Mary Barrett Tidewater Golden Retrievers

Stud Dogs

2012-01-18T07:37:00.002-05:00

People often ask us if it's difficult to have intact boys in the house all together. The theory being that they could constantly fight for "top dog" position, particularly since they're fairly active stud dogs and we often have bitches in season in for breeding (not to mention our own intact girls). This photo is a perfect example of how our boy dogs get along. They were hanging out in the hallway tugging on that stuffed toy before I came along and took their photo. It's pretty dark, but I think they're all saying "hey, mom, don't ruin our image"!

The Blooper Reel

2011-12-19T21:16:00.002-05:00

Nope, I really can't sit here. Drake gets bored by the whole thing.

Big dogs only. Little dog has left the photo.

Mark enters the picture. Drake is still bored by the whole thing.

Run AWAY!

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-19T20:39:00.003-05:00

So, photographing dogs is difficult at the best of times - they're active and anything you do to get their attention can be construed as an invitation to lick the lens. We were particularly challenged this year by a puppy who hasn't quite mastered the art of the sit-stay...particularly since she's been locked up for days because she managed to break a toe and we're supposed to keep her quiet (ha!). We ended up with lots of lovely pictures of the grown up dogs...but none other than a few with little Ms. Crispin in them. So, with the thought of making lemonade out of lemons...we added the caption and now it's a bit funny.

A much better day

2011-12-04T16:27:00.003-05:00

Rowan and I were back at the Cavalier obedience trial today. Rowan had 2 High in Class passes to earn his CDX title. I was extremely pleased with the way he worked. He had lots of fun, but managed to hold it together and wasn't too much of the wild and crazy guy he was on Friday and at his last test. We still have some work to do on our fronts and finishes but considering he has very minimal ring experience, he worked like a seasoned vet.

Man, I love this dog.

Rowan at Obedience

2011-12-03T20:44:00.002-05:00

Rowan and I went to the Cavalier club's obedience trial today. We had lots of fun and I was very happy to hang out with some old friends and make some new ones. We went to the correction match last night and had a disasterous run through. Rowan was a GIANT goof ball. I don't think he completed one exercise. So, what did we learn? Rowan needs a much longer warm up. So, today we went to the trial early, got Rowan into the building and settled, had him warm up in the hall and in the parking lot. HUGE difference. He did such a great job. One thing we didn't warm up was drop on recall because, frankly, he's never had an issue. Well, today he did. In both trials we did a "sit" on recall. Not quite what the exercise is, so two NQ scores. Oh well. I was thrilled with how nicely he worked, particularly after last night's icky experience.

So, tomorrow is another day and we're aiming for 2 Qs. Wish us luck!

Training with the puppies

2011-11-21T06:49:00.007-05:00

This is Barley (with his owner, Trudy) waiting for his turn, Pippa (yes, she's a Toller, not a Golden)with Andrea and our Crispin with the winged bumper. All the puppies came out training yesterday with the big dogs and had a great time learning to fetch up the bumpers, getting some exposure to birds through the wings Mark brought back from his Saskatchewan hunting trip and learning to COME BACK with the bumper. It's great to watch the puppies learn to do stuff that is so fun. We believe very strongly that all the work you do at this stage means so much less work required as the dogs get older. The main thing we teach at this stage isn't that puppy has to pick up the object - it's that once you have the object, the game is to come back with it. If you don't come back, the game is over, but if you do come back, the game continues.

Crispin and Barley

2011-11-14T07:31:00.002-05:00

While Rowan and I were in Lindsay at the Georgina trial, Crispin went to training class with Mark. She got to hang out with her brother Barley. By all accounts the puppies had a good time playing with each other. Nick and Trudy brought their niece with them to class and she played with the puppies as well. When Crispin got home, she was EXHAUSTED and slept all evening. Which meant she got up at 5:10 this morning. So now I'm EXHAUSTED...time for more coffee.

Oakley

2011-11-14T07:27:00.002-05:00

This is Oakley, with Lily and Alexis. Oakley is Crispin's brother. He lives a bit north of us and is growing up to be Lily and Alexis's pal, as well as Stew's hunting dog.

Rowan got some CDX legs today

2011-11-13T17:32:00.002-05:00

Rowan's very proud of himself. We got 2 legs towards his CDX today at Georgina's trial. We have a few things to work on - he was higher than a kite and heeled around the ring like a bunny rabbit, so we lost a bunch of points on heeling. He also struggled a bit with crooked fronts. However, we had lovely straight finishes, a great drop on recall, a couple of great retrieves and 2 rock solid broad jumps (even if there was a little bit of judge-visiting). Stays were rock solid, so in all, we had a great day.

Training Crispin

2011-11-09T17:43:00.002-05:00

I am having much fun training my new Crispin. I must admit, that for the past 4 weeks I’ve really struggled to pay much attention to her. I’ve been mourning the loss of my sweet Autumn and in some ways it felt disloyal to her to focus too much on the puppy. Not totally rational, I know, but feeling are feelings and there you have it.

However, we attended our first Competition Puppy class at Companion Dog Training this week. This is not the first time I’ve taken this class – and it sure won’t be my last. Cider, Rowan, Decoy and Ranger have all gone through it and I think it is the most solid foundation a puppy can have. Marie Sawford has such a good handle on the basics of obedience training that I feel very privileged to learn from a master. Lucky me. And it would be unfair to Crispin and to Marie to be anything but fully engaged in the program, so here I am sucking it up and moving forward.

