# Charlie says hello from Seattle! [weekly blog]



## jnjmc (Mar 31, 2015)

Birthdate: 4/1/15
Breeder: Whiskey Creek Goldens in Oregon; out of Shelby and Toga
Gotcha: 5/27/15

tl;dr - Ridiculously easy dream puppy. Scroll down for lots of pics and video!

*WEEK 1*
This little boy is named Charlie! My bf is French and wanted to name him after Charlie Hebdo (target of the Paris terrorist attacks earlier this year). I grew up with several goldens, but was unable to have a dog for the past 9 years. So when it was finally the right time, of course I needed another golden! We can't be more excited or more in love with our little monster! 

Due to our city life, very active outdoorsy hobbies, and two large parrots, I had very specific requirements for a dog. Calm, confident, low prey drive, and easy to train. Our breeder, Christa, reassured me that this litter should have exactly what I wanted. Judging by his first week home, she was right and I really do think we lucked out with our dream dog!

I have two fully flighted parrots. A blue and gold macaw that can be extremely loud when she screams and an African grey that makes every kind of noise imaginable. Charlie has never once shown interest in them. He is always calm and sleeps through all their flying and loud noises. My birds also leave him alone and don't mind him. Of course they will never be out without my full direct supervision, but they will definitely coexist peacefully. 

Charlie is ridiculously quick and easy to train. He has already learned sit, down, stand, and drop it. We do a few 5min training sessions several times a day. He knows his name and comes when we say his name, without having started any real recall training. He naturally walks on a loose leash at a perfect heel and doesn't have any interest in chewing his leash. 

He only cried the first night! We sleep so well! He has been sleeping through the night in his crate (a floor below our bedroom) from around 11pm to 6am. Potty training has been going well with very few accidents. The only time we ever heard him bark was right before he peed inside. Since then we learned to take him out whenever he randomly barks inside and he goes potty right away.

He's very quiet and calm. Everyone has been commenting on how calm he is. He will always lie at our feet quietly, whether we're sitting or cooking in the kitchen. He doesn't beg, he doesn't really bite (yet?), he has never jumped on anyone, and he greets everyone very politely before relaxing again.

Is all of this too good to be true? I didn't expect this week to be so easy! It's like having a well-trained dog already. I'm wondering when we will finally be faced with a puppy challenge. I'm realistic, not delusional! I'll update every week!


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## Cpc1972 (Feb 23, 2015)

Lol. At that age they are pretty easy. Just wait until four or five months. Your pup is cute.


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## Wendy427 (Apr 4, 2009)

Such a cutie-pie! Great videos! Congrats on the training!


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## Bwilson (Mar 25, 2014)

Great photos he is a beautiful boy. Love the macaw what does he think of him? We did some fostering of a Moluccan cockatoo with our Rottweiler they would argue like an old married couple when we went outside. It was funny to listen to them go back and forth.


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## goldenewbie (Nov 10, 2011)

He is such a cutie! Congratualations!

Looking forward to more updates, pictures and videos...


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Congratulations!
Charlie's so adorable, what a smart little guy. 

Looking forward to your updates, seeing more pictures and videos.


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## Coby Love (Apr 9, 2015)

Oh he's just a doll! Congrats! Hi Charlie!!!


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## jnjmc (Mar 31, 2015)

*WEEK 2*
Charlie has been continuing to amaze us. I have never met an easier puppy. He's just so mellow and easy to train! We joke that it's like having an old dog. 

I signed up for Healthy Paws pet insurance. On Monday I turned my head for a few seconds before noticing Charlie got into some lawn mushrooms. Since he may or may not have ingested mushrooms that may or may not be poisonous, I rushed him to the vet. Bloodwork, induced vomiting, and activated charcoal made for an unexpected $323 vet bill! 

Puppy classes are going well. He's actually pretty far ahead of what we have been covering in class. He follows sit, down, and stand with only visual cues, with only verbal cues, and with both visual and verbal. He's 90%+ reliable. We've also started stay and come. He automatically sits after he is called! We also take him to a puppy play club several times a week to play with other puppies (aged 8-18 weeks). 

