Sad news about Connor

On Thursday we found out Connor has very advanced stage lymphoma. He's been living with my parents since the first of March because it had become difficult for him to manage the stairs at my house. Two weeks ago it became apparent something else was going on, and we had him examined and blood draw last Tuesday.

We made the decision not to do any further "treatment" because his blood work looked very bad. He's 12 years old and has spondylosis. He's had a great life and I didn't want to put him through anything painful at this point when it wouldn't even buy him much time. However, I did want to pursue some acupuncture for pain relief and appetite stimulation.

Today we met with Dr. Catherine Florence at Indiana Veterinary Alternatives. The lymphoma has progressed very rapidly. Just a week ago the only swollen lymph glands were in his face, and now every lymph gland he has his swollen. She said it wasn't good that lymph nodes in the front and back of his body (both sides of the diaphragm) were involved.

His nose and face are also swollen, and breathing through his is nose is difficult. When Dr. Florence heard how rapidly his symptoms had progressed and saw his current state, she agreed we were focused on making him comfortable.

Connor liked the acupuncture, and we could see immediate help with his nasal breathing. He has some Chinese herbs to take twice a day. His next appointment is next Tuesday. His eyelids were drooping before we left, so I think he's going to spend the rest of the day snoozing.

I thought I'd put in some photos of Connor's second agility trial hosted by the Cuyahoga Valley Golden Retriever Club in June of 2003. This was the trial where he earned his NA and NAJ. Connor is my first titled agility dog, even though I started agility in 1999 with Reece. I'm glad I have memories from this winter of Connor making up his own agility course, hopping over 4 inch bars and running through tunnels as I was trying to reset bars. His tail was going 100 mph and he had a big Golden smile on his face. I just stood and watched him play and smiled through tears. He's such a good boy!

I don't think it will be long before Connor is at the Rainbow Bridge playing with Reece. Well, actually Reece will be playing with him and bossing him around. Connor will likely be curling up with Reece and snuggling, which Reece will tolerate only if no one is watching!

Rain, rain go away!

We got hammered by a series of storms last night. Twice we were all crowded in the little bathroom below the stairs, once around midnight when the wind and hail got bad and a second time at 3 a.m. when a tornado warning was issued. Connor hates storms, and Devon decided last night she did, too. Page took everything in stride, even laying down in the tiny bathroom as her brothers and sister panted at the baby gate. Wish I had a photo of the profile shadow Ian cast on the wall from the bathroom nightlight. Belgians really do look like wolves!

This morning the yard was completely flooded. I didn't get pictures for a few hours, and the water had receded quite a bit by the time these were taken. Page, always one to make lemonade from lemons, decided it was a blast having a lake in the back yard! Once she took her first all out run through the water, Connor got into the act and has enjoyed the water all day. Silly Goldens! From this video clip you'd never guess Connor was 10 years old!

Happy 10th Birthday Connor!

I cannot believe Connor is 10 years old today! Time with our beloved pets flies by too quickly. Last year on his birthday, I talked about Connor's personality as a puppy and now in his retirement years around the house. This year my reflections are taking a different turn.

First, to conclude his passing of the pack leadership torch to Devon, Connor did not raise Page; Devon did. It was Devon who taught this new puppy how to act within the pack. It was Devon who played with her. And it was Devon who corrected her. Of course, Connor did teach Page the one important thing he has taught every puppy in the house after him: poop eating. I do wish he'd stop that, but it looks to be his legacy in our pack!

Second, as much as I hate it, Connor is showing the signs of being an old man. In spite of supplements and keeping the weight off him, Connor is stiff when he gets up from a long nap. He takes his time to judge his jumping distance onto the bed, couch or car. And he now spends most of his days in the middle of the couch downstairs because it's the softest piece of furniture in the house while being the easiest to get up on.

Connor still runs and frolics outside, but this bursts of energy are shorter now. When he runs, his rear legs are together for maximum support. Connor's face is now completely white, but most people don't notice because he's so light to begin with.

This photo was taken at Connor's first birthday party. I've looked at it a lot in the last week. Pictured from the left are Reece (not quite 3 years old), Connor, Logan and Sport. The four dogs are all looking up to Dave Hirsch expectantly wanting a treat. You can tell from the white face that Logan was much older than the pups at his side. Logan, owned and loved by Bryana Pierce, crossed the bridge a few years ago.

This week the news came from Dave that his beloved Sport, who is nearly 11, has advanced cancer. Sport was Dave's first dog, one that was only supposed to be a pet. But Sport led Dave on a different path and altered Dave's plans for his life. Not only does Dave now own three Goldens (years ago he said repeatedly he'd never own three dogs), but he is now an agility judge, something he's very good at.

This photo has reminded me how our dogs too quickly get old when we weren't even watching. Too soon they must leave us. But when they do, we find they have taken us on a wonderful journey all their own. And as Dave discovered it was a journey that altered the very course of his life.