For Crispin, that means daily training. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard that someone doesn’t have the time to train daily. I don’t think people give enough credit to regular day-to-day tasks that are really training opportunities. Something as simple as snapping the leash off a collar. My dogs are required to look at me when their leash comes off. In the obedience ring, it’s a way of us connecting before we head off to start our routine. In day-to-day life, it’s a safety thing. You must have the “all clear” before you get to run around and play. When you emphasize something on a daily basis, I consider that training.

There are 13 exercises on my lesson sheet for this week (that Marie, she’s a slave driver!). I don’t have the attention span to work on 13 things in a session...and neither does my puppy. So we work in 5 minute increments. And I can do 3 things in 5 minute increments. So today it’s tuck sits, lie down and stand. Marie advises to work something you don’t love before something you do (so that you don’t create holes in your dog’s training because you don’t like to train some things). I’m not in love with training tuck sits. I know they’re important and I love the finished product, but I think it’s boring. So I do that first when I’m fresh and as a reward I get to teach 2 other things. Lie down is the most important command in our house. When you live with 6 dogs, the need to have dogs drop and lie still on command is as essential as breathing. Door bell rings...dogs must drop. Something hot falls from the stove...dogs must drop. Dogs block the TV...dogs much drop. You get the picture. And for some reason I love to teach a kick back stand. Well, I know perfectly well why I love to teach it...it’s because it was a really hard skill for me to master. I never did manage to teach it to Autumn or Cider and it bit me in the butt every time I did a utility moving stand exercise with those dogs. I did manage to finally master it for Rowan – and his moving stand is awesome. It also came in very handy for him in the conformation ring.

So those are our skills for today. Skills that certainly will be important when we’re working on our CD, CDX and UD titles, but also in Crispin’s daily life as she grows up to be a good canine citizen.

Fun with Crispin

2011-11-06T16:43:00.004-05:00

I've been struggling pretty hard with losing my Autumn. She was very aptly named - this was our favorite time of year to go for walks and do stuff outside, but she also liked to hang out as I cooked in the kitchen or sewed or just hung around the house. We spent so much time together that my mind still sees her everywhere. I know 10 is not a bad life span for a Golden, but I don't feel like we were quite done doing everything we wanted to do together.

Of great help in the healing process has been my little Crispin. We went for a long walk yesterday at one of our local conservation areas. Crispin tried out the water (it was too cold for swimming, in my opinion, but she didn't agree). She followed Drake into the pond and splashed around like she'd been swimming for years.

While no one will ever replace my Autumn, Crispin has been helping me feel not-so-sad.

Crispin

2011-11-01T07:03:00.002-04:00

Welcome to our newest addition - Tidewaters Apple Crisp. Crispin is from our Drake and Bree breeding and was born on August 21. We're looking forward to watching this sweet little girl learn and grow.

Autumn

2011-10-20T19:49:00.002-04:00

Sunday was a very sad day. We lost our Autumn dog - she was only 10 years old. She was only sick for a few days. I was very grateful that we had time to say good bye and do some of her favorite things before she left this world.

Autumn was my very best friend and I miss her dreadfully.

Going Home

2011-10-06T07:35:00.002-04:00

Our little ones start to head to their forever homes this weekend. This is always a tough time for us. We love that these little guys will head off to such great homes where they'll have all the individual love and attention that they'll need to grow up into excellent canine citizens. But it's very sad for us to have the little creatures that we've watched grow from specks on an ultrasound into these very fun bundles of fur leave us. On the left is "Barley" with his new people Nick and Trudy. Barley will join Cowboy in their home (and besides, we'll see him every week at training class!).

Field Trip

2011-10-02T15:11:00.004-04:00

We're soooo pooped. We went training in the field today with the big dogs. We had a ride in the truck, a big walk in very tall grass and we hung out in the exercise pen while people picked us up and admired us. Then we came home and ran around the yard for a while in the rain. Now we're sleeping - some of us are even snoring...

Birds

2011-10-01T18:34:00.005-04:00

So, what'd you think of the whole bird thing? I thought the pigeons were fun, but the pheasants were REALLY heavy.

Adventures

2011-10-01T15:38:00.003-04:00

It's a bit nippy out today, but we've been enjoying the sunshine. Mark brought out some birds and we played with those for a while, then we played King of the Castle (actually Queen of the Castle) on the big rock in the yard.

Congratulations Asher JH

2011-09-28T13:13:00.002-04:00

HUGE congratulations to Danielle Wilson and Asher (Tidewaters Fire Quacker) for obtaining their Junior Hunter this weekend. Asher is a Rowan x Leia puppy from the December 2010 litter. Which, if you do the math, means Asher is only 9 months old. A junior hunter is a great achievement, especially in a puppy so young. We're very proud of all the hard work and great fun that Danielle and Doug have put into getting Asher this far in his career.

Fall Training Day

2011-09-25T16:03:00.002-04:00

End of September and a gorgeous, gorgeous day for training.

We did some marks out in Milton. Photos on the left are:

Helen & Dart

Nick & Cowboy

Marian & Raven

and Trudy with (maybe) her new Tidewater puppy, who is showing how enthusiastic he'll be as a big, tough huntin' dog.

Fall Training

2011-09-25T15:43:00.003-04:00

Wendy and Reba waiting for their mark.

Training Day

2011-09-25T15:36:00.001-04:00

Today we went training along with the big dogs. We went for a ride in the truck, chased each other around the field, played with bumpers and got mauled by a whole bunch of people. It was such a warm day that we cooled off in our water bowl.

