Happy Birthday Page!

Here it is! The day she's been waiting for! Page is 1-year-old today!

I cannot believe Page is a year old. In some ways it seems she just came home yesterday and yet it seems like she's been here forever. Page is full of energy and lives to work with me. She's a training joy. Yet she's not all work and no play. In fact, the best comment I've heard about Page is that her personality is bigger than she is. Everyone who meets her smiles.

Page's first year has been mostly documented in video and posted on the blog. But today I went through photos of her taken in her first year, and I thought I'd share some favorites...

Page is 6 months old!!

Tomorrow Page turns 6 months old. I cannot believe how fast she's growing and what an amazingly talented pup she already is. Sometimes I can't believe she's only 6 months old because of the way she problems solves and learns. I'm very lucky to have this girlie as my partner.

I must also admit I've taken my share of grief for calling her a coyote. Thank you to all the folks who have said, "Well of course she's a Golden Retriever! It's obvious!" Dr. Bonnie pointed out this weekend that Devon never really "fell apart" as she was growing up. Devon looked like an awkward puppy at various times, but she was never quite as bad as Page is now!

This weekend I'm starting to see signs of her growing out of this ultra skinny sight hound phase - at least I think I am! Here's some video I took to try and make the "flat" photos come alive.

And it really doesn't matter how goofy she looks. I love her anyway! She's NOT going back to New York! Sorry guys!

Wordless Wednesday: Page

Field Seminars are BORING when you're a baby dog!

Devon's most excellent day (Page had fun, too)

Friday was an absolutely beautiful early summer day in central Indiana. Clear blue skies and mild temps. We kind of "took the day off" getting a late, slow start. In the afternoon, the girls had a "pond play date" at the Ripley's with Golden friends Archie and Zoe. 

I'm not sure which dogs were more excited, Devon and Page at seeing doggie friends and water or Archie and Zoe at having friends over to play! We headed down to the pond with dokens, Cool Kongs, a floating duck and a floating ball. I wanted to see if Page could figure out how to retrieve in the water, so I thought some of these smaller toys would help.

All four Goldens hit the water and got right in. Devon is usually very reserved about retrieving with other dogs around, even if there are enough bumpers for everyone. Apparently Archie and Zoe aren't "other dogs," and Devon is much more comfortable with them. Not only did she retrieve with them in the water, but she competed for bumpers with them. Seeing her trying to beat the other dogs to the bumpers was a completely new sight for me! Of course if there were more dogs than objects to retrieve, Steve and I just threw more stuff out there.

In the fun of "raining" retrieving toys, one of the Cool Kongs got left in the pond. I decided to see if Devon would send to the toy in the water. It was hard to see because the dark blue Kong was on the dark water in the shade. It was about 40 yards out into the pond. I called Devon to heel, asked her "Where?" and she locked straight in front of her. I sent her on a "back" and she swam straight as an arrow out to the Kong and retrieved it! And she didn't cheat on the way in! What an awesome girl!

Later in the playtime, another Cool Kong got left in the pond. I again called Devon over and lined her up. When she locked, I sent her. This time once she got in the water, she started going left of her initial line. I didn't have a whistle (bad mom) and she doesn't handle in water yet. I decided to say a quiet, "No, no" and see what would happen. Devon changed course and got right back on her initial line and got the Kong. What a great girlie!

Page had fun with the big dogs running in and out of the water and swimming. She did retrieve one ball, but that actually gave us all a scare. She thought once she got the ball, she needed to hold it up out of the water. When the head goes up, the butt goes down and this doesn't make for good swimming. Her front feet came out of the water as she "swam" and then she started sinking. I watched and took one step toward the water and then decided that if her chin sank into the water I was going in. Just before her chin got wet, she recovered and made it to shore. Of course like a good little retriever, she never dropped the ball!

After much swimming, we all headed to the very nice porch to chat and let the dogs dry off and nap. When the bird call clock on the wall went off, Devon's head came straight up and she started scanning for marks to come down in the yard. She didn't give up for some time looking for birds. When it went off a second time, she got up and followed the sound to the corner of the porch! She really wanted some birds. 

A few minutes later after exploring the garage with Steve, Archie and Zoe, Devon came trotting back out with a duck in her mouth (it was dead). Janet and I asked where she found that, and a grinning Steve said he gave it to her. I said she'd have to work for it!

