6 months old!!

Grace is over 21 kgs now - as big as her mother and looks like she will soon overtake her. Shows interest in retrieving (of course!) and has her Foundation Behaviour Certificate. Six months old so on TWO meals a day.












And here is fluffy-eared Owain in Germany!












Daisy taking it easy.............

And here is Copper (below left) - the biggest pup at 7 weeks and still pretty big I would say - definitely a boy!

                                                 Tess doing her stuff - attagirl! -(yes, that is a pigeon in her mouth!)

And Monty.........

(Just need one of Juno for the full set.)
Would recognise them anywhere - still beautiful pups.

11 weeks old (nearly)

Gracie had her first taste of the big outdoors today - met quite a few dogs of all shapes and sizes. Attended her first gundog class too - hmm... there's a lot to learn. Owain looks as though he is getting the hang of it - see new pictures below.

Look at Owain!

Here I come ....



I can do it too!

Gundog Training

I have just bought a DVD from Adrian and Christine Slater via the following link: http://www.kipperridge.co.uk/
It shows you how an 11 week old gundog puppy can be trained to do simple retrieves, walk to heel, sit and lie down and continues with training up to 6 months old. So far We have tried the techniques on Gracie (at 9 weeks) - easy peasy! I would recommend it to anyone who is not already an expert! Saves having to unteach your dog bad habits learnt through no fault of its own. Quite pricey (£37 incl postage) but worth it I think.

New beginnings....

Thanks to Will for putting this map together so that we can see at a glance where everyone is!
The pups have been in their new homes for two weeks or more - Owain had a marathon journey to Koln in Germany, Tess to Chepstow, Copper to the Vale of Evesham, Juno to Buckinghamshire, Monty to Oxted and Daisy just over the Thames to Essex. Here are what they are doing now....


Gracie keeping Mum company!


Copper - what a sweetie!


Tess and some of her new friends


Juno making herself at home!
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Daisy learning to sit..


Monty - still an angel?

5 and a half weeks old

Sorry it's been a while - we have been busy..............



Fighting for a sock rather than with each other....



How cute am I?



Doing a good impression of a HOWWWWLLLLLLL....

4 weeks old already - where has the time gone?

"...I did what you said but then he bit my ear Mum!"



Investigating a raw chicken wing



Sorry Mum - couldn't hold it any longer



Morning sponge down



Morning stroll



Hmm what will today bring?

Lillevenn

Lillevenn, Kennel Club name Scherzando Applause, was bred from working lines by Christine Bridgwater near Winchester on May 11 2009 out of Scherzando Libra and Earnsfield Reeve.
We first and foremost wanted a companion (Barbara had just retired and the last of our four children was due to disappear off to University any time soon) and in Lillevenn we soon discovered that we had one.

Butter wouldn't melt....
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Lillevenn two years ago at 9-10 weeks

At just over 2 years old she is a very affectionate, well-behaved, intelligent companion who has slotted into our lives perfectly. Last September she spent a week with us in a beautiful National Trust property in the Peak District. In October she travelled from Kent to Sunderland in a packed train and back without turning a hair.

However what we didn't fully appreciate until later was how proficient our little pup was at hunting for retrieves - she was VERY good at it and it was clear that this was where she got most of her enjoyment from.

From 5 months old we took her to obedience classes.

She passed the bronze, silver and gold Good Behaviour Awards and becaming increasingly steady. To foster her love of hunting and retrieving we started local gun dog classes. Still young, her training is ongoing but she is enjoying the challenges thrown up by working with the Southern Golden Retriever Society.

Lillevenn (far right) at her first working test in Sussex aged 11 months
(Click for full view)

When we decided that we would like another dog just like our first we decided to breed from Lillevenn. With advice from an expert (Christine), in May we took Lillevenn to Yorkshire to mate with Boycie, aka Birdsgreen Sweet Reward of Castlemans, himself a Field Trial Champion.

We (Barbara and Simon) are not experienced breeders, although we have learned huge amounts from Lillevenn's breeder, Christine Bridgwater and also from Philippa Williams and Peter Bates in Yorkshire, who provided the services of Boycie, the sire. All three are nationally respected breeders and judges. Barbara has spent the last two years soaking up all the expertise she can find.

After four and a half weeks of nervous waiting, a scan revealed Lille WAS pregnant - with 7 puppies! Puppies were due around 22nd July. In fact the pups were born early -late on Tuesday evening, 19th July and in the early hours of Wednesday, 20th July.
Information about Lillevenn and Boycie's kennels can be found via the links.

19 days old

"This could be confusing.."



"Grrrrrr!!!!"



"What?"



"Heh heh..."



Look at us now! We can stand, sit, walk, yawn and bite each other - this is more like it......

Two weeks old...

"Yuck! Worming paste."


"That was horrible! And exhausting..."


"Fuss pots!"

13 days old and growing even more!!!!

Pups learning how to relax. Eyes are beginning to open and they've had their first nail clipping episode to spare poor mum. Just beginning to walk - as if they've had a few too many....Click on the photos and see us at just about actual size!

8 days old and growing !!!!!

It's only been just over a week and the puppies have all doubled in weight. Lillevenn has taken to feeding well, though she does like to escape the pups for a bit of peace and quiet after feeding.

The puppies are gradually developing their own characteristics. There are a couple of bruisers who think nothing of clambering over brothers and sisters to get to the milk, and a couple of quiet ones.

Seven puppies born

Lillevenn gave birth to a litter of seven puppies on the night of July 19/20. Three dogs and three bitches will be available from 7th September. The pups were all born with weights of between 410 and 500 grams (about one pound) and were produced within a three-and-a-half hour period. Mum and pups doing well!

Pedigree

Puppies will have the pedigree above (click to magnify). Father (Boycie) earned his title of Field Trial Champion when he was just turned 4 years old!

Exercise and training

My favourite place in the whole world..


Apart from this one...

Lillevenn does her fair share of imitating a couch potato, however she and her puppies come from working lines and therefore like wide open spaces and more importantly the opportunity to practise what they were born to do - retrieving! Working lines need a certain amount of mental stimulation to keep them happy. Lillevenn practises retrieving regularly for fun with the Southern Golden Retriever Club and in April 2011 took a more serious step and won her first working test (beginners class).
For more on training a gun dog see Lillevenn's breeder Christine Bridgwater on Countryfile (March this year):
click here

Because golden retrievers are susceptible to hip dysplasia, it is sensible not to put too much wear and tear on joints until dogs are 12 months. This means avoiding jumping (even climbing stairs should be avoided for a small puppy). Small puppies get all the exercise they need from play. For older puppies, a useful rule of thumb is to limit walks by the age of the puppy as follows: 13 weeks = 13 minutes walk, 20 weeks = 20 minutes and so on. By the time a puppy is 12 months they will have worked upto almost an hour's walk.