Blue Buffalo Dog Food for Sadie

A couple days ago, Crystal and I went to Eastern Pet Supply in Bridgeport and picked up a 30 pound bag of Blue Buffalo Dog Food.

Even though Blue Buffalo is expensive, we've always been big advocates of higher quality dog food. All of our dogs have been on this particular brand, and all of them have been super healthy and have had soft and shiny coats.

The 30 pound bag cost me $60.49 plus tax at Eastern Pet Supply, but today I found it online at Amazon for much less. I think we'll have to try purchasing it online next time with this kind of savings:

Blue Buffalo Dry Food for Puppies, Chicken and Rice Recipe, 30-Pound Bag

Here's a picture of Sadie at  7 weeks and 4 days. She is getting BIGGER!

Sadie Loves Rain and Snow

It has been raining nonstop today and Sadie has decided that she LOVES the rain.

She insisted that I take her on a walk today despite the torrential downpour and she walked through every puddle she could find.

Her breeder told me that Golden Retrievers enjoy getting their feet wet and she was correct!

Here's a pic of Sadie in the wet grass. She is 7 weeks 3 days old today.

Golden Retrievers and Babies

As much as I complain about Sadie chewing and biting, I have to say that she's super gentle around my 1 year old niece.

Here's a picture of Sadie with my son and niece. Sadie is 7 weeks and 2 days old in this photo.

Training Our Golden Retriever to Walk on a Leash

When we brought Sadie home from her breeder's last week, our first attempts to walk her around the block  were disastrous. Sadie would zig and zag between my legs, cross over from side to side, stop abruptly, and try to get the leash in her mouth. She was a mere infant back then of 6 weeks and 1 day old.

But Sadie is growing up...

We took 3 relaxing walks around the block today and will probably go for a fourth one before her bedtime. The walks were relaxing because I studied up on the problem and became determined to master the dog walk.

Here are the 6 key things that I learned and practiced with our Golden Retriever that have turned things around for us. Follow these steps and you will likely have the same success that we did.


1. Always walk in front of your Golden Retriever

When you walk in front of your Golden Retriever, you will be perceived as her pack leader. If you allow her to control the walk, then she will promote herself to that role. Your Golden should be beside you or behind you during the walk. When she tries to take over, you should come to a complete stop until she conforms. She should also be behind you when going out the door and back in the door.

2. Use a short leash and an illusion collar.

A short leash allows you maximum control, and attaching the leash to the very top of the neck with an illusion collar will let you guide and correct your Golden Retriever in the most efficient way.

3. Give yourself ample time for your walk.

Like humans, Golden Retrievers are diurnal which makes taking walks in the morning ideal. It;s a big commitment, but I set aside thirty minutes for each of Sadie's walks.Training takes time.

4. Reward your Golden Retriever during the walk.

After your Golden has maintained appropriate behaviors, reward her by allowing her to relieve herself and sniff around. Rewards are essential, but you decide when her reward time is over.

5. Keep leading your Golden puppy, even after her walk.

When you get back home, walk in the door first and have her wait patiently while you take off your shoes and jacket. Unleash her under your terms.

6. Reward your Golden after the walk.

By providing a meal or a tasty treat after her walk, you have allowed her to "work" for food and water which will give her a sense of accomplishment.

Sadie is not a perfect walker by any means and we still have lots of work to do. I'm glad that I latched on to these tips however, because walks are so much more pleasant for both of us.

Here are some pics of Sadie from today at 7 weeks and 1 day old.

7 weeks Old Today

Sadie turned 7 weeks old today.

Reflecting on the 6 days that we have had Sadie makes me wonder if we took her from her mother too soon.

Don't get me wrong, she's a wonderful, beautiful puppy with a sweet disposition but she probably needed to stay with her mother until at least 8 weeks. In fact, if I could do it all over again I would have purchased her that same day and arranged to pick her up on Sunday of next week.

When I did a Google search on the phrase "how old should a golden retriever puppies stay with mother", all of the searches came back with 8-10 weeks. Not a single response gave the all clear at 6 weeks.

Here's an example...

8 to 10 weeks. Up to that point the mother dog teaches the puppies how to behave. Then when you bring them home you become the pack leader and continue to teach them. Golden Retrievers are toddler until they are 3 years of age on average.

And another...

Some breeders will let them go at 6-7 weeks, but it's usually better to leave them with mom until they are 8-12 weeks old. Golden Retriever pups learn so much from mom/litter mates in that time. They learn how to play without being too rough, socialization skills, etc. I personally would leave them with mom until at least 8 weeks. That is still young enough for them to get used to children and not too young to be away from mom.

So Crystal and I are the pack leaders and get to teach Sadie socialization skills. It's going to be tricky but we are committed to doing that.