4 weeks old

2011-09-17T12:41:00.002-04:00

Our little babies are growing quickly! Today is Saturday and they've spent the whole day on the deck so far. It was a bit chilly this morning so they started off in the kitchen, but one little boy kept going to the door and crying to go out, so out they went.

The puppy on the left is a little boy. He's a real little snuggler and really likes that fluffy blanket. You'll notice he has a bit of white on his head - that that's already faded considerably. The puppies in the 2nd picture are the girls. I managed to capture them between lunch and falling asleep, so they sat still for exactly 12 seconds.

Bree enjoying her babies

2011-09-12T08:26:00.001-04:00

Outdoor adventures

2011-09-12T08:07:00.002-04:00

Today, the puppies had their first outdoor adventure. It was a gorgeous, warm day and they really seemed to enjoy getting out and wandering around a space that's considerably bigger than what they're used to.

3 Weeks Old Today

2011-09-07T17:24:00.002-04:00

Today we started the weaning process by introducing the puppies to "pablum". For us that's just ground up puppy food mixed with a whole bunch of water. The puppies found it to be very fun - as you can see from those dirty little faces. After the pablum came baths!

2 weeks old

2011-08-28T20:24:00.002-04:00

These little guys are certainly starting young. They're already standing up and waddling around the whelping box. They'll be 2 weeks old on Tuesday and we don't usually see this much activity until week 3. We're sure enjoying being home and hanging out with puppies.

Bree and Drake babies - 5 days old

2011-08-23T07:41:00.002-04:00

All the babies are doing very well. Bree has recovered from whelping and if you didn't know, you'd never know she had babies less than a week ago. She's certainly being a better mommy than she was with her last litter - she's got the whole "hanging out with the babies" thing down pat.

The puppies are growing quickly and are certainly very vocal. They woke me up a few times in the night squeaking.

Puppies

2011-08-17T18:00:00.002-04:00

Today, we welcomed our Bree and Drake puppies into the world. Bree started whelping last night at 10 pm and finished this morning at 6. We have 9 puppies in total - 6 boys and 3 girls. So far everyone is doing great.

Congratulations Decoy

2011-08-15T21:55:00.003-04:00

Decoy (HR Tidewaters Fowl Play WCI) got the last leg towards his Hunting Retriever title on Sunday. Mark had lots of fun running him at Luther Marsh's test for Decoy's owner Duncan.

Congratulations Sage and Paul

2011-08-15T21:47:00.001-04:00

Congratulations to Paul Caon and Sage who got the first 2 legs towards their Started Hunting Retriever title at Luther Marsh's test this past weekend. Sage is a Bree and Drake daughter and Ranger-Roo's littermate and partner in crime.

Congratulations Ada and Todd

2011-08-10T22:53:00.004-04:00

Congratulations to Todd and Ada (MHR Scout's Ada Mae MH, WCX). On May 22, 2011 at the WNYRC NAHRA test, Ada earned her last leg for her Grand Master Hunter Retriever (GMHR) title. Ada is a Drake daughter who is owned and loved by Todd Clicker in New York.

Visitors

2011-08-08T07:36:00.002-04:00

We're enjoying a visit from Wendy and Ron Hunter's dogs Leia and Reba. Leia is a Drake/Destiny daughter and Reba is a Leia/Rowan daughter. Both these girls are lovely and fun. Mark took them training yesterday, along with Ranger and Rowan. Today they're hanging out with the other dogs on the deck. Reba has decided queen of the castle on the big rock in the yard is a very fun game.

Getting Fatter

2011-07-29T20:30:00.003-04:00

Little Ms Bree is starting to get significantly fatter these days. Her puppies are due somewhere around August 18th.

Congratulations Teya

2011-07-20T07:47:00.003-04:00

Congratulations to Teya and Barbara on obtaining their WCI (Working Certificate Intermediate) title at Mountain Valley's test on July 7. Teya is a Drake daughter, owned and loved by Barbara Drewry and her daughter Katherine.

Congratulations Asher

2011-07-16T19:28:00.003-04:00

Congratulations to Asher (Tidewaters Fire Quacker WC) for obtaining his Working Certificate (WC) title today at the Pittsburg Lab Club's test. Asher is a Rowan/Leia puppy born in December - he'll be 7 months old next week.

Asher is owned and loved by Danielle, Doug and Ryan Wilson and trained by Danielle.

Congratulations Mark and Ranger

2011-07-16T07:25:00.004-04:00

Congratulations to our own Ranger-Roo (Tidewaters Raising the Bar aka Ranger) for obtaining his Started Hunting Retriever title back in June. In HRC, when you get a title, you get a ritual soaking. This is Mark suffering through his dunking at the Keystone Waterfowlers test in Pennsylvania. Mark's away this weekend with Rowan and Decoy at an HRC test in Indiana. They're predicting a scorching hot weekend, so if Decoy gets his title, Mark will probably welcome the soaking.

Bree is pregnant

2011-07-16T07:15:00.002-04:00

Bree went to the vet on Thursday and look what we saw. Yes, indeed, those black blobs in the ultrasound are puppies. We use ultrasound to determine if a dog is pregnant and sure enough she is. While this test can't really predict how many puppies are in there (nor can it predict the gender of the puppies), we did see more than five little black blobs bouncing around. At this point, we're guessing there are around seven puppies, but we won't really know until they show up, somewhere around the 3rd week in August.

