Learn How To Balance Play & Roughhousing With Your Golden Retriever Dog

Some people appear to enjoy teasing, manhandling, or roughhousing with puppies. golden retriever puppies may find teasing and roughhousing to be positive and enjoyable, or unpleasant and frightening. Good-natured teasing can be a lot of fun for both parties. Properly done, teasing can do a lot to build a puppy’s confidence by gradually and progressively desensitizing him to all the weird things people, especially men and children, do. On the other hand, relentless teasing can be frustrating and damaging. Malicious teasing is not teasing; it is abuse.

Confidence-building might involve temporarily withholding toys or treats from the pup, temporarily hugging or restraining the pup, making strange noises, or temporarily making mildly scary faces or slightly weird body movements, and then praising the pup and offering a food treat. The food reward builds the puppy’s confidence by reinforcing his acceptance of your scary faces and weird actions. With each repetition you may act a little scarier and weirder before offering a treat. After time, your golden retriever puppy will confidently accept any human action or mannerism. If the puppy ever refuses a treat, you have stressed it. So stop being silly for a while until you have handed the pup half a dozen treats in a nonthreatening situation.

Puppies have to be trained to enjoy teasing. For example, being relentlessly pursued by a child with outstretched arms can be the scariest thing on the planet for a puppy without prior preparation. However, being pursued around the dining room table by an owner doing monster-walks can be one of the most enjoyable games for a puppy who has been taught to enjoy playing the game. Most dogs love to be chased as long as they have been taught that the game is nonthreatening.

Malicious teasing on the hand (taking pleasure in the puppy’s displeasure) is just too cruel and silly for words. It is decidedly not funny to cause the puppy discomfort or to make him afraid. You are teaching the pup to distrust people, and it is your fault when, as an adult, the dog reacts defensively. Sadly though, it will be the dog who gets into trouble, not you. Please don’t allow this to happen.

There is a simple test to determine whether or not the puppy finds teasing to be enjoyable. Stop the game, back up, and ask the puppy to come and sit. If the puppy comes promptly with a wagging tail and sits with his head held high, he is probably enjoying the game as much as you are. You may continue playing. If the golden retriever puppy approaches with a wiggly body, lowered head and tail, makes excessive licking motions with his tongue, and lies down or rolls over when asked to sit, you have pushed the Golden too far and he no longer trusts you.

Seton students raising future guide dogs 

PRICE HILL - A group of Seton High School students are combining their love of dogs with a community service project to help the blind.
Source: news.communitypress.com

Know Your Legal Rights When Buying A Show-Quality Golden Retriever Dog

When a show-quality Golden Retriever is purchased, there should always be a written contract between the buyer and seller. The problem in buying your first show dog is that you often do not have enough information to know what must be included in the contract. The following issues must be addressed:

1. Request a health provision that guarantees normalcy in the hips, elbows and eyes; no blood deficiencies; no inherited diseases particular to the breed that are life endangering or will restrict breeding capabilities; no breed disqualifications or faults so severe as to effect a condition that would make it impossible or highly improbable to finish the dog’s championship.

2. If a co-ownership is involved, be exact as to the rights and responsibilities of both owner and co-owner.

3. Be specific about whether there will be a replacement of the Golden Retriever or a refunding of money if the contract becomes void. Note who takes control of the dog in question.

4. If the purchase includes a “puppy-back package,” be specific as to which golden retriever puppies in which litters (for example, seller gets choice of first and third puppy from first litter).

Amba has given me back my freedom 

A BLIND former Coventry nurse, who was left heartbroken when her guide dog of nine years died, has a new “pair of eyes”.
Source: iccoventry.icnetwork.co.uk

Puppies love story time, too 
Up until a few weeks ago, Christian Thompson was one of those kids who was too bashful to read out loud. It was just something he didn’t want to do. Not any more.
Source: www.tallahassee.com

Golden Retriever Dog Walking Tips For The Busy City (Part 2)

Use Your Street: One of the best places to start walking and training your puppy is right on your own block. This will become the most familiar street for your golden retriever puppy since you will be leading him in and out of the house when he needs to relieve himself. He will gain a familiarity to your street’s sights, sounds and scents.

Your own block provides him with a safe environment in which to increase his comfort level while on the street. You know the patterns and can predict the behavior on your block - you know the people, neighbor’s dogs, and the rhythm of your street. You should play ball or other games with him on your street in order to increase his comfort level. This, in turn, will build his self-confidence with being outside.

For the first few days when you take your puppy outside, keep the walks strictly to your block. There is no need to over-stimulate him by taking him down other streets in the beginning. Once your puppy is comfortable with your block, then take him for a walk on other streets. By slowly introducing him to new streets, you are building his confidence. Keep the walks brief at first and then slowly add more distance. And when walking your Retriever, try keeping him on your left side.

Sitting at Corners and Crossing Streets: When you cross the street with your puppy, make it a habit to cross only at corners. By taking your puppy across the street only at corners, you are creating a positive blue print pattern. He is learning that he can’t bolt from the middle of the street if there ever comes a time when he gets loose. He will learn that he must sit at each corner and wait for your next command before he is allowed to move.

Even if you live in the middle of the block, avoid the urge to cross in the middle of the
street as a short-cut. Why familiarize your puppy with a bad pattern? You may regret this later down the road.

Before crossing the street, make him sit at each corner first. Place him in the sit position by using a motivator. Keep him in the sit position until you are ready to cross. Say “Cross” before entering the street. This sets the pattern where the puppy learns that he can only leave the sit position when he hears the cross command. As you say the cross command, give the hand signal - your left arm at shoulder level sweeps out in front of you and over your dog. Teaching your pup to sit at street corners and introducing him to the “Cross” command is the foundation for learning the four levels of street identification discussed in chapter nine.

As you cross the street, shorten your lead and keep the motivator to your left side (mid-seam), so that your puppy will stay close to your side rather than pulling ahead of you. There are dangers in letting your golden retriever puppy pull ahead as you cross the street - cars make quick turns, bikes come out of nowhere - and if your puppy is pulling ahead, then he is in a vulnerable position where he can easily get hit. As a pedestrian, you know how few drivers obey the rule that gives pedestrians the right of way.

Pugfest 2006 to Help Abandoned and Stray Pugs 

Southeast Pug Rescue and Adoption, SEPRA, will celebrate its annual Pugfest October 28 at the Gwinnet County Fairgrounds in Lawrenceville, Georgia. The group takes in stray and abandoned Pugs and …
Source: www.theepochtimes.com