Catching up

So, it has been a few months since I have updated you on Mr. Partner.

I need to fix that!

Basically, he is amazing!

He has been coming to college with me since the beginning of the semester and has recently started coming with me to my work- I work at a dog kennel and he is learning to stay calmly in a dog run.

He is still as confident as any of the Labs I have raised- something I have heard is rare with the Goldens.

We are working on loose leash walking still- he doesn't drag me but I would appreciate a "J" in the leash.

If I am focused on him 100%, he walks like a perfect angel, but if I am busy with something else he likes to pull. 

Just another fun part of puppy raising! 

I really can't believe this kid is already 8 months old! How did that happen?

At his 6 month evaluation, our CFR said that she loved his mellow and easygoing personality. She took him off on a walk and came back with tons of praise! She was actually so impressed with him that she took some pictures to send to the breeding department haha!

I would say that for an 8 month old puppy he is extremely well behaved! I can already leave him alone in the house for an hour or two and he has spent several nights loose in my room without any damage- so far! 

He hasn't really hit puberty yet so I suppose I should hold my praise!

Updates!

Wow, I have fallen soo behind on my blog! 

A quick update on what we have been doing:
Partner is getting big!

At his vet appointment on Friday he weighed 30lbs! He has officially had all of his shots!

On Saturday we attended the Jelly Belly Fun Day hosted by the Solano County puppy raisers! Partner did amazingly well considering he was the youngest puppy there! (Pups under 20 weeks needed CFR approval- Partner is 16 weeks but we were able to get approved just before the outing).

Partner at Jelly Belly

I am really impressed with this puppy! So far, he seems to have the ability to relax on outings while still being able to get up and go when its time. 

He has already been to the movies, monster mini golf, regular mini golf, and bowling (Along with less stressful outings such as the grocery store etc.) I usually try to wait when it comes to such exciting socializations but Partner has handled everything that comes at him in stride so far! He hasn't appeared at all stressed out by what we are doing. I always make sure that we will be able to leave an outing if it becomes too much for him but so far I haven't had to.

I have heard that Goldens are often the opposite of labs- They start off super easy and can develop issues later on. I am trying to expose Partner to as much as possible in a positive way in the hopes that these issues don't come up later on. I guess only time will tell if this is the right approach or not.

The one thing we are really working on right now is separation. Partner does not like to be left alone for very long! He is fine on a tie-down, in a crate or in an X-Pen while you are in his line of sight but the moment you leave the little brat comes out! He starts barking and crying and he has a long attention span!

It is so hard to put him in a cage and then listen to him cry forever! 

Oh well. Just one of the many things puppy raisers have to do in order to raise a well behaved doggy!

Now for a Carrie update...

Carrie is officially in phase 1 of her training! 

They learn a ton in phase one!

She is learning:

Clicker training

Formal obedience

Body handling acceptance

How to wear a harness

How to use a treadmill

How to focus around distractions

Pattern training

How to stop at curbs

Food refusal

How to back up

How to load in and out of the van for socialization

Wow! She must be a busy girl! I know that she is having the time of her life right now! 

Carrie has always loved to learn and I felt a little bad because, as puppy raisers we aren't supposed to teach any tricks. Carrie had to watch the Diabetic Alert Dogs learning new and exciting things and you could just see her thinking that she wanted to learn too. Now she gets to and I'm so happy for her! Hopefully she is behaving!

I also got an update from Emily telling me that she knows someone who saw her a while ago! They said that she had a roommate (Something I was thrilled to hear because I know they don't all get one) and that she looked super happy!

Group's puppies:

Brayden is in phase 8

Bev is in phase 8

Ventana is in phase 4

Ruby is in phase 4

3 Things at 3 Months

A few days late but I wanted to wait until after Carrie was at Guide Dogs to post Partner's monthly post.  Partner is now the main focus of this blog and I am hoping that I will be able to keep up with posting now that I no longer feel like I am favoring one or the other- I always start to feel a little badly about certain things when I double up with puppies.

Anyways...

Here are a few things I have learned about Partner since I have had him:

1.  Partner is a Smart Cookie! In less than a few weeks, he had already learned his name, sit, wait, okay, come and is currently working on learning to ring a set of bells when he needs to go out. He had also learned how to open the dog food  containers- We will be replacing those ASAP!