Congratulations Tucker

2011-06-26T18:55:00.004-04:00

Congratulations to Steve Hart and Tucker for achieving their Hunting Retriever Champion (HRCH) title at Muddy Water's trial earlier this month. Tucker is a Drake son, and now that he has the piece of paper, we're sure he won't break when he hunts in Saskatchewan. We haven't yet seen photos of Steve getting his title soaking...and we won't believe it until there's photographic evidence.

Congratulations Cowboy

2011-06-26T17:35:00.006-04:00

Nick and Cowboy had a great weekend. Cowboy (a Drake son) finished his Junior Hunter title and got his WCI title at the Labrador Owner Club's trial this weekend. Way to go!

Making a splash

2011-06-16T06:29:00.002-04:00

This is Asher (Tidewaters FireQuacker), entered in the puppy stakes of High Flyer's HRC test. He's 5 months old in this photo and is working on his water entry.

I LOVE this photo - it was taken by Asher's owner, Danielle Wilson.

Next Breeding

2011-06-15T07:12:00.003-04:00

Ranger, Bree and Drake - at Longpoint in November.

We've just started the process to repeat the Drake and Bree breeding that brought Ranger into our lives last April and we're very excited to see what this next breeding brings.

Congratulations Leia

2011-06-11T10:04:00.003-04:00

Congratulations to Wendy Hunter and Leia for achieving their WCI at Mountain Valley Retriever Training Club's Thursday night WC test. By all accounts, Leia did a great job (even if she tried to make friends with the decoys). We're very proud of all Wendy's hard work in getting Leia to this point in her hunt test career.

Finally...

2011-06-08T20:50:00.002-04:00

Ms. Bree has decided she's in season. Which, with 3 intact boys in the house, is a bit of a pain in the you-know-what. But, for those folks waiting patiently (or not so...) for a puppy, is good news.

Rowan and Asher

2011-06-07T07:13:00.002-04:00

We very much enjoyed visting with one of Rowan and Leia's puppies this weekend. This is Asher (Tidewaters Fire Quacker) with Rowan. Asher was born December 25, 2010, which makes him a little over 5 months old. He's cute as a button, very well socialized and, of course, very, very handsome. He showed off some of his obedience training and proved he's smart as well as pretty.

Asher is owned by Danielle and Doug Wilson and their son, Ryan. We couldn't ask for a better home for one of our babies.

2011-06-06T07:14:00.003-04:00

We had much fun at Keystone Waterfowlers HRC test this weekend in Homer City, PA. Ranger finished his Started title, Decoy got his first Seasoned pass and although Rowan did some very nice work, his work wasn't up to the standard required this weekend so no ribbon for him.

We very much enjoyed spending the weekend with Danielle and Doug, who own and love one of Rowan and Leia's puppies. His name is Asher (Tidewaters Fire Quacker) and he's a very lovely 5 month old puppy. Mark ran all three dogs at the three stakes. I enjoyed my role as chief cheerer and photographer.

New WC Titles

2011-05-28T18:52:00.003-04:00

Congratulations to Cassie and Helen, Raven and Marian and Dianne and Butler on their WC passes this past Thursday at Mountain Valley's test. Cassie earned her WCX, Raven her

WCI and Butler his WC. Even though the weather was crappy, everybody had a good time and the dogs did really, really well.

It's great to see all the training and hard work everyone has put into the dogs come to fruition.

Nice job everyone!

PS - that's Cassie in the photo.

Keeping your dog healthy

2011-05-19T07:32:00.003-04:00

Earlier this week, a bunch of us were chatting on Facebook about ticks and tick diseases, in particular about Lyme's.

We work really hard at making sure our dogs are happy and healthy - but sometimes it's really, really hard to wade through everybody's opinions, conflicting research, what your vet knows, what your fellow breeder and dog sport enthusiasts know. We work with a few vets with our dogs who are experts in their field and sometimes even their opinions conflict.

Danielle sent a link to a website owned by Christie Keith and her mother Kathleen McKenzie who breed Scottish Deerhounds (Caber Feidh). I loved what Christie had to say about all this:

"...There are thousands of email lists and websites out there, filled with so much information it's hard to sort it all out. There are cliques and camps and controversies. How do you know who to believe and what is true?

It's our earnest hope that each of you will stop looking for the One True Answer and instead, start using your minds and instincts to find the way that is best for you and the animals in your care. While there are tips and tricks and insights that more experienced people can share with you, ultimately it doesn't matter what I say, or what your veterinarian says, or what your dog's breeder says, or what some guru on an email list says (even if that guru is ME!). All that matters is what feels right to you and what works for your animals."

I love that someone has put into words what I feel in my heart. So for any of you who have our puppies or just want to talk about the best thing to do for the animals in your care - we're always happy to share our knowledge, thoughts and opinions. We do lots and lots of research on things like vaccinations, medication and Golden Retriever health concerns, but regardless of what we think, ultimately you gotta go with your gut.

Waiting on Mother Nature...and waiting...and waiting

2011-05-01T11:56:00.002-04:00

The absolute worse thing about dog breeding is that you that you have absolutely no control. Someone like Mark, who, I swear, has more patience than anyone I know, is ideally suited to this calling. For someone like me, whose kindergarten report card and every other piece of feedback from anyone, anywhere, ever since has said "Mary needs to learn patience"...not so much.