Our vet gave us the ok for Charlie to walk around the neighborhood and take him to places as long as they're not frequented by a lot of dogs. Charlie has had very few accidents. He never even relieves himself in our little lawn, we have to take him down to the sidewalk. Loose leash walking and heeling has been the default ever since we put a leash on him. I really hope he doesn't start figuring out he can pull!! We've taken him out with us to dinner downtown and to brunch. He just lies down at our feet and relaxes just like he does at home when we are eating, despite all the noise and people passing by. We generally carry him until we enter the restaurant patio seating area. 

Socialization is going wonderfully well. We even threw a BBQ party so he could meet lots of people at once. He has met sooo many kinds of people and every time he remains calm with all feet on the ground. Even with kids and toddlers, he's just really calm and polite. He never jumps or gets overly excited. Everyone comments on how calm and well-behaved he is for such a young puppy. I hope it stays this way, it's one less thing to train!

He sleeps all night and has stopped crying/whining completely when we put him into his crate. In fact, Charlie went into his crate on his own last night as soon as my bf turned on the heartbeat of his snuggle puppy. I highly recommend this product, he seems to love sleeping with it! Amazon.com : Smart Pet Love Snuggle Puppy Behavioral Aid Toy, Golden : Pet Relaxants : Pet Supplies


Some new pictures and videos from his second week at home:






















































Our first dinner out with him in downtown Seattle:








He's always, always at my feet if I stay in one place for more than a minute:








Very handsome for the ladies:


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## Anele (Dec 12, 2014)

He is lovely! I honestly don't think you will have to worry that he will suddenly transform into a different, difficult dog. Maybe he might take a little longer to respond when he hits the teens, but maybe not. He has such a calm, mellow baseline and a face that's too cute for words!


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## goldenewbie (Nov 10, 2011)

He is wonderful! It is so great to see how well you are all doing


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## jnjmc (Mar 31, 2015)

*Week 3 - 10 weeks old*

Has it been another week already?? It's just becoming easier and easier. We honestly haven't had a single behavioral problem come up in the 3 weeks we've had him.

Training - Charlie added "shake" and "leave it" to his growing list of commands. We started working on out of sight stays at home. He's pretty reliable without distractions or even with a house full of visitors. However, we discovered he is very distracted by other puppies when we were working on stay at his puppy class!

Potty training - Dare I say that he's housebroken? I can't remember the last time he had an accident. Being such a quiet puppy, we've learned that when he randomly barks at us, he's signaling to go out. He also goes to the stairs leading to the door. Should I try to train him on potty bells? Or is this a case of don't fix it if it ain't broken?

Socialization - He's amazing when we take him to restaurants with us. Everyone he meets marvels at how calm and well behaved he is. He stays lying down at our feet while we're eating, he politely greets anyone who comes up to him without jumping or getting excited. He plays very well with other pups and even gets put in with the shy and toy breed puppies during play time at puppy class so they can socialize with a bigger, more confident pup! 

I feel like all I do is brag about him, but there's honestly nothing negative to say!

Happy hour:









They really do grow so quickly, don't they? He's going to be SUCH a handsome dog.


















This is how calm he is when being let out of the crate first thing in the morning:





Leave it:





Shake, sit, down, stay, stand - the shake cracks me up every time because he's so cute:


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## Cpc1972 (Feb 23, 2015)

So cute. Isn't it amazing how quick they learn at a young age.


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## OurMonsterMaya (Oct 16, 2014)

He is SOO handsome! Congrats from a fellow Seattlite!


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## Harleysmum (Aug 19, 2014)

What a perfect puppy! Everybody probably hates you! (Just joking)


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## Daisy123 (Jan 26, 2009)

He is so adorable and handsome!


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## Baileysmam (Jun 14, 2015)

OMG probably THE cutest pup ever! He looks exactly like my bailey did at 3 months, and sounds exactly like him at 3 months, good as gold! While he was definitely ridiculously easily house trained and for the first few weeks came across as very polite and quiet and calm, after a few weeks he came out of his shell, barks a little bit more, plays a bit more, and has more of his own personality. That said, he is very easily trained (apart from recall when on walks and he wants to sniff) and his personality is what makes it fun. He has his hyper spells now and again and is definitely more outgoing than the first few weeks we brought him home, but he is for sure the best pup I've ever encountered still. I think your pup will be the same


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## jnjmc (Mar 31, 2015)

*11 Weeks Old*

I can't believe how fast time goes by! Charlie has been with us for about a month now! 