2. Partner is a People Dog! Despite living in a house with 3 other pet dogs and a few Diabetic Alert Dogs who come in and out, Partner is not super interested in playing with them.  He likes to run around with them but his face doesn't light up when he sees the other dogs- as it does when he sees us. So far, he has much preferred to  play with his "mamma" than his "siblings". It will be interesting to see if he grows out of this or not.

3. Partner is Special. I feel so honored to have been asked to take Partner. My leader guesses that they chose the name Partner for him because he was the result of the partnership between the 3 schools. Due to the fact that he is from another school, Guide Dogs will be looking at him closely for breeding in order to expand their Golden Retriever breeding colony. I am hopeful that I can turn this little fluff-ball into a breeder- or at least guide!- worthy dog!

Welcome Partner!!

This morning I drove down to San Rafael to welcome my 5th Guide Dog puppy, Partner!!

He was born March 9th, which makes him 11 weeks old. He weighs 18lbs and is a little fluff-ball! He has a white spot on his head and white splotches on one of his back feet and the chubbiest tummy!!

Turns out, he is actually from both Guiding Eyes for the Blind (GEB) and Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind (GDF)! His father is GEB's Onslo and his mother is GDF's Sue.

Cuteness overload!!

Partner

Because everybody loves a puppy butt ;)

"What's that?"

So far (A few hours lol) He has been super good! He slept the whole way home and has pottied every time I have asked him to! 

I can't wait to spend a year with this little guy!!

14 Months Old!!

Today is a big day! Carrie turns 14 months old today which means that she is technically old enough to be called back to Guide Dogs for her formal training at any time! (Yikes!).

For her 14 month post, I just wanted to share 14 of my favorite pictures of her. (You have probably already seen them all since they are my favorite haha).
So, in no particular order, my favorite pictures:

Itty Bitty Baby Carrie

In her Guide Dog Puppy attire

Dressed up like a princess for the Nutcracker Ballet

Working hard in English class

Her trip to Disneyland

Her first birthday

All smiles!

Silly Sitter

First Christmas

What a good girl!

The first picture we took of her!

Carrie and I at the beach

Senior portraits

Disneyland hats!



1 Thing at 1 Month!

So... I probably shouldn't be doing monthly posts yet for this puppy because goodness knows things change all the time... 

But I thought I would anyways!

One thing I know about you...

... At 4 weeks old you are starting to display your personality and beginning to move around more!
(Kinda 2 but oh well haha)

Happy 1 month "A" pups!

13 Reasons Why I LOVE This Dog

Wow, I cannot believe that in just one more month, Carrie will be old enough to be recalled for her formal training. To celebrate her 13 months here are 13 reasons it will break my heart to let her go:

1. Carrie is a spooner! We literally have it down to where I just lay down on the ground with a blanky and she turns in a 1/2 circle so her back is against my tummy and her head is resting on my arm <3

2. I love how Carrie is a "good" kisser. Okay, this one sounds funny! But seriously, she is great at giving those quick kisses that don't have any tongue ;)

3. Carrie's likes to show people how wonderful she is for having her toys! She is a total toy parader and likes to grab a toy and do a full body wiggle- or her "Happy Dance", as I like to call it.

4. Now combine #2 & #3 and you get Carries absolute favorite thing to do: Give kisses with toys in her mouth! Now this one can be a little dangerous and we try not to praise her too much for it. But she has so much fun we let her do it a little! (Just as long as the toy in her mouth has no sharp edges haha)

5. Carrie has the most loving gaze ever!  Part most of this probably has something to do with all that wonderful food I carry around with me but she has this "gaze" that just melts my heart.  One of my teachers once told me "Everyone should have somebody to stare at them like that" lol.

6. She thinks that getting her ears cleaned is the best game ever! (Weird, I know).

7. Carrie trusts me. She knows that I make decisions that are best for her and is trusting enough to change her attitude towards things that might be scary.

8. I love how she is a good listener. We have a very large fenced area for the dogs to run around in.  Carrie has an amazing recall and will literally leave skid marks in the grass when she hears the word "Come".

9.  I love how she has a little bit of OCD and has to have her blankies perfectly alligned before she can lay down on them.

10. I love her happy-go-lucky personality. Having her with me is exactly what I need to brighten my day. And school is made approximately 1000Xs better!

11. I love how incredibly strongly I have bonded with her.

12. I love her silly smart bump. 

13. And I have loved  every single second I have had with her.  Even the ones that smelled bad ;)

Birthday Girl!

Today was Carrie's Birthday!!
And boy oh boy did she have a big day!