So Connor's 10th birthday has been bittersweet for me. He got up and greeted me this morning like it was any other day. But today I realized that Connor's life has gone by too quickly, and I need to realize that each day going forward is special. Because Connor will always be my perfect English gentlemen.

A veteran, a STAR Puppy and the one in between

This post is about what happened on November 8, 2009. This post does violate Sarah's "compulsion of order," but it was an eventful day, so I wanted to post it.

The Veteran

Our day started with the White River Golden Retriever Club's annual Veteran's Day. This is a day where we honor our veteran dogs (those over 8 years of age). I was so happy Connor could participate again this year because there are so few events totally focused on him.

Connor thoroughly enjoyed himself. He thought the wealth of donuts should be shared (and Susie shared a whole donut with him).

Thanks to the organizers (Susie, Pat and Carolyn) we had some fun games! We had a scavenger hunt, which would not be complete without looking in the outhouse for one of your items. We didn't find one there, but we did find a stuffed toy riding a Harley in the barn! And have you ever looked at the ingredients for Worcestershire Sauce?

Following the scavenger hunt was another popular game, the scurry. Connor thought this was an outstanding game that ended way too early (30 seconds). Too little time, and too many toys for him to pick up and carry back across the line! Devon even got in the act for that one, too. However, my Senior Hunter was too overwhelmed by bumpers AND stuffed toys to retrieve, she couldn't choose!

The final game was a relay race where the dogs had to stop at four stations and do everything a good multi-purpose Golden should do: conformation (they had to stop and "stack"), agility (they had to jump a low jump), obedience (they had to do three sits), and field work (they had to carry a bumper). Connor's never been in the conformation ring, but he knows how to stand. And I can't recall him ever retrieving a bumper, but he was game to carry one just the same!

Connor also spent some quality time on my lap. He hasn't done this in years! It must have been all those games that wore him out ... that and all the donuts he ate!

After a wonderful pitch-in dinner (for the humans and not the dogs), we ended the fun with our Parade of Veterans. Each dog was announced and came forward to get a treat, a pretty ribbon and cheers from the audience. The dog's accomplishments were read and they performed any tricks they knew.

I recognized Connor for not only his accomplishments in the agility, obedience and rally ring, but also for the one thing he has taught every dog that has come into our household after him: how to eat poop. And now you know the family secret: NO KISSES FROM CONNOR!

The day ended with the group shot of all our Veterans. You see that our Golden Retriever club is all inclusive and boasts members with Flat Coats, Labs and Rotties!

The S.T.A.R. Puppy

We left the party a little early, because I needed to head north to the Greater Lafayette Kennel Club for Page's S.T.A.R. Puppy test. Page took a course in the summer from the S.T.A.R. Puppy/CGC Evaluator which qualified her to take the S.T.A.R. Puppy test.

S.T.A.R. Puppy Program is a relatively new program from AKC. The program focuses on teaching new puppy owners to Socialize their puppies, Train their puppies, give their puppies regular Activity and be Responsible for their puppies.

The test is composed of nine Pre-Canine Good Citizen behaviors:

1. Allows petting by a person other than the owner.

2. Allows the owner to handle and give a brief exam of ears and feet.

3. Walks on a leash.

4. Walks by other people.

5. Sits on command.

6. Downs on command.

7. Comes to owner from 5 ft. when name is called.

8. Reacts appropriately when distractions are presented 15 ft. away.

9. Stays on a leash with another person while owner walks 10 steps away and returns.

Although everyone else was confident in Page's positive outcome, I took a wait and see approach. Even though she had just passed her TDX the weekend before, Page isn't known for her self-control; she's more of a "let's get going" type of girl. However, she held it together and did a lovely job during this test (even though she spent the morning in the van while Connor was having fun).

The kennel club did a wonderful job with the test, providing us with a star-shaped cookie treats and a special S.T.A.R. Puppy collar tag with Page's name on it and showing she "graduated" in the class of 2009. We ended by having our photo taken!

The one in between

So now you are wondering about Devon's day. Well, she was tolerant of Connor's special time. She did get to come out and play one game. However, when we got to the kennel club and PAGE got to go inside, that was a little too much for Devon. Page was getting to have fun, and Devon was just sure she was missing out on something special since we were at the kennel club (and give her credit, she was right).

Devon has a very bad habit of pulling things into her crate and shredding them when she's displeased. She doesn't eat what she tears up, she just shreds things to make a point. When she was 10 months old, I had to buy a woman a new coat at an agility trial. I have done a good job of creating a "dead zone" around Devon's crate in the SUV, but on this day we were in the van ... and my blue pullover was too close to Devon's crate. When Page and I returned to the van, a large portion of the back of my pullover was laying in pieces in the bottom of Devon's crate.

It's a good thing for Devon my mother is a miracle worker. She managed to piece together the jacket and replace most of the back with a coordinating fleece panel. I've actually had several compliments on my jacket since it's been repaired ... although I don't plan on leaving things too close to Devon in the future!

