Good job!! It's amazing how smart our little beasties are, isn't it?
You will be surprised some day at how useful those commands will be, possiby even avoiding another vet scare!

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Gibson's Golden Girl, CD, CGC, TDI (born 3-20-1997), a.k.a. "Tiny"

CH Rosewood Little Giant, UDX VER RA SH MXP MJP VCX WCX CCA CGC FFX-OG (born 3-10-2007), also UCH HR UUD UJJ URO1 UHIT a.k.a. "Tito" (the Tito Monster)

and my heart dog
Gibson's Golden Guy, CD, CGC, TDI ( 01-31-1998 - 01-02-2012) a.k.a. "Toby", "HRH"

Barb - call your repro vet - all the girls are coming in around here - even Ms Towhee just came in... Last time Towhee was in there were I think 9 studlies called in that had been on a wait list so your vet probably keeps a list as well

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Golden moments shared with
Casey, Faelan, Towhee & Brady too !

and forever in my heart, my golden Bridge boys
Rowdy & King

Yes, something must have turned in the air. In the week since Breeze came in season her daughter Bonnie and granddaughter Wings have now come in season as well. Breeze got to be a teaser at the vet last night when we went in for another progesterone test. i am wondering if they are slowing her down now. We are at day 12 and she still has not hit 5ng!!!

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Shelly & the Sterre Goldens
"Breeze" HR Trowsnest Sterre Autumn Breeze Can. SH WCX, Am. MH CCA
"Winter" Can/UKC Ch. Amberwood Winter Wonderland Can. SH WCX CD VCI, Am. SH CD WCX CCA VC, 2007 GRCC Nan Gordon Trophy
"Butch" Sterre Badlands Outlaw JH WC (Ch ptd), Am JH
"Bonnie" Sterre Texas Bluebonnet JH WCI, Am JH
"Wings" Sterre Widgeon on the Wing
"Chrissy" Halfmoon Embellishment (Cavalier)
"Juniper" Amberwood Northern Exposure CD RNCL (Apr15 2002-Feb12 2013)
http://www.sterregold.net

We were at the repro vet yesterday for a semen evaluation for *something* that's coming up, and apparently no one in this area is in season!!

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Gibson's Golden Girl, CD, CGC, TDI (born 3-20-1997), a.k.a. "Tiny"

CH Rosewood Little Giant, UDX VER RA SH MXP MJP VCX WCX CCA CGC FFX-OG (born 3-10-2007), also UCH HR UUD UJJ URO1 UHIT a.k.a. "Tito" (the Tito Monster)

and my heart dog
Gibson's Golden Guy, CD, CGC, TDI ( 01-31-1998 - 01-02-2012) a.k.a. "Toby", "HRH"

A great day at Dan's today. I guess we have to have one like this every so often to keep me going.
Started with a few casting drills, and then ran just 2 blinds. We haven't run any blinds in ages because of the issues we're trying to work through (think popping...). Anyway, he lined both of them. The first one was pretty easy, the second was a rather tricky 125 yard blind thru some fairly heavy and changing cover, down a small incline and back up, across a little ditch. Dan said that that's the stuff that gives a trainer happy goosebumps....when you don't do it for ages, set up a hard one, and the dog just goes out ("trusts the line" he said) like he's been doing it daily. So happy dance there.
On to some marks, we worked on angle in singles off multiple gun stations, to both sides of each gun. Last week he was having some trouble checking up and hunting back in for the angled in marks, which is why we did this, but this week he had no trouble. I suspect the big difference is that we were using ducks, whereas last week we used chukars which are pretty hard to find when they hunker down in the cover.
Finished off with upland steadiness stuff using homing pigeons and chukars, he was completely steady with no collar nicks.
A very good day! Too bad it was cold and windy....Tito's kind of weather for sure, but not mine!

