Blythe Meadow Golden Retrievers

14/08/2024

Happy Graduation Day!!!

Your squirmy worm of a girl does not like to sit still unless her belly is being rubbed, but we were able to get a nice side profile photo of her. Those lashes - stunning! We are so proud of miss Molly getting through chemo like a champ.
Hope you enjoy the photos.

Congratulations Molly!

Jaclyn Pugh
Oncology Concierge

25/07/2024

Bonnie Stinson

19/05/2024

Molly has started chemo after
extensive imaging found no other tumors.
Five treatments, every 3 weeks, plus bloodwork each time and maybe more imaging ($$$$$).

10/05/2024

Some of you may have already deduced this.

Molly has ovarian cancer.

Extremely rare and a version that has a poor prognosis attached.

Seeing an Oncologist in the near future so we can develop a plan.

06/10/2023

Very confused by the huge increase in likes and visits recently.

Wish we were in a position to breed these days. Unfortunately, I'm injured/worn out and so waiting for Bonnie to retire so she can help with a litter.

Also wondering what you all would think about breeding Kate. Kate has good hips but OFA says her elbows have dysplasia - several long-term breeders disagree with that decision. She has never come up lame even when she gets to run free almost every morning.

Kate also had inverted eyelids surgery awhile back.

If we to breed Kate both issues would be covered in the contract - we would cover eyelid surgery costs to a certain level. Provisions for elbow dysplasia have not been thought out yet.

We would welcome any input from you regarding a Kate breeding.
She is a beautiful and wonderful girl (even if she has a huge voice and she likes to use it!) All the Molly and Jules puppies were called "very vocal" when had them temperament tested prior to selecting new homes for them.

28/09/2023

Happy Birthday Kate!

"Took you long enough" says Kate!

22/09/2023

Molly's Eight!!!!!

26/06/2023

Update for Molly and Kate-the-perpetually-injured.

Kate went into season (she is very sneaky about this) early May followed by Molly two weeks later.

This delayed Kate's next PT session until early June - this time she reinjured her leg when I had to slam on the brakes to avoid an idiot in front of me. Not weight bearing again but unclear what the issue is again (surgeon continued her soft tissue injury opinion).

Delayed PT follow up and she is acting almost completely normal (the return of the "there's-nothing-wrong-with-me" Kate).

Kate is doing very well now - running and hunting voles and back to climbing into chairs and beds. This climbing seems to irritate her leg a little and in certain positions or when massaging specific spots her leg has a tremor, so we are continuing with PT. Which is not covered by her insurance because "it is continuing care".

Who knew - the surgeon said do it but...thanks for nothing Trupanion!

22/04/2023

The past 18 weeks have been very odd and stressful. Kate (the younger of our two) injured her left rear leg when she and Molly decided to chase a deer we had collectively flushed on the trail we use almost every day.

They both came back in a minute or two (I mean, let's be real here, I was out of sight!). The next day Kate was showing a little bit of lameness when standing up. Leash walking only for Kate. Both were being walked together as usual.

A month later, now the beginning of a new year, Molly, who has begun her third childhood, instigated a play fight with Kate. It was a prolonged and very active event. he next day Kate was not putting any weight on her left leg. Off to the Vet for x-rays.

No damage revealed in the x-rays but the Vet thought there was a knee injury and we should see a surgeon. Easier said than done, seems there is an epidemic of dog knee injuries!

Located a highly regarded and experienced surgeon 50 miles away and off we went (now it is another month since the great deer chase injury). His opinion, "she isn't acting normally for a knee injury". Get a $3,000 MRI or highly restrict her activity for a week or so and see how she is doing. Next date available for a TPLO surgery is the beginning of April. Pencil us in for that.

Two weeks later Kate is still acting "not normally" and I'm feeling bad about the delayed surgery so I go looking for another good surgeon. Finally locate one and off we go for another exam.