Training - I haven't really taught him anything new. In puppy class we went over having an emergency recall and I'll be teaching him "danger" as his emergency/mandatory recall word. We also started "spin" the other day - I'll post a video next week.

Socialization - What haven't we done with him? This week Charlie was exposed to all sorts of new things, people, places, animals... I am really impressed at how confident he is and how well he does in new situations.
- Construction - excavators, big trucks, construction workers. 
- Yard work - leaf blowers, lawn mowers, weed whackers. 
- Wheels - skateboards, lots of bicycles, scooters, rollerblades
- Kids of all ages including crying babies. 
- Cat - A cat hissed and lunged at him. This was the only time I saw him afraid of something. He ran away and then turned back around to bark a lot at her. 

Charlie doesn't chew his kibble and eats way too fast. So we bought him a Kong Wobbler! How cute is this?? I totally recommend this product!





He went swimming for the very first time yesterday! He's a natural!! The water was warm and perfect for his first experience. 





We discovered he's a stick lover!









Green Lake is a very popular lake in Seattle. This was probably the most people and dogs Charlie has ever seen walking/running/biking/rollerblading around the lake and also people in/on the water. He was content to sit and watch them go by with me. (I somehow managed to get a pic while no one was in the frame.)










We also visited my parents and their new 8 week old toy poodle puppy. Charlie played relatively gently with the tiny thing. It was the size of a hamster. 









And some more pictures... they really do grow so fast!


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Really enjoying reading about Charlie's adventures, his training-great to see him doing so well. Good job Mom! 

He's so adorable, great pictures. 
He's such a happy little guy too!

They grow so fast and this first year literally flies by........


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## jnjmc (Mar 31, 2015)

*12 weeks old*

Charlie is definitely teething! His puppy bites aren't too bad. They mostly hurt because of how sharp his teeth are, but he seems to have great bite inhibition. I guess all the puppy play club visits are helping! It's easy to replace our hand with a toy and he quickly focuses on the chew toy. Other than that, we have nothing remarkable to report on. He continues to be the easiest puppy ever and we never forget how lucky we are with him! 

Training: He's really good at spin now! We've also started off-leash heel. 
Almost all the tricks he knows:




Spin and off-leash heel





Well I definitely have proof that he's growing!








The picture on top was taken 6/1 when he was 8 weeks old and the bottom was taken 6/30 at 12 weeks old. 

I fell asleep on the floor and he decided to join me. 









He continues to get along with my birds.









He's starting to look so grown up, but I still get the warm fuzzies whenever I see him sleep.


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## Marcus (Aug 24, 2014)

OMG I'm only commenting to get notifications of updates from this thread.... 

You take some great photos

This dog is sooooo cute


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## Cpc1972 (Feb 23, 2015)

He is so cute. He looks so eager to please.


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## jnjmc (Mar 31, 2015)

*13 Weeks Old*

Charlie went to parties, bbqs, and long drives for 4th of July weekend. HE didn't mind the fireworks at all and was chewing on his bully stick next to us while we watched. He graduated from his first puppy class on Monday! I'm not sure it was helpful for us beyond the socialization part, but we already go to puppy play club several times a week for that. It was also great for testing out his training from home in an environment with lots of distractions. He does great even with lots of people and other dogs around! 

I'm not really sure where to go for continued obedience classes. He's ahead of most other puppies his age and more advanced classes don't allow 3 month old pups. We will continue to take him to puppy play club for socialization with other dogs his age.

This week he learned to put his head down on command, watch me (so useful for taking his picture!), and to come to the front from a heel position. 





We really went everywhere together this week. Beaches, shopping centers, clothing and jewelry stores, downtown, more restaurants and cafes, and even a hair salon! He's just ridiculously well behaved. The only complaint I have is that he refuses to walk when he gets a little tired. 

Lunch at a Mexican restaurant!









Charlie with Jasper, my African grey who likes to talk to him.









