Cold River HomeStart™: How Every Boerboel Puppy Is Prepared for Its New Home
By Cold River Boerboels · Updated October 12, 2026
Short answer: Cold River HomeStart™ is the early foundation every Cold River Boerboel puppy receives before it goes home. Through crate introduction, beginner leash work, handling, socialization with children, and exposure to household routines and farm life, we start preparing each puppy for a smooth move into its new family. HomeStart is included with every puppy. It is not an add-on.
A Boerboel puppy grows into a large, powerful guardian. The habits it learns in its first weeks follow it into a body that may one day weigh well over 150 pounds. We would rather a puppy meet a crate, a leash, a child and a busy kitchen here, with us beside it, than for the first time on the drive home.
What HomeStart™ Includes
Crate introduction: positive, short introductions so the crate becomes a safe place to rest, not a punishment. Your first nights at home go easier.
Beginner leash work: first experiences wearing a collar and following on a leash, kept short and rewarding.
Handling and grooming: touching paws, ears, mouth and body, and early grooming, so vet visits and nail trims start from familiarity.
Children and people: supervised, gentle time with our own children and with visitors.
Household routines: everyday sounds, movement and distractions, plus structured routines for eating, playing and resting.
Farm life: exposure to livestock and poultry, with calm, neutral behavior around farm animals as the goal.
Crate Introduction
A crate keeps a young puppy safe when you can't watch it and gives it a predictable place to settle. We introduce it positively and in short stretches, so the crate means rest and safety. A puppy that already accepts a crate has a much easier first week in a new home, and so does its family.
Beginner Leash Work
A 10-week-old Boerboel is easy to steer. A year-old Boerboel is not. We start leash work early because the first lesson, following a person calmly on a lead, is the one every later lesson builds on. Sessions are short and positive. The goal is a willing puppy, not a finished heeler.
Handling and Grooming
The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior advises that puppies be handled from birth and learn to accept handling of all body parts (AVSAB). We handle feet, ears, mouths and bodies every day, and we introduce brushing and nail care. A giant breed that accepts handling is safer to examine, groom and treat for its whole life.
Raised With Children
Our puppies grow up alongside our children, who take part in gentle, supervised handling under our guidance. Puppies learn what normal, friendly children look and sound like. Our children learn how to treat a puppy with respect. Both lessons matter in a family home.
Household Routines and Farm Life
Puppies hear doors, voices, appliances and the normal noise of a working household. They meet livestock and poultry on our farm in the northeastern United States, and we reward calm, neutral behavior around them. Structured routines for meals, play and rest help puppies learn to settle, not just to explore.
Why This Matters for a Boerboel
The AKC Boerboel standard describes a dog that "should recognize a threat or lack thereof" (AKC Boerboel standard). A guardian can only recognize what is unusual if it has first learned what is normal. HomeStart is where that learning begins: the people, children, animals, sounds and routines of an ordinary home.
Timing matters too. The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior states that "the primary and most important time for puppy socialization is the first three months of life," and that behavior problems, not infectious disease, are the number one cause of death for dogs under three years of age (AVSAB position statement on puppy socialization). Part of that critical window happens before a puppy ever leaves us. We don't waste it.
What HomeStart™ Is Not
HomeStart is a foundation, not a trained dog. Your puppy will still need consistent training, socialization and structure at home, and we'll guide you through it. HomeStart gives you a puppy that has already started, so you are building on something instead of starting from zero.
HomeStart™, StrongStart™ and StrongStart™ Plus
Cold River HomeStart™, included with every puppy: the early foundation before go-home: crate introduction, beginner leash work, handling, children, household routines and farm life.
Cold River StrongStart™, optional, $2,000: your puppy stays with us for 4 extra weeks of structured training and development: sit, down, come, stay, leash walking, crate training, house-training, puppy manners, socialization, grooming and resource guarding prevention.
Cold River StrongStart™ Plus, optional, $3,500 total: a 6-week stay that covers everything in StrongStart, then adds more reliable behaviors, advanced recall with distractions, heeling and the place command.
HomeStart prepares puppies for everyday life at home. StrongStart expands their experience and helps develop the confidence and skills needed to navigate more of the world, always at a pace suited to the individual puppy. See the full StrongStart™ program details.
After Your Puppy Goes Home
Every puppy goes home with a puppy packet that includes feeding and nutrition guidance and training and transition guidance, plus lifetime breeder support. If something comes up in the first week or the fifth year, call us.
HomeStart™ Questions
Is HomeStart included with every Cold River puppy?
Yes. Every Cold River puppy receives HomeStart before going home. There is no extra charge.
Is HomeStart the same as StrongStart?
No. HomeStart is the foundation every puppy gets before going home. StrongStart is an optional 4-week training program ($2,000) where your puppy stays with us past the normal go-home age. StrongStart Plus is a 6-week version ($3,500 total).
Will my puppy come home crate trained and leash trained?
Your puppy will come home introduced to both, not fully trained. It will already know the crate as a place to rest and will have started walking on a leash. Consistency at home finishes the job, and our transition guidance shows you how. For more structured training before pickup, ask about StrongStart.
Are Cold River puppies good with children?
Our puppies are raised around our own children and handled gently every day under adult supervision. That gives them a strong start with kids. As with any large breed, children and dogs should always be supervised, and a puppy still needs training at home.
Why does early socialization matter so much for a Boerboel?
A Boerboel is a large guardian breed. It needs to learn what normal looks like, so it can tell normal from a real threat as an adult. The first three months are the most important socialization period, and part of that time is spent with us.
Do Cold River puppies meet livestock?
Yes. Our puppies grow up on a working farm and are exposed to livestock and poultry, with calm, neutral behavior as the goal. That exposure is a start, not a guarantee. A dog's behavior around livestock still depends on training and management at home.
What should I do to keep HomeStart going after pickup?
Keep the crate routine, keep leash sessions short and positive, keep handling your puppy every day, and keep introducing new people and places at your puppy's pace. Your puppy packet walks you through the first weeks.
Related Pages
Sources
Strong Minds • Strong Bodies • Strong Start
Every Cold River puppy starts with HomeStart™