Competitive Water Sports… For Dogs!
Another sport Golden Retrievers LOVE to do is “dock diving”. For the dog who loves to swim, this is just FUN! Thank you, Michele for sending me this vid of your/our boy, Strut doing what comes natural for him… Retrieving! GOOD BOY, Strut!!
Strut is 4 years old; he is by CH Rooster x Tamale. LOVE how Michele (and Larry) do so many things with their dogs! BEST HOME EVER!!!
Breeding puppies to the conformation standard is more than just “pretty dogs”.
I saw this illustration today and knew I just needed to SHARE it! It so perfectly shows how “purebred” dogs can look so different from well-bred dogs!
Ahhh… My very first golden looked like the dog in the lower left hand corner. We loved her dearly and she was a very sweet dog but… She just wasn’t “pretty”. Fortunately, she had a wonderful temperament and lived a long, happy life with us. This dog started my life-long love for this breed and helped convince me I wanted not just “pretty” dogs but also dogs that were health tested (long before they were ever bred!)
Health testing is major event here held every year at a local health clinic put on by the Cavaliers of The West breed club. Why do I go to this particular clinic? I just love how organized and competent the gal that organizes and works so diligently every year to provide this service for the dog community. Every year, ALL of my dogs have their eyes dilated and are seen by a veterinarian ophthalmologist. They say “the eyes are the windows to the soul”. They can also be the first indicators of other disease processes!
Dogs over a year of age are also “heart tested” by a veterinarian cardiologist. Genetic heart diseases such as “SAS” (sub-aortic stenosis) along with other heart anomalies can be ruled out.
Then, all the paperwork is sent to OFA (Orthopedic Foundation of American); the registration organization that provides online access to health clearances.
The other big health clearances done in Golden Retrievers are x-rays of hips and elbows. I usually have my regular vet, who is adept at positioning for these x-rays, do them. Again, that information is sent to OFA. For a permanent “clearance”, dogs must be over two years of age. Another registration organization for hips is PennHip. These x-rays measure slightly differently than OFA x-rays; I usually have these done also. You can’t get too much information regarding “hip health” when considering a future breeding.
Copies of these health clearances are always given to new puppy owners. I just believe in total transparency in puppies I’ve bred.
Other factors to consider when considering breeding a litter of puppies: Temperament! I live with what I breed and “good temperament” is a hallmark trait for this breed! By following the pedigree of any litter, I can generally predict the temperament of each puppy. Other factors of good temperament is socialization of puppies. We work hard here providing a LOT of early puppy socialization and send home information to new owners on how to continue that socialization for the benefit of that puppy as it grows into adulthood.
Last but not least is Longevity! Sadly, “man’s best friend” is never with us long enough. But through genetic research of ancestors, hopefully they live a long life for this breed. This is a big goal for us in any litter also.
“Looks”, by this time, that is almost icing on the cake! But by breeding to the Golden Retriever standard and after being evaluated by judges through dog shows, our goal is always to produce the next conformationally correct dogs! Do all of our dogs end up in the show ring? No! But many could be shown! And many live in “pet homes” pampered and loved that attract attention and praise when walking down the street! They are “pretty”!
Lofty goals for any breeding/litter of puppies, huh? This is what we’ve done over our thirty years being involved in this breed. Generation after generation, staying true to the golden retriever standard, improving each generation as we continue our life-long love for this breed.
JEnnifer & MArk ~ Jema Golden Retrievers
Rooster x Trevi pup out field training with his committed owners!
So happy to receive photos of Gaddy, a Rooster x Trevi puppy, who has been out field training! Now I imagine the water is still cold yet this pup is swimming away!
I give all the credit for this puppy’s abilities to his owners; their commitment in training will make this boy a great field dog!
All Goldens have this ability but it takes perseverance and consistency in training to teach a dog (any animal) exactly what you want him or her to do. Kudos go to Gaddy’s owners!
Happy six-month birthday, Gaddy, and to all the puppies in this litter! You are growing up into such a beautiful boy! You make your daddy, Rooster, proud as well as all the dogs in your beautiful pedigree! HUGS to you!!