Since we are skydivers, it was important for Charlie to come out to the dropzone to get used to airplane noises. He didn't mind them at all!









We are very lucky to live in a super dog-friendly city. I took Charlie shopping with me. Here he is patiently waiting for me in the dressing room and politely greeting all the kids who were excited to meet him. He was especially sweet with the littlest girl on the left.









We always go to cafes together. He settles at my feet right away instead of being distracted by people and dogs around us. Most people don't notice he's on the floor until quite some time after they sit next to us! Also, this golden next to us in the picture was the biggest I had ever seen!









How dog friendly is Seattle? I even took him to get my haircut, where he slept through all the salon noises until I was ready to go.


















Such a handsome boy!


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## jnjmc (Mar 31, 2015)

*14-17 weeks*

So it has been a few weeks since I've updated this! We were out of town for a long time.

*14 Weeks*


































Charlie also finished his shots and we took him to the dog park for the first time! It was a great place to practice recall and "wait". 





We went shopping downtown! He was a very patient shopping buddy. He kept close to me, lying down whenever I stopped to look at something or when I was trying things on in the dressing room. He was also great with being mobbed by people everywhere wanting to pet him. 









Charlie is amazing with little kids! While he usually sits or stays standing to be pet by adults, he generally lies down for the smallest children to say hi to him. I finally got video of this while we were out shopping at Macy's!






*15-16 weeks*
My boyfriend and I went to Europe for 2.5 weeks, leaving Charlie with several friends. One of my friends was housesitting for us, so he was able to be home between different puppysitters. He only stayed with people who could work from home or take him to work with them. He experienced living downtown, living in a house in the suburbs, living with cats, living with other dogs, going to work full time... I think it was overall a very good socialization experience for him. I was of course worried sick the whole time! I even cried when I facetimed with him because I missed him so much! Here are some pics that my friends took while we were away. He was the most popular intern! 

































*17 Weeks*
I was a bit worried about how he would be when we came home. My friends all reported that he was going through a bratty teenager phase where he wouldn't listen to any commands. Well Charlie has only ever really listened to me and also my boyfriend if he has treats. Turns out he remembers everything I ever taught him and is exactly the way we left him! The only change is that he's bigger, has most of his adult front teeth, and is now definitely in the awkward gangly phase!

Here is the video of when we first came home. I've never seen him so excited to see us!!! His tail wouldn't stop wagging! He is usually the calmest, mellowest pup ever so this was a fun treat for us to see. Yay he loves us!





7am at a cafe with his jetlagged humans:









He is sooo big now!!!

















Found another golden puppy to play with at the dog park:


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## MyMaggieGirl (Nov 12, 2008)

Charlie is amazing! He sounds like the perfect pup. I love all the photos, too. And he is adorable.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Love this picture, talk about "up close and personal" or maybe seeing "eye to eye", wow!


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## GoldenSkies (Feb 27, 2014)

Charlie is so handsome!!  I also love the photo of him and the bird


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## jnjmc (Mar 31, 2015)

I forgot to mention that I finally registered him with the AKC! His name is Whiskey Creek's Joie de Vivre!



CAROLINA MOM said:


> Love this picture, talk about "up close and personal" or maybe seeing "eye to eye", wow!


I should really post some videos of how he interacts with my birds. My macaw is big, loud, and very assertive. They chase each other around and he barks at her a lot trying to play. My African grey is very calm and quiet, so Charlie is very gentle and calm around her. 

He really is the perfect pup!


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## jnjmc (Mar 31, 2015)

*18 Weeks*

Charlie had a busy week! We went to rural OR over the weekend to visit some friends where he played a lot with 3 large dogs. He absolutely loved playing with a 130lb boerboel (South African mastiff). It was 3.5 hours each way and he still gets carsick. We've also started going on longer walks and he never flops anymore! I haven't taught him anything new in a while. I see him getting older and starting to enter the adolescent phase with selective hearing. So I'm trying to just keep reinforcing what he already knows. However, he's still really mellow and easy.

On and off leash heel at the park. No treats needed.





























Squirrel!
























He still tries to be a lap dog!


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## Daisy123 (Jan 26, 2009)

Love these pictures especially with your bird!!!