Page's first snow

Today Page got to experience her first snow. We got about 1.25 inches of wet snow, and I was surprised when I looked out this morning (the forecasters blew it and only called for a light dusting). I opened the back door, and as I suspected Page went blasting out into the snow without missing a beat.

Page was quite curious about it, and she got the zoomies. She stayed out longer than any of the other dogs today playing in the snow. She also learned from watching Connor that you can eat the snow. Since she likes ice cubes (as does Connor), this was great fun.

Unfortunately the fun was over by this afternoon, and the snow was gone. I think we'll be seeing more of the white stuff, so Page will continue to enjoy it this winter, I'm sure!

I took these video clips very early this morning. The girls very similar, so for reference Devon is darker and has less tail feathering than her little sister Page. Oh, and Connor makes an appearance, too. He's the cream colored Golden that blends into the snow. He announces his presence by barking in the first video. Enjoy!

Comfort

The bonus room where the computer and the day beds are has become our "family room." It's the place where the dogs nap and I work on the computer and occasionally watch TV. Since Ian is still intimidated by Page, the boys are often gated outside the bonus room. Today, Page is napping in her crate, so the boys have said, "Finally! We've gotten to sleep on the daybeds!" You see they wasted no time in taking over!

And don't feel sorry for Page. She's likely in her favorite sleeping position, shown here. How she can balance on her back and sleep, I have no idea!

Making Ian's day

Friday was an open training day at the kennel club, so I decided all four dogs would get a treat. As I pulled on my shoes, Ian watched intently then turned and trotted obediently to his crate. Mom was leaving and he was getting left behind again. But when I asked if he wanted to go, he about turned himself inside out! Oh joy, oh joy! He barked and carried on until I took him into the garage and opened the crate. Once in the van, he laid down and waited for the adventure to begin. Connor wasn't far on his heels!

Page got worked first (since she had more adventures to come). In reviewing Page's training, I realized I haven't done any foundation work with her in a good two months since I've been concentrated on getting Devon's Senior Hunter. This lack of obedience has led to some of the issues I've seen in her field work. So Page is getting reminded of her earlier training.

I worked stays and releases to a tug toy. This went very well. I also worked at getting her into heel position. For agility, we worked sending through standards and coming back to me. She also saw a tunnel again and did a very good job even on a curved dark tunnel. I also put her on the table for an automatic down. She did a good job, but I need to get back to this kind of work on a daily basis!

Devon was next and we worked obedience. She had already worked the agility course, and she did a good job of it earlier in the week. I wanted to take her to a run through on Saturday, so it was time to revisit obedience again. She absolutely loves obedience. I think her love of the game will be what gets us through the titles. I like obedience, but I don't love it. Maybe Devon will make me love that game, too.

Next Connor got to come into the building while I reset the agility course for Ian. He had a ball running around and acting goofy. He took the lower jumps and ran through tunnels and the chute. I asked for the weaves, and he gave me about 5 poles. Weaves were never his favorite. He accidentally sailed over a couple of 24 inch jumps. This wasn't a wise idea, and I noticed later in the evening he was a little stiff. It's tough when you're 9.5 years old and out of shape!

Finally it was Ian's turn. After more than 6 months off, we were a little rusty. The course was a USDAA Steeplechase course. Ian handled it pretty well the first time through, even nailing a difficult weave entry. Once we were warmed up, he did a fantastic job on the second time through. Ian just loves to play any game with me. I should get him out more often since I know he's bored hanging around the house with nothing to do. At least I could make his day on Friday!

The demise of "Ian's Tree"

When I moved to this house, it had a cute little ornamental evergreen in the back yard. It didn't take long for Ian to find it and use it as his own personal toilet. He's the only one of the boys who lifts his leg, and you can see by the first photo that after the first year it was pretty dead.

Once the needles came off, Connor started snapping the lower limbs off of it. He's always loved to play with sticks, and he's been quite disappointed in my selection of tree-less backyards in the last two houses. Only a few limbs remained at the very top where Connor couldn't reach. At this point, Ian's Tree was also called Charlie Brown's Christmas Tree because it looked so bad.

So for four years, this poor stick has been called Ian's Tree. Unfortunately, Ian's Tree is no more. At 6:15 a.m. this morning, Devon and Page were having a grand game of chase in the backyard in the dark. Devon is used to avoiding Ian's Tree, but Page wasn't so fortunate. Page ran smack into the tree, breaking its base and probably seeing stars herself. After giving herself a shake, she adjusted very quickly -- she started chewing on her new toy and trying to pull it out of the ground.

I'm not sure how Ian will adjust without his personal toilet tree. He used the back fence today. If I can get him trained to go all the way around the fence, I won't have to worry about weeds growing up under it. Hummm, do you suppose I can clicker train that behavior?

A post from Connor and Ian

Earlier this week I got a voicemail from my friend Julie, a.k.a. "Ian's Grandma," checking on Connor and Ian. She said she wanted to make sure both of them were still ok since Devon and Page had taken over the blog. You know it's serious when Julie actually asks about one of the Goldens! But I know she has a soft spot for Connor since she used to dog sit him (just don't ask her to evaluate his intelligence level).

