temperament – Jema Golden Retrievers

What A Week!

Happy/sad time as pups leave to their new homes ready for new adventures!

What an amazing week this has been! LOTS happening every day!

First, we had a fantastic visit with Sherry from California as she came out to see ALL the puppies and ended up going home with “Black Boy/Trek”. THANK YOU Sherry for all your help with the puppies entertaining/socializing them every day and helping me give everyone baths. Puppies had strict orders to STAY CLEAN for their new families which, for the most part, they did! It was great to talk “all things dog” with someone I very much respect in the dog world. You kept saying how it was a vacation for you, Sherry, but it was really a vacation for me! I can’t wait to watch Trek, grow up… I/we are so excited about his future!

“Trek”… STUNNING boy!! Love him to pieces!!

On Friday, we celebrated Rooster’s (CH Gaitway-Jema’s Kiss And Tell, BISS, CGC) 6th birthday. He is such a special boy; he means the world to me! His accomplishments IN the ring pale by comparison to the assistance he so readily gives as a Mobility Assistant Service Dog… He just KNOWS when I need his help!

On Friday, Orange Girl (now known as “Westie”) went to her new home. While this starts the beginning of the puppies going to their new homes, I can’t help but feel a tad sad until I see the smiles from the new families. This may be an end to “the puppies” for me but it is just the beginning of their new wonderful lives with their new families! I’ve no doubt they will hit the ground running ready to take on this new adventure! CONGRATULATIONS to all on your new family companions!!

Saturday was the big “going home” day and now… I’m exhausted! We have one more puppy that is leaving tomorrow and then… I will just have my puppy left. It will feel SO STRANGE just feeding ONE PUPPY after “Zoey” leaves!

Black Boy is now known as “Trek”
Orange Girl is now known as “Westie”
Green Boy is now known as “Finn”
Blue Boy is now known as “Ziggy”
Purple Boy is now known as “Eddy”
Pink Girl is now known as “Gracie”
Lime Green Girl is now known as “Charley”
Yellow Girl is now known as “Zoey”
Red Girl is now known as “Vee”

For anyone who has not seen the vid of the puppies playing on the pool cover, they had a BLAST! Talk about getting their “sea legs”! Bouncing around, it was like a Bouncy House for puppies! All of the pups quickly thought this was great fun; another surface mastered by all!

Sunday, August 5, 2018… The blog entry that never ends (LOL!)

I fell asleep at 8:30 p.m. and was up by 4:30 a.m. this morning… Where is the COFFEE! Going through a few more of the photos taken last week and wanted to share:

Puppies play hard with each other but now need to learn you aren’t another puppy for them to climb all over! Gently “correcting” this behavior now will ease your puppy’s transition into your home!

It is easy to forget the pupies are like babies… they “explore” everything with their mouths!

And I “taught” them how to “dig”! If you have an area you can “give” to the pups to dig, they would be so happy! Think of it like a sandbox for a child. It will help them NOT dig where they shouldn’t if they have their own “spot” to “play”.

Our little “water feature” on our back patio where EVERYONE uses as a recirculating drinking bowl! At least none of the pups thought to actually climb into the fountain (I half expected some might try to do that, LOL!)

We LOVE all of our puppies! Thank you, Andrew, for all of your help loving on the puppies!

Thank you to everyone who has followed the puppy journey here on my blog/web site! I hope to continue to add more photos as the pups grow up and to share their stories of their lives with their new families. It has been a wonderful summer experience for us… a lot of fun, a lot of work, and a lot of memories!! Congrats again to the new owners of my precious babies!

Two Weeks To Go…

Definitely a “puppy bump” going on here!

Well actually 2 weeks and 3 days! Miss Deja is definitely carrying more than a few puppies!

Hubby was joking this morning about his new way to “exercise the dogs”. All he has to do is get up from his chair in the study and walk into the bedroom. Or the kitchen. And everyone gets up to follow him! LOL! Sitting at my desk now, I have a sea of gold surrounding me! Goldens definitely like to “hang out” with their people!

We are keeping a very close eye on Deja now (well, we keep a close eye on everyone, really). The “big day” is getting closer!

Well Bred Dogs

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.

381877_2710022916928_1447523613_32957881_1324530500_n — Grand Champion Tazo: Gone but never forgotten! Blessed to have had this dog in my life!

JEnnifer & MArk ~ Jema Golden Retrievers