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## Marcus (Aug 24, 2014)

Love this thread


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## Harleysmum (Aug 19, 2014)

You really do have the dream puppy!


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## Cpc1972 (Feb 23, 2015)

He is so cute. I have to compliment you on your training. That video was amazing.


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## jnjmc (Mar 31, 2015)

*19 weeks*

I stopped being lazy this week and taught him a couple new things. It's incredible how quickly he learns within a few repetitions! He now knows "place" (go sit on your bed), "crate" (go sit in your crate), and "sit pretty"! This video shows the first night he learned to sit pretty. It has been a couple days and he is starting to balance himself already! Video also includes some of his other tricks and off leash hiking. 





Charlie FINALLY decided he wants to swim again! He has refused to swim since his very first time when he was 12 weeks old. I don't know what changed, but he had no problems swimming over and over again at the dog park the other day!














On Sunday we went on his very first official hike! We're avid hikers and feel like we've been waiting forever to go hiking with our pup. It was around 3 miles with minimum elevation gain. (We won't be pushing him or taking him on strenuous hikes for another year or so.) He LOVED being in the great outdoors! It was so cute seeing him climb over logs and staying close to us the whole time. 

















Charlie continues to be wonderful around my birds!
You can see how calm he is around my grey: 












He's much more playful with my macaw:









He also received his big boy collar! Maybe that's why he started swimming again!









He sleeps in the cutest ways and he still loves his snuggle puppy!
















Going home from the dog park:








Pillow hog:









We are eagerly anticipating his adolescent phase and wondering if he will challenge us at all. So far he remains the easiest, most well behaved dog I've ever seen!


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## Our3dogs (Apr 3, 2008)

Oh Charlie is so cute!!! I love the last picture on the pillow.


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## Cpc1972 (Feb 23, 2015)

So cute. To have a breed like a golden be like that around a bird is really unbelievable.


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## GoldenSkies (Feb 27, 2014)

Love the photo of him in the water, what a cutie! He looks so gentle and patient


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## Daisy123 (Jan 26, 2009)

He's getting so big and looks like such a sweetie!


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## jnjmc (Mar 31, 2015)

*20 Weeks Old*

This was the week I realized that our little puppy is not so little anymore. He is no longer the clumsy fluffball we brought home. He is a lean, agile machine! But he remains super calm and well-behaved. I really hope we skip the bratty adolescent phase all together!

We took him somewhere a bit more difficult for his second ever hike - a 4mi round trip trail with about 1000ft elevation gain. I truly think he is the happiest when we are hiking. I was so impressed at how he maneuvered around all the fallen trees (giant logs?) once we arrived at Talapus Lake. Some were shaky, some were very narrow, he had to jump, he had to turn on a dime... I was not expecting him to be so confident or so agile. We might have an agility dog! He also really surprised me when he hopped from boulder to boulder at a small waterfall. Complete confidence and very sure footed. He does soooo well off leash despite passing other people and other dogs. I can get his attention and make him sit-stay until the others pass or ask to pet him. He's always more interested in continuing the hike than the other people/dogs on trail. 


































I switched his food from Orijen Large Puppy to Orijen Regional Red without any problems. He seems like it even more than his puppy food! I've been very happy with the quality of food and I've kept him lean on a steady growth. He doesn't look like a puppy anymore, he looks like a small dog.









We finally managed to find a training facility that would take him in something other than a basic puppy class. He's going to start beginning competion obedience class next week! I've been continuing to train him for 5minute sessions at a time, multiple times a day, every day. I'm excited to present him with new challenges! This video shows almost everything he knows except crawl, place, and crate. 





Charlie with his frienemy, Maya:

















We've also started leaving his crate door open after he goes in when we leave for errands or go to bed. He does not come back out until we tell him to come out. It's like he doesn't know that the door is wide open! 

Until next week! Thanks for reading!


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Charlie is getting so big, he's going to be such a handsome boy. 

Love seeing his interactions with your birds, they're both beautiful too.


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## jnjmc (Mar 31, 2015)

Happy National Dog Day!!! I thought I'd add a couple pictures to celebrate my old soul pup who is only goofy when sleeping:

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Here he fell asleep while chewing on an old dryer sheet...

