Experience the Creekside Difference
We are continuously researching and pursuing continuing education regarding life-changing holistic practices for our dogs AND yours! We will share all that we have learned over the years with you so that you can also choose NATURAL approaches to caring for your beloved furry family member.
Puppy Curriculum
At Creekside Goldens, our English Golden Retriever puppies are raised with a breed-specific curriculum designed to build confident, well-adjusted companions from the very beginning. We follow the advanced Empowered Breeder Program, a proven, science-based approach originally developed for service dogs. In addition to this, we incorporate techniques from Puppy Culture and begin each puppy’s journey with Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) and Early Scent Introduction (ESI).
Every part of our daily routine is intentional—designed to lay a strong, confident foundation so our English Golden Retriever puppies are well-prepared for the next chapter in their lives.
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Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS)
ENS is a gentle series of exercises introduced between days 3–16 of a puppy’s life. These exercises stimulate the neurological system in ways that do not naturally occur at this stage of development. Research has shown that ENS can improve heart health, stress tolerance, immune function, and even brain development. At Creekside Goldens, we incorporate ENS into our daily routine to help our puppies grow into resilient, adaptable companions.
Early Scent Introduction (ESI)
ESI is a simple yet powerful enrichment activity where puppies are exposed to a variety of safe, novel scents during the same early developmental window as ENS (days 3–16). This process enhances a puppy’s scenting ability and engages their developing brain in meaningful ways. For breeds like English Golden Retrievers—known for their keen noses and natural retrieving instincts—this early exposure can strengthen their confidence, curiosity, and future trainability in areas like therapy work, scent games, and family life. At Creekside Goldens, we believe ESI helps lay the groundwork for lifelong learning and connection.
Puppy Socialization
2025 marks our 19th year as breeders, and we continue to regard the opportunity to participate in the life of each Creekside Golden Retriever puppy with the same enthusiasm as we did back in 2006! A wide variety of children and adults play an integral role in the socialization and development of the puppies from the time of birth and assist in their care as well as making sure they get plenty of exercise. The puppies are included in our day-to-day routines, and this produces a well-adjusted and happy puppy ready to bond with you. We have found that early exposure to many different sensory stimuli within our safe environment affords the puppies an opportunity to develop a high level of confidence and adaptability.
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We involve our dogs and puppies in the activities that our family enjoys such as leisurely walks on mountain trails, picking wildflowers in the meadow, wading in the creek and playing in the snow. The diversity of wildlife on our property gives them a chance to practice using their keen sense of smell from an early age.
Every Creekside puppy gets LOTS of personalized love and care. We invest a great deal of time working individually with each puppy to make sure the transition to your home is as stress-free as possible for both you and them.
Quality Nutrition
Providing high quality nutrition is extremely important in the growth and development of healthy puppies.
Our English Golden puppies are given the best nutritional start possible because we feed a canine-appropriate diet which includes a combination of raw foods and premium adult/puppy kibble formulas with human grade ingredients as well as a variety of natural and immune-boosting supplements. Good nutrition both during gestation and after birth is crucial to the foundational building blocks of health that will positively impact your puppy’s health for a lifetime.
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As advocates of a raw diet for canines, we produce our own organic free-range chicken and eggs, grass-fed beef and lamb as well as goat milk from animals raised on our chemical/pesticide-free pastures. We are able to personally ensure the highest level of quality nutrition in this portion of the food our dogs receive because our chickens/livestock are never fed genetically modified ingredients, antibiotics or hormones.
Introduction of solid food begins at 3 weeks old as part of a gradual weaning schedule determined by their mother which results in weaning by 7 weeks of age.
Our English Golden puppies are given the best nutritional start possible because we feed a canine-appropriate diet which includes a combination of raw foods and premium adult/puppy kibble formulas with human grade ingredients as well as a variety of natural and immune-boosting supplements. Good nutrition both during gestation and after birth is crucial to the foundational building blocks of health that will positively impact your puppy’s health for a lifetime.
Reduced Chemical Exposure
Fleas, ticks, and heartworms….yuck!!! BUT – the health issues created from chemical preventatives for these unavoidable realities in a dog’s life are even yuckier. Thankfully, natural and less-toxic methods of managing and repelling these pests are widely available – and a large part of our job as breeders is educating each puppy family to make informed and wise choices about these alternatives.
Our dog and puppy care regimens are designed to limit assaults on the immune system to promote a lifetime of optimum health.
The dogs and puppies (before and after birth) at Creekside English Goldens are not exposed to unnecessary toxins!
Delivery & Pickup Options
Owner Fly-In
The very small and easy-to-navigate regional airport of TRI-Cities in Bristol, TN (1 hour away) is serviced by Delta, American and also seasonally to St. Pete, FL by Allegiant. Only a 30 minute layover is required as you arrive and depart on the same aircraft.
Other nearby airports (2 hours distance) are McGhee Tyson in Knoxville, Tennessee and Asheville Regional in North Carolina – both offer great itineraries to major US cities. Upon landing, you can rent a car to make the trip to us OR to minimize your layover, our puppy chauffeur can meet you at the airport. For locations on the West Coast, incoming and outgoing flights may be difficult to schedule on the same day, so an overnight stay at a nearby pet-friendly hotel that offers shuttle service will allow you to fly out the following morning.
American Airlines - TRI CITIES (TRI) to DALLAS (DFW)
Car Travel - Puppy Chauffeur
Chauffeur service is routinely available for destinations up to 5 hours drive away in any direction. We may also be able to work with families in the Southeast/Northeast/Mid-Atlantic/Central regions of the US (Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland and Washington DC) to customize travel plans of longer duration (depending on time of year). We are happy to meet you somewhere in between or can bring your puppy right to your door.
Testimonials
Hear What Our Families Have To Say
Jasper is doing GREAT and is the most adorable, sweet, good natured mellow puppy I’ve ever had. He’s such a happy, joyful little guy and we couldn’t be happier with him. He goes to the gallery with us every day and is excited to meet everyone. This past Saturday we had a big reception for the opening of a new show, and Jasper was quite literally the star. There were a couple of hundred people there, but he got much more attention than the art or artists. Such fun!