So much to the disappointment of all the adult Goldens, they went in their crates and I took a sight blind pole and the duck and went off across the yard to find a nice blind spot. A few minutes later I heeled Devon to a spot about 50 yards from the blind. I asked her to sit, I asked her "Where?" and she locked onto the sight blind. It didn't take her long to line the blind and her tail wagged 100 mph when she found her duck! This field stuff is really coming together nicely!

Page was not nearly as impressed with the duck as Devon was. It was much more fun when Devon had the duck and was playing keep away. We brought a wing home, though, and Page was more interested in that. I'm not too worried. With her pedigree I think Page will like ducks just fine!

Here I come!

This morning I was doing a little light housework while the girls were outside. I looked out a couple of times and Page was sitting by the door to the training building. Our usual routine is to train first thing in the morning before breakfast. Because we're going to the kennel club tonight, I skipped this morning's training session so I could do it there before Devon's class. But there Page sat for about 5 minutes waiting for someone to come train her. It was so cute! 

I always look for times when I can reinforce the come whistle, and this looked like one of those times. Once again thanks to Lise, Gayle and Marcy for putting a wonderful foundation on these Game Birds. Keep your eye on the corner of the building for a little yellow speck to come flying through the grass to the deck!

When she got in the house, she raced to her crate thinking she was going to get another breakfast. She was even chattering her teeth she was so excited! She had to make do with a couple of puppy biscuits instead, which I think she swallowed whole!

Homecoming of a wild goose

On Wednesday, we were up and out of the hotel early, headed to HYBAR for an obedience lesson with both girls. Before we headed out, Page made me laugh by sitting in front of the TV and watching the Weather Channel. She was probably hoping for an end to our rain! 

At HYBAR, Devon spent an hour working on open and utility exercises, with Linda showing me the progressions so I could work ahead at home. I can't wait to continue working Devon's heeling, fronts and finishes and moving on to some additional exercises. After an hour, it was Page's turn.

Luckily we could skip the proprioception exercises since I already know how to do them from agility. We did go over a useful "settle" command that will translate well into any venue. We then went right to learning proper ways to sit, down, and stand for the obedience ring. I also learned how to teach her puppy go outs, puppy recalls, foundation for heads up heeling, finishes, and fronts. We also talked about starting scent articles now, before she does pile work for field. Pile work is one of the few things that contradicts her obedience work, since in pile work the dog just needs to bring back any bumper and with scent articles they need to search the pile for the right article. 

After 50 minutes, we called it a session. I was really proud of this little one working so hard with me, when she had only been with me less than 48 hours. We have a lot to work on over the coming weeks!

And after all the driving the day before, both girls got back in the SUV and fell fast sleep as we headed toward Columbus. The photo at the top of the post is what Page looked like during most of her time in the SUV! After a stop for gas and a stop to visit "Uncle Dave," we were finally headed home. I told Linda this poor puppy probably thought she'd been placed with a homeless woman who just drove around all day and slept in hotel rooms!

Finally we arrived home! The girls had a grand time in the back yard, then they watched as I unloaded the SUV. After looking at this video, I have a feeling I'll get questioned if these two are mother/daughter!

Outside, Page showed what a great job Lise and Gayle did with teaching them proprioception. How many other 9 week old Goldens are this good with stairs?

Devon took the time to show Page where the toys where after the house was cleaned. Devon's such a good big sister!

 

And then it was time for dinner before she met the boys.

I decided to introduce Page to the boys on fairly neutral territory, at my parent's place. I got the added bonus of having Reece around to meet her too. As expected, Connor thought she was pretty neat on first inspection. He didn't play right away with her, but he did like her. Next, I brought out Reece. He is really great with puppies. And remembering Devon's reaction to seeing a black dog with pointy ears for the first time, I thought I'd get Page introduced to him before Ian. As the clip below shows, Reece really liked Page!

Finally, I held Page on my lap as I sat in a chair and we let Ian out. I was most interested/concerned about Ian's reaction to Page. When I introduced him to Devon, I expected him to be thrilled with a girl in the house. Instead he was terrified of her, and Devon quickly learned he'd run from her. Being chased by this strange creature Ian terrified him more, so they had to be separated for several weeks. 

However, I was pleased with Ian's initial reaction. He remembered what puppies where from his terror 3 years ago, and he had his ears up and tail wagging as he met her. He danced away and didn't want to stay long, but it was a much better interaction than his first meeting with Devon!

We ended our Wednesday with me cutting and repackaging Bravo in approximately 1 pound chunks for easy feeding. Page watched and commentated from her crate in the kitchen as I talked with Kathy of Agile Gold and updated her on our trip home. Kathy can testify to the tenacity of this litter to BARK! 