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## jnjmc (Mar 31, 2015)

*21 Weeks Old*

Charlie is officially 5 months old! He weighs 34lbs and has lost all his puppy teeth. But he remains our dream puppy with absolutely no changes in temperament or signs of adolescent rebellion. 

This week he finally started fetching tennis balls in the water and learned to roll over! 





I finally uploaded some video of Charlie playing with my blue and gold macaw, Maya. There's a definite difference between how he acts with Maya compared to how he is with Jasper, my much calmer African grey parrot (see video in a prior post). 





We made the switch to a 100% raw diet for Charlie! We are following the prey model but treat him with some fruit and veggies that he really enjoys. Charlie LOVES his raw chicken backs and breast. I'm going to gradually add other proteins. His teeth were made to eat raw meat and bones. I find all the crunching and grinding noises to be very satisfying! His poops are now tiny and don't smell! I literally spent an hour of my life googling dog poop pictures to see if he was pooping correctly on his new raw diet. My phone is also full of pics of Charlie's poop. What is my life??









Guess who plays with balls now?? He's finally a golden retriever! 









On the left is Captain, who was born the same day as Charlie! We've seen him a couple times at the dog park, they love playing together!









I love how he sleeps!









Charlie received so many compliments for being such a well-behaved dog when we paused our walk to watch a beach volleyball tournament. He has always been like this.









Patiently waiting for Maya to give back his Himalayan chew...









We start his first competition obedience class tomorrow! Our little pup is growing up too fast!


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## Scouts_GoldenDiary (Aug 27, 2015)

He's such a handsome little boy! I'm so amazed at his videos & skills...perfect little companion! We get our puppy on Friday, and I can't wait to begin training him. I hope, wish & pray that he is as calm & obedient as Charlie because I have a 17 month old and a Siamese cat as well so really not looking forward to a naughty, hyper pup lol! 

Our breeder said that pets usually pick up on the vibes of their owners & new homes, and basically turn into what their family is...I'm guessing both of you are as calm and hence, ended up with such a great play buddy


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## jnjmc (Mar 31, 2015)

Scouts_GoldenDiary said:


> He's such a handsome little boy! I'm so amazed at his videos & skills...perfect little companion! We get our puppy on Friday, and I can't wait to begin training him. I hope, wish & pray that he is as calm & obedient as Charlie because I have a 17 month old and a Siamese cat as well so really not looking forward to a naughty, hyper pup lol!
> 
> Our breeder said that pets usually pick up on the vibes of their owners & new homes, and basically turn into what their family is...I'm guessing both of you are as calm and hence, ended up with such a great play buddy


That's sooo exciting! I remember gotcha day like it was yesterday! I told my breeder I needed a calm, confident pup since he's going to be an urban dog with parrots at home. She seemed pretty sure the pups would fit my criteria and she was right! So I'm not sure how much it has to do with nature vs. nurture. He seems to have a naturally calm personality. Our home is pretty quiet since it's just two adults, aside from the really loud birds flying around a few hours a day. His energy level definitely reflects ours. When we are resting, he rests with us. When we want to play and get excited around him, he does too. I've also been very consistent and firm with his training and I think it helps a lot. My bf calls me a nazi with how strict I am with Charlie, but it has resulted in good behavior both at home and everywhere we go. 

Good luck with your puppy! I look forward to seeing your posts!


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## Scouts_GoldenDiary (Aug 27, 2015)

Thank you! 

We actually had a choice of two pups at 5 weeks, and the breeder was pretty sure we would choose the calm one as he was the biggest in his litter and extremely laid back (lazy), which was what my husband had told the breeder that we were looking for, specially with a daughter who would like to snuggle & cuddle lol. Guess which one we picked up then? The more interactive, playful one. I don't know how or why, even though he might have been a handful...but he was just so great with our daughter & was letting her cuddle him etc as well, whereas the calm one was running off to be on his own or just trying to find a quiet spot to sleep (maybe he was quite independent or we just caught him at a lazy hour? Lol)

We pick up Scout in two hours! Will posts thread soon regarding him soon. And nazi is such a funny tittle because my husband says he same about my firmness with our cat...our cat fetches like a dog & understands every command, even expressions hahah


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## DJdogman (Apr 23, 2013)

Oh what a fantastic pup!! He is just so well behaved, well done you!
In the video, is the African Grey actually sharing food with him? That is an amazing interaction. And then he actually plays with the Macaw. Amazing 

Really great thread, looking forward to reading more


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## Anele (Dec 12, 2014)

Charlie sounds amazing! He has such a calm, steady temperament that will make him ready for anything! I love the photos of him with his feathered friends. Looking forward to more updates.