You can all rest assured that Ian and Connor are getting two meals a day, full supplements, plenty of out time and the usual spoiling. Connor still sleeps in the bed (when Devon doesn't kick him out); in fact Connor sleeps anywhere his little heart desires.

Ian feels he needs to be trained more, and he's still not sure about that wiggling little monster that invaded the house a few weeks ago. The most often used phrase in our house these days is, "Don't chase the black dog!"

However, I just realized a couple of weeks ago that it's Ian's fault he's getting chased these days. He's starting to engage with Page, and as soon as she engages back - and she's very appropriate when she does - he freaks out and runs away from her. Poor Page can't figure this out! He was the one who wanted her attention! Maybe she should just follow him and see if he needed her! Now you see why I'm saying, "Don't chase the black dog" at least 2-3 times a day.

Things are slowly getting better. Ian actually got the nerve up to stand still and be sniffed by Page after he engaged with her yesterday. I told them how good they both were, and everyone went about their business.

Today was actually a good day for the boys. The kennel club has member training a couple of times a month, and today was one of those days. So I loaded all four pups in the van and we trained for a couple of hours at the kennel club. The agility course that was set up was challenging for Ian, and I was able to run several sequences after I ran the course. Ian did great.

Connor even got to come in and run the course and some sequences before I changed the jump heights. Here's a little clip of the retired agility dog having fun.

I know Connor has lost muscle tone since being retired, so I made sure I warmed him up pretty well before he ran. Even so, I noticed he preferred to run with his rear legs together for more stability as older dogs do. I'm not worried about his hips, but it was a little sad to see he's starting to show his 9 years of age.

Flying Paws Agility Run Thrus

Today we drove to Bloomington for Flying Paws Agility Run Thrus. This is a fairly new club, and they did a great job with the run thrus. We had fun and enjoyed great people. The whole crew got to go, and Ian and Devon ran. Connor got his required time out and thanks to Ana for giving him treats and telling him how smart he was. And of course Page made her presence known.

Devon is entered in her first outdoor trial next weekend. It's a 3-day trial, and she's entered in Open JWW and Novice Standard all three days. She only needs one more NA leg, so my goal is to get her out of Novice Standard and maybe a leg (or two!) in Open JWW. She was running really well this winter and the only reason her Q rate was low was a weave pole issue. We've fixed that problem, and she's working 12 poles easily now.

This run thru was going to be a good test of her confidence on equipment she's never seen before, especially the teeter. Devon has only been to one trial on completely new equipment to her, and she did a great job. However, we haven't trialed in three months, so I didn't know if she was still that confident.

I have learned during the last several classes that Devon wants me to run with her from the start. I can't lead out even to the first jump or she goes around the first jump. This is something I plan to work on, but I'm not ready to do it just yet. I do believe it's just a confidence issue and with more trialing and experience it will fade. Unfortunately with field work and VST ahead of her, she won't have an opportunity to be "immersed" in agility for at least another 6 months.

Below is Devon's very first run. It was a straight-forward Novice course. I decided the two potential problem areas would be the dogwalk and the teeter. The dogwalk is from Affordable Agility and has a PVC base. Devon is very environmentally aware, and she notices anything new or different with equipment especially the dogwalk. The teeter of course has been a problem area in the past, and it was a new teeter in a new place.

I worked hard to make this a trial setting. I packed up last night and this morning. I packed special jackpot treats (tripe and blueberries). We got up early and she only had a half ration of breakfast. I used our same trial pre-run routine: trotting, stretching, tugging and finally food right before our run. For food, I stuck with hot dogs from my right pocket. After thinking about the potential stressors of the dogwalk and teeter, I decided to put three pieces of steak in my left pocket. That was the side I would be on for her contact performances, so I put them in my pocket if needed but didn't show her in any other way I had them.

Devon knew the dogwalk was early in the run when I set her on the start line. In fact she almost went around the second jump because I made an assumption she'd take it. She committed to the dogwalk just fine, but I knew she because a little hesitant on the way up because of the PVC bases. There was also a U shaped blue tunnel under the dogwalk which caused her to slow even more on the middle. 

At this point I decided she had been extremely brave and deserved a reward for the dogwalk. It would let her know I had food, but I felt she did work hard and I should reward it. When she came down on the dogwalk, she was all ready for the tunnel, and the little bit of steak caught her completely off guard. She was thrilled, though!

The rest of the course was very nice, including the teeter. I knew when she hit it and went up she'd be fine. I rewarded her with two more pieces of steak and her tail shows how pleased she is! I did realized that when I praise her at the end of a run I shouldn't grab at her. She didn't like this and showed stress, so with later runs I asked her for an "UP" or just cheered her as we moved to the leash.

On Devon's second run, I selected the same course. She was much more confident through the whole thing and much faster. However on the start line, she looked for her videographer. When she didn't see him she looked around like, "Mom, we can't start until my videographer is here." You know how this girl likes a crowd!