Now it is three months since the injury. This surgeon says she feels no evidence of a knee injury but there appears to be a soft tissue injury to her upper thigh. Another month of highly restricted activity needed. This means no walks with Molly! Two very unhappy dogs here! Then Kate needs to go to Physical Therapy.

Now four months A I (after injury) and a 4th exam by a Vet and therapist. Agreed it is a soft issue injury but a different muscle than the surgeon thought. Here's a list of 19 massages, exercises and stretches to do twice a day for two weeks.

Two weeks pass, Kate is supercharged to get in the car to go to therapy. She gets ahead of me and climbs into the car (Kate is not big on jumping but she climbs like crazy) using her left leg to boost herself into the backseat. I can tell by the shaking leg that she has reinjured her leg. She is not weight bearing when we get to the therapist.

This time it is yet another muscle that seems to be injured. Here is a different set of 19 massages, stretches and exercises to do twice a day.

Three days later Kate finally starts using her leg again.

I do not know how long it will be until Kate can resume normal activity.

So the point of all this is that breeding either Molly or Kate has not been thought about or planned.

I am curious as to when they will go into season this upcoming time - a year or nine months after the last? Will they synchronize again like last year? Kate says she will keep us all guessing.

22/04/2023

Yup, dogs are dogs!

If you are going to have a dog, you are going to have to make sacrifices. You cannot expect to have an animal that was designed to live primarily outside and bring it into your house and not have to make changes or adjustments. A dog is not an ornament, a commodity or a display. A dog is an animal. You are sharing your life with another species. This is life with a dog.

Your yard will not be pristine. The grass will get burned from their p*e. Holes will be dug, bushes shredded, mud will come in the house. You cannot ask them to not p*e in your house and then also try to control even their outside bathroom. Please see how unfair this is. This is life with a dog.

You house will need management. Your counters will need to be clear. Shoes will need to be put away. Laundry room blocked. Kids toys picked up. Some things will get destroyed anyway. This is life with a dog.

They will bark at noises. They will protect their territory. Sometimes fiercely. They will not welcome strange people into the home easily even if you “know them” because this is in their genetic DNA. They don’t understand family gatherings and they don’t always see things the way we do. They won’t love playing with every dog they meet. This is life with a dog.

They will need enrichment and work and productivity. They will need training that is kind and fair and consistent and then maintenance to maintain that training. They will need guidance and coaching and lots of reinforcement to help them perform unnatural behaviors against their natural phenotypes. This is life with a dog.

They will mature and change and modify in their likes, behaviors and preferences as they age. Their behaviors aren’t guaranteed. They are not robots and they can be mercurial as they grow into their own personalities. They are allowed to change their mind and shift naturally just as we do. They need to be seen for what and who they are, not what and who YOU want. This is life with a dog.

Life with a dog is not a human right. It is a privilege and a responsibility and an education. They are animals and should be treated and expected to behave as such. That doesn’t make them any less loved or family members and it doesn’t make them any less deserving of respect, in fact it makes them more so.

Enjoy your life with a dog, and help them enjoy life with a human.

Helen St. Pierre

22/03/2023

Important information regarding the neutering of Golden Retrievers - READ IT !

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11/09/2022

Yes!

In the last few years, I’ve watched “dog culture” explode into a phenomenon I’d never seen as an early dog trainer. When I first started training dogs, people didn’t come to me with requests for their dogs to be able to handle things and expectations we put on them so heavily today. Nowadays, it’s amazing what we ask of our dogs because of this culture that emerged. And then we wonder why dogs are going downhill behaviorally so quickly.

1. Dog “groups” where people get together with dogs on leash and do activities and social events. Including birthday parties, Halloween parties, etc etc

2. Dog daycares where dogs are kept in large groups to play

3. Dog parks where humans AND dogs interact in groups

4. Behaviors like perfect heel on leash, sit stays on beds, ignoring environmental enticement in the name of “training”

Then there’s dog sports, dog classes, therapy dog work, service dog work, dog shows, trail walks, public outings, restaurants, breweries, and farmers markets and parades and town days and family over (with their dog) for every holiday and apartment complexes and car rides and pet stores and all these places we’ve been made to believe dogs SHOULD go and should WANT to go to and if they don’t then you need to do more and more work with them and help them like it and if you don’t then you aren’t fulfilling them or meeting their needs and your dog isn’t happy and you are failing or they just haven’t been raised right.