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## goldenewbie (Nov 10, 2011)

Happy 5 months Charlie! He is doing so well!! I am in total agreement with the others here.. it is going to be fun to watch him grow up and read about his adventures... esp with your birds!


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## jnjmc (Mar 31, 2015)

Scouts_GoldenDiary said:


> Thank you!
> 
> We actually had a choice of two pups at 5 weeks, and the breeder was pretty sure we would choose the calm one as he was the biggest in his litter and extremely laid back (lazy), which was what my husband had told the breeder that we were looking for, specially with a daughter who would like to snuggle & cuddle lol. Guess which one we picked up then? The more interactive, playful one. I don't know how or why, even though he might have been a handful...but he was just so great with our daughter & was letting her cuddle him etc as well, whereas the calm one was running off to be on his own or just trying to find a quiet spot to sleep (maybe he was quite independent or we just caught him at a lazy hour? Lol)


Charlie was actually our breeder's pick. Our favorite from the first visit ended up being too mellow for us. When she set both pups on the grass, Charlie was the one who ran around and wanted to play, while the other one was just lying there sniffing the ground. I'm sure you made the right choice!



DJdogman said:


> Oh what a fantastic pup!! He is just so well behaved, well done you!
> In the video, is the African Grey actually sharing food with him? That is an amazing interaction. And then he actually plays with the Macaw. Amazing
> 
> Really great thread, looking forward to reading more


Thank you! Yes, my grey likes to drop food for him when she's done with the best parts. My macaw also likes to throw his toys and treats at him. I really wouldn't be surprised if they eventually start telling him to sit before they throw food at him. Parrots are insanely smart and observant. My grey already tells him "No!" if he gets too energetic, haha.


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## jnjmc (Mar 31, 2015)

*22 Weeks Old*

Lots of pics in this post!

I'm so glad I followed the advice of one of the members here and enrolled him in his first beginning competition obedience class at the training center she suggested. The environment and instructor were exactly what I had in mind for Charlie. However, Charlie was... not quite himself... for his first class. I made the mistake of letting him sleep and rest all day before the 8:30pm class. Then he was anxious for the 30+ min drive (he hates the car). During class, he was overexcited, barking, pulling, whining, and being a completely different dog exhibiting behaviors we have never seen before from him. Most of the first class was the instructor talking and demonstrating with her dog, so Charlie was also really bored while being super antsy. I'm expecting his second class tomorrow will be a lot better and I'm going to make sure he gets his exercise before class. It was actually a great experience to see what a bored, under-exercised Charlie would look like - Jekyll/Hyde! Never doing that again, haha!

His second week of eating a prey model raw diet couldn't be going any better. His poops are perfect (so small and relatively odorless!), his breath is better (though maybe that's because he finished teething), and I've never seen him so excited to eat! My bf is understandably growing tired of me telling him about every single one of Charlie's bowel movements. We noticed he stopped vomiting in the car and wonder if it's due to the change in food? He drinks less and chews everything, so I wonder if his stomach is more settled in general. I truly believe in a raw diet now and we're never going back to kibble for Charlie or any future dogs.

We went on his third hike this weekend. It was his most challenging yet - 7.2 miles with 1800ft of elevation gain. I worried we might be pushing him a bit too hard, but he didn't have any problems and had plenty of energy until we got back to the car. It was a very rocky trail full of obstacles for him. He loves hiking and going to the mountains. I love watching him take on new obstacles and play in the alpine lakes, though this one was too cold for him to go more than 6in deep. My heart fills with happiness when I see that he radiates joy in his movements as he navigates the different types of terrain on our hikes. Snow Lake is a very popular, busy trail with lots of people and other dogs, which doesn't phase him at all. He's all about hiking with his humans, not socializing with others. It's really interesting how he says hi to some people/dogs but not most, I wonder how he decides who is worthy?