We took her to the pet store today and she walked around so nicely on a leash. She also made a lot of new people friends and was super gentle with each of them. Sadie loves people and she loves the snow.

Here are some pics of Sadie from right outside the pet shop today at 7 weeks old.

Golden Retriever Kong Recipes

Yesterday, I blogged about how Sadie needs to chew everything she comes in contact with and discussed our strategy on helping her make acceptable choices.

Today I discovered a breakthrough. Actually, the breeder and my wife both told me about this but I guess I needed to figure it out by myself.

The breakthrough...?

Golden Retrievers love Kongs.

Not sure what a Kong is? A kong is a device or chew toy made from extremely durable rubber. It is dishwasher and microwave safe. The reason you need to know this is because Kongs normally have a hole through the center that can be stuffed with tasty treats.

This keeps the Golden Retriever busy chewing something acceptable, often for long periods of time.

This is a picture of the Kong we are now using.

We stuffed our Golden Retriever's new Kong with low fat yogurt, then spread creamy peanut butter on the outside pockets. We froze it for about an hour and then gave it to Sadie. After she worked on it for nearly an hour it was no puzzle as to why the Kong is such a valuable training tool. This device trains your puppy while you're away by rewarding her with a tasty treat. All the while keeping herself occupied with an acceptable chewing activity.

Eureka! A dog that spends three hours getting a taty treat has little time to do any digging, barking, chewing, or breaking boundaries. Give it a try, your dog will thank you.

KONG Puppy Kong Toy, Small, Assorted Pink/Blue


Here are some pics of Sadie at 6 weeks and 6 days old trying to negotiate her way in to the off-limits section of our home.First, she tries the "look adorable technique. This is where she sits lovingly at the boundary and tries to convince me she'll be a good girl if I will just let her pass.

When that technique fails, Sadie decides she can gnaw her way through the metal gate. This technique would eventually give her success but her mouth, jaws, and teeth would regret it.

Another attempt, this time trying to squeeze through. Nope, too big and getting bigger every day.

Sadie Loves Her Toys

Golden Retriever pups are chewers and there's just no getting around it. Chewing is a natural behavior for all  breeds and it is beneficial to them because it helps promote healthy teeth, gums and even jaw muscles. There is a back side to chewing however. Sometimes a Golden pup may direct her chewing habits at objects that are supposed to be off-limits.

Chewing is also a dog's way of exploring the world around it. Just like human babies, puppies often learn about new things by putting them in their mouths. 

The solution to the problem is....

May I have a drum roll please?

Toys!

Lots and lots of toys. Golden Retriever puppies have to chew so give them something they're allowed to chew. Here are pics of Sadie from this morning with her chew toys. She is 6 weeks and 5 days old.

Sadie Goes to School

We didn't have school today in Harrison County so I took our Golden Retriever puppy to Crystal's school for a visit.

Here's a picture of Sadie at 6 weeks and 4 days old.

Training Sadie to Come to Us On Command

We're teaching our Golden Retriever puppy to recognize her own name and to come to us on command. I've read lots of techniques for this simple trick but the one we chose to use seems to be working.

Crystal holds Sadie while I sit 15 feet away from her with a treat. I pat my legs and say "Sadie come". When she comes she gets praise and a treat. Then I hold her and Crystal repeats the process.

If all goes well, the "Sadie come" command should work in real life situations. Time will tell.

Here's a picture of Sadie from today. She's 6 Weeks and 3 Days Old.

Sadie is 6 Weeks and 2 Days Old

Sadie had a good first night in her new home. She met Cappie and Gracie (her new brother and sister) and she had a blast playing with all of their toys.

At bedtime, she went into her crate without a struggle and only woke us up once for a 3:00am bathroom break. Crystal took care of that one and let me sleep. What a good wife!

Everything we've read says that Golden Retrievers are easy to train. Well, it's been 24 hours and there haven't been any accidents yet.

Here's today's picture of Sadie on a potty break.

Meet Sadie, Our New Golden Retriever

My wife has been wanting a Golden Retriever for years and today she finally got one! The newest addition to our family is named Sadie. She was born on December 9th, 2012 so today she is six weeks and one day old.

Here's a picture of her on her ride home from Middlesex, PA to her new home in Bridgeport, WV.

Sadie Bug (Golden Retriever) Photo Date 1/21/2013

And here are her important papers...

Golden Retriever Litter #SR760104

Sadie's Puppy Vaccinations

Breeder: Michelle Hughes

My plan with this blog is to keep a journal of Sadie's growth by taking a photo of her every single day of her life. We'll also record her vet records here so we have an easy place to go to for info if we need it. That's a lofty goal, but Crystal and I thought it would be fun to attempt it!

Enjoy the blog and be sure to leave us comments!!