Tag Archives: Golden Retrievers

10

Mar. ’14

Updates and Changes

Cuddle buddies

Cuddle buddies

Since our last post several things have happened.

Bonnie is no longer afraid to jump into the van. Greg figured out a can’t resist treat and played “find it” by tossing cooked chicken closer and closer to and finally into the van. At one point our slightly stubborn pup was up on her hind feet firmly on the ground with her body, neck and finally tongue stretched as far as she could go to get that yummy treat. The next time the treat landed far enough in the van that she had no choice but to jump in. They repeated this several times and that’s all it took.

Belle loves going to Rural King. When Greg gets home early enough from work, he has been taking Belle to Rural King. They walk around and explore the parking lot (she is on her leash) then venture inside where there are lots of people who want to greet her. She is a little cautious when meeting folks but after a couple of seconds she is all about the attention they are giving her. And if they want to throw in a tummy rub, well that’s ok too.

We have decided to switch gears with our training and are no longer attending Canine Good Citizen classes. We haven’t given up on our goals of having the pups tested but have decided to work on the skills on our own and continue on from there.

This past weekend the pups had fun playing and cuddling with our oldest Grandson who came for a weekend visit. When we returned from taking him back, the pups looked all over the house for their buddy.

Last but not least the pups are totally enjoying the large mud puddle in their puppy pen courtesy of all the melting snow. No explanation necessary except to say that I have been waiting for the snow to go away, (Sh…we won’t talk about the possible several inches of snow we are suppose to get tomorrow night into Wednesday or the next system they are hinting about on Sunday/Monday) and mud puddles are a part of that process so pups splash away!

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27

Feb. ’14

But It’s Cold Outside!

If this morning was any indication the pups are just as tired of the extreme cold temperatures as the rest of us are.
Both pups were curled up on the couch when I came to tell them that it was time for them to go out to their puppy porch and yard.

Bonnie was careful not to move or react as she pretended that she didn’t see or hear me, although I did see her eyebrow wiggle.
Belle willingly jumped off the couch and trotted to…Bonnie’s crate and curled up in a ball all set to snuggle in for the day.

I went out to the kitchen and rang their “gotta go out” chime. They both came running to see what the excitement was all about. Bonnie’s enthusiasm for an adventure took her right out the open door into their porch. Belle stopped at my side, and gave me a dirty look that clearly said “I can not believe you did that!” then proceeded to follow her sister out the door.
Belle was the first one to greet me when I came home from work tonight so I think she forgave me. Thank you pup!

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23

Feb. ’14

Pups Trip to Rural King

We took the pups to Rural King this afternoon. Of course the first challenge was getting Bonnie into the van. She absolutely did. not. want. to. go. ! We got her in the van where she proceeded to shake, shiver and huddle in as small a ball as she could get. I sat in the back with her and Belle and petted and talked softly to her, by the time we had been on the road for about 10 minutes she started to settle down. Belle had a good time on the drive over keeping track of all of the other cars making sure they didn’t get too close.

When we got to Rural King, a drive of about 25 minutes, the pups were ready to get out and explore. It was the perfect obstacle course. They had to walk on three different surfaces blacktop, carpet, and cement. There were many opportunities to obey the leave it command, spilled popcorn, plastic wrap, tape, and baby chicks, yep baby chicks just to name a few.

I took Bonnie and went one way and Greg took Belle and went another. Half way through our visit we switched pups. The reactions to the pups were varied, some folks asked if they could pet them which turned into a good lesson in polite greeting and not jumping. Other folks asked about them and shared about the pups in their life. Still others talked to the pups in broken english and gently petted them. There were a few who saw us and looked away as if to say if “I don’t look at them they won’t bother me.” Both Greg and I tried to be sensitive to the folks around us and honor their space as well as monitor the pups reactions and be supportive of them.

When it was time to go home both dogs jumped willingly into the van and settled down for a nap. It was great to see them settle down so quickly while in the store and to see Bonnie realize that maybe riding in the van isn’t as bad as she thought it was.

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11

Feb. ’14

Passing a Milestone, Pup Style

They did it! The other night Greg and I decided to see how the pups would do not being crated during the night. We carefully put up high, very high anything that might be a temptation to our 1-1/2 year old pups, which is pretty much everything. They did great! The only thing I found was one of the kitchen curtains had been knocked down and that was courtesy of Linus kitty.

We have now successfully made it through 3 nights and while the pups are not ready to be left in the house unsupervised, they are sure doing an awesome job sleeping all night without getting into mischief. Yea pups we are so proud of you! Oh and yes I know it could change at anytime because after all they are still our mischievous pups 🙂

What milestones have you met with your pets? Milestones that have brought you joy and excitement with a dose of “I can’t believe we made it” thrown in for good measure?

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03

Feb. ’14

Communication Pup Style

Cuddling

Cuddling

I get a big kick out of how Bonnie and Belle communicate with each other. It’s pretty much silent unless they are rough housing then we hear some play grumbles, a few yips, and some short barks.

During playtime I’ve watched them flawlessly pass tennis balls to each other without making a sound. Or when they have snitched something they aren’t supposed to have one pup will pass it to the other one and look at me as if to say, “I don’t have it, she does”

Bonnie likes to have Belle go outside with her and she has been known to ring the “gotta go out” chime then refuse to go out if Belle isn’t beside her. Bonnie then goes to wherever Belle might be and simply looks at her and Belle will sigh, get up and go with her sister outside.

When Belle is ready to come back into the house she waits patiently by the door for us to let her in. Bonnie on the other hand will bop the door with her paw to say “I’m ready to come in now. Please, please let me in”.

If Bonnie comes into the house but Belle isn’t ready yet she has been known to ring the chime to let us know that Belle is ready to come in.

I’ve watched them communicate with each other and us by a gentle nudge, with a look, and sometimes I think with each other at least telepathically.

How do your pets communicate with each other?

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02

Feb. ’14

Two Pups and a Kitty

Bonnie, Belle and Linus the snuggle bunch

Bonnie, Belle and Linus the snuggle bunch

Welcome to our page! Bonnie and Belle are sisters as well as littermates. They will be 2 years old in June 2014. We got the pups from a reputable kennel when they were 9 weeks old. They are precious loveable stinkers. The pups are pretty identical so Bonnie wears a red collar and Belle wears blue.

We have been through 3 rounds of obedience training and are currently in training to take the Canine Good Citizen test. We have been prayerfully considering training the pups as therapy dogs and time will tell if they are suited for that.

Bonnie is outgoing, mischievous and a bit anxious although she has a big heart. When given a command she tends to think about it for a bit before obeying. We are working on that. She loves to show off her squeaker skills and continually tries to teach Belle how to squeak the tennis ball.

Belle, is a little more laid back, definitely wants to be the “good girl” and for the most part is the first to respond to a command. She is trying to learn how to squeak the tennis ball but is doing very well in catching it and bringing it back to be thrown again. She has been known to take her sister down if Bonnie gets to it first.

Linus is a long hair kitty, he is 8 months old and thinks he is a golden retriever 🙂 Linus and Belle have a special bond although all three of them play and snuggle together. The other day I gave Bonnie the “leave it” command as she was rough housing with Linus, that’s when I realized that Linus was playing just as hard and was being the instigator in the playtime.

Thank you for joining us in our day to day adventures with our two pups and a kitty!

Posted by . Categories: Cats, Golden Retrievers, Pets, Relationships. Tags: , , , . 4 Comments