Her birthday celebrations actually started yesterday.  She works at two places (The school and the hospital) so she got to have TWO parties!

We made a poster to put up at the hospital letting them know they could come get a cookie. Compliments of Carrie of course :)

Everyone loves Carrie at the hospital so when they heard that it was her birthday she was given lots of extra love.  One of my mom's friends took her out for a super long walk and made her wear her birthday hat (:

Then, today I took her to school and- even though it was dumping rain and she was wearing a rain coat instead of a party hat- all of the kids wished her happy birthday.

And THEN (as if that wasn't enough) we went to a puppy meeting and brought cake for everyone to share!

I can't believe she is a year! These past 10 months have gone by incredibly fast! I can't wait to see what is in store for her in the future- whatever it may be. But I must say, I am NOT ready for turn in! I love this dog sooo much!

11 Things at 11 Months!

This month, for Carrie's monthly post, I decided to write 11 things that I love about her!

Naughty puppy climbed over the seat to say hi

1. Carrie is a Cuddle Bug! She loves to snuggle and if you sit on the ground she will come try to sit on your lap.

2. Carrie is a little Shadow. She follows me from room to room and likes to keep an eye on me. I can't even take a shower in this house without the dog following me into the bathroom!

3. I love love love her "Smart Bump". I guess one of her more "goldeny" traits is her silly bump on top of her head. It is pretty enormous and looks quite rediculous at times but it deffinately suits her. I swear it changes with her water intake! The more she drinks, the bigger it gets!

4. Another trait she inherited from her golden retriever genes is her feathery tail. She looks like a lab until you see her tail-which has just recently sprouted feathers that swish back and forth with each wag!

5. Carrie is smart! She picks up on things incredibly fast and is especially good at things that involve food.

6. Which brings me to the next thing I love about her: She is Food Motivated! Carrie will do just about anything for the magic word  ("Nice") that means food is coming. This is one of the things she inherited from the Labrador: She LOVES food. It has really come in handy when it comes to getting her over the car problems she had in the beginning.

7. Carrie is trusting. Being a softer-type dog, there are occasionally times when she gets a little uncomfortable. When this happens, it has been amazing to see her look up at me, see that I'm not scared, and choose to trust me and continue on without any fear.

8. She is a Goof Ball! Carrie is my silly, silly girl. She likes to clown off during her free time at home. She does 360 spins when the food bowl comes out and she will prance when she is happy.

9. Carrie has the prettiest smile ever! When she is really happy, she will give the biggest smile you have ever seen and it ends up looking a little goofy because of her crooked teeth!

10. I love her Size. She is the biggest female I have raised so far at about 60lbs. I have always had a soft spot for the super big boy dogs and I love that- while not huge- I don't have to bend over to pet her like I did with my last two girlies.

11. Carrie is the first altered puppy and also the first cross I have raised. She was altered at 6 months because of her funny teeth and I am excited to send her back and not have to wait through the agony of breeder evals.  And having a cross has been a ton of fun! She is different than the labs I have raised in so many ways and I feel like I am learning so much through her.

10 Month Day!

Wow! I cannot believe that my baby girl has grown up so fast!

At 10 months Carrie has pretty much learned all of the basics that she will need later for formal training.  From here on out we will be mostly doing touch-up on her commands and going on more difficult outings.

This month, for Carrie's 10 things I thought I would list things that she has learned and what she needs to improve on. It will probably be long (Hey, 10 things is a lot!) so feel free to skim ;)

1. Carrie has learned how to "sit", "down", and "stand" on command.  Now we have to work with her on doing them a little faster. She seems to think that as long as she does it, it's okay. She tends to do her commands in slow motion.

2. She has learned the appropriate way to greet new people. Of course, knowing what's right and doing it are different things! She will occasionally get a serious case of the wiggles- she doesn't do this with everyone and I still am not sure what triggers it. So in the next few months I will be working on getting her to greet everyone calmly.

3. Carrie has gotten over her fear of cars! Yay! When I first got Carrie she was SO affraid of cars. She wouldn't get into them or walk around them and when a loud one went by she would startle. From now on, I will just continue to work with her around them so that hopefully when I send her back, her car issues won't come up again.

4. She has learned to "Go to Bed". She will officially go to her bed when told and lay on it until you let her know it is okay to get off.