Cassie decided she didn't want to come in season this spring, so we've come up with plan B. Cassie will be bred in the fall and we'll breed Bree this spring (that's Bree enjoying the beach last fall). I think we've been in touch with everyone on our reservation list, but if not, please give us a call and we'll fill you in. Cycle-wise, Bree's about a month behind Cassie, so we're expecting her to be in season any day now. So, along with waiting for April showers to turn to May flowers, and waiting for this stupid finger to heal so I can type properly (I slammed it in a winger - but that's a whole other story)...we're waiting for puppies. Still.

Sly

2011-05-01T11:35:00.003-04:00

Here's our note from Jacob about his experiences training Sly. Jacob Grossman is Cliff and Helen's grandson who is a pretty amazing dog trainer - with a pretty amazing dog.

"I have had Sly since I was 8 years old. He will be 7 years old on august 17. I ran him in his first trial when he was one. Since then we have ran 25 test and passed 21. I got his started title in 2005, his seasoned title in 2006, his junior title in 2006, his senior title in 2008, his HRCH in 2009, and I recently got his first master pass on 4/3/11.

Sly is a very reliable dog, he is with me hunting as much as he can be. I am going to get his hips and eyes checked as soon as possible to try and start breeding. With the pedigree he has I am sure he is capable of producing a very nice litter."

Retired...

2011-05-01T11:23:00.002-04:00

I've had some reports that this photo didn't show up with the last post, so here it is again. This is Jacob, Cliff and Helen's grandson with Drake. When you're retired, you get to ride in the 4 wheeler and help set up the marks for the other dogs. Actually I think they were on their way to snag a bumper out of a tree. Jacob is a very accomplished dog trainer and we have some info from him to share about his experiences training his dog Sly. Sly is a Drake son, from a breeding with Helen and Cliff's Torch (Sunnydawn's Light My Fire) so he has a pretty awesome pedigree.

Training today

2011-04-06T23:12:00.004-04:00

Just a couple more photos of today's training day. Teya, Decoy and Rowan.

Training in Kentucky 2011

2011-04-05T18:08:00.004-04:00

We didn't do a whole bunch of training...well, none...yesterday. It poured rain. But today dawned sunny and clear, if a bit chilly. Not Canada chilly - just cool enough to wear a jacket. We did a bunch of stuff today. This morning, the young dogs learned about in-line marks and lining through cover. The older dogs did the same marks as the older dogs, only as doubles and triples. We did some blinds - on their own and as part of the marking set up. This afternoon we did some water work - basic marks just to get their feet wet, so to speak. We did a little bit of yard work with some of the young ones. Mark's out right now with Cliff and Helen's grandson Jacob training on shot flyers...which is Mark's way of saying they're out blowing clay pigeons up for fun.

Kentucky

2011-04-04T12:02:00.004-04:00

We're here training for a couple of weeks at Cliff and Helen Romain's in Kentucky. The grass is green, the trees are blooming and it's feeling a whole bunch like spring. Yesterday we did 2 land set ups. The young dogs ran singles, the older dogs did doubles and triples. Nothing too challenging just yet. Just enough to stretch out some legs after the long trip and get accustomed to the warmer weather (it went up to 80 degrees yesterday). Today we're in the midst of a great big thunderstorm, so I have a chance to do some computer work and Autumn gets to come inside and cower. She seems to be the only one bothered by the storm. Mark parked the trailer inside the building and he's out there doing some equipment maintenance to the wingers and bumper boys, getting ready for more training. The storm is supposed to pass and cool things down a bit, so we'll get back at it later on. I did a bit of obedience yesterday. Autumn learned about lonnnnng go-outs. All the dogs enjoyed splashing around in the ponds after training.

Back to Normal

2011-03-23T07:35:00.003-04:00

Well, all the babies have gone home and it's very, very quiet around here. Terra, the puppy who had the eye surgery, went to her home in Mississauga this weekend and Chelsea and Crosby left after their March Break visit, so we're left with just our dogs and visiting Cassie. Mark's back from his trip to Nova Scotia, so things are pretty much back to normal. Although, it's SNOWING - we were really hoping it was spring.

Training with the Big Dogs

2011-02-14T07:50:00.004-05:00

Puppies came out to play with the big dogs on Sunday. They got the opportunity to play with bumpers and with a whole bunch of people. They had a ride in the the truck and a big run in the field. By the time they got home they were exhausted!

6 weeks old

2011-02-06T09:41:00.004-05:00

We have had a very busy week at the Tidewater homestead. Puppies are starting to require A LOT of attention. We've had visitors pretty much every day, which is awesome puppy socialization, and fun for us, but makes for a busy household. We've been working hard at keeping our big dogs fed, walked, trained and looked after. We also have had a visit from Sage who is Ranger's littermate. On top of all the excitement, Mark's been working some significant overtime and his "real" job and we got a call earlier this week that his dad, who lives down East, had taken ill and was in the hospital. He's doing much better now, so that's a relief. So, like I said, busy, busy, busy.

We'll be in touch this week with all our puppy owners to firm up times and dates for going through paperwork and taking puppies home. Looking forward to seeing you all!

Huntin' Dogs

2011-02-06T09:08:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, on our 6-weeks birthday, we got to play with some birds. All the puppies were very enthusiastic about the opportunity. The puppies in the top and bottom photos are girls. The puppies in the middle are boys.

Akward Sleeping Positions

2011-01-25T15:43:00.004-05:00

The top 2 photos are girls, the bottom one is a boy. How comfortable do they look!?

