Life With Goldens

What people are saying:  I highly recommend Kirsten and Life with Goldens breeding, boarding and training.  We bought our puppy from their family and sent him for boarding and training when he was almost 8 months. What a change! Ziggy had some basics when we sent him but he didn’t have manners. He still chewed on us, jumped up,  and couldn’t hold a sit or a down.  Now he has manners and he walks like a gem on leash. He knows his basics commands and for a puppy that’s pretty amazing.  The investment to training is worth it. My kids love him more because he isn’t nipping when playing and they can safely walk him.  No pulling!   The added bonus is that our dog, Ziggy, got to play outside on a farm while boarding and he learned to swim in their pond. It was a win for everyone! – Katie

I got Rocky from Life with Goldens back in March 2022, and they did a great job matching our family with Rocky. He is fun, full of energy, hard headed but a total sweetheart. Life became too busy for us with a toddler, a puppy and me being pregnant, new baby in the family so training him went out the window. I knew they were doing a basic training program so I decided that was the way to go for us since I didn’t want him being tough with the kids plus being crazy on walks with a stroller is not good. He was being wild, not listening, walking like he was running for a marathon, and jumping on all of us plus trying to fetch food off the counter. Since he has been back he listens (with reminders because you know not even a year old yet) he doesn’t jump on us, going on walks is a pleasure, he doesn’t run after my kid or jump to get him, he is not obsessed with food on the counter and is much calmer and enjoys being pet without trying to nip at us. I recommend their board and train program 100%, plus Kirsten was amazing to work with and communicated a lot with updates, pictures and recommendations. Very happy with the result. — Nicole

Another great review of our Board and Train Program and a cute puppy picture to go with it:): “The first thing I can say is it seems like Ruby has simply matured – she has an understanding that there are expectations of her, how she is to behave, how she is to respond. She is able to self-settle, is more patient (less demanding of us to regulate her), overall just has a sense of contentment and participation in our family – all this was not even in our radar when we dropped her off for board and train. Specifically, she is much better with walking / heeling. She will try to pull, we follow what you showed us, sometimes it takes a few redirects, but then it kicks in that there is an expectation of how she is to behave and she is a content dog walking on her leash. Her ability to stay is much improved – we will continue to work on this to increase duration and with distractions. My mom is visiting and she has come to prepare to be “tackled” by the puppy and this visit Ruby is not jumping on her, will sit when asked and wait for a petting. We are amazed at the skills she has developed but more than anything this maturing we have noticed in her.

Thank you so much! I hope schedules work in the next 6-9 months to have her come again to move into another stage of puppy / dog life!” – Christie

Board and Train Program

We are excited to be able to offer our board and training program to you! We are a positive reinforcement board and train program located in Whatcom County. We build on the foundation that was started from day one as a puppy. Raising a puppy that is confident, social and well mannered takes a lot of time, consistency and effort. We offer basic obedience training bootcamps. Our program is for puppies 6 months and older. Bring your puppy to us and we will create a solid training foundation for you and your puppy to succeed.

Our board and train program is a uniquely customized program where your dog will receive training while living with us in our home environment. Our board and train program can be the best option for many busy families. During the time your dog spends with us, we will have multiple training sessions a day.

You will receive detailed information on what your dog has learned and how to continue building on that training with your dog when you take them home. We will provide support not just during training but for the rest of your dogs life.  We consider our clients family! We love hearing how you are doing and are always willing to answer any questions.  

Our board and train program includes: feeding according to your feeding schedule, basic obedience, exercise and play time, supervised social time with our golden family, experiencing new sites and sounds, and daily training sessions. We limit our training space to no more than 2 dogs at any one time allowing us to focus on your training schedule and create a positive experience for you and your dog.

What can we train?

Crate Training

Greeting Politely

Puppy Nipping

Basic Obedience

Leash walking

Reactivity

Leash Reactivity 

Confidence Building

How exactly do our programs work?

Our 2 week basic obedience program is extremely popular. In this program we will work on healthy play and boundaries with both dogs and people, how to handle over excitement, all basic obedience (Stay, Down, Leave it, Place, Come, Leash Walking & incorporate distractions like walking past dogs, kids playing, coming when called).  While they are with us we will continuously work on puppy manners – appropriate chewing, puppy mouthing and general good behavior. We train 3-5 sessions a day of about 20 minutes long. Your pup will stay at our home.  We have two trainers that work with, play with and care for the dogs. At the end of your pups training you will receive a personal training session so you can learned what we have been working on as well as how to continue this work at home. This gives us a chance to walk you through all the training that they have learned and gives you a chance to practice with our trainers on site prior to heading home to continue your dog’s training.

We usually book several weeks out. We ask for a $200 non refundable deposit to hold your training space. This is applied to your training session upon arrival. (We only accept 1-2 dogs in our program at a time).  

When you bring your dog for training we ask that you bring a copy of vaccination records and food for the duration of their stay. 

For more information and to book a training session please contact us at lifewithgoldenspnw@gmail.com.

