Tag Archives: Golden Retrievers

08

Jun. ’15

While Wearing My Grandma Hat…

While I was wearing my Grandma hat the past few weeks helping our daughter and her family when their new baby girl was born, the pups stayed busy.  They had fun during their stay at Paws Here, the pet resort they vacation at while we are away.  This was their longest stay so far and they did fine.   We called and checked on them often and discovered that the thunder parties we’ve been throwing worked and they could have cared less when there was a thunderstorm. Yea! Thunder Parties I recommend them!!  Now if we could just get Bess used to blow dryers…

Greg was only able to stay for part of the time due to work so on his way home he stopped to picked up the pups. They were happy to see Greg  and when he called to let me know they were all back home he put me on speaker phone so I could greet them and Bess licked the phone when she heard my voice.  Miss Lucy kitty waited until the next day to welcome Greg back home, preferring to stay hidden in the secret place that she goes when she doesn’t want to be found. Linus on the other hand spent the first evening home on Greg’s lap not caring that the pups were also taking turns being on Greg’s lap. Thank goodness for oversized recliners.   Later that week Greg put me on speaker phone again so I could talk to Lucy and when she heard my voice she head bopped the phone like she head bops me every morning.

When I returned home yesterday afternoon after being gone for 2-1/2 weeks the pups and kitties were glad to see me.  Bonnie after greeting me hid under the dining room table, when I knelt down on the floor and called to her, she came to me and buried her head in my shoulder staying that way while I gently talked to her and petted her.  Later that night she did that again before curling up beside me on the couch.

Belle was just as glad to have her world back to normal and has been asking for and receiving lots of love and cuddles.

Bess grew A LOT while I was away. She is a bit bigger than her sisters now and tonight when she brought me her toy then later while watching her walk away from me she reminded of a cross between Snuffleupagus (from Sesame Street) and the dog slinky toy.

Belle, Bess and Bonnie

Belle, Bess and Bonnie

While at our daughter’s we were  able to spend time with our granddog Patch.  Patch is 2 years old and does a good job taking care of his family.  When I went to leave he gently licked my arm goodbye when I gave him a goodbye love and cuddle.

Our Granddog Patch

Our Granddog Patch

As I write this the house is quiet, Greg has gone to bed and I am in our dining room surrounded by 3 pups and a couple of kitties all sleeping soundly.

Posted by . Categories: Cats, Golden Retrievers. Tags: , . 2 Comments

05

May. ’15

We Interrupt This Night Of Sleep For A Thunderstorm

So…two things happened at the same time last night at 2:00am. I woke up to three golden retrievers standing on and around me and I heard a very loud close crack of thunder.  Lora our trainer would be proud, as I was coming out of the fog of sleep I heard myself say, “Yea! Thunder!…

After I persuaded the pups that I was awake and to get off of me, I got up to go shut windows closely followed by three 4 footed window shutting supervisors.  When we final made it down the stairs  we woke up Lucy kitty who could have cared less about the storm and let us know we were disturbing her sleep. Sorry Girl!

Windows shut I told the pups that it was still bedtime and we were going back to bed. They again closely followed me back up the stairs to bed where they proceeded to let Greg know all that was going on. After a bit with several Yea thunders and “it’s fine” added to the mix we managed to get everyone settled down and when we turned the lights back off Bonnie was curled up between Greg and I, Belle was on the floor as close to my side of the bed as she could get, and Bess stationed herself in hallway where she occasionally would snuffle growl at the distancing thunder.

Thinking back on it the pups woke us up in a manner true to their personalities.  Bess stood on me and expected me to get up. We are still working on the fact that something being stood on by a 50 + pound pup doesn’t move too easily, pretty much the way if we stand in the way of the door it won’t open. She starting to understand, it takes time.

Belle maneuvered between me and Bess and alternatively licked my face and used her head with all of her 60+ pounds behind it to nudge me off of the bed.  Bonnie also 60+ pounds was on the bed getting some licks in but upon seeing her sisters getting the job done decided to let them take care of it.

All in all it didn’t take too long maybe 45 minutes to get everyone settled back down. Just enough of an interruption in sleep that Bonnie at 6:00am is already taking a nap!

Posted by . Categories: Anxiety, Golden Retrievers, Thunderstorms. Tags: , , . 5 Comments

24

Apr. ’15

Bonnie and the CGC Test

It dawned on me that I never let you folks know how Bonnie pup did with the CGC Test earlier this week.

After several weeks of class and practice she did much better than I could have ever imagined.  Our Bonnie is a tad bit stubborn and thoughtfully thinks about the commands she is given. She tends to subscribe to the “what’s in it for me” theory and I mistakenly waited until we were too close to the test to practice the commands without treats.  And for my Bonnie pup an excited “That’s my girl” hugs and loves doesn’t quite have the same effect as awesome yummy treats.  Yet another lesson learned.

