I bring shushu for morning walk everyday, but he still has tons of energy left.
There is one time we brought him go swimming in KKB, he did sleep in the car on the journey back but the moment he reach home, he is already recharged. I really don't know where he got all his energy from.
My vet said shushu is one of the most playful dog he has ever seen. I hope his playfulness will tone down when he gets older.

hehe...actually golden still tops lab.

Per poll,
1st = border collie
2nd = poodle
3rd = german shepherd
4th = golden retriever
5th = doberman
6th = shetland sheepdog
7th = labrador retriever
8th = papillon
9th = rottweiler
10th = australian cattle dog

source: top 10 smartest dog


Thanks for sharing the pictures! Hunter has more whitish fur on his head and big twinkling eyes. Muffin size is the smallest and slighty shorter fur and sheriff has darker fur, correct?
I really love Hunter's eyes!! It twinkles and look very kind and gentle.
Btw, muffin doesn't look like a retriever mix though.

You must be missing them a lot now.

BigBen and Sheriff are really handsome GRs.


Lol at muffin picture
She looks really happy with the wig!! Shushu will never sit still and will try to bite off anything i put on his head...


Barney is really cute!

Shushu unfortunately is one of the spoilt GRs.
I am still having trouble with him despite attending the lessons for quite some time now. He basically knows all the command well, but whether he will execute it depends on his mood. I am having major trouble looking for the things that would motivate him during training class. Though he is generally greedy for food, when at training class - he doesn't eat at all, and he doesn't respond to his favourite toys too. He is too busy "kepoh-ing" other people dogs, trying to get them to play with him which is disturbing the class.
However, our head trainer actually quote the quote in GRHunter signature. He said shushu is well trained already, it is the handler that is not well trained.... Which might be true, he perform all the command beautifully when being handled by him.

Thanks for the advice!
He has learn all the basics already but I am not confident to take the CGC exam yet.
His heel work is quite terrible and he likes to run school halfway during the sit stay command.

Just wanted to share of video of shushu & kero together
They like to do this all the time. GR are great with other dogs too!

Thanks!
Kero is the kepochi one, always kacau shushu but shushu doesn't mind. He is very tolerant of kero, he lets him bite his ears n tail fur, and share his food with him too.
Shushu and kero is actually less than 1 year apart, but somehow when i see them - i think of father and son relationship
Shushu was actually quite lonely for companionship before we got kero, as he is always alone at home in the afternoon since all of us are working. When kero come in, he was very happy and just lets kero do what he wants.


Oh, do share some pictures of your new pup!

they exchange bone all the time.
Kero sometimes sit on top of shushu to bite his bone.

Thanks!

can't help laughing when i saw your coco with a baby pacifier in her mouth picture. She looks like a giant baby, so cute
How do you keep her holding the pacifier without chewing the thing off? Mine will gleefully ran away and destroy the pacifier in less than 5 minutes.

I must admit it is not easy taking care of a large breed if compare to a small one.
I always wanted to bring shushu everywhere i go but it is difficult to do so due to his size and his playfulness.
People also tend to be more reserve/particular when you bring a big dog as compare with a small one.
Furthermore, big breed dogs eats a lot and take a lot of space too. I guess with so many reason people will rather get a small breed than a big one. However, i still love GR - they are like sunshine! They are so nice to hug and always look very happy. Shushu cheer me up everytime i see him (except when he did something naughty ).

If you are staying in Ipoh, the place to get is the office somewhere near padang besar ipoh in old town there. You just need to present your ic, fill up a form and pay RM10. That's all.

Shushu sleep in the living room.

My GR likes water a lot too!
He likes to drink from the big pail in the porch instead of his own waterbowl, and if u don't watch him carefully, he will immerse his whole head inside the pail to play with the water and splash it all over the floor ....
He also likes to splash on the water puddle and if can will lay and twist his body in it.
Recently it has been raining everyday and shushu did sneak out to the porch to play with the water. As a result, he also caught a fungal infection on lower part of the left hind leg. The vet gave him some cream to apply for it now.

We don't have a garden at home so i don't know if my GR likes to dig or not.