JEnnifer & MArk ~ Jema Golden Retrievers
CH Deja wins Top Conformation trophy for 2017! I am so proud to be not only her owner but also her breeder!
Dog names generally originate from a deep meaningful place no matter what a puppy’s future may hold. In my litters, I usually have a “theme” to help folks think of a registered name for their future puppy. The “call name”, of course, is whatever the person or family wishes to call their puppy/dog. In the dog show world, the call names usually include some part of the registered name. This is true with “Deja”. Her “call name” is in her registered name.
Deja’s litter theme was “coffee”. All the pups from that litter have names that relate to coffee in one form or another. This is a repeat litter theme; one I did for Deja’s sire, Tazo (GCH CH Jema’s Mocha Kiss, BISS), many years ago although his litter included both coffee and tea. Hence Deja is a repeat of her sire or Deja Vu or… Deja Brew!
Deja, like her dad, Tazo, is a happy dog! She exudes confidence in everything she does. They both can be a bit “bouncy”; all that energy needs to go someplace! I remember showing her once and as I did a courtesy turn getting her lined up to do the down and back, she jumped almost six feet straight up in the air, landed and was ready to gait down the diagonal! The funny thing about this is that I never felt her feet leave the ground! If it wasn’t for a friend who took a cell phone shot of her doing this, I would never have believed it!
Almost ALL of my puppies have won Best in Specialty Sweepstakes or BISS! Deja did not being a bit slower to mature to be competitive in the ring. She did, however, take Best Puppy in Show not once but twice when she was young! Those memories will stay with me forever not only for the recognition of this puppy amongst many other puppies but also as a proud breeder moment!
Deja finished her AKC Champion title with a professional handler. Finding (and winning) those bigger shows meant more travel than I could do at the time. But I believed in her and so did her handler. Deja won her second major fall of 2017 needing one single point to finish this title. Because I had not entered her in any shows after that major show, I had to wait two weeks after entering her in a local show where she won that last point needed. YEAH! Deja now sports the coveted “CH” before her name! Her sire, Tazo, would be so proud! And so would her paternal grandmother, Saga; a puppy I purchased so many years ago!
On a lark (and because I was asked), I sent in Deja’s show record and points accumulated throughout her show career. Our dog club does an Awards Banquet every year where high-achieving dogs are recognized. I had not made plans to attend the Awards Banquet this year and in fact, completely forgot about it until a friend notified me that Deja had won “Top Conformation Bitch From The Classes”! I’m very grateful that my friend at the banquet accept this trophy on my behalf! WooHoo for Deja!!
As my sweet girl lies here at my feet being the completely calm, well-mannered house dog she is, I remember her energy whenever anything is asked of her. I remember that enthusiasm whether being in the show ring or chasing a tennis ball in my backyard. Trophy or not, she is my perfect dog! I need only look at her for her to wag her tail ready for the next game we can play together! And I look at her daughter, Pixel and think… It is almost time to have Pixel shown. She will be my next winning dog; the fourth generation of Jema Golden Retrievers!
Time flies… Never take it for granted!
As the Rooster X Avery puppies go to their new homes, it made me think of Rooster when he was younger (he is 6 years old now). Going through old photos always brings mixed feelings… Some wonderful memories but also some sad ones thinking of dogs no longer with me. But seeing the 8 week old pups sired by Rooster… Just DARLING!
Rooster is ALWAYS ready for a game of “fetch” or “tug”. I found this old photo of Rooster as a young pup playing tug with my old girl, Luna. Luna was always very patient with puppies and young dogs but she wasn’t going to just give up a toy either! I miss Luna very much; she was my constant shadow.
It is hard looking back on old photos. They always bring to mind so many memories. Here, Rooster is only two years old or so out in our pasture waiting for me to throw that ball. His natural stance is practically perfect! Now like back then, he looks better with less handling. It is hard to imagine that 7-8 week-old puppy has now grown up into the champion (almost grand champion) I believed he would be when he was just a pup.
Time flies for all of us! Remember to hug your doggies and never take them for granted. If I was to find a fault with “(wo)man’s best friend”, it would be they are never with us long enough.
Jema Golden Retrievers 