There were several tasks on the test that I knew Bonnie wouldn’t have a problem with but the thing that amazed me was the fact that she passed the polite greeting task. Meaning that when I was greeted and she was greeted she did not jump up on the person. People who know us and our pups understand that is huge and to be honest when she didn’t jump and a bit later sat without a treat I looked at her with a “are you sure you are my dog” look.  Thankfully she didn’t notice.

Bonnie came close but did not pass the test.  We know what we need to work on and hope to retake the test sometime in the not too distant future.   Bonnie pup I’m very proud of you, you did good!

Bonnie

Bonnie

Posted by . Categories: CGC classes, Dog Training, Friendship, Golden Retrievers. Tags: , , , . 4 Comments

18

Apr. ’15

A “Quiet” Saturday Morning

A few weeks ago we decided to try having Bess pup sleep uncrated upstairs with Bonnie, Belle and Greg and I.  After a week getting used to the new arrangement it’s working out well and the crate will be taken down and stored for some future use.

Our weekday wake up time is 5:00am but on weekends I like to try and sleep in a bit so last night I asked the pups if we could please sleep in until 6:00am.  This morning at 5:30am I woke up to see Bess puppy standing over me with her stuffed toy in her mouth asking me if we could please, please get up.  Since it was at least past 5:00am I agreed much to her delight.

It’s finally warm enough to have the windows open and I’ve enjoyed a peaceful morning listening to the birds as I’ve been working on typing up Sunday’s bulletin.   As seen in the following pictures taken this morning the pups and Lucy kitty enjoyed the lazy quiet start as much as I did.   Linus didn’t get in on the picture taking as he ran upstairs to go snuggle with Greg.

Of course the quiet of the morning has been interspersed with multiple trips outside, a few roughhousing playtimes between all three pups and multiple leave it, gives, and redirection for our pup who is still learning what she can chew on. Plus a give command  and a reminder for Belle to not chew on my shoe, yes the shoe was put up and she had to reach for that tasty morsel. Yep, we’re always learning and no, she hasn’t done that for a long, long time.

Oh and Lucy has left her computer supervisor position to go to her perch on top of Greg’s recliner where she surveys her kingdom and keeps the rest of us in line.

Wishing you all a wonderful Saturday!

Lucy Kitty, my computer buddy

Lucy Kitty, my computer buddy

Bonnie and Bess

Bonnie and Bess

Belle

Belle

Belle and Bonnie

Belle and Bonnie

Bess

Bess

Posted by . Categories: British Cream Golden Retrievers, doggy playtime, Golden Retrievers, Kitties. Tags: , , , , , . 5 Comments

11

Apr. ’15

Tug of War and Keep Away

A few days ago I washed the pups old but beloved stuffed, (well mostly unstuffed since part of the “fun” of these toys seems to be taking the stuffing out) animals. When they were dry I scattered them on the floor and stood back to see what would happen.  Belle was the first to make her choice.  Then a couple of minutes later they began a three way tug of war.  Finally Bess got a little sassy as only little sisters can and taunted her sisters with the prized toy of the minute in a glorious game of keep away!  They all had a fun time.

Freshly Washed Toys!

Freshly Washed Toys!

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So many to choose from

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Three way tug!

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Hey, girls look what I have!

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Do you want it?

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Nope I don’t think so!

Posted by . Categories: doggy playtime, games, Golden Retrievers. Tags: , , , . 1 Comment

07

Apr. ’15

Bess’s First Thunder Storm

So…. last night we decided to see how Bess pup who is 6 months old would handle sleeping upstairs with her sisters and Greg and I uncrated.

The only areas the pups have access to overnight is the hallway and our. Even then Bess was pretty antsy and she just didn’t quite know what to do because you know there were lots of good smells to sniff and lots of exploring to do.

Then all of a sudden there was a flash of light and a few seconds later some fairly loud rumbling.  Bess immediately started barking  to let us know there was something going on.  Belle jumped up on the bed to nudge me off of the bed to go take care of whatever that was. Bonnie stood at the ready to see what we were going to do.

Our dog trainer Lora during one of Bess’s puppy classes told us to make thunderstorms a party so puppies can handle the storms better.  Remembering that, I thought to myself how do you have a party at 11:30 at night, well by turning it into a slumber party of course.  Calling the pups to come with me we headed downstairs, it had been several months since we had had a thunderstorm so all three dogs were stuck like glue to my side.  We had cuddle time during the worst of the storm, yes, it is possible to cuddle three golden retrievers weighing between 50- 60 some lbs each at the same time. When the storm started to move away I grabbed a quilt and settled down in our oversized recliner for the night.  Bonnie decided to share the chair with me, Bess was happily laying on the floor about a foot from me, and Belle was curled up on the couch also about a foot from me.   Linus and Lucy kitties weren’t bothered by the storm but they did curl up on the chair with me to give their support. Thanks Kitties!