Fun and Games 4 weeks old today

2011-01-22T10:48:00.004-05:00

Leia went home on Thursday, so puppies are officially weaned. They've become extremely active this week and have graduated to spending time in the kitchen with toys and a whole lot more space to run around and play. They're a very vocal group, so there's lot barking and carrying on.

Pablum

2011-01-17T19:48:00.000-05:00

Today we started the weaning process and we had pablum. Pablum, for us, is puppy food ground up in a blender and mixed with a whole bunch of warm water. We usually have to convince puppies that it's a good thing. Not so much with this crew. They dug right in.

Crate Training

2011-01-16T15:14:00.002-05:00

This wee girl decided she liked the looks of that

blankie in the kennel, so she was determined to

get in there and lie down. She's also officially

our first "escapee" from the whelping box. Just

went down to find her SCREAMING to get back in!

Leia puppies - 3 weeks old

2011-01-16T14:46:00.000-05:00

Wendy and I had lots of fun taking pictures of the puppies today. We had them all up to the kitchen and I took 115 photos. Needless to say, some are better than others, so you get to see the better ones.

The basket is getting too small for everyone to fit, so boys are in one shot and girls in the other.

All the puppies are very mobile this week. Lots of running around and barking. We're going to start the weaning process later today - just want to make sure everyone is getting enough to eat.

2 weeks old

2011-01-09T15:18:00.001-05:00

Here are a few photos. The basket's getting pretty full. As you can see, they've pretty much doubled in size since last week. The pairs are boys. The little one with her eyes starting to open is a girl. They were 2 weeks old yesterday. Today's excitement was a nail trim for all puppies. Wendy came to visit Leia and spent a couple of hours with the puppies. Yesterday Barbara (our vet) was by after work to pick up her daughter Katherine, who spent an hour or so visiting babies.

Leia babies - 1 Week Old

2011-01-02T13:43:00.001-05:00

Puppies were 1 week old yesterday. The top photo is one of the little boys with a very full belly. Next 2 photos are of the girls. When I took the boys out of the basket, they yelled like banshees which upset momma, so back they went. Girls couldn't care less. Everyone is doing very well. Not a whole lot of difference in size anymore. Anyone who was little has caught up. We're having much fun.

Santa left 10 gifts under the tree

2010-12-26T08:57:00.003-05:00

We're pleased to announce Leia and Rowan's litter, born on Christmas Day 2010. Labour started around 8 p.m. last night and this morning we have 10 pretty little babies - 6 girls and 4 boys. Leia is doing very well as are all the wee piglets...um, puppies. As with everything she does, Leia took it all in stride and was relaxed through the whole process. Brad and Amanda were here to watch the first 2 come along and Wendy and Andrea came for rest.

Waiting for Babies

2010-12-22T07:07:00.002-05:00

Leia arrives today - Wendy says she's getting lazy and just wants to lie around. Judging from the size of her - I think I understand! We're not totally finished painting the whelping room yet, so Mark had better hurry up. Looks like babies are coming soon!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-14T11:31:00.004-05:00

Winter weekend

2010-12-07T07:04:00.004-05:00

Had a lovely weekend talking dogs, training dogs, watching dogs. We had Danielle visit us from Pennsylvania to meet and play with our crew in consideration of getting a puppy. She decided the Rowan and Leia breeding and I'm sure she'll be pleased. Duncan and Helen came out on Saturday to train with Decoy and Cassie. We got to run our own dogs a fair bit, which was a nice change for us. Lunch at Camp 31 topped the great day. Classes on Sunday, as usual which was also fun. We have the winter class schedule all figured out. Now working on our training and trialing plans.

Puppies...

2010-11-26T19:50:00.002-05:00

Back from the vet. We have puppies! Leia has "lots" - ultrasound isn't very accurate for counting but we do know there are quite a few puppies in there. No puppies from Bree (whew...). So, now it's time to get that room finished and the whelping box up and all the other fun stuff we get to do before puppies arrive sometime between Christmas and New Years.

Running on the Beach

2010-11-11T18:32:00.003-05:00

We had a great day today - took a drive down to Longpoint because it was so gorgeous. It's not often that it's 13 degrees in the middle of November (that's almost 60 to you folks who don't operate on the Celsius scale). Dogs had a big run on the beach, splashed around in the water and got incredibly dirty rolling in sand. We had a big feed of perch for lunch and just generally enjoyed the day.

Maya

2010-11-04T06:48:00.002-04:00

Maya is a Zomarick puppy from Quebec - she's a Drake daughter who lives with Kevin Pilon. Kevin tells us she's doing really well - she got her Junior Hunter this summer and is enjoying being Kevin's hunting dog.

Windu and Matthew

2010-11-04T06:39:00.003-04:00

Windu is a Drake and Destiny son who lives with Dean and Tammy Taylor and their family in New Brunswick. Here, he's shown with his hunting buddy Matthew on Matthew's first opening weekend. They've started a new hunting tradition together. Windu has picked up over 20 ducks this season so far and is having a great time.

Rowan and Leia

2010-11-02T07:58:00.005-04:00

We've just bred Rowan and Leia, so we're hoping for Christmas puppies. Of course, Mark was away while all the breeding was happening, so I got to deal with a stud dog who doesn't like mommy to watch. Thankfully, Leia is confident and easy going even though she hadn't done this before so I just left them alone to do their thing and they managed very well without me. Lesson for me - letting nature take its course works just fine (there's a rumour that I'm a control freak - don't know where that comes from). Now we wait and see what Mother Nature brings us.