5. She has learned how to stay on a tie-down for long periods of time. This one has been extremely useful when I take her to school with me. It is something we stress from a young age with our puppies and I can happily say that she rocks at it :)

6. Carrie has learned how to dependably "Do Her Business" on command. We have, and will continue to, work with her on all surfaces.  I hope to eventually get her down to 2 bowel movements per day (she's at 3 now). It isn't all that important but it would be easier!

7. We have also been teaching Carrie to walk on all surfaces. For many dogs, different surfaces make them uncomfortable. Carrie is no different but the things that make her uncomfortable certainly are! While many dogs dislike walking over grates, Carrie has no problems with them. Her dislike is for pine needles. So we will be working on her with pine needles from now on.

8. Another important thing that these puppies have to learn is food refusal. Carrie has to be able to walk by tasty things on the ground and not pick them up. I think the best place to work on this stuff is the High School. There are a lot of messy kids at my school. We have come across just about everything from gummy bears to entire pizza slices. She does well but is still a bit distracted by it. I hope to eventually have her to the point of not even looking at it.

9. Carrie has learned that she shouldn't try to make friends with every other doggie she comes into contact with. I am actually rather impressed with her in that she isn't one to usually be dog distracted. I do want to get more work with this though just to make sure she is dependable.

10. Lastly, I have tried to maintain a positive training experience with Carrie. I try to keep everything as fun for her as possible unless she gets too excited. I have had loads of fun with her. She is a happy girl and she likes to work. She is good in public and has the drive needed for a working dog. The last 8 months have been so much fun and I am excited to see where we will be in a few more. No matter where she is or what she is doing I will always be so proud of her!



9 Things at 9 Months!

I am a little late with Carrie's monthly post. A lot has been going on here with the holidays and giving up Hanalei. 

So for her 9 things at 9 months I thought I would give you guys 9 pictures of her, starting at 9 weeks, and going to 9 months.  I tried to choose pictures that I haven't already used on this blog.  Enjoy :)

1st puppy meeting 9 weeks

10 weeks

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months

7 months

8 months

9 months

8 Things at 8 Months!

8 months ago, Leslie gave birth to 8 puppies at Guide Dogs for the Blind's campus in San Rafael.  Their names were:

1. Cadence

2. Cameo

3. Cammie

4. Caprice

5. Carrie

6. Cavalia

7. Chip

8. Clancy

Carrie was one of the darkest ones.  Of the littermates that I have seen they are all much lighter than her.  If anyone has any information on any of them I would love to know! I heard recently that Cadence is being transfered to the seattle club. Good luck to her and her new raisers!

Happy 8 months C puppies!

7 Things at 7 Months

A little late but a few days ago Carrie turned 7 months!  Last time I weighed her she was about 51 lbs.  It will be interesting to see if she grows much more.
So, in honor of her 7 month-day, here is a list of 7 interesting places she has been since we got her:

1. High School- Carrie has been coming with me to high school since she was about 4 1/2 months.  She has always handled it extremely well.  Each of my classes are between 1 and 3 hours- varying between days.  She is able to remain calm a quiet throughout my classes.

Carrie at school during my lunch break

2. The local hospital- My mom works at the local hospital as a nurse.  On days that she knows she won't be going into surgery she takes Carrie.  Here she is exposed to the different sights, smells and sounds of a hospital. 

3.  Hotels- When I was on my internship with Guide Dogs over the summer we stayed in a Hotel for 2 weeks.  It's good for her to be exposed to other living environments.

4.  Apple Hill-  If you have never been, Apple Hill is like a large Harvest Fair.  There are tons of people, lots of food, other dogs, ponnies, vendors and the occasional ride.  This is the perfect environment to work her with food and dog distractions and work her around ponies.

Carrie ready for the rally decked out in my class color- lime green

5.  High School Rally-  Last week Carrie experienced her first high school rally.  We sat near the door so that if it became too scary we could make a quick exit.  There was loud music, people in costume, drums and games where people ran in front of her.  She was very interested in the begining and then settled in and waited for the "Nice" that meant food was coming.

6.  Dog Class-  My mom takes her mix dog, Kenjii, to dog class on thursday nights.  If I don't have too much homework that night I like to take Carrie to get used to being around many different kinds of dogs.

7. Fire Department-  Every year our club goes to the local fire station to experience the smells and sounds commonly found in a fire department.  A fire man kindly suited up in his gear and breathing apparatus and went around to pet the dogs.  She was just happy that someone was petting her and didn't even notice that he might be a little scary.  She showed interest in the sirens but wasn't scared.