Hello Barb,

I found some time to load a few of our pictures and wanted to send you a few. As you can see, Sadie is enjoying the kids almost as much as they enjoy her!

Initial vet appointment went well, we go again this Saturday.

House training is going great, loves to play out in the yard and has figured out she can dig just about anywhere. Our two cats are not so sure of Sadie yet, they’ve been keeping their distance, but are beginning to show signs of coming around.

Sadie has been to several little league baseball games and enjoys the attention where ever she goes. Have received several compliments on how beautiful a dog she is.

Thanks for everything you’ve done for her, she is a blessing to our family!

Pat

Berthe is from Emmy & Captain’s 2008 litter.

We were expecting Ezra to have a litter of puppies this week, but to our dismay, she is not going to have any puppies. We thought she may be expecting a SMALL litter, but she is not. For those of you waiting for a puppy, Emmy is due June 15, and is looking VERY pregnant!! I will be contacting you with information regarding her puppies. Our next litter will be born in September and ready for their new homes early October.

Hi Barb,

I have been thinking of sending you an update on Ginger (purple girl from Jewel’s litter) for so long…Ginger is such a good puppy – she goes everywhere she can with us (absolutely LOVES car rides and dropping the kids off at school/picking them up and seeing all the kids and teachers!). Everyone can’t believe how mellow she is, and what a great disposition she has! We routinely have a group of 6-7 year old boys hanging out at our house (often times running, laughing, and yelling) and she is very patient and good with them! You were right when you said it would be hard for us to do the crate training since we work from home (and it was, we just wanted to be with her all the time)…but, we have figured it out and have a good routine going and potty training is going really well (no accidents in her crate at all! – a few in the house that were our fault…). The other day she dragged her leash over to my daughter because she wanted to go outside and play/go for a walk….she also had to go potty – it was so cute!

She just completed puppy kindergarten and is picking up everything very quickly….She is especially good at sit, down and leave it, but we’re still working on not chewing on the bushes and mulch in the backyard! She’s also recently figured out that there’s food on the table (or counters) and so we have plenty of opportunity to practice “off”. She is starting basic obedience in just a couple of weeks. She is just so sweet and we’ve also learned she is very sensitive and empathetic; when one of the kids is sad or hurt she feels so bad for them and won’t leave their side until she thinks they feel better. She loves her walks and playing outside in the snow and also playing with her best friend (the next door chocolate lab puppy). She is a beautiful golden and we can’t imagine our family without her! I’ve attached a picture of her (she just went to the vet yesterday and weighed in at 34 pounds….) – isn’t she beautiful!!

Thank you!

Cara, Pat, Elaina and Connor

Jasmine gave birth to 5 males, 4 females on Saturday! Both mom and babies are doing well. There is a male puppy available in this litter. They will be ready to go to their new homes April 11. They are Easter puppies!

I am writing to let you know of a couple of products that we have used, and highly recommend. I have also added them to the column on the right side of this page. We have read and recommended the book ‘The Art of Raising a Puppy” by the Monks of New Skete for years (available at Amazon.com). It is THE BOOK that we recommend to our clients for guidance in raising a puppy.

“The monks of New Skete in Cambridge, New York, dog trainers and breeders of German shepherds, here expand on their classic How to Be Your Dog’s Best Friend . The excellent instruction begins with an in-depth examination of the puppies of one litter from birth through their eventual placements with new owners– following their social and physical development, their needs, and clues to their emerging personalities. Proposing that the best way to forge a healthy dog-to-owner bond is to prevent problems before they occur, the authors soundly emphasize that a puppy begins its training “the day it arrives home.” They teach readers how to choose an appropriate breed and a promising puppy, and how to assume the position of “pack” leader from the start. Sensitive and unimpeachably humane, this handbook places equal stress on the time-consuming responsibilities of dog ownership and on its ultimate rewards.”
- Publishers Weekly

The other product I wanted to tell you about is the Sprenger Training Collar (I’ll post a link here later). I recommend the nap prong, size 2.55 mm. You also need to purchase the extra links. We have found this to be most efficient and safest collar to use while training your dog. The small prongs will pinch the skin, rather than severely choke a dog as a “choker collar” does, which may cause damage to a dogs throat.

A six month old Rollingoaks Golden “Bailey” will be a guest with Katherine Newman on KARE 11’s Showcase Minnesota this Thursday, January 29 at 10:00 a.m.

Barb: Just had to share this with you! This is Mojo’s new frisbee that he got from Christmas. Instead of fetching it, he likes to flip it over his nose! I think it’s really cute, but I guess I just think that way because I’m his mom!

Amy