# Thistle Rock Goldens for hunt and field



## myluckypenny (Nov 29, 2016)

I would just ask Tom about Stitch's heart and eye clearances. She may very well have them and they just haven't been sent in, but good practice to confirm. I've actually seen Stitch in person when I trained with Tim Springer. She's a nice bitch, super light eyes which is really weird for me. But she did a good job in training. I know @Alaska7133 has a Rebel son, so she can give more info on that side!


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## FTGoldens (Dec 20, 2012)

Thistle Rock puts together some great pedigrees, including the one under consideration. I noted all of the Outstanding Sires and Dams in the pedigrees of both parents.


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## FredsDogSearch (May 12, 2020)

So did I. Super impressive. But I’ll ask about the heart and eye clearances - thanks for bringing that up. I had originally considered a later breeding, and hadn’t looked closely enough at Stitch’s health clearances.


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

I have a Thistle Rock boy. He's perfect. Seriously. That's what we refer to him in the house as: the perfect dog. He has never done anything wrong in his life, well except blow me off on blinds occasionally. He's easy to train. He's great to have around the office just hanging out under my desk. He is the perfect dog for honoring in a test/trial, he just about goes to sleep, the same with holding blinds, I have photos of him sleeping covered with mud in the blind waiting to go to the line. He has an off switch like I've never seen a golden have. And then he has incredible energy like no other. 
We had one issue last weekend at the upland hunt tests. He's become a pointer. A perfect pointer. He will hold the point until I tell him to flush. He does a beautiful flush and his fluffy butt his the ground. He waits to be sent perfectly. Which means we can no longer compete in upland hunting tests. That extra point he throws in, knocks us out. I don't know if his relatives point too, maybe they all do. But I don't know if other dogs in his lines have that same pointing and if it bothers you. My husband likes the pointing for hunting.
Riot is 23-1/4" high and 68#. He has no allergies and has nice tough pads on his feet. No hot spots and no ear infections. His coat is tight dense waterproof, and he rarely sheds.

I don't know Stitch. I did know Stitch's sire Ike. Ike spent a week at my house a few years ago. Super sweet dog and got along with all my dogs as if he'd always lived there. Ike had a broader chest, whereas Rebel is more narrow. Ike is also a couch dog. I liked Ike because he was consistent. You always knew what you were going to get. He had stacks of RJAMs and JAMs at a variety of field trials. If there was an award for the most, he'd have it. He had no faults that I could see.

Here's a video of Rebel in a water triple of a Qual he won a few years ago. He finished the best and the quickest in only 13 minutes. The longest dog took 23 minutes to complete this triple. Rebel made it look very easy. Sorry for the shaky video.


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## FTGoldens (Dec 20, 2012)

Alaska7133 said:


> I don't know if his relatives point too, maybe they all do. But I don't know if other dogs in his lines have that same pointing ....


That's interesting about Riot's pointing. 
I have some familiarity with the Rebel side of the pedigree and can state with a fair degree of certainty that pointing was not an attribute known in that lineage. Maybe pointing comes from Riot's momma's side.


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

FTGoldens said:


> That's interesting about Riot's pointing.
> I have some familiarity with the Rebel side of the pedigree and can state with a fair degree of certainty that pointing was not an attribute known in that lineage. Maybe pointing comes from Riot's momma's side.


I bet it is from his mom's side.
It is a beautiful point. He is still as a stone. His back tail head all in alignment, flat as a pancake. He's beautiful to watch do it. He doesn't move a millimeter and will wait as long as long as I do, before he launches in for the flush. He's very exciting to watch. And he gets more refined with it over time. No raised paw though, just his whole body rigid. All the spaniel people tell me that once they start pointing, there is almost nothing in the world that will stop that point. It's more than a delayed flush, it's a full on 100% point. Never saw a golden do this before in such a solid point. Delay flush yes, but not a full solid point. It's actually a really nice quality in a hunting dog. He gives you a chance to get your gun up and he flushes when you tell him.


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## FTGoldens (Dec 20, 2012)

Alaska7133 said:


> It is a beautiful point. He is still as a stone. His back tail head all in alignment, flat as a pancake. He's beautiful to watch do it. He doesn't move a millimeter and will wait as long as long as I do, before he launches in for the flush. He's very exciting to watch. And he gets more refined with it over time. No raised paw though, just his whole body rigid.


I would love to see a photo of the point ... maybe even a video!


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

FTGoldens said:


> I would love to see a photo of the point ... maybe even a video!


I wish I had gotten one! I'll work on it and see if I can get one of him this fall. He only does it for birds that hold tight. Birds that flush easy he of course goes after them. But chukar are what we mainly use in hunt tests and those will hold a long time. I think it would be a pretty nice photo with his nice dark red fur on a sunny day, he's a nice looking dog. And he's so darn intense when he does it!


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## FredsDogSearch (May 12, 2020)

Turns out, Stitch doesn't have her eye and heart clearances yet. Because of Covid, it's been hard to get appointments for elective procedures. Lynn told me Stitch has an appointment scheduled for January 2021. I'm not overly concerned about this. The lines don't appear to have a history of heart and eye issues, and Tom and Lynn strike me as very diligent and responsible. But I'd be grateful to know what other people think. Am I safe to ignore the missing clearances? Or should I perhaps ask to insert language into the contract specifically regarding eyes and heart?


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

I’m in Alaska, we are still able to get heart and eye clearances here. I’m not sure why they can’t get clearances right now in MN. I’d ask why they can’t get clearances done until January.
I got caught with my current pup having a sire without heart & eye clearances. I assumed incorrectly that they were done. Sire was 5 years old. After I gave deposit, breeder had eyes done for first time on sire. He has cataracts. She called me to let me know, I had the option of doing something else. After long thoughts and knowing cataracts are hereditary, I did go ahead to purchase pup. She’s a wonderful pup. But looking back, I probably should have passed considering now I don’t know if I should breed her.


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