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Gibson's Golden Girl, CD, CGC, TDI (born 3-20-1997), a.k.a. "Tiny"

CH Rosewood Little Giant, UDX VER RA SH MXP MJP VCX WCX CCA CGC FFX-OG (born 3-10-2007), also UCH HR UUD UJJ URO1 UHIT a.k.a. "Tito" (the Tito Monster)

and my heart dog
Gibson's Golden Guy, CD, CGC, TDI ( 01-31-1998 - 01-02-2012) a.k.a. "Toby", "HRH"

Hunt class went well this morning. Only 3 puppies could make it, so it was nice and small. The pups turned 7 months this week. Today was all about doubles. We are working inside due to the weather (we had a complainer). So we set up 2 bowls in the far ends of the arena - probably 20 feet away from the person in the center. The 2 bowls are at 90 degrees from the handler. We put a cookie on each upturned bowl. We had each dog mark each bowl, then sent them to pick up the cookie on one bowl and come back. Then sit before we sent them again to the second bowl. We had to be very careful make sure the puppy did go to both bowls for cookies before coming back to the platform. We also tried to speak as little as possible and use body language to direct the pups. Lucy did super well and didn't make any mistakes. Then we moved onto bumpers. We just set the bumpers on the floor where the bowls had been. We did not do any hey, hey. This was a little harder since food wasn't involved. Until today we have not used food in any of our retrieving. So my girl ran to the bumper but looked all over the ground for the treat. She eventually picked up the bumper and came back. When I sent her for the second bumper she did fine. We ran the drill several times and she was great every time. I think we are ready to increase the distance and go outdoors.

Next weekend our group will be at the dog show watching our breeder show our puppies mom and older sister. Then the weekend after that we are in a Connie Cleveland seminar. She will be here in Anchorage Feb. 2 & 3. She is good friends with our trainer. So we will all be working together for a couple of days. I did take Lucy to a fun match last Sunday. She just flows when she moves across the arena. So if she doesn't make it as a field trial dog, maybe she'll be a show puppy!

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Lucy 2012
Hunter my rescue boy 2006?
Reilly CGC 2007
Tiger 1999-2012
Pennie 2000-2007

We have been doing "marks" like that in the house.

Said mark and threw a cracker to the right and said mark and threw one to the left or vice versa. She waited next to me until released with her name to the last one thrown, come back and then released to the second. Also made her whoa and took a bumper put it in the opposite side of the house, switched rooms, put it on the floor, on the bed (trying to make her look above ground as well as on the ground) for her to retrieve.

Claudia,
Sometimes I take them out to my shop and make them retrieve bumpers that are thrown over boxes and under things. It's not the field, but it does make them look around and find things. It's so much fun to see thei faces when they are marking. I wish I had started our puppy younger than 4 months. I keep hearing that was too late.
Sterregold,
You've done both hunt/field test and conformation on the same weekend, how do you manage to be ready for all that at virtually the same time?

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Lucy 2012
Hunter my rescue boy 2006?
Reilly CGC 2007
Tiger 1999-2012
Pennie 2000-2007

Don't know about being too late Alaska. Some training books (the oldies) recommend not to really start until they are one year old. Retrieving is their natural instinct - in one book I was reading about a field champion dog who would not even chase a ball until he was nine months old - it was all a matter of when those instincts kick in.

I totally disagree that 4 months old is too late. The instinct is there, or it isn't. We started at 3 years old, and he's done just fine.

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Gibson's Golden Girl, CD, CGC, TDI (born 3-20-1997), a.k.a. "Tiny"

CH Rosewood Little Giant, UDX VER RA SH MXP MJP VCX WCX CCA CGC FFX-OG (born 3-10-2007), also UCH HR UUD UJJ URO1 UHIT a.k.a. "Tito" (the Tito Monster)

and my heart dog
Gibson's Golden Guy, CD, CGC, TDI ( 01-31-1998 - 01-02-2012) a.k.a. "Toby", "HRH"