Please. Take a breath.

For 20,000 years dogs existed beside us doing none of that. For 9,000 years they were created for purpose and work, not for pets (with the exception of a few toy breeds) We didn’t expect ANY OF THIS during that time unless they were designed and created for it: now it’s what we want all the time. From all dogs. That’s not fair.

Our culture has changed SO much and dogs haven’t had a chance to catch up. We want all this new stuff because it’s part of OUR new culture, but we need to pause and realize it’s not a part of most of theirs. People coming over? Not really what most dogs were created to enjoy. Going new places all the time? Not what most dogs were created to handle. Hanging out in groups and put in costumes and having their pictures taken? Not normal to a dog. Riding calmly in a glass box going past all these distractions at 35mph? Not part of their DNA either.

We would NEVER expect this of any of our other animals either. Why are dogs taking the brunt of this. Because dogs are extremely adaptable and truthfully, they love us so much they will try so so hard to make us happy and do what we ask of them. But, can we for a second stop and think that maybe it’s too much sometimes? Can we please take some accountability for their stress and mental health as part of OUR unrealistic expectations that we’ve been led to believe make for a good dog vs a bad dog? I’m not talking about not working with them and helping them learn to live in todays world. That’s important. I’m talking about taking a step back and having respect for who they are and why they originally ended up with us. I do this all the time before I put any of my dogs in a situation, and that means sometimes I don’t bring them.

If the culture is changing; let’s add human education and understanding of basic canine ethology, body language and respect into it too. It’s only fair to honor the animals who have stood beside us for so so long.

Helen St. Pierre

29/07/2022

Two surprise (early) in season girls here means no litter(s) this year.

04/07/2022

Try playing competing music to block the fireworks.
1812 Overture actually helped us.

02/06/2022

Check out the Dog Mountain’s calendar of events, Levitt AMP concerts, and annual Dog Parties in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. Visit the Dog Chapel and shop for dog-themed art & gifts at the Stephen Huneck Gallery at Dog Mountain, VT.

19/05/2022

Just. Do. It!

Hello, Friends. We are excited to be planning for our Eighth Annual New England Golden J… Sandra Lok needs your support for New England Golden Jubilee

10/04/2022

: “holy cows this is cute 😍 video by •follow for good vibes”

30/03/2022

Yay No Monkey Business!

Find the best dog trainers in the United States with Sniffspot - see and get in touch with the winners of our dog training contest in 2022.

19/02/2022

There’s a viral post going around about the new movie “Dog” featuring Channing Tatum, and the fear that after seeing this movie, which features a malinois, many people will run out and get one. It’s a legitimate concern, because the same thing has happened in other films, like 101 Dalmatians.

Many of you have sent me the post, and I do like it; but I’m cautious to share it because it’s 100% correct but the language towards the general public is pretty judgmental. And I know that’s the point; but I like to word things a little differently.

Belgian shepherds come in 4 coat types - long-haired black Groenendael, the rough-haired fawn Laekenois, the short-haired fawn Malinois, and the long-haired fawn Tervuren. In the US they are separate but in all other countries they are the same breed, just different coats. Even in the US a litter of Belgian Malis may have longer coats (tervs) etc

The breed was originally bred for herding, but their flexibility, intense intelligence and biddability quickly became picked up by military and they served in both world wars and still do to this day. They excel in all dog sports, as well as protection, service dogs and search and rescue. They are incredibly brave, sensitive, and exceptional. They are NOT easy dogs to have.

Living with a Belgian is a full time job. I waited for years to be ready for this level of drive and intensity. I have also had a police K9 prior and have had German Shepherds my entire career; but Aslan is a completely different animal. Even the most experienced of handlers will feel challenged and out of their depth at times with this breed.

