[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: thanks! that's relief
Ok, I have been busy and not paying attention to the e-mail list. I know
nothing about the agility ring, but I have learned through the mistakes of
our friends and their dogs how precious their joints are which is what lead
me to Gina and the joints being clean in their family tree. I have
mentioned our friend with the yellow lab that in the same age as our dogs
and WAY over weight. He would laugh at us for helping Hunter out of the
truck and not allowing him to jump in the air to high after things. He said
we were going to turn him into a wimp, I said his joints and bones were to
fragile to allow him to do this. He learned that the hard way, his 65lb, 7
month old dog jumped out of the back of his truck and broke both of his
front legs. It cost him 1200.00 to have his legs pined back together and a
severe butt chewing from the vet on how fat his dog was and how serious of
an injury this was for a puppy with immature bones and joints. It is worth
the wait to me to insure that their legs will be there for them for long
lives that we hope are in our future.
As for a wild golden Lyn, we had one!!!! He was OBNOXIOUS until he was
about 6 years old(sorry Lyn). It was difficult at times, but it is a part
of what made us love him so much. He lived a long time (17) and I truly
believe his lust for life was what made him live so long. We should all
look at life the same way these dogs do, everyday a good day and always
wagging our tail. Hunter was a log, but is not now. He is so great, not as
obnoxious as Bud, but that is good for us, another good match thanks Gina,
because we have kids now, Bud would have mowed the kids over and that would
not be good. Hunter has a big stripe down his nose, a flaw in the show
ring, was never really an issue with us. Gina said we would grow to love
the stripe, and we do, that is where he gets scratched and petted and he
loves it while he is drooling on your lap trying to stay awake, people
always remark what a beautiful beauty mark he has. Remember, what others
see as a flaw or not obedient behavior, us as parents see and a redeeming
quality we would never trade.
Hunter is doing very well, very attached to us, he will pick up someone's
items from around the house, and deliver it to the person it belongs to, I
am not sure if it is a smell thing or what, but he is right everytime, It
is a tremendous help to me, because half the time they are socks that belong
to the 2 men in our house that take them off where ever and leave them to
miraculously make it in to their drawers washed and folded. Well, Hunter is
their constant reminder that they left their socks out again and piles them
up on the guilty party. He won't eat them he just retrieves them to who
left them out. Good dog Hunter!!!! It has been uneventful around here, His
bird dog instinct is incredible!! Learning so very fast!!!! Are there
hunters in the family Gina???? It really is quite amazing, we need to come
out and have George tell us what to do, we are through WATER DOG and he is
doing almost everything in there, we need to work on the whistle command,
because we chose not to train him that way. What is your view on that type
of command??? It really is a great game to him and he loves it so much so
it is fun to work with him because is picking it up so fast.
Talk with you soon!!
Carol
----- Original Message -----
From: Linda Shipman <Linda.Shipman@chezor.alaska.com>
To: <brierpups@fast.cs.utah.edu>
Sent: Monday, October 16, 2000 12:44 PM
Subject: Re: thanks! that's relief
> At 02:50 PM 10/16/2000 -0400, you wrote:
> >By the way, the agility place set-up behind a person's house was
recommended
> >by one of the primo trainers in this area. She told me to please take
him
> >there, stay off the jump stuff, and let him try what he'll succeed at in
> >order to associate with other dogs on the sideline and have fun playing
> >around on stuff. I specifically asked her if he was too young for this
and
> >she said absolutely not.
>
> Different breeds mature at different rates. Goldens are known not to
> have their joints close until *at least* fourteen months. Most of us give
> them to two years just to be on the safe side.
>
> Even though we started Angel at one year old in agility, we had had her
> hips and elbows x-rayed beforehand. They were all healthy and clear.
> And her breeder agreed that the joints looked like they were closing.
> EVEN SO...we continued to run her on jumps only at six to eight inches
> for the next six months....only on soft dirt....and NEVER repeatedly.
>
> The only agility equipment I can see Monza being able to safely do
> as a puppy is the tunnels, and perhaps the weave pools, though there
> is discussion on the agility listgroup whether this is safe for developing
> spines in immature dogs.
>
> The following agility equipment creates joint stress, in particular, on
the
> front assembly, while the dog is coming down the other side:
>
> A-frame
> Dog walk
> Teeter totter
> Jumps
> Tire Jump
>
> Some clubs/schools will adjust all the equipment down for puppy agility
> classes so that the angles and jumps are very slight. In that case, it
> would be alright to introduce Monza to agility.
>
> Breeders do the best they can to create healthy puppies, but cannot
> be responsible for joint problems if owners allow their puppies to be
> overweight (stress to the joints) or allow them to train inappropriately.
> Weigh this decision carefully before you begin agility.
>
> As Gina has mentioned before.....free exercise off leash is very needed
> for most golden puppies. My motto is "a tired puppy is a good puppy".
> And freedom to run, explore and learn about the world on its own is
> the beginning of training for tracking and field work.
>
> Linda
> *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
> Linda Shipman
> Juneau, Alaska
> Linda.Shipman@chezor.alaska.com
> http://www.chezor.alaska.com
> U-CDX, UCI-Intl & CAN CH Goodtimes Flower Power
> Am-Can CDX, Am-Can TD, CGC "IRIS"
> Mariner Aces High at Chezor, TD, CGC "ANGEL"
> *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
>