Our puppy is so perfect for our family! Thank you for helping us to match her with us. Her personality is exactly what we were looking for – playful, fun, gentle, and eager to please. Your weekly updates and education tips were super helpful and made us feel ready to prepare a home for our new family member. We would highly recommend Life with Goldens to friends and family. – Kerrie

We have loved our experience with you!  I have really appreciated all the great communication and the weekly education that came with our updates. You have always responded so promptly, it’s been awesome.  Most of all, we adore our puppy.  He is healthy and his personality matches our family.  He puts himself to bed in his crate when he’s ready, he sits at the door when he needs to go the potty, he’s goofy, he’s so confident.  He is doing wonderful and I think it’s all the early training and handling you did when you had him at home. Thank you!! – Katie

We loved our experience with Life with Goldens!!! Highly recommend to friends and family looking for a new puppy.Kirsten made it so easy for us, and provided all the information we needed. She was so thoughtful in everything she did including sending helpful information and updates on the puppies – including pictures! It was a perfect experience and we are so extremely grateful! Thanks for being such a great resource and being so awesome from start to finish! You couldn’t have been more awesome ! And we have the sweetest happy puppy whose already doing great w potty training. Thanks again!! – Becca

Can I just tell you how thankful I am that we connected with Life with Goldens! I am so thankful for all their communications! When I first started talking to them I was so worried- from our past situation with the breeder. I had lost trust honestly. They restored that trust. The best thing we have done for our family. – Kristan

 I want to let you know that Islay seems to love her new digs and I’m totally in love with her! I can’t thank you enough for selecting me to be her parent. 🙂 I’m beyond grateful! – Margaret

These breeders are absolutely amazing! They love their puppies and go beyond what is expected to help with the transition into new homes. We’re so thankful for them and our new little man. – Jessica

My family and I just recently got a puppy from Life With Goldens. Kirsten is a wealth of knowledge and quick to answer any and all questions. In the short time that we have had him he has been very well behaved and easy to train. – Stephanie

My boyfriend and I just got our first fur baby from this breeder and it was the best experience. Kirsten was friendly, helpful, answered any questions we had and communicated so clearly and effectively with us, and sent lots of puppy updates! I would highly recommend them for any of your puppy needs. – Arianna

My husband and I can’t say enough good about the Radke Family. We were new to finding a puppy and they so patiently answered all our questions. Once the pups were born, they shared pictures of them growing up almost everyday. They are a most affectionate family whose children also helped love and teach the pups. Our Reggie came home at 8 weeks as a well socialized little boy already knowing how to use puppy pads (when needed) but already letting us know when he has to go out, climb stairs, sleep in a crate, and be ever so playful and loving. Just in the first couple days of having him, friends comment on how much Reggie responds to his name already. We can never say thank you enough for this precious gift. We are so grateful we found this special family with most special pups. – Patti

The Radke’s did an amazing job raising puppies from Lady and Gus!!! They are all so healthy and wonderful, sweet puppies. Before they head home they are Vet Checked, which includes all basic puppy needs. They were given their first set of shots and even come Microchipped. After we picked out our boy, Hank they was so kind to send pictures and videos as well as Vet check updates to let us know how he’s doing. We get so many compliments on his coloring and overall look, he is going to turn into such a gorgeous Golden Retriever. We are so in love with him. A huge Thank You to the Radke Family. – Kaitlyn

All I can say is wow. We couldn’t not have been more blessed then to have the Radke family reach out to me on one of the dog lover Facebook pages. I had expressed that were looking for a puppy just not sure what breed yet! We were looking for a male puppy and Kirsten had one male puppy left! After she spoke with me for a few days and got to know me it was determined that a golden would be a perfect fit for our home. I have met a lot of puppies before, never owned one. When we met comet for the first time he was a little shy, but also playful and full of life. We could immediately tell that these puppies were receiving so much LOVE and learning so much in their little time on this planet. We now have comet, 4 months old, the best boy! Such a well mannered well behaved pup. I know for a fact these pups were so well taken care of, it reflects in their loving, happy joyful personalities. Kirsten was so good with communication, had so much info and an answer to all my questions. We love comet and we are so thankful for the Radke family! 10/10 – Jessi

We absolutely adore our little Copper! Everyone who meets him always exclaims how good of a puppy he is and how obvious it is that he was given much love, handled and played with often, and had such a healthy upbringing from his breeders, Life with Goldens. Kirsten updated us with photos and videos of him before we picked him up. They also started calling him by the name we chose for him for weeks before we got him which has led to him responding to us right away. He is already a pro at “come!” And he’s only 2 months. I know that is because of the love and attention they gave all their puppies. What a loving family and breeder! – Lindsey

We got our sweet baby girl Rosa from this breeder and we are just so overjoyed with her. She is incredibly easy to train and is the perfect combination of cuddly and playfulness we needed in our life! Kirsten made this experience so easy for us, she sent us updates on how the puppies were doing, sent pictures of our baby girl, and was very helpful with any and all questions we had! We had a wonderful experience and highly recommend her! Thank you for our baby Rosa! – Maria

Little B. Is our little girls nickname for Brooklyn. This is the gentlest, sweetest mellow little puppy we have ever had. Sam and Zoey gave us a little gemstone. We also have another girl named Beth who is her auntie and only 6 months older. These two have bonded and Beth mothers Brooklyn and they play and zoom for hours. I highly recommend Life with Goldens for your next family member.  – Sheila