Litter Plans – Fall / Winter 2026

We’ve been getting a lot of questions about our next planned litter, so we’re creating this journal entry as an ongoing update page that we’ll continue to revise as we make progress.

Our hope is to have a litter out of Mable Moose this fall / winter.

Mable turned two years old in December, and before we consider breeding her there are several important milestones we want to complete.

Health Clearances

Before any of our dogs are bred, they must pass a series of health clearances and comprehensive DNA testing. These include:

• Hip X-rays
• Elbow X-rays
• Heart examination
• Eye examination

Mable has already passed her heart examination and completed her DNA testing. She is scheduled for hip and elbow X-rays this June, and we are currently working toward finding an OFA eye clinic that works with our schedule.

Finding the Right Stud

In addition to completing her health clearances, we are working on pairing Mable with a stud dog that complements our preservation-minded, old-fashioned Golden Retriever goals for this litter. A proven stud with AKC Hunt titles, strong health clearances, and a pedigree that pairs well with Mable’s strengths.

Hunting & Performance Goals

We also hope to earn Mable’s AKC Junior Hunter title before breeding. We’ve been training toward that goal and currently plan to enter a Fetch test in June as a warm-up, followed by Junior Hunter and perhaps WC (Working Certificate) tests in July.

Tentative Timeline

If everything comes together as planned—including health clearances, finding the right stud, and accomplishing our performance goals—we hope to breed Mable on her next heat cycle.

Based on her schedule, we estimate that her next heat could begin sometime between mid-August to September. If that timeline holds, we would expect puppies to be born in October or November, with go-home dates falling around December or January, so Christmas or New Year golden retriever puppies.

As always, Mother Nature has the final say, and we’ll continue posting updates here as plans develop. We will not be opening applications until we have all our health-clearances. Keep checking back for more.