This morning Bess woke me up by gently laying her head on my arm, saying “it’s morning, I need to go outside please.”  After checking things out I discovered that Bess did well being uncrated all night, there were no accidents and nothing was chewed up, so we’ll give it another try tonight, hopefully there won’t be any storms to add to the fun so we can sleep upstairs.

Posted by . Categories: Anxiety, British Cream Golden Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Kitties, Pets, Thunderstorms. Tags: , , , , , . 4 Comments

06

Apr. ’15

Belle Pup April Update

Belle became very anxious at the  CGC class again tonight so she and Greg ended up leaving early.  On the way home they stopped at a park and went for a long walk.  Greg said she did just fine and they had a good time.

We have decided that for Belle the journey to becoming a therapy dog is done.  For whatever reason she just gets too anxious.  We have tried several things to help her and while it makes it better it doesn’t take her anxiety completely away and we love her way too much to put her through that.

So Abbott’s Timber Creek Mae Belle is not going to be a mama, because of her hip dysplasia, and she isn’t going to become a therapy dog because of her anxieties but she is going to continue to be our Belle baby, the snuggler, the “wake Margret upper”,  the blanket stealer, the tennis ball loving, second in command  of our 4 footed family members, (Lucy kitty is still first.) precious, special smiley pup.

Belle Pup

Belle Pup

Posted by . Categories: Anxiety, Golden Retrievers, hip dysplasia, Pets, Relationships. Tags: , , , . 2 Comments

22

Mar. ’15

You’re Home!

The pups usually are in the doorway of the kitchen to greet me when I come home each day from work.  This past Friday after a very busy long week I saw Bonnie peeking through the window watching me walk up to the house.  When I went into the house she said  “Oh, you are home, Yea! You are home,(happy sigh) Okay, I’m going to go finish my supper now.” this was accompanied by a quickly wagging tail, a smiley face and leaning into the pat and cuddle from me.

Bess met me at the door too with full body very excited wiggles and licks, cue the peppy music. “You’re HOME! You’re HOME! You’re HOME! my life is complete! Ok gotta run and go eat NOW!” and she was off and running.

Before I made it up the 4 stairs from the backdoor into the kitchen Belle  appeared tail wagging, eager for her greeting but she had a tired look on her face  then she said, ” Boy, I’m glad you’re home! That puppy has been bouncing around all day, can’t you do something about her? It’s your turn, I’m taking a break!

Linus was lying upstairs on our bed, where he usually at this time, resting from his very busy day of being Linus and looks to me and says, “Oh, good you’re home” and goes back to sleep.

Lucy was  perched on the back of the chair which is her custom and told me all about her day and what she had to do to keep Linus in line. She accompanied by a forehead bump her way of saying I love you.

What a great way to be welcomed home!

Posted by . Categories: Cats, Golden Retrievers, Pets, Relationships. Tags: , , , , . 1 Comment

17

Mar. ’15

Belle

Last night was Belle’s first time at the current sessions of Canine Good Citizen test classes and she….had a total meltdown.

Belle is our alpha dog, she is the sturdy, “I’ll take care of it”, serious (well as serious as a Golden Retriever who is 2 -1/2 years old can be), and is second in command to Lucy kitty for the title of family Matriarch and the job of keeping this crew in line.  So it broke my heart to have her be so scared.  I was working with Bonnie and Greg is working with Belle, and Greg pretty much spent most of the class walking Belle outside where she would be fine only to come in the room where we were having class to try again.

We stayed after class to talk to Lora, our trainer, to do some brainstorming to try and figure out what is going on with our pup.  We came to the conclusion that it might be anxiety over being with the other dogs as wonderful as they were and came up with several ways to help Belle.  Next week we are going to try some of those suggestions and see if it makes a difference for Belle.

It’s amazing how quickly goals can change.  We started these classes as you all know as a step towards the pups becoming therapy dogs. Now although it would be great if the pups pass the CGC test and we are still working towards that goal, the focus for Belle right now has become to help her through this anxiety so she feels comfortable and secure.

Belle and Greg working on Sit/Stay

Belle and Greg working on Sit/Stay

Belle and her Greg

Belle and her Greg

Posted by . Categories: Anxiety, Dog Training, Golden Retrievers. Tags: , , . 3 Comments

09

Mar. ’15

Two Pups and a Kitty

Hi all

Just a quick note to let everyone know that I have changed the name of my blog and Facebook page from Two Pups and a Kitty to Three Pups and Two Kitties.    Lucy Kitty is deciding that she wants to take part in our stories more often and of course we have added Miss Bessie Sprout Puppy to our family so hence the new name Three Pups and Two Kitties.

As always thanks for taking the time to read our posts.  We really appreciate it.

 

Posted by . Categories: Cats, Golden Retrievers, Pets. Tags: , , , , . 2 Comments