Erm, sometimes we have KKB trip organised and you can try to bring your doggies there for a swim. The place is quite nice.

Thanks for sharing the story. Any picture of Quinn?

Lovely pup!

Nice pictures! I also like the last picture! Very natural....amirul and queen look very happy playing with each other in the picture.

KKB bungalow got doggies?
hmmm, I am also not sure shushu can interact well or not with them. He is very rough when playing and other doggies may not like it.

Thanks for sharing!

Perhaps a video will be a better impact - "I'm Alive", a documentary of breeder dog rescued from puppymills.
It doesn't show the condition fo the mills they were rescued from, but the poor condition of the parent dogs in the puppy mill.
Even after they are rescued, there is still consequences from the years of over breeding / heavy neglect. These poor dogs deserve a better life....
It is 30 minutes long if you have the patience, the ending is very touching.

How old is your daisy? Puppies will shed off their baby teeth around 4-5 months old.

---

Added on April 18, 2008, 9:36 amGlad that you like it!

IMO, the documentary shows that even if they manage to rescued those breeding dogs from the puppy mills, it may still be too late for some of these doggies. All of them deserve a better life and only a handful are rescued succesfully. To stop this further, we must stop buying puppies from mills! Besides the risk of getting a sick puppy, think of the parents that are still stucked in the mill, breeded years after years until they died. Look again at the eyes of these doggies in the video.

This post has been edited by won: Apr 18 2008, 09:36 AM

He is actually not that interested in toys. He even allows other dogs to play with his toys.
He like to play with human and animal more, sometimes over enthusiastic it scare them away. Either that or the other doggy become defensive and bite him.

wah!!!

Super chubby and adorable!
Feel like pinching their cheek!

It can be

1) Dudley nose / Liver nose (genetic)
or

2) Winter nose


source: http://www.akc.org/press_center/akc_syndic...sk_AKC/0108.cfm

Bring it out for more sunlight! .
Shushu experienced winter nose when he was down with pneumonia last time. Probably because of the cold and being coped up in the house.
However, his nose colour is returned to shiny black now!

wah, young fala so cute!
I also want to show shushu 2 mths picture again ...kekeke



I miss shushu's puppy times... that time still can hug and carry all over the place.
Now become so big already, he jumped on me also i will

Just gone through a few pages of reading.

Hi HolyCross,

You seem uncertain on your choice of breed.
You need to ask yourself honestly what is the purpose of you getting a dog.
If it is really for guarding the house, then GR and LR is NOT for you. Both are more as companion dogs. A better choice of guard dog will be GSD, doberman or rottie. Even a mongrel will make a better guard dog than GR or LR. Please be sure of this first.

If you love a big dog and would like one for company, then a GR or LR is a good choice.
However, please make sure you have time and attention to care for it as retriever are big active dogs and they need ample for exercise to keep fit and simulated. You will need to bring it for daily walks, not just chain it to a corner of the house for the whole day. They can be destructive if they are bored.

Besides this, you will need to give it plenty of attention as retriever are people dog - meaning they carve for human company and affection. They like to "stick" to people all the time. They don't do so well being alone. Hence, they are not suitable for guarding house as they are most likely to be happy welcoming the robbers rather than preventing them from coming in your house.

On the choice of GR / LR, it depends on individual preference. Both has similar traits and appearance and are equally lovable. The easiest would be to ask yourself whether you are a fussy housekeeper or not. If you are, then LR would be a better choice. GR has longer fur and tend to shed a lot. You will be sweeping the floor most of the time. You will also need to brush their coat daily to keep them nice and healthy.

Buy pet need to see "Legal" or not? jk
As per other owner, my advice would be to take your time to search and get one from a home breeder instead. From a home breeder, you would be able to see the sire and the dame actual appearance and health. This is very important as you will be able to know how your puppy will look in the future and whether there is going to be any major health problem or not. You can also have a look at the condition where the breeder bring up the puppy. Is it clean and well kept? You can also have a chat with the breeder on how to care for your puppy. A knowledgable breeder is a sign of good breeder. Another plus point to get from a home breeder is that if there is any problem or emergency, you can call them up to ask for assistance. A good breeder will also call from time to time to check on the puppy condition.

