Catching Up

Writing has been difficult for me lately. Not sure exactly why but numerous times I have logged on to type a new post and it remained blank.
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.

Focus on Fitness & Zap's Homecoming Day

This blog is officially one year old! ;-) I started writing on the eve of bringing Zap home. Here we are a year later and all I can say is that... I LOVE my Zapper!! Training, playing it's all the same to him and he lightens my heart everyday. The timing couldn't have been better for him to come into my life. Thank you to my very good friend Kara for this amazing boy and making this year brighter for us.

Now onto the business of fitness! I need to be in better shape. I have some very high goals of things I want to accomplish and being out of shape is no longer acceptable!!!! Heeling class with multiple dogs has been kicking my butt. Agility training with one dog (let alone multiple dogs) is kicking my butt! I am too slow and I need to head into my fifties fit and trim....end of excuses! Added to my daily hike now is biking. I take Apollo, Truly and Siena at least 3 times per week (weather permitting). I'm not going to paint a pretty picture the first week was hard. Hills are my enemy ;) But slowly I keep working at it and I am starting to see some results.

I have so much more to write about since I've been way behind on this blog, but it will have to wait for another day. I plan to slowly catch up this week especially if the weather gets bad.

The pictures below are of Zap (9 weeks and 13 months)....I get a kick out of his need to ALWAYS have something in his mouth. He's been like that from the beginning ;) I love you Zap!

Exit Stage Left

The Broadway Litter have gone to their new homes. The puppy evaluations last week were the last piece of the puzzle and helped with a lot of the decisions. We decided not to keep the little girl. Letting her go was difficult and extremely emotional. Her new family is keeping her AKC name but has changed her call name to Molly. What an honor for Cadie to have such a special new name. She will be living here in NH and I'm sure I will see her at AK9C occasionally. Red boy (Bounce) is now living in CT. He will be active in obedience and agility. Luckily I will get to see him almost every week before Zap's Tuesday class. Parker (green boy) is living with Jamie in NY. We will be co-owning him and I look forward to watching him grow up. It has been so strange here without the added noise, energy and puppy cuddle time. Zap has been missing them so much that he sought out a corgi puppy to make friends with after class this week. Little "Max" is now his new best friend! Thanks to Max's owner for letting Zap get his puppy fix! Siena has adjusted to her empty nest and has her sights set on agility.

I have to send out big congratulations to a very special friend I met training at AK9.....she picked up her new BC puppy yesterday.... I am so happy for you!



Happy New Year to all and Cheers to "Broadway!"

Missing You

Dad....As a child I remember clinging to your hand sometimes not wanting to let go. Last year on this day you held my hand your last hours and I told you it was okay to let go.

Life is a journey
of sweetness and sorrow,
Of yesterday's memories
and hopes of tomorrow.

You are always with me and never forgotten.

Busy Week Ahead

The "Broadway" litter turned 7 weeks old today! We have a big week coming up. Evaluations tomorrow, vet appt. on Tuesday, baths, nail clipping, feet trimming, and lots of crate training and house training! I have mixed emotions today. It's thrilling to see these puppies growing and thriving. At the the same time it's sad that it's almost time to send them to their new homes. I have to create a new business where I can go around socializing puppies. :) I must admit I have found my passion! Seeing the world through their fresh young eyes is amazing. I have spent hours observing, cleaning, playing, walking, cuddling, feeding, and setting up new interactive play areas for them. At each new developmental milestone it was interesting to watch it unfold before my very eyes. Everything stated in the articles I read was happening in real life with my puppies. I am forever humbled by this experience and will keep these 3 (Peter too) forever in my heart.

Christmas was a hard day for me this year, but being surrounded by family (goldens included) helped to make the day more than bearable. Jamie got to spend a lot of quality time with his pup Parker (aka green boy). Walks in the woods and short clicker training sessions have set these two up for a wonderful beginning together. Jamie will be back next weekend take Parker to his new home. Erik played his new acoustic guitar for us which we all love to hear (new sound for the puppies!). He is a gifted musician. Siena is always by his side when he is playing. I think that's why she loves to sing too! ;)

I'm anxious for tomorrow......wish Bob could go with me for puppy testing. Today will hopefully be the day I get stacked pictures taken of the gang. This puppy stacking is a lot harder than it looks.

Happy Birthday ZAP!!!!

Zap-A-Roo-Puppy doo look at YOU is one year old today!! Off for an early hike in the woods (his favorite thing to do) then making a stop at the pet supply store so he can pick out a toy. Will post pictures of our handsome one year old boy later ;-)

6 Weeks Old!

The puppies celebrated their 6 week milestone by playing out in the snow yesterday! There have been a lot of changes in the past week. I'm trying to get them out to potty after every meal. Siena still nurses them a little, but it's more like a quick snack for them now ;) They are so much more active this week. Twice a day they have the run of the house for about an hour. It's at those times when I set up make-shift agility equipment. One of their favorite play areas is under the dining room table. Over the table legs, under the chair legs, chasing each other through the wooden maze delights them! New additions to their pen include a kuranda bed and a crate. I change out the toys daily so they always have something new to play with. The Christmas present I ordered for them arrived today and I had to open it and let them play. They grow so fast I couldn't wait until Friday! We also had visitors this past week which was fun for all of us. Kara and Donna spent the day with us last Monday. It was wonderful spending time together and having puppy socialization. Jenn and Ann were here on Friday. Siena enjoyed snuggling on the couch with Ann and made sure everyone paid attention to her before the puppies! Jenn was so nice to bring Sam for Zap to play with. The yard was a bit icy so they also had some indoor time to hang out together.

Thanks everyone for taking the time out of your busy schedules to come play with the puppies...it meant a lot to me! And thank you for the very thoughtful gifts!




The "Broadway" Litter's first snow (6 weeks)

Cadie's job is to empty out the crate ;)

Tunnel time!

New bed

The pups taste test the crate

Dining room play-o-rama

Big Blocks for Christmas!