Attending a seminar yesterday with Kara ignited a spark in me. The seminar titled "Learning To Objectively Evaluate The Golden Retriever" was everything I hoped it would be. Some lecture time followed by hands on. Key points I personally took from this presentation:
~Educate your eye: find the ideal outline first then evaluate the dog by section. I love this point because I do this automatically when I look at a dog.
~Educate your hands: Put your hands on as many dogs as possible. Especially ones you are interested in. Pictures aren't enough! See many litters and sit in on evaluations when possible.
~Stack puppies early and continue weekly. Stack in front of a mirror to get a good look at the outline.
~Play show photographer: Take pictures every month of a growing puppy (stacked, from the front & rear) and keep them to refer back to.
~Watch out for extremes: Think moderation for everything (coat, tail carriage, length of neck etc.)
~Retain natural desire & ABILITY to do the job: Retrievers should have a STRONG desire to retrieve PERIOD!! This is a huge pet peeve for me. Why in the world would one breed a golden retriever that shows absolutely no desire to retrieve??? Why in the world would one breed a golden retriever that didn't have the ABILITY to retrieve??
I have read the standard many, many times; however, it is now front and center on my fridge!
"Broadway" Litter update: They turned 4 months old on March 8th!
Parker was here for a few weeks in February for some training and to let Jamie acclimate to his new job. What a great puppy! Zap misses his little buddy and their early morning play sessions.
Molly is a beautiful girl. Bob got to see her at the pet store last week and he was thrilled that she seemed to recognize him. She is with a family that adores her and will be starting basic obedience classes soon.
Bounce is growing right before my eyes! I see him weekly and am so impressed with his puppy heeling! I'm going to try to get a picture of him in action this week.
Bounce (red boy) waiting patiently for his class to start
Molly
Parker (green boy) & ZAP!
We are currently planning a fall 2010 breeding for Truly http://k9data.com/pedigree.asp?ID=244468 She is a beautiful, smart, talented girl who loves to retrieve! More details to come.