On the question of poopoo, it depends where are you going to toilet trained your dog. Some trained their dog to go to toilet or wee wee pad to do their business. Some dogs only do their business outside the house. When you take a walk outside, just bring along a plastic bag so that you can "tapao" once finished and throw it in the dustbin.

A dog is a commitment for at least 10 years. Don't rush, take your time to look around, learn more before getting any furkid. Be sure that it is what you really want and willing to commit before you buy. Don't buy for the sake of trend, then sell / abandon it once it become unmanagable or when you are bored of it. Our furkids have feelings too. Let's be a responsible owner!

@TTY81,

Nice GRs and husky! Puppy look so big already!

Hmmm, I do give shushu some cod liver oil and brewer yeast(+garlic) now and then. Cod liver oil for a nice coat and boost up the immune system. Brewer yeast for better skin and +garlic to deter the fleas and ticks. That's all.

I used to give him some Vit C when he was younger to boost up his immune system too, which was under vet prescription after he recover from tick fever. I don't give other multivits. I don't like multivits types. IMO - sometimes, too much or wrong combination is not good, and may be harmful to the furkids. I think it should be fine if you feed them good quality food, which has included most of the essential vitamins they need.

He look very happy and content! Nice dog!

The colour of his fur when adult would be almost the same as the ears fur colour. You can see from the puppy picture that the ears colour are much more darker than the body fur, hence you can expect Ben's fur colour to get darker as he grow older.

I haven't used a tick collar before, but I don't really like them.
Firstly, there is a possibility that the puppy/dog, especially naughty and curious one will bite and chew it off. The collar itself is soaked of chemicals and are harmful if swallowed. The possibility is even higher for those with more than 1 dog in the house.
Secondly, constantly wearing tick collar is not so good on the fur around the neck, as it is constantly in touch with the chemical in the collar and also from the abrasion. In long run, the fur may thinned or become harsh.

I would prefer not to use chemical if possible, or if really needed - i will use frontline spot on.
Just my 2 cent.

ooh! barney is so cute!
last picture so gaya

looks very elegant!

suki looks like a doll! so cute

Why old people like dog with roasted pig position?
I guess dogs laying down/sleeping with roasted pig position looks more alert. It is like in attention /ready for action position. They are likely to spring up and investigate the moment they hear any noise. As compared with those sleeping with 4 legs up or sideways, they usually sleep deeply. As such, they are more likely to just open an eye and peek for a while if they hear any noise and then goes back to sleep.
Roasted pig position also looks nicer than 4 legs up mah , hehe ...more ong!
(my theory )

p/s: no male/female theory for roasted pig position too.... shushu always sleep with roasted pig position while kero sleeps with 4 legs up or sideways. Both are male

good point!



@insideurheaven,
Heartgard is for preventing heartworm in dogs. Heartworm is transmitted by mosquito from infected dog to a healthy one.
Based on what my vet told me - i can choose to start giving heartgard to my puppy after the 3rd vacination (around 4 months old plus), or I can also choose to start after 6 months old. The difference is if I choose after 6 months old, the vet will need to do a heartworm test (blood test) on the puppy first. This is to ensure the puppy has not been infected with heartworm before starting the treatment, as Heartgard is only effective against the heartworm larval, which has an incubation period of around 6 months. Hence if the puppy is less than 6 months old, even infected - the worms are still in larval stage and can still be treated by heartgard.

I think it is best that you consult with your vet on this, so that they can give you a better picture of heartworm prevention as well as to answer any question you would like to raise on it.

There are a few possibilities:

1) after you bath her, she was not dried properly. GR has thick undercoat, sometimes the top part looks dry but the undercoat inside is still wet. Just like wet clothes, if they are not dried properly they will smell too. Areas like behind the ears, neck and armpit you got to make sure it is dried properly.

2) Check whether the smell comes from the ears. If the ears is not clean (lots of wax) it will smell. Besides this, when you bath your GR - make sure no water goes inside his ears as it may cause ear infection if unattended.