The privilege of observing the blossoming my special little Princess...

(Above: 10-month-old Lexi , with her handler "Estene")

This past Sunday I had that rare privilege of getting a glimpse of how far my little Lexi has come in her development as I went to join up with "Estene", a lovely lady who has agreed to take Lexi into the Breed Show ring for her first championship show this coming weekend.  It was wonderful to see how my patience and commitment with Lexi's training have paid off and I watched, with joy, as she happily and confidently worked for someone else, besides me. 

My special little Princess is 10 months old now and is turning into one of the most beautiful dogs I have ever had the privilege of owning. She is gentle, affectionate, obedient, healthy, happy and always willing to learn.  Every morning I rise with a smile after a few minutes of special cuddling.  She has the softest fur imaginable.

When Lexi is not cuddling she is always embued with energy - directed towards her naturally, beautifully bred instincts.  She loves retrieving objects from the swimming pool and will launch herself into the water with absolute abandon.

She is no longer hesitant, like those first few months, but has grown into a confident, compact and pretty little Golden Retriever.

(Above and below : Lexi at 9 weeks)

 (Above and below: Lexi at 12 weeks)

She loves her home and her canine-companions and has a particular affinity for our sweet hooligan - TOBY. During the day, the two of them are inseparable.

Currently, she has completed three obedience courses, including her Puppy programme, Elementary Beginner's obedience and her Canine Good Citizen (bronze) assessment. We have started yet another obedience course - this time her 'Beginners Obedience. I imagine that we will be in formal training for a long time yet - simply because we both enjoy it so much. She is a beautiful canine partner.

(Above: Lexi and me after completing her bronze CGC)

This coming Saturday Lexi will participate in her first breed show. As many of my readers know, I am personally very uncomfortable in the Breed Show ring, but Estene has kindly offered to take Lexi into the ring on my behalf.

I believe that one of the best gifts I can ever give my dog is to train it up so that if anything happens to me, it's training, obedience, behaviour and personality will endear it to another caring human who will love it in the same way as I do.  A dog who is comfortable in the presence of other human beings is a true asset to its owner.  Lexi proved this on Sunday.

In addition to practising some of the ring-craft, she sat patiently while Estene touched up the silky fur around her ears.

 She also had the opportunity to romp and play with a few other Golden Retrievers that she's not met before. The absence of her canine-compatriot Toby didn't make a dent in her confidence. Her self-assurance in the presence of other dogs was evident. 

(Lexi is on the far right, playing with "Misty" - another young pup)

 So much water has gone under the bridge since this photo of Toby and Lexi - at 8 weeks of age.

I am so proud of my pup... together we have built up her confidence over the months and refined her behaviour. We have formed a bond of great trust... so much so that she will happily perform for another handler.

Thank you so much, Estene for agreeing to show Lexi. Thank you for allowing her to bubble and shine. In a short time she bonded with you and it cannot bring me more joy to know this and be able to sit back and watch her display.

 It really doesn't matter how she eventually does in the ring - only that you and her HAVE FUN!!! 

But thank you, sincerely, for loving my Lex'!

Good luck to ALL the dogs who have entered in the show on Saturday.

If you are interested in seeing more Goldens, why not drop by the grounds of the 

GUIDE DOGS FOR THE BLIND 

 (Paulshof, Johannesburg, Gauteng) on Saturday morning?

The show is 

THE GOLDEN RETRIEVER CHAMPIONSHIP SHOW

and it starts at 9am.

Apparently they have a record number of entries of beautiful Golden Retrievers - over 70 entries!

It is guaranteed to be a Golden spectacle!

Sending lotsaluv

MAXDOG on KINDLE - Discounted price

Dear friends

This is just a short post to let my readers know that I have substantially reduced the price of 

MAXDOG on KINDLE

Readers in the USA can now get it at $2.99.

Other countries are similar.

Don't loose out :)

Click on the picture or HERE

Please would you spread the word about this new pricing.

Also, if you've not read the book yet, here's your chance to get it in the digital format at a very affordable price.

Sending lots of love

Goldens having pool-fun...

 Hello there, dear friends.

Summer has arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa!

As temperatures hover in the 30's during the day, the dogs take to the refreshing water of our swimming pool. Both Toby and Lexi  are mad about swimming. In the nine months of her young life, Lexi has fallen into copy-cat mode. Toby and her are inseparable and she has learned many of her habits from him.  One of the things they both LOVE is our swimming pool!

 If you've not seen this video of Toby before, take a look.  It will give you an idea of his enthusiasm...

Lexi's confidence about swimming has grown in leaps and bounds.  Thanks to Toby's exuberance for "pool jumping", she has stepped up to the platform and now competes with him to be the first in the pool. There is not an inkling of hesitation in her attitude: she simply launches herself into the water with all the enthusiasm in the world.  She's equally eager to retrieve ANYTHING - leaves, balls, phantoms, you name it...  

Yesterday, I managed to get quite a few photos of her antics...

Usually, Lexi allows Toby to be the first to retrieve any ball of his choosing, but this doesn't stop her from going in after him. 

The next photo was taken as Lexi hit the water. 

(No, she is NOT standing on a step here!)

One more jump, Lexi...this time, make a big splash!

A 'Lexical' splash...

Airborne dog!

Wishing all my readers a wonderful, happy weekend.

Dogs need more than one public holiday!

Good morning, dear friends!

Tomorrow is a public holiday in South Africa - Heritage Day!

Some folks have to work today. Others however....? 

 I think Lexi has the right idea, don't you?

