Birchwood Goldens

Birchwood Goldens We are a small family-oriented breeder located in beautiful Big Lake, Alaska.

We breed only pure bred AKC Golden Retrievers, 1-2 litters a year from fully health tested parents (including genetic diseases).

✨6 days old✨They are growing like weeds!! Most are 1.5 lbs or more. A few are flirting with the 2 # mark! Nice chunky ...
06/15/2026

✨6 days old✨

They are growing like weeds!! Most are 1.5 lbs or more. A few are flirting with the 2 # mark! Nice chunky babies! 🥰

✨Murphy Update✨💙This wonderful sweet boy met his new family today … Joe, Trish and Mojo! Murphy got to take one last r...
06/15/2026

✨Murphy Update✨💙

This wonderful sweet boy met his new family today … Joe, Trish and Mojo! Murphy got to take one last ride in “his” truck with Pat over to our shop with his blue duckie, we met up with them and spent about an hour today just taking things slow, talking, playing with the Chuck-it and giving everyone plenty of time to get to know each other.

He will be spending his days in Chugiak and Homer (on the beach!) with them and their large extend family and friends that are so excited to meet Mr. Murphy!! 💙🥰💙.

We couldn’t be more thrilled about this match and are so excited to watch this relationship grow! Thank you Joe and Trish for providing him such a wonderful forever home!! And thank you Daniel and Chelsea for doing a very hard thing but first and foremost doing right by him! He truly is a wonderful boy and you’ve done great job at building a solid foundation! 💙🥰

✨4 and 5 Days Old✨Busy few days trying to get the rest of my garden planted … so here’s 2 days worth of puppy cuteness!!...
06/15/2026

✨4 and 5 Days Old✨

Busy few days trying to get the rest of my garden planted … so here’s 2 days worth of puppy cuteness!! And we acquired a new member to our family …Zoey! 🐱

Oh my! Look at that scrumptious plump belly on this sweet girl!! I just can’t …. 🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷
06/13/2026

Oh my! Look at that scrumptious plump belly on this sweet girl!! I just can’t …. 🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷

✨Pig Rail✨For those of you that don’t know, the rail inside the whelping box is called a ‘pig rail’.A pig rail (also cal...
06/12/2026

✨Pig Rail✨

For those of you that don’t know, the rail inside the whelping box is called a ‘pig rail’.

A pig rail (also called an anti-crush rail or puppy rail) gets its name because the design was originally borrowed from the swine farming industry, where farrowing crates and pig pens use identical protective rails to keep heavy mother sows from accidentally rolling over and crushing their piglets.

Dog breeders adopted this farming terminology and concept because it serves the exact same life-saving function for newborn puppies.

The rails are horizontal bars or ledges installed along the inside perimeter of a whelping box, positioned a few inches off the floor and a few inches out from the walls.

Newborn puppies are fragile, and tired mother dogs often flop or roll heavily against the walls of the box when laying down to rest or nurse.

If a puppy gets trapped between the mother's back and the wall, the rail creates a "safe zone" or clearance pocket. Instead of being pinned and suffocated, the puppy gets pushed safely underneath or behind the rail and is able to wiggle its way out at either end.

Plus it makes a really great cozy place to nap!

✨3 Days Old - Milestone Day✨Day 3 marks an important milestone in the development and growth of these pups. We started ...
06/12/2026

✨3 Days Old - Milestone Day✨

Day 3 marks an important milestone in the development and growth of these pups. We started ENS on them (see separate post about ENS). We do this from day 3-16, once a day on each pup.

Pigmentation is coming in! Gone are the days of little pink noses and toe beans!

06/12/2026

✨ENS started Day 3✨

ENS stands for Early Neurological Stimulation. It is a series of five quick, gentle exercises performed on newborn puppies between days 3 and 16 of their lives. Originally developed by the U.S. Military, the program is designed to stimulate the neurological system and improve an animal's resilience and stress responses as an adult.

Each exercise is performed just once a day, for 3 to 5 seconds per exercise:

1. Tactile Stimulation: A Q-tip or your finger is used to gently tickle the puppy between the toes on their feet.

2. Head Held Erect: The puppy is held vertically, with its head pointing straight up.

3. Head Pointed Down: The puppy is held vertically, but the head is reversed to point down toward the ground.

4. Supine Position: The puppy is held flat in the palm of the handler’s hand with its muzzle pointing toward the ceiling.

5. Thermal Stimulation: The puppy is placed (feet down) on a damp towel that has been chilled in the refrigerator for at least 5 minutes.

When done correctly, proponents of ENS suggest it yields lifelong benefits, including:

Stronger cardiovascular performance: Improved heart rates and stronger heartbeats.

Better stress tolerance: A healthier fight-or-flight response that helps dogs stay calm and adapt to stressful situations.

Stronger immune systems: Enhanced resistance to disease.

Improved problem-solving: Puppies often grow into more active and exploratory learners.

It is important to note that ENS is not a replacement for puppy socialization. ENS focuses strictly on neurological and physical development during a highly sensitive window, whereas socialization (which begins around 3 weeks of age) focuses on safely exposing the puppy to the outside world, different textures, sights, and people.

06/12/2026

✨Activated Sleeping✨

Because newborn puppies spend up to 90% of their day sleeping, they do not have enough waking hours to build the physical strength and nervous system connections they need. Activated sleep provides an efficient, built-in solution for this development:

Neurological Growth: The brainstem sends electrical signals to the body, forming and strengthening the neural pathways needed for future movement.

Muscle Development: The jerking and twitching act as an involuntary workout, stimulating the musculoskeletal system to prevent muscle atrophy while the pup is resting.

Practicing Instincts: Puppies are essentially "practicing" movements, like crawling or nursing, without having to be awake.

Pretty cool stuff, huh!?

06/11/2026

✨2 days old!✨

These 2 and thier sticks! 🙄😂. Apparently bigger is better!?
03/08/2026

These 2 and thier sticks! 🙄😂. Apparently bigger is better!?

Address

PO Box 521655
Big Lake, AK
99652

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