Below is Devon's third run. I tried a different course and asked Leslie to act as judge. I thought I'd try a lead out, but it didn't work. I wasn't sent or confident in my presentation, so it wasn't all Devon's fault. I just have to accept right now we aren't going to get it. 

The rest of the run is very good except the from the tire to the double. We were running down hill and Devon started to curve into me after the tire toward the A frame. I did push her out with my left hand which she seemed to read, but at the last minute she started to come in again and I was slightly behind her. At this point I had to slow down and stop because I would have run into her and/or tripped over her. 

I work hard not to show Devon when there's a mistake on course, but this one I couldn't help. The resulting stress caused Devon to jump on Leslie (who I don't think was expecting all 60 pounds of Devon full force on her). Once I got her collected, she finished the run very well. 

I had planned the third run to be Devon's last, but I didn't want to end on that note. I decided to do that course one more time. Devon was very confident again knowing where she was going. I had decided to "give her" the A frame on this run, but she was also being considerate of me! She decided to run straight at the double even though I did cue the A frame. I adjusted in a split second and supported the double and she ran confidently onto the teeter and finished the course. 

The only thing I saw I didn't really like was a deterioration of her table performance. She is supposed to have an automatic down on the table, but it fell apart. I'm going to have to work the table more and reward the auto down.

Overall Devon had a great day; and  because of this run thru I'm confident going into the trial this weekend. She's a great dog who works very hard to do the right thing for me. 

Ian also played in a couple of runs. I ran the master's course they had set. Here is his first run, and you can tell we are really rusty as a team. He broke his start line, then went around the first jump when I lead out. Now in fairness I didn't give him the best direction, but he's a pretty seasoned dog and should have read it. There were also several tight turns, and I can tell I was a little late in cuing them and he wasn't reacting quite as fast as if we'd been working regularly.

Because it was getting warm and I had to work harder on Ian's runs (since the course was harder), I got pretty wiped out running him. I was there more to concentrate on Devon's runs, so Ian only got two times out in the ring. I think he enjoyed himself, and he was very willing to do more. He howled and screamed from the van when I was running Devon (the cacophony probably drove everyone batty for a minute!).

I should take a minute to talk about Page, who was a real trooper. She did some barking in her crate and not always when the other dogs were barking. At one point I told her "quiet" and she was. I let her wait a few seconds, then I tossed a piece of steak into her crate and told her it was a good quiet. I was waiting for her to bark again just so she could get a quiet and piece of steak. I've been reluctant to reward with food because I didn't want to "train" the problem. However, she continued to be quiet, so a minute later I tossed another piece of steak in and told her good quiet. From then on she only barked when the other dogs threw a fit (which was when I was running Devon).

Page also showed some "shyness" at a new object for the first time. This was extremely mild, but enough for me to notice. Thank goodness we have a nose touch! She shied at a short metal trash can with a plastic bag in it. I said, "Isn't that the funniest thing?" in a really high voice, and Page started to wag and go near it. I praised her, and she investigated it, most of the fear gone. I encouraged her toward it, and she offered a quick passing touch of it with her nose - and out came the hot dogs! That was it! She continued to nose touch it and even gave me a paw on it. The fear was gone and she had a good experience!

Downtime

It's not all training games around here. There's lots of times when I'm on the computer or cooking that the dogs just hang around and play or sleep. Page has gotten into the routine and is looking to the other Goldens and taking their leads. 

Of course, following in Devon and Connor's pawprints means sleeping on the daybeds. After I got these photos, I removed Page from the daybed ... three times. I'm not sure she's quite old enough for sleeping on the furniture yet!

How Connor managed to sleep in this position without sliding right off the daybed is amazing to me. He even wagged his tail when he realized I was taking his picture!

Rainy day

Today has been a rainy day, so we've spent it mostly inside. Page turned 12 weeks old yesterday, and boy is she growing! Last night I realized I no longer have to lean over to give her a treat at my side - those legs grow every hour! She's not a baby anymore!

It was only sprinkling during one of our "out" times this afternoon, so I took the cameras out and got some of these photos and videos. Devon is squinting a little, but this is probably going to be one of my all time favorite photos of my girls. 

Page wanted to make sure you saw her in all her "cute-ness!"

She's still cute, but now she's getting wet!

And another classic photo with Connor. He's so good with puppies. He has trained every puppy that came in after him. I think he liked the Golden girls way better than Ian, though.

Now for the videos! Here are two of Devon and Page playing in the yard. I think Devon wanted to do some agility ... maybe that's because Page isn't allowed in the agility yard unsupervised. 

I had to get some video of these long legs Page has, especially in the back. And you get an idea from these two videos that she doesn't stop moving and investigating very often...

Back inside, it was time to play! This was a great game of tug between Devon and Page. You can hear the legs of the toy starting to rip. I was expecting the game to end when the toy ripped in two, but you'll see someone else ended the game...