There's nothing like hearing a puppy bark for most of 90 minutes to make you thankful for a good night's sleep. It must have been the barking that wore her out, because Page slept from 10:15 p.m. to 5 a.m. this morning. Aaaaaahhhhh! The benefits and joys of sleep are never overrated!

Bringing home a wild goose, part 2

Tuesday was to be a long day of driving for all of us. I was to leave New York and drive to northern Ohio, where I'd spend the night. After making the trip to Gaylan's several times from central Indiana, now call Pennsylvania the "never-ending state" of Pennsylvania. With a 9 week old energetic puppy known for barking, I was thinking I'd have a lot of new names for Pennsylvania by the time I was out of it.

Even with the new feeding schedule and a new puppy to monitor, I was impressed we made it out of the hotel within 90 minutes of getting up. This included play time for Page and having both girls walked long enough to "do both." 

Luckily, Page was ready for a morning nap when she was loaded in the car. She didn't even move when we stopped for gas about 45 minutes out. In fact, she slept for about 2-3 hours before waking up and getting interested in her surroundings. She barked a few times, but soon decided that wasn't going to faze me. She tried to poke Devon through the crates where they overlapped, but she got the same response from Devon she'd gotten the night before - she was ignored!

Finally, she discovered one of the Styrofoam coolers that held her frozen raw dog food. Now this was interesting! She began to nibble on the lid. Great, I'm going 70 mph down the Interstate with no exit in sight! How was I going to stop this! Well blessings come in all shapes and sizes!

Two days earlier as we were cleaning up from our Golden Retriever club meeting where we have a pitch in lunch, Jim asked if I wanted to take some of the fruit he brought in my cooler as I was traveling. I jumped at the chance for a healthy snack as I was driving! I had the cooler open and a gallon bag of fresh fruit open beside me on the seat, and I was using a fork to skewer fruit as I drove down the road. 

To distract Page, I skewered a piece of cantaloupe, reached back and dropped it into her crate. Bingo! She turned and wondered what manna was falling from heaven. Wow! The angels gave her a slimy orange toy! Soon I heard, "bark, bark, bark!" I glanced back to see her chasing this piece of fruit around the bottom of her crate, pouncing and playing with it. The cooler destruction was long forgotten! I only wish I had video for you!

Page was a trooper and the girls made it within 78 miles of Ohio before we stopped for gas and a potty break. I gave Page "lunch" of two kongs filled with Bravo and grain-free kibble. This kept her busy until the road put her to sleep again. Before I expected, but one more cantaloupe play toy later, we were rolling into our hotel in Ohio.

Once we were checked in, the girls and I had play time. Believe it or not, after 24 hours Devon decided maybe Page was an OK kid after all. Devon waited until I seemed distracted, so I was very quiet when I took these videos of their first play sessions. Once Devon saw me watching, she got a little more aloof again; she didn't want to let on that maybe this puppy was kind of neat!

After 1.5 hours of play, Page crashed. I took this opportunity to load them in the SUV (yes, again) and head to HYBAR to watch obedience classes. I take private lessons from Linda MacDonald of HYBAR, and she had said to come watch if I had time. I was really glad I did because I got to see more advanced work and proofing. Pauline and her Golden boy Blue was also in this class, so it was fun to see them work since I have not seen them do obedience. Page got to come into the building to say hello to some of the Golden crowd after the class. 

As we headed back to the hotel, I ordered carry out, fixed a quick dinner for the girls, walked the girls and got my food. They watched me eat, then enjoyed evening play time. We also did another couple of sessions of clicker training before we went to bed. 

Page didn't sleep as well this second night, probably due to lots of sleep and little activity during the day. She got me up 2 hours after we went to bed, and I did take her out. However, when she wanted to go out again 3 hours after that, I told her "quiet" and she didn't fuss much. I got up around 5:15 a.m. to take her out, and she did go. However, I did notice a damp spot on the towel in the crate. I think I misread the earlier request to go out and she had her first accident. My fault, but we'll both live through it. 

Bringing home a wild goose, part 1

On Monday I left Columbus, Ohio, headed for New York and Gaylan's Golden Retrievers to "fetch" Ms. Page, soon to be officially known as Gaylan's Wild Goose Chase. Devon, unaware of what was to come, was riding with me. Page was the last puppy to be picked up, due to Devon's library duties last week and hosting the local Golden Retriever club's April meeting at my house on Sunday.