The fear of the movie creating a surge of people wanting a malinois - or any Belgian variety, is very very real for us as trainers, vets, animal professionals. Although we already see a massive amount of unpreparedness for even “regular” dogs, the thought of malinois in pet dog homes is terrifying. It’s also dangerous. When these dogs get older and their drive becomes no longer livable, shelters and rescues (who are already overrun) will be filled with dogs that need very very specific experienced working homes.

They are absolutely beautiful, and their intensity is addicting. But you could say the same about a Ferrari, beautiful to look at, but not the smartest choice for a family of 4.

Go see the movie, and admire the dog. But please, educate everyone you know on the reality of life with these dogs, they will test every nerve you have, they will put holes in every pair of pants, they will need to work. Be honest with yourself on if you truly can do that, every day, for the next 12 years. It’s okay if the answer is no, that doesn’t mean you aren’t capable of a dog, it means you’re responsible.

16/02/2022

A very early heads up - maybe a litter later in 2022. If Molly and Kate stay true to form it will be Fall or early Winter.

08/02/2022

Helen nails it again!

“I’m not a small dog person”
“I’m not a long haired dog kind of person”
“I’m not a white dog person”
“I’m not a pit bull person”

If you want to see my eye twitch, say these kinds of things to me or around me.

A dog cannot help if they are born small, large, with long hair or short, what their coat texture is or what color they are, any more than you can control what you are born with.

It’s completely fine to have a preference on certain physical traits in dogs, we have that when we are attracted to a human partner too. Aesthetic changes person to person. But, instead of “I’m not a small dog person” how about “cute dog! I’ve never had a small dog before!”

Believe it or not, this language matters. How we talk about dogs matters. It sets the tone for how we interact with them or view them and how we train them. And I’m sorry, but you can’t say to me “I’m not a XYZ dog person” and then tell me you love dogs. It doesn’t work that way. People actually turn down AMAZING dogs all the time because of simple aesthetic.

When I am sent a picture of a senior dog in need, I don’t look at their picture and go “hmmm, cute but I’m not a 120lb livestock guardian mix drools everywhere dog person, he’ll have to find somewhere else” I truly don’t care. I look past the color, shape, size, and go straight to the heart and soul of the dog. The less we do this the more we open ourselves up to the most amazing experiences with these animals. Look at the varied household I have and you can see that in real life.

I can guarantee you your dog sometimes looks at you and thinks “I’m really not a Netflix and chill human kinda dog, but here we are” and he makes the best of it and loves you anyway. Try to do the same with dogs too, you’ll be absolutely amazed at all the light that then shines in dark places.

03/11/2021

More words of wisdom....

Every day this week I’m going to be posting a training tip brought to you by Tiffany. Tiffany has been at the Pope Memorial SPCA for 9 months and she needs to find her special someone.

Today’s Tiffany Tip is to let your dog sniff. Sniffing and exploring with their nose is one of the best decompressing and enriching activities a dog can get. We are often in a hurry on our walks but it’s so important to slow down and let your dog explore. For fearful or even reactive dogs, sniffing can be a great activity to help them learn about their world or help them recover from stress. Nosework games and classes are a wonderful way to learn how to even do scent work inside the home on rainy days to burn energy!

Tiffany is a beautiful brindle girl, looking for a calm home to call her own. Tiffany can be shy meeting new people, and takes a while to build trust in her humans and adjust to her new surroundings. Once you've earned her trust she is a very loving and playful girl who enjoys walking through the woods. She'll also crawl right in your lap for cuddles and kisses! She loves to zoom around the yard and having that safe place to go enjoy the outside, so an enclosed fenced in yard is mandatory for this lovely lady. Because of Tiffany's nervous nature, she is looking for a home with no children as the commotion they bring is way too much for her. She isn't suited for a home with cats or small animals. Tiffany loves having a dog friend to run and play with, but can be selective with the kind of dog she deems friend material. Even though she would like to meet new dog friends she would not like to live with one. If you are looking for a best friend who you can build a strong bond with, Tiffany is your girl!