After about a 30 second silent standoff, Devon gave the toy to Connor. She was reminded that ALL TOYS are Connor's!

Finally after playtime in the backyard and playtime upstairs, it's time for a pre-dinner nap. How in the world can she be comfortable like this?

The other Goldens get on the sofa....

Page is just the funniest puppy. She's not bad; she's just BUSY! And she has a mind of her own. A couple of days ago, I was sitting on the sofa, and she just hopped up to join me. It's a pretty big hop to get on this sofa! She's following in her sister Devon's paw prints, just doing it a couple of weeks earlier. 

The funniest was this morning when Connor got on the sofa prepared to catch a nap after playing with Page. The next thing he knew, Page hopped up right behind him and walked over to him. The look on Connor's face was priceless! He got off the sofa and came over to me as if to "tattle" on her. When he walked back to the sofa as if to say, "Hey, you aren't allowed up there, it's only for the big dogs," Page took a flying leap off the sofa at him as if to say, "All the better to pounce on you!" Poor Connor. She did this to him last night at the bottom of the stairs, too.

This morning I took Page upstairs with me while I was on the phone and needed to check on something on the computer. I put the baby gate at the bottom of the stairs so I wouldn't have to monitor her along with all three dogs. The next thing I knew, she was leaving the room. I made a quick check of the upstairs rooms, nope! She'd gone downstairs and slipped between the baby gate and the rails and was enjoying playtime with Devon. 

I have to say, Page is everything I asked for!

"Mom, being at 'home' feels a lot like traveling."

Page's first day at "home" felt a lot like her first 3 days with us. I think I passed my first "new morning routine" test pretty well. Feeding and managing four dogs with one being a puppy is a trick! I'm using a house leash inside and a long line outside on Page. This allows me to stay close to her and manage her when the adult dogs are around. Right off this morning it prevented her from chasing Ian both in the house and outside. It is also teaching her to focus on me more than bonding with the adult dogs, something that's very important for our performance career. 

One of the first interesting things that happen this morning was between Connor and Devon. Connor decided he wanted to play with Page after breakfast. Connor has raised both Ian (when no one else would play with him) and Devon, so I know he's good with puppies. However, Devon didn't want Connor near "her" puppy! She walked between Page and Connor and even shoved Connor away from Page, nipping at his neck. I guess Devon really does like Page!

First thing this morning we were off to see my vet, who is also my uncle. My dad rode with us for company. Uncle John loves Devon and he felt the same about Page. Right away he noticed that they were quite different in personality! Where Devon is quiet and sits politely, Page was perpetual motion. As we were going over Gayle's medical protocols, Page kept trying to pull the papers from his hands! Page was a good girl for her shot and weighed in at 13+ pounds. After pronouncing her a very busy girl and wishing me all sorts of luck with this wild one, we were on the road again. 

Our next stop was to visit my Grandparents' Abbott. Page went inside and enjoyed being petted, but she'd been napping, so she was also ready for some fun! My grandmother found some of their dog's toys (which he never plays with; being a farm dog he prefers empty plastic bottles). Page had a great time chasing and pouncing on these toys and proving how great she was at steps. She also was a handy retriever, returning a dropped metal bookmark and a screwdriver from the floor.

Next, it was on to see my Grandmother Scamahorn. Again, Page went right up several steps to the front door and trotted right inside this new house. She's such a bold, confident little girl. She played on the floor and climbed around the chair legs, another signature specialty of hers.

Finally, we dropped Dad off at home. Our friend Debbie, who makes my house clean, was at my parent's place and she came out to meet Page. My Grandmother S. was on the phone to Mom, telling her how cute and spunky Ms. Page was!

We headed home for quick lunch for me and Devon, and out time for the boys. Page was in rare form after her morning of "meet and greets." Here's a quick video clip of her playing by herself in the living room. What a funny puppy she is!

This afternoon, Devon, Page and I got back in the SUV, picked up Mom and went across town to Sheree Farber's house. Sheree is an amazing person who works wonders on our of place and sore muscles. She is also an expert in canine structure and is now working in performance sports with her Goldens. She couldn't wait to see Page. 

Although tired, Page perked up to meet Sheree. Then she napped as Devon, Mom and I got worked on. After two long trips to New York and many hotel beds, I needed the work and can't wait to crawl into bed tonight.

The rest of our evening involved Page, Devon and Connor playing outside for more than an hour. Connor was able to play with Page some, but Devon continued to interrupt and play with Connor instead. As this interraction happened between Connor, Devon and Page, I realized some of what is happening is the change in pack leadership from Connor to Devon. Connor is getting older and should turn the pack over to Devon, who is ready to take it. However, as much as he's trained her to lead, he's also fighting the transition. The new dynamic of Page in the house is leading to some interesting interactions between Connor and Devon over the pack leadership. I saw similar interactions when Golden Reba and puppy Denver stayed with me last summer. Connor went from top dog to #3 when Reba, a dominate girl, came in and took the pack over and elevated Devon with her.