 Lexi's obedience assessment for her 

Canine Good Citizen grading (Bronze) on Saturday took its toll on our young pup.

We decided, however, to treat her and Toby to a mega-walk in the park yesterday.

(Phew! They ran their socks off!)

Last night, the house radiated with a quiet rumbling of dog snoring.

Life is good if you are a pooch in our house!

I presume that today will also be a day of rest for my furry companions.

But, since it is a public holiday tomorrow, why not teach your dog a new trick?

Toby demonstrates how it's done:

Wishing everyone a happy heritage day (tomorrow) and sending lots of love to you all.

LEXI is a canine good citizen...

It was a challenge for any dog handler to put their pup through their paces in the prevailing weather conditions yesterday.

As the sun tried to peep through the clouds, the wind piped up and gusted continuously.  We buttoned up against the chilly breeze and watched dust twirls emerge and dance about the fields.

From a dog's point of view, I would imagine this to be very exciting.  What interesting news in the breeze that blew across their snouts. Perhaps it wasn't the ideal day for dog obedience assessments.  But hey, we were there and ready.

 We set off for McKaynine's training grounds with lots of time to spare - hoping to settle Lexi before the formal grading began. She was in good spirits - quite hyped in the windy conditions. It took extra effort to try and keep her attention - not to mention the irritating ear-infection which she's got at the moment.

  Despite all of this, I am proud to say that she managed to achieve her 

CANINE GOOD CITIZEN (BRONZE) grading.
Well done, Lexi!
I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

 "So Lexi, are you going to behave today?"

 "But Mom, there are squeaky toys and dust twirls everywhere!"

 "That's right, be a good girl and stay there while the other doggies walk around you."

"Come on Lexi, heel!  No, not prance...heel!"

 Excellent 'Down Stay! Well done, Lexi!

"Okay Lexi, it's time for your 'supervised isolation exercise."

 "Where are you going, Mom?"

 "Hey Mrs examiner, look she's back! BOL!"

 Lexi finds her preferred seating arrangement.

 CONGRATULATIONS LEXI, YOU PASSED!

 Time for a well deserved snooze.

Beautiful Canine Good Citizen!
"QUILLQUEST: PRINCESS AURORA"

But to us, simply "Lexi"!
 

Many thanks to all the crew at McKaynine Training Centre.  You guys are simply awesome.  We really appreciate your dedication and commitment towards making our dogs good canine citizens.  Thank you too for making the classes fun and for your endless patience in imparting your knowledge.

Sending lotsaluv

This and that...

The warm weather has arrived, but still no rain in the air. I've even changed our duvet to the summer one and packed away some of my winter clothes. My garden is alive with new shoots and pretty faces. 

 It calls me to work in it too, so I've planted a few things, keep watering and wait for the rain. I've also collected all the seeds from the display of Namaqualand daisies along the wall. (for next year's display)

Lexi, as usual, follows me everywhere - especially when there is a hosepipe in her sights. She is such a sweet little companion - constantly on the move and searching for fun. 

Toby and her relish chasing balls and playing in the pool. If they're really wet and there are people around, I send them to 'chill out' on the lounger chairs:

Saturday mornings are dedicated to our young pup, Lexi.  She is coming along so nicely - nine months old now - and is a dream training partner.  

Tomorrow she has a 'mock' run for her CGC 'Bonze' assessment, which will take place next Saturday.  I'm sure she'll be absolutely fine and I'm sure that we'll sign up for the next level too. Lexi is much smaller than Toby in stature and has a much gentler temperament, so it also makes my life a lot easier. We both love our time together at dog-training.

Toby relishes the fact that Miss R is home on her study break because she always gives him special attention.  She adores him and he puts up with her constant prodding as she goes through her anatomy studies. He's a great study prop.  In the evenings, he's on her lap while they watch TV (All 38kgs of him!). He's such a big baby!

Our dear, sweet Tammy is getting markedly older and a lot frailer now.  

She battles to walk and sleeps most of the time.  She's not able to accompany us on far walks either any more, but we take her down to the park at least once a week - to sniff around and renew her spirit. Usually I do this without the other two energetic dogs.  It's hard when our dogs get older, and its hard to watch them draw closer to the inevitable.  Tammy has had a good life and is still comfortable.  I am at peace with the future because I know that she's had a full life "lived to the max".  I watch her for signs of stress and hope that she'll simply slip away in her sleep one day...but who knows what lies ahead.  I've learned not to pre-empt these things.  'Live in the moment' is the way to go.

My thoughts are with all my friends who have pups who are battling with their health too.  'Scout', 'Tweedles', 'Sam' , 'Benny' and I am sure many others. My heart and prayers go out to them and their owners as they battle this path with their companions. If you have the time, please click on the links and show them some love.

On a brighter note, my two 'grand-guineapigs' - 'Scotch and Soda' are also home on study leave with Miss 'R'.  

They are such cuties! They have a separate cage to my own 'Bonnie and Twix' and it's such a pleasure to listen to their 'Wheek' conversations during the day.  Whenever I'm in the kitchen their voices become a chorus of urging - for me to open the fridge and bless them with cucumber.  I love those little creatures!

During the day, the dogs make themselves comfortable by my side - at my desk, in my den. 

 I do a few hours of admin work for a company each day, but also have time for my own endeavours.  At the moment I'm trying to make sense of the direction I should take with my quilting project.

 It's confusing me immensely. 

Anyway, that's all for now.  It's 'biscuit time' for my pooches. :) 

Wishing all my friends a very happy weekend.  

If you're in the Southern Hemisphere - Enjoy our wonderful Spring!!!

Sending lotsaluv