Can’t adopt Tiffany? Share her to get her out there and in a home!

31/10/2021

26/10/2021

Nice !

Watch the 2021 Golden Retriever Club of America National Specialty, October 26-30, Live from Ocala, FL only on AKC.tv

16/10/2021

Amen !

You will never regret adopting a senior. Ever.

Lucy has to wear diapers. Because of her leakage and accidents we don’t have any rugs down right now. Because of her we had to get a special waterproof cover for the couch. Because of her we have a different container for her special diet. We keep her meds in a pill container and feed her separately.

But; because of her we laugh every day. Her little gallop when she starts towards the stairs to come back on the deck. Her little woos when we come home. Her amazing eyes that get her EXACTLY what she wants (and for that reason needed a diet) and her kind, sweet soul that follows the kids around and wouldn’t hurt a fly.

Senior dogs are the hidden gem of dogs. They’ve been there, they’ve done that, they just want a friend. They will love you with their whole heart for as long as they can. They will change you without you realizing it.

Please don’t turn your back on senior adoption because of the slight inconveniences that they may bring. I promise you what they give back to you will be worth more than anything in the world.

Www.olddogsgotohelen.com

05/10/2021

Stay informed ! Ask questions ! It's a minefield out there !

Perhaps a lot.

26/09/2021

Happy Birthday Puppies!!! Send photos

24/09/2021

Yup ! Be patient !

15/09/2021

Over coming fears wisdom...

I want to touch on the relationship between agency and fear.

In all interactions with novelty and challenges, it’s crucial that each puppy has agency and the ability to decide if they want to interact or retreat. This is very much on my mind as I’m working on this section of our upcoming Madcap University course on practical teaching skills for breeders, as it’s a key concept that I see people struggle with in the group.

When we see a puppy that’s frightened of something that WE know is harmless, our first impulse is to pick up the puppy and insert him into the situation that frightens him or carry him near to the person he is afraid of. We feel that, if we can just show him that there’s nothing to be afraid of, he’ll get over it. Unfortunately, not only is this not true, but it can sensitize the puppy to the thing he’s afraid of, because taking away his choice exponentially increases his fear.

So, no picking up and immersing or pushing the puppy into a person or thing. It’s all about the puppy making the choice. This is for three reasons:

1. Remember, dogs use space and distance to control the emotional temperature of an interaction – if you watch them, they will naturally do for themselves what I have been telling YOU to do for them…they will move away from the challenging stimulus until to make it emotionally lighter so they can process it. That is to say, a puppy will find his own “zero” set point by increasing or decreasing distance between himself and the scary thing and work forward from there. But if you take that same puppy and pick it up and physically move him past its point of comfort, you’ve taken away that puppy’s ability to regulate, and you’ve probably crossed into a non-workable area where the fear side of the see saw is too heavy to counterbalance.

To use a practical example, let’s say a puppy shows hesitancy about a person in a hat. That puppy may find that he’s comfortable taking the whole hat situation in from 5’ away. From there, he can gradually choose to move closer and closer as he assimilates the whole hat thing. You can work up from this point. But if you pick up the puppy and hand the puppy to the hat person in an attempt to “show him there’s nothing to be afraid of” you run a high risk of terrifying the puppy. You can’t work with a terrified puppy and, chances are, you’ve only added emotional weight of the fear side of the see saw and set back the process.

2. Regarding forced interactions such as mazes or obstacle courses that the puppy does not have an escape route from, you must be very careful with this that the puppy’s fear of being left behind and/or drive to stay with the pack is not carrying them into an area where they are truly terrified. In the excitement of the moment, a puppy can find themselves in a terrifying situation before they realize it and, sorry to sound like a broken record, if you’re working from a place where the puppy has terror, you’re probably doing more harm than good. So always either make sure the challenge is something very low and easy that you’re sure that all the puppies have done in the past or give the puppies a way around the obstacles.

3. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, grapple it to your heart with hoops of steel that your absolute most important goal is not to expose the puppy to a laundry list of things, but for the puppy to learn to overcome fear of novelty. Because you can’t possibly expose a puppy to everything he will ever see in his life, but if the puppy knows he can overcome fears, he has a total skill set going forward when he sees something new. When you pick up a puppy and insert him in a situation that frightens him, or when you run him in a pack over something terrifying, you eliminate that choice and control, and you wind up setting him back instead of equipping him to move forward in life.

So, whenever you’re dealing with a fear issue in a puppy or a dog, let the animal find his own starting point and work forward from there.

The puppy with the dot (Frida) on her head in this photo was so terrified of the Leonberger at first that we had to allow her to go back in the house and watch through the sliding glass doors. Frida had to be about 50 feet away from the Leonberger and also separated from the Leonberger by a glass door and a steel fence until Frida could find the emotional calmness to be able to look at this huge dog and assess the situation. It took a good 20 minutes until Frida was comfortable enough to come out and play with the Leonberger, but it worked out fine. I have certainly had litters that took longer, or that did not engage with a large dog at all on the first exposure, but that's also fine. You are not going to change it by forcing the situation, and you'll only make it worse. You don't get to decide what the emotional set point of your puppies is in any given situation, you have to accept it and work from there ❤.

Until our course comes out, breeders will benefit greatly by watching our Shaping Emotional Responses video which does a good job of laying out the key fundamentals of counterconditioning - http://bit.ly/PCSER

Both breeders and puppy owners will also find that the original Puppy Culture film is helpful in understanding how to deal with fear issues - http://bit.ly/PCVOD

14/09/2021

More wisdom

Want to know the most important question you should ask your dog trainer?

“What happens when my dog gets it wrong?”

Almost all trainers at this point use rewards in their training when the dog does the right thing - but it’s what happens when the dog makes a mistake that can define who you feel most comfortable working with with your dog. And it’s something you should ask BEFORE you and your dog find out too late.

Dogs, like humans, are going to make mistakes during the learning process. Mistakes are actually critical because mistakes mean the dog gets to learn that that behavior didn’t get him the reward he was looking for. If he breaks the stay, he doesn’t get paid, if he holds it, hallelujah, he gets cheese! It may mean it takes more patience and consistency on the humans part, BUT it’s more likely to stick, and build a positive relationship between dog and human. If the dog is repeatedly making the same mistake over and over, perhaps there’s something else going on that needs to be addressed first, not just labeling the dog as stubborn or untrainable.

There are trainers who will harshly punish these mistakes, even if they do reward the dog when they get it right. Punishments such as yanking repeatedly on collars, hanging (holding the dog up by the leash so their front feet are above the ground) shocking the dog, and more. Not only do these techniques risk having the dog not want to try again, but they also can create a significant impact on the dogs perception of learning, the environment, and his handler. I see these dogs all the time. They break my heart.

This knowledge isn’t just hearsay - it’s fact. We’ve done so many studies on dog behavior and learning that we now KNOW that these kinds of techniques do not create more reliable behavior, and can increase more aggressive, worrisome behavior.

Now this doesn’t mean punishment or consequences aren’t necessary in training sometimes. But that’s why having a conversation with your trainer beforehand is absolutely necessary. Do they have a scale for consequences? Can they give examples of dogs they have used punishment on and dogs they haven’t and why? How to they determine when to use it? How do they teach the public to do it properly, or can it be used by children? What are the risks involved with those techniques, does the trainer acknowledge them?

You are the only one who can ask these questions. Your dog can’t. She is completely in your hands and her learning experience is up to you. You will perhaps learn from your mistakes you r experiences and be able to do it again differently on another dog but this is the only chance she gets. Take the time to ask questions, take the time to observe and ask why. I can absolutely promise you that your dog thanks you for it.