 

Then we all had dinner and after the dogs napped had more play time. The older dogs quickly tired of the rambunctious puppy, and Page was put to bed a little while ago. After two nights here, I'm learning that Page doesn't crash in the late evening when she's tired. Instead like a toddler fighting sleep, she gets manic. She gets the puppy zoomies and flings herself at me and the other dogs. As soon as I put her in her crate, she curled up and fell asleep without even a whimper.

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!

"HEY! That's my tail!"

Connor and Devon at 10 weeks. This is one of my favorite puppy photos of Devon. Connor is really good with puppies.

Welcome Spring!

Today was the first day of Spring! We had a beautiful day here in central Indiana. The sky was clear and blue, but the temps were a little chilly. There was frost on the deck and in the yard when I took the dogs out for the first time this morning. I had a brisk walk into the church for exercise class. I even wore a coat and gloves to start out Devon's first weave session. The coat came off early in the session, but the gloves stayed on! I'm just glad we didn't have snow like they did in NYC and many other places on the East Coast!

So on this first day of Spring, it was only appropriate that the agility equipment sprouted up in the back lot. Well, sprouting sounds like there was little effort, which isn't true. Thanks to my Dad who was a willing helper this afternoon, we got the equipment out of the building and all the contacts put together. I was impressed it only took us an hour to get this done! 

Connor and Devon supervised and helped by cleaning rabbit poop out of the lot. Connor also assisted by being the first dog over all the contact equipment for the year. After I secured the bracing under the dogwalk so it didn't move as much, Devon took her first tour of the contacts for the year. It only took her a couple of times to get the hang of the teeter again. I see more teeter work in her future!

After exercise class this morning, working the dogs this afternoon and moving the equipment outside, I decided I could set up sequences tomorrow! I'm a little sore this evening ... nothing a little ice cream and strawberries and an early bedtime won't cure!

Happy Spring!

Today's weave training and other adventures

Devon discovered exactly what happens when she shows too much energy in the morning - she gets to go work! I got home from my exercise class and Devon was wound. A great time to get in a weave session before training later this afternoon! So out to the agility yard we went.

I put two sets of 2 poles first, then a set of 6 then the last set of 2 poles. This was a little tricky since the bases are quite different. I angled the first base so the first two poles were easier for Devon. I wanted to work those tough right entrances. 

Devon was ready to go and she nailed the first attempt from a low challenge area very well. As we moved down the entry arc to the higher challenge entries, Devon started occasionally entering with the first pole on the right. Just when she got the entry correct, she'd pop out at pole 10. I couldn't reward that! 

I'm sure the reason she popped out here was the difference in the weave bases since she hasn't shown this behavior before. After this happened the second time, I removed the 6 pole base and just worked these tough weave entrances on three sets of 2 pole bases. There was no reason to fight two battles, and what I wanted to work on was her entrances! Although I totally believe in teaching the dogs on 12 poles and moving to 12 poles as soon as possible, I see no reason to work 12 poles if you're having an entry problem. As this session demonstrated, there are other problems that crop up on 12 poles, so why battle two separate issues and end up not being able to reward at all?

OK, off my soap box and back to her session. Devon worked very hard on these right hand entrances. She was close to an 80% success rate, and she was able to get an 8:30 entrance (if the first pole was in the middle of the clock and the poles ran to 12) successfully. Although she didn't want to come back to me very quickly when she failed, she was pulling to get back to the poles and try again. I was really pleased with her work ethic.

This afternoon, I headed to the kennel club for members' training. I was able to have the building to myself since I went so early. A full 1.5 hours to work all three dogs in that building is priceless to me; well worth the price of the membership! 

I decided to work Devon on the 12 poles for the first time in this building. Based on her success on Tuesday with 6 poles and her success yesterday on 12, I was sure she could do it. I first asked for the weaves alone, and she was strong and confident on 12 poles. Then I asked for one jump to the weaves. It was a right hand entrance on the edge between a low challenge and moving into the high challenge. She missed the second attempt but came back strong.

Next I back chained two jumps to the weaves. Devon was very successful, so I asked her to take one jump after the weaves before her reward. Next I asked for a three jump pinwheel before entering the weaves with a low challenge left entry. Success! Then I turned the pinwheel around so she had a high challenge left entry; again we had success! Finally, I worked the first two jumps again to the weaves, but ran it on the left and then with a rear cross; these were also successful, including when I front crossed coming out of the weaves. 

To end the session, I did a sequence with two jumps to the weaves, front cross at the end of the poles (and I purposely front crossed early so she'd see my rotation while she was in the poles), pinwheel to the teeter and three jumps back out. Her weaves were perfect. I could not have been more pleased with her success on these sequences! 

She also worked through her teeter issue and was very strong working it today. In fact, she kept volunteering the teeter and I had a hard time getting her back to working other equipment! After a short break where I worked Ian and then let Connor have some fun, Devon came back out to work another set of sequences which included the A frame and dogwalk. 

