Puppy Party Recap: New Faces, New Challenges, and Lots of Fun!

Today, we hosted one of our favorite SDG Goldens traditions—our Puppy Party! It was an exciting

day filled with new experiences, new people, and plenty of positive reinforcement to help shape these little ones into confident, well-socialized pups.

One of the key aspects of our Puppy Party is introducing the puppies to new people they’ve never met before. Several wonderful volunteers came to help work with the puppies, guiding them through different activities at each station. This exposure is a huge confidence booster for our puppies, teaching them that new people are fun and engaging, not scary!

New Challenges, Big Wins!

At this Puppy Party, we added four brand-new challenges to our setup:

🐾 Wobble Board – This moving surface helps build balance and body awareness. Some puppies hesitated at first, but with encouragement (and a few tasty treats!), they quickly figured out how to navigate it like pros.

🐾 Tunnel – Crawling through a tunnel is a great way to encourage problem-solving and build bravery. It didn’t take long before our puppies were confidently racing through, tails wagging!

🐾 Teeter-Totter – This mini seesaw was a big hit! Learning to walk across a shifting surface can be tricky, but the puppies embraced the challenge and gained more confidence with each pass.

🐾 Bridge – A raised surface for walking and balancing, the bridge was a great way for puppies to practice coordination. By the end of the party, they were trotting across it with ease.

Building Confidence with Clicker Training

We used the clicker to mark and reinforce positive behaviors throughout the event. This training tool helps puppies quickly understand when they’re doing something right, making the learning process smooth and enjoyable. It was incredible to see how fast they picked up on new challenges when paired with clear, consistent reinforcement!

Why This Matters

Events like this are more than just fun—they play a huge role in shaping the temperament and adaptability of our puppies. By exposing them to new people, new surfaces, and new challenges, we’re helping them develop into well-rounded, resilient companions. Whether they go on to be loving family pets or future service dogs, this foundation of confidence and trust will benefit them for a lifetime.

We are so proud of how well these puppies did, and we can’t wait to see them continue to grow! Thank you to everyone who came and made this event so special.

Stay tuned for more updates as we continue preparing these little ones for their forever homes!

🐶💛 The SDG Goldens Team

Previous Update

Next Update