Hello from the Chicago suburbs

I would like to finally offer my introduction after having used this awesome site numerous times for advice on raising my first golden retriever. My golden, whose name is Barkley, is just a little over 6 months old (born 4-18-09). She has been an amazing dog so far and everything I could have imagined for my first golden. She was actually just spayed today so she is a little more quiet then normal. She is normally full of the joy and love for life as only seen in a golden. I would like to thank everyone on this site for all of their helpful advice so far and hopefully I can offer some advice of my own as I gain experience in raising my puppy.