I set a nice flowing course that included a "backy-uppy" out of the tunnel over a jump before racing to the A frame. I worked the backy-uppy separately, which was no problem for Devon with her one-jump, recall to heel foundation (Ian had a little more work to do before he read it). Then I back chained it with the tunnel before having Devon do the sequence leading up to the backy-uppy. I rewarded her and then put it all together. 

Devon handled this section equally well, and she stuck all her contacts. She had a very successful agility training session. I gave her another break and then worked on some obedience in the small training ring. She did a lovely job heeling and working fronts. It's nice to have mirrors to see her progress! 

And not to leave Ian out. He also had a great agility session. It's incredible how much faster he is when there's no one around. He's a different dog! He was moving so fast, I was running as hard as I could to keep up with him. It was such fun to let loose and really work him. At this point, I was very glad for my exercise class that I've been taking for a month. The muscle tone and flexibility I've gained saved me today.

Connor also had his big adventure today. I took him out on the floor with me as I was resetting bars from 24 back down to 20 for Devon. Just like last week when I let him into the barn at Pawsitive Energy, he ran around like a crazy puppy. He wagged and ran. In fact, once he jumped over a bar still set at 24 inches. He still has beautiful jumping form. He sailed through a tunnel and up the A frame all on his own, but he put on the brakes when he saw the 24 inch double. He looked back at me as if to say, "Hey mom, can you get over here and fix this? It broke my flow!" Funny how being 9 years old suddenly makes the yellow contact zone on the A frame more appealing! 

The only down side of our training session came when Devon had an accident before she started her second agility session. She likes to "boing" or jump straight in the air from a stand when she's excited. It looks something like what an Aussie or Border Collie would do, and she jumps so high she can look you in the eye or give you a kiss on the cheek (and I'm 5'6"). 

Devon was so excited to come out of the crate the second time to work (after watching both her brothers work), that she was boinging. On the third jump, she hit a table behind her with her behind, about three inches below her tail. Luckily her tail was tucked or it would have been very bad; however it was bad all the same. When she landed, her legs crumpled under her and she landed pretty hard. She kept her tail tucked when she got up and you could tell it hurt. I let her walk it out and moved her to the padded agility flooring and walked her out to make sure she didn't have an injury. As she moved, she recovered and actually volunteered obstacles, so I continued training. 

Tonight she got a traumeel, because I'm sure she's sore. I'm going to walk her out and stretch her very good before we do any training tomorrow. I'm sure there's another appointment with Dr. Bonnie in her future! She's exhausted after two good agility sessions and "helping" this afternoon with equipment. As usual, I'm sure she'll sleep well tonight. She deserves it after the great training day she had.

Connor rules the "my mommy" game

All the dogs play the "my mommy" game, which is what I call it when they race each other to see who can be closest to me. They are all quite good at it. Tonight I was sitting on the couch and Devon reached my side first and put her head in my lap. Connor came up and looked mournfully at me asking where was the room for him. As Devon had planned, there wasn't any. 

I petted Connor as he stood next to me, and he continued to look so pitiful. But don't be fooled. He's a crafty old guy. First, he set his head on my lap, conveniently with his nose over the end of Devon's nose. That turned out to be his only warning to Devon that he was still top dog. In a flash, he came up onto my lap right in front of her face and shoved her off my lap onto the floor. Devon laid on the floor and sighed in defeat. 

Connor enjoyed the cuddle time on my lap. What a good, good boy!

White River Golden Club Awards Banquet

Last night was our annual awards banquet for the White River Golden Retriever Club. I am on the awards committee with good friend Janet. It is a lot of hard work (like sweat) to get the trophies up those stair and get everything set out and organized, but I agree with Janet -- it's worth it! What a nice evening we had, and the room looked great with the tables decorated with balloons and Janet's special door prizes. 

I am especially grateful that this club believes in performance events and rewards them handsomely. There are "top dog" trophies in each sport, and several "combination" trophies that highlight our versatile Goldens. Our club has a lot of trackers, too. We boast two CT Goldens (there were only 26 when our second club member earned theirs), and this year we had SIX club members earn TDXs. That's amazing! As Steve pointed out, some breeds don't even have six TDX dogs! All of these dogs, plus Devon and other dogs in the club, are training VST. I have no doubt our club will become known as a serious tracking club.

And for our family's brags. Devon and another dog tied for the OVERALL FIELD TROPHY. There were several dogs working hunt tests and WC/WCX test this year, and I was quite surprised that 2-year-old Devon earned this trophy. Devon also shares the BEKENS MISSOURI TRAVELER X-TRA MILE CHALLENGE TROPHY with good friend Zoe and Dusty. This combination trophy is for the dog who earns a TDX or CDX and a WCX, not necessarily in the same year. Not to be forgotten, Connor finished his competitive career by being the 3rd place finisher for the TOP AGILITY TROPHY.

I hope you enjoy this photo taken last night with Devon's trophies and the balloons from the event. Oh, and I managed to make a wonderful ham for the banquet, in spite of the trepidation from the board when I announced I was making it!