Fall Training

2010-11-02T07:51:00.004-04:00

Mark's back from hunting in Saskatchewan. I'm told a fun time was had by all. Weather was good and the hunting was productive. Bree and Drake are still watching for birds.

Classes start back up this week. Handling is Tuesday and Marking is Sunday. We trained this past weekend around Milton and found a couple of places that we haven't been able to use for a while have opened back up so that gives us a few more options. It's a bit cool this week, so make sure you wear your woolies when coming out to train. It's no fun to be cold.

A beautiful fall day

2010-10-17T08:34:00.004-04:00

It's oddly quiet here this weekend. Mark left for his annual duck hunt in Saskatchewan on Wednesday and took Drake and Bree with him. Bree was in standing heat, so that should make the drive interesting as Mark was also picking up Chester and Tucker from Steve's. We were up early and had a big walk on the hydro line - it's a gorgeous fall day. No classes with Mark away, so we'll do some obedience training today instead.

Wendy tells me that Leia is in season - of course she started the day Mark left, so we'll have her to keep things interesting next week. She is being bred to Rowan, so that means Christmas puppies for us hopefully.

Mark took my camera out with him, so hope to share some nice pictures when he gets back at the end of the month.

Sunday Training

2010-10-03T15:43:00.004-04:00

Lots of fun training today. We had a visit from Sarah and Jeff and new baby Natalie. She's very cute and I'm sure training to be a bird thrower extraordinaire. The puppies did very well - Easton is our newest recruit and he was very enamored of the bumper with the goose wing. Sage has decided that the bumper isn't too heavy, but she's sure it's more fun to take it away and get Mark and Paul to chase her. Ranger-Roo had fun too. All the older dogs did well and seem to enjoy the cooler weather. Emily did a great job running Drake and Bree.

As a matter of fact...

2010-09-25T14:17:00.003-04:00

...some of us DO hunt like girls. Raven and Leia had fun hunting today with Marian and Wendy. Thanks very much to Paul, Dan, Mark and John for inviting everyone along and doing the shooting. The weather wasn't the nicest, but nobody really seemed to mind. The dogs did great for their first time hunting. After not being quite sure if they were supposed to pick up birds that were still flapping, they decided that was a whole bunch of fun. Duck for dinner tonight!

Hunting Buddies Weigh In

2010-09-20T21:15:00.003-04:00

Rowan and Chester think that perhaps Ranger is exaggerating his role in the picking up of the geese.

Ranger-Roo's First Hunting Trip

2010-09-20T21:10:00.004-04:00

Ranger had fun this weekend hunting with his buddies on Manitoulin Island. He seemed to think it he needed to go out and pick up more geese than his sister.

Sage goes hunting

2010-09-13T20:39:00.005-04:00

Well, maybe Sage is the first puppy in this litter to go on a big hunting trip, but we're finding it hard to believe she picked up all these geese all by herself (seeing as they look like they're as big as she is and she's awfully clean). Maybe she had a little help from her huntin' buddies.

New JH

2010-09-12T20:10:00.002-04:00

Congratulations to Leia and Wendy for finishing their Junior Hunter today at the Golden Retriever Club of Greater Toronto's test.

Training with our Sisters

2010-09-06T20:48:00.002-04:00

It was "training with our sisters" day on Sunday. Helen Scott came out to train with us and brought along her Flat Coat, Dart and her Golden, Cassie. Cassie is Bree's littermate - as you can probably tell from these photos. Helen has very generously allowed us to lease Cassie for an upcoming litter later this year. We're going to breed her to Drake and I'm sure we'll have puppies as lovely as the second sibling team that was out this weekend. Sage came out to play with Ranger. They had a very good time. Sage spent a whole bunch of time showing Ranger that girl dogs rule.

2010-08-12T07:38:00.002-04:00

This is Laila - she's another one of Ranger's siblings from Bree and Drake's spring litter who lives with Ron and Meri in Mississauga. I'm beginning to see a theme with these pictures...have you noticed all these dogs seem to hang out on the couch???

Cherry Tree

2010-08-10T10:06:00.002-04:00

I'm thinking people are going to think I'm puppy-obsessed. I'm really not, but here's one more. This is Duffy, who lives in Beamsville, picking cherries with his little friend.

2010-08-09T20:57:00.004-04:00

More puppy pictures. This is Sage, who lives in Toronto. She's been teething this week and feeling a bit under the weather. She came to visit last week for a couple of days while her family took a little holiday. She and Ranger had a lot of fun chasing each other through the yard and tearing down all the plants growing along the side of the fence. Paul's enjoying teaching her to retrieve.

2010-08-09T14:56:00.003-04:00

It's very fun to see pictures of our puppies as they're growing up. Rob in Pittsburg sent us these of Jake this week. I find it funny that the puppies who I think look so different when they're in the litter grow up to look very much alike as they get older. Jake was the "big, red boy" in the litter. Isn't he handsome?

Sleepy...

2010-07-29T07:15:00.001-04:00

Mark and Ranger spent the evening training. Mark taught 2 field classes. Ranger went to obedience class with Mary. Who do you thing is more tired?

Congratulations on new SHR

2010-07-20T07:37:00.004-04:00

Congratulations to Decoy (Tidewater Dirty Decoy), owned by Cindy and Chad in Minnesota. Decoy got his SHR this weekend. He's a Drake and Destiny son from the February 2008 litter.

