our protocol is 3, 5, and 7 weeks old.)
• 4 weeks: Puppies are introduced to “mush”, the first stage of weaning. This is also a prime week to start socialization! They will be introduced to trusted family members, start to explore outside, begin sound desensitization (positive association with noises like fireworks, thunderstorms, traffic, hair dryers, etc during meal times). They will be moved from the quiet “nursery” area to a busier part of our home where they will be able to see our other dogs, play with our kids, and hear all of those normal household sounds like the vacuum, tantrums from the toddlers, etc. Toys are regularly switched out to provide healthy enrichment.
• 5 weeks: Maybe my favorite age! Puppies will start to take car rides and safe stroller rides which will continue for the next three weeks. Behavior shaping starts, little training sessions to teach the puppies things like sitting nicely for attention and meals. Puppies will also be introduced to crate training this week.
• 6 weeks: Puppy Party week! Families on the waitlist will be invited to come meet the pups in person in a group setting, get to know our family and the puppies, ask any questions and go over how pickup day will work and what to expect in the go home bags, and start to make a shortlist of their favorite puppies to choose from once evaluations have been done the following week.
• 7 weeks: Big week! Temperament and conformation evaluations will happen this week, as well as the puppies first veterinarian appointment and vaccines! Puppies will receive microchips, have their first puppy shots, parasite screening, and exam. Families will narrow down their puppy picks with guidance from myself as the breeder with the results of the evaluations, and go home bags will be assembled for pick up day!
• 8 weeks: It’s time for their new adventure! Puppies will be picked up on the weekend following the day that they turn 8 weeks old. They will go home with information about their pedigree, their training and socialization, their report from the vet, photos, registration and microchip information, and educational information from places like the GRCA. There are also usually some coupons or samples from the companies we partner with in their breeder programs! As mentioned before, they are also sent home with some pine pellets to support potty training, as well as a blanket or toy that smells like their mom and littermates to smooth their transition to their new home.

 

Program Goals

I always want to be improving my lines and learning new things in my program. As I stated in the first section above, my ultimate goal is versatile Goldens. Prior to that, I must develop my experience in and knowledge of conformation and field events and develop the traits required for those in my breeding dogs. As of 2026, my immediate goal is to produce a female pup out of Kyra and Beau who will possess the natural drive and athleticism required of a working Golden, train her through the Cornerstone Gundog Academy program, and begin competing in field events like hunt tests and Working Certificate tests. I also look forward to attending a CCA event in the future to evaluate my breeding dogs and get an unbiased opinion of where they can be improved. I would love to first develop the working side of my lines, and eventually outcross to conformation lines with the hopes of developing a nice dual -purpose line of dogs! Another goal is to increase the health testing of pups I produce to get a better picture of the “average” and overall health of my lines. I am still working out how to accomplish this, but have received some helpful input from fellow breeders and look forward to growing this aspect of my program, as well.