After checking into the hotel, we pulled into Gayle and Andy's driveway, announced by Una, Dreamer, Risk and Corey. Ms. Raspberry (Page) was alone in the puppy pen, sitting on an elevated bed. As Gayle walked out to greet me, Ms. Raspberry started in with lonely barks, ending in a pitiful wail. Gayle chuckled, and I asked if she was the last orphaned puppy that no one wanted (which was the furthest thing from the truth, talk about a drama queen!). Apparently that's what she thought when all the Game Birds flew away, including Lise and Drake (Mr. Red) that morning. Page had been barking and protesting her alone-ness by even putting her teeth on the expen and pulling on it!

We decided to take Page and Devon on a short woods walk to hopefully give me some sleep and stretch Devon's legs. Devon promptly took a time out to take care of some private business, but Page wanted to meet her new friend. The look Devon gave Gayle and I clearly communicated, "Seriously, I'm trying to have a private moment here, can one of you DO something about this?" After that pit stop, Devon promptly ran off ignoring Page completely. Instead, she stuck by Gayle and I as we walked and talked "strategy" for how I was to train this new little one in my life. I'm so lucky for all the wealth of information Gayle has from training with so many of the dogs she's bred. Those insights are invaluable. Of course, I think the email lines to Donna to ask questions about Bizzy will be hot! Everyone says Page is similar to her mother's personality.

Devon did decide to play bow at Page toward the end of the walk, causing Page to drop to the ground and show her belly. Devon tried again with similar results; both girls acting totally appropriately. Then it was off to give Devon dinner and warm Page up inside as Gayle and I did paperwork and chatted.

As we loaded Page and her food into the SUV, the look on Devon's face isn't fit to reproduce in words! Devon was NOT amused that the small fur ball was coming with us. This was NOT in her plans! Gayle could only chuckle as she said goodbye to both her girls and wished Devon good luck.

At the hotel, Page got used to walking on her leash with us and did a great job of pottying outside. I had treats and a clicker with me, so we did a couple of short sessions of clicker work. Boy, this was grand fun for Page! She go a piece of cheese every time she looked at me! She was so impressed by the cheese in just a couple of short sessions, she was sitting and giving me eye contact. What a smart girl! Devon also got cheese for staying on the bed and quietly watching the session.

After some play time, primarily by herself since Devon still wasn't acknowledging her presence, we headed to bed. I put Page's crate on the second bed in the room, facing mine. Since it was still pretty early, I decided to wait Page out for barking in the crate, knowing this would be a problem. Once the lights were out and I was still in bed, she only barked for about 1 minute before giving up and going to sleep. Round 1 to me!

Page slept for about 3.5 hours, then woke up and entertained herself in her crate for another 30 minutes. She started to whine, and since it had been 4.5 hours since her last out, I took her outside where we had success. Now for the dilemma: it was not 1:30 a.m., and I didn't think my neighbors in the hotel would like me letting Page bark. The "earthquake" method of shaking the crate to get her to stop barking was creating a nice game of her being successful with negative reinforcement. What were we going to do?

Then, I had a brainstorm. I turned out the lights and laid down in bed. When she started to bark, I took a bed pillow and softly "thunked" it against the crate (I didn't throw it 90 mph at her). The barking stopped and the pillow fell back at me. She started barking again, "thunk" and a pause in the barking. A third time she started to bark, "thunk" and this time after a pause, she mumbled and laid down in her crate and slept until 6:30 a.m. Yippee!! Round 2 to me!

Here's a video of her first meal of raw food, prepared by me! 

Introducing Page

Introducing the newest member of my family: Page. Page is part of the Gaylan's Game Bird litter. She is sired by Can. Ch. Gaylan's Born to Fly SH MX MXJ CCA WCX OS ADHF VC CGC (Goose) and her dam is Ambertrial's I Am A Wild Party Can. WCX (Bizzy). The Game Bird litter is named for the heritage of the Golden Retriever breed, which is to retrieve game birds. In Page's registered name, which has yet to be finalized, I will give recognition to her dam and sire. Page's call name comes from another icon of the Golden Retriever breed, Rachel Page "Pagey" Elliott. While I never met Pagey Elliott, her devotion to the Golden Retriever breed, her study of canine structure and her love of agility (into her 90s) is an inspiration to me. 