Ranger and Sage

2010-07-18T16:31:00.003-04:00

Today, Ranger and Sage went swimming in the Grand River. No fear for either of them - they had lots of fun trying to dunk each other. Ranger told Sage what he's heard about Going To Saskatchewan. They're planning their trip. Now they're chosing which one is the pea-field dog and which is the wheat-field dog.

Congratulations to Teya and Brodie!

2010-07-09T08:21:00.005-04:00

Congratulations to Teya and Barbara and David and Brodie for passing their WC test last night at Mountain Valley. On what was probably the hottest night of the year, both dogs did very well. Diane and Butler competed as well - they did a great job on water, but has some trouble on land. We'll work a bit on that and have better luck next time, we're sure.

Training Day July 3

2010-07-03T21:12:00.007-04:00

Great day today training with a fun group of dogs. Every one did really well. We ran some doubles for those dogs working on their WCIs and moving on to Senior Hunter and then some singles for those preparing for the upcoming WCs and JHs. Mark set up a land test on the cut grass in one of the industrial parks near Milton. We had wingers on one mark and a hand thrown on the other. The challenge was to get the dogs to look away from the very visible bank of wingers to focus on the not-so-visible gunner. All the handlers did a great job getting the dogs to focus on the correct mark.

For the water test, we all rang singles. There was a considerable wind on the pond, stiring up the water. Mark set up the test so the dogs would get some practice running into wind. Some dogs found that to be a pretty big challenge, but they worked through it.

We finished in the early afternoon before it got too stinking hot.

This is Brodie (Flat Coated Retriever), coming back on her water mark.

Lexi (Golden Retriever) is just 6 months old, but really loving the whole retriever thing. She went out in the water and did a REALLY long mark.

Raven (Labrador Retriever) waited patiently for her turn. Raven did a great job today learning to be a bit more patient when waiting in the holding blinds.

New Started Hunting Retrievers

2010-07-02T10:12:00.002-04:00

Congratulations to Teya (and Barbara) and Cowboy (and Nick) for achieving their Started Hunting Retriever titles at Lake Ontario's test a few weeks ago in Pontypool.

Teya and Cowboy are Drake "kids" and very nice young dogs. Barbara and Nick have done a great job getting them to this point in their training.

Thanks, Trudy, for the lovely pictures!

Ranger-Roo

2010-06-27T19:14:00.003-04:00

Today, Ranger learned about decoys and got to fetch some birds. He was a happy boy...

Training Day June 27

2010-06-27T19:05:00.003-04:00

We held a trial prep day today for our group of regular trainers. Mark set up a junior hunter type scenario on land and a combination WC/JH scenario on the water. We visited a new pond...well, new to us...so the dogs got to see something a bit different. All the dogs and handlers did well. We ran into a few issues that are better seen at a training day than at a trial, so we were able to work through some of those "what do I do if that happens at a trial" questions. Marjie is back from a few weeks off with a hurt foot, but she got right back in the swing of things.

A few of us are running the Mountain Valley WC test in a week or so and a few are running some upcoming hunt tests so the timing of the training was good. For those of you who think I only take pictures of gold dogs...here are a few of dogs of a different colour.

Swimming with Sage

2010-06-27T19:00:00.003-04:00

Last weekend Ranger and his sister Sage went swimming in Milton. For Sage, it was her first time in the water since she went to live with Paul and Lisa and their girls Emily and Caitlin - Ranger has been out a time or two. There was lots of splashing and having fun. I think Mark got wetter than the puppies.

Water work

2010-06-20T12:16:00.003-04:00

Well, haven't posted in a while. We've been busy since those little puppies went home, working with our new Ranger and getting caught up on all the stuff we stopped doing to spend all that time with Bree's litter. Ranger is lots of fun and fits in with the rest of the dogs without any issues. The 5 a.m. wake up calls are a bit much though.

Here he is learning to retrieve bumpers in the water.

Ranger goes visiting

2010-05-31T21:04:00.003-04:00

Ranger went to visit his sister Sage this weekend in Toronto. A good time was had by both puppies. There's a rumor that these puppies were plotting a hunting trip for later this year.

Off to New Homes

2010-05-31T20:56:00.003-04:00

Everybody went to their new homes this weekend, which is bittersweet for us. Bitter because suddenly the house is very, very quiet...but sweet because everyone has such nice homes. Sage was the first to go on Thursday - she went to live with Paul and Lisa and Caitlin and Emily in Toronto. Duffy went to Beamsville with Pat and Nancy on their lovely vineyard. Jake went to Grove City Pennsylvania. We drove Jacks to Detroit where he flew to Oklahoma City to be picked up by Stan to go home to Kansas. Our last wee girl went with Meri and Ron to Mississauga. And our last puppy stayed...little Ranger is the boy Mark kept. He seems a bit lost without all the rest of the crew, but he's settling in nicely as you can see by his relaxed pose on the couch on Sunday night.

1st Water Session of 2010

2010-05-22T20:07:00.002-04:00

Today was the last of our spring training classes and we celebrated by getting dogs in the water. You'll see Dave and Jocelyn's Lexi's first swim and water retrieve. It was a bit rainy out, but certainly warm enough for water training and all the dogs had a great time.

Adventures in the Field

2010-05-22T20:03:00.003-04:00

The puppies came to training class today. They were very, very good, although you'll see here one puppy's opinion of having to stay in the ex-pen. Yes, she's one of the girls.