I want to say, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!" to Gayle and Lise for trusting me with this special little girl. She really wowed me this last weekend, and it is really an honor for me to bring her home. And she's going to have at least three more "interested aunties" watching over her from afar! Marcy, Pam and Donna will also be watching this little girlie grow up! Thank you already to all five of you for your insights into this little pup and for the support and advice I know you'll continue to give me.

As for Page, Devon and I will head back out to New York to pick her up on Monday evening. I'm planning to take lots of packed Kongs for our trip home. We'll make a stop in Ohio on the way back for an obedience lesson for both girls with Linda MacDonald at HYBAR. Today, I even bought her a bright pink puppy harness for tracking. Can't start them too early! 

Great Gaylan's weekend

What a wonderful time we had visiting Gaylan's Golden Retrievers this weekend! Since I live so far away, I rarely get to head east to visit Devon's cousins and their owners. This trip was worth the 12-hour drive, and we had a jam-packed weekend that I'll remember for years to come.

First, bright and early on Friday morning we started the Game Bird litter's temperament test. These are some amazing puppies, and every single puppy owner is getting a fantastic puppy! Pat McKinney did a fantastic job testing the litter, and I'm glad it's Gayle and Lise's job deciding where these pups will go! I would have taken every one of them home! 

Following the puppy test, we all joined Sandy and Trader's OTCH party. I was thrilled to be able to join in the celebration for this fantastic team! And I think the "OTCH bar" is going to become a hit all over the country!

After a good night's sleep, we headed back to Gayle and Andy's for the Game Bird litter's puppy walk. I think this is a wonderful way to celebrate each litter with a walk in the woods, play time and a pitch in lunch with friends. It was raining a little, but those Game Birds didn't care! They raced through the woods as I carefully picked my way down hills and over trees. 

Our other job is to watch one puppy and note what they do on the puppy walk. Our Game Bird charge loved to carry things in its mouth. The puppy picked up leaves and sticks. It raced through muddy streams and over rocks and fallen trees. The puppy darted around people and trees and looked interestingly at the water before racing back up the hill to the end of the walk.

After the puppy walk and hours of playing with kids, the pups still had energy to play with each other before finally settling in for a nap. I got to see one of Devon's littermate's Spring. This was an added bonus after getting to see her littermate Jerry the day before.

After the Game Birds' nap, we introduced them to birds. I've never seen this done and was interested to see the puppy's reactions. Every one of these pups turned onto the birds and carried one. The adult dogs didn't understand why they had to watch from an upper window!

It was so wonderful to spend time Friday and Saturday with Gayle, Lise and Marcy and hear all about the Game Birds and exchange training tips and plans. I loved talking with Pam Martin and Donna LaHaise in from Canada to see the testing and take Bizzy home. Pam was wonderful to share her field knowledge and encouragement for future plans. Donna was a wealth of information about Bizzy, and I know she was so excited to take her much loved and missed girl home. 

And I bet you're wondering which little Game Bird is coming to Indiana. Well, they still have some more tests to be done before we know the final answer. Check back later in the week to find out more!

We concluded our trip by stopping by the Hudson Valley Golden Retriever Club's All-Breed Agility trial on our way home. We got to see several of the Gaylan's dogs run, including Trader, Tango, Pilot, Juice, Jerry, Brig, Bette, and Kite. If you click on each dog's name, you can see video of their run (unfortunately I couldn't tape Kite's run, because I would have been standing in front of her mom). It was so awesome to watch these dogs run. I saw shades of Juice's mom Abbi in his run. And it was a thrill to watch big, athletic, powerful Goldens handle these agility courses at 24-inches. 

I had a wonderful weekend reconnecting with old friends and spending time making new ones. The Dancing litter has brought so many new and wonderful people into my life, and I'm looking forward to the Game Bird litter doing the same!

Game Birds here we come!

Agile Gold and I are headed to Gaylan's Golden Retrievers tomorrow for the Game Bird litter puppy testing and puppy walk! I can't wait to see these wild little puppies.

How to defeat green monsters

This has got to be one of the best photos of all time. This is Mr. Red from the Gaylan's Game Bird Litter. I saw this photo and just started cracking up! Apparently, Mr. Red has decided the way you defeat scary green monsters is you just snuggle under their chin, and they give up. Plus, they make great pillows for sleeping! 

The Game Birds are here!

Gaylan's Game Bird litter arrived on Tuesday. The 11 pups, 6 boys and 5 girls, are healthy and big! Ranging from 14-18 oz., these pups came into the world at a week old! Bizzy is a great mom, and I really thank Lise for taking these photos and sharing them with us! Keep them coming!