Crystal clear water































































He looooves my new blanket. He'll grow into this tail someday!









This is the first time Charlie saw me take a bubble bath and he was very concerned that I was drowning, especially whenever I hid underwater. 









Don't tell me he's not a lap dog!









In the last couple of weeks, Charlie has blossomed as a swimmer and readily retrieves tennis balls in the water (which he never does on ground, oddly enough). 









He also has a new golden girlfriend, Luna. She was born only a few days after him and they play sooo well together. They look similar, Charlie is on the left.









We also met another Whiskey Creek puppy at the park.









I already posted these in another thread, but thought I'd include them here. 
2 months, 3 months, 5 months.









10 weeks vs. 5 months


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## swishywagga (Nov 13, 2012)

Charlie is absolutely gorgeous and all your photos are wonderful!


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## goldenewbie (Nov 10, 2011)

Great pictures!

7.3 miles sounds really intense for a pup to me.. I am not an expert on this, and maybe it is okay since I am guessing it is not a regular thing.. but it might be worth asking on one of the other forums for input from more experienced folks.. 

I am looking forward to taking my pup on such hikes like you do.. I can't imagine leaving Murphy off leash like that right now!


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## jnjmc (Mar 31, 2015)

goldenewbie said:


> Great pictures!
> 
> 7.3 miles sounds really intense for a pup to me.. I am not an expert on this, and maybe it is okay since I am guessing it is not a regular thing.. but it might be worth asking on one of the other forums for input from more experienced folks..
> 
> I am looking forward to taking my pup on such hikes like you do.. I can't imagine leaving Murphy off leash like that right now!


It sounds long, but it was an easy hike. We only take him on kid-friendly hikes since I assume they're at an appropriate level for him.If a 6 year old human can make it, so can Charlie, IMO. We hike once a week at most and he gets a full rest day the next day. I've been gradually increasing distance every week to see what he's comfortable with and we agree to turn back if he shows any signs of fatigue or it's too difficult for him. We're saving the 10+ mile, 3000'+ elevation gain, strenuous hikes for when he's fully mature. Right now we are basically in training mode as he builds up his fitness, endurance, and agility. It has been amazing to see how confident and agile he is becoming as we take him out on different kinds of hikes.

From what our vet has told us and my own online research, hiking is suitable exercise for pups. He doesn't run away from us and we keep a steady walking pace. It's the repetitive motion on hard surfaces that are bad for their bones - we never road run with him and keep his trail running to a minimum.


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## Coco's Mom (Jun 2, 2014)

I love your pictures of Charlie. He is a good looking pup.


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## jnjmc (Mar 31, 2015)

I'm going to try to post this update from my phone, hope it works! Also, I don't know why it posts with a different screen name when I use Tapatalk. (Thanks for fixing this, mods!)

So far we have been to three classes of his new obedience course. He is quite literally a completely different dog there. We have NEVER seen him act the way he does at this class. He barks, whines, paces, pulls, tries to destroy toys, jumps on me, and barely listens. Charlie NEVER jumps on people or misbehaves like this anywhere else and I am really not exaggerating when I say never. Everywhere else people comment on how calm and well behaved he is, even at the dog park! Our instructor tells us he's just a high energy golden. Any of you who have been following along on this thread would know that Charlie is not high energy. To me he seems over-aroused, over-excited, and stressed out. We're wondering if this is not the right place for him? Maybe formal competition obedience isn't for him? I mean I'm just happy he's well behaved in real life, but it's both frustrating and embarrassing that he goes crazy at this place. Any advice on what we can do to keep him calm during the class? He's a completely different dog there and I'm not sure how to handle it. 

Other than that, he continues to be a really mellow and well-behaved pup. We started leaving him uncrated in the house with a couple areas blocked off. He's doing great! He hasn't had an accident since he was less than 3 months old and he has never chewed on or taken anything that wasn't his so we trust him. When we come home, he barely gets excited and just yawns and stretches with his usual "oh, hey, you're home *slow tail wag*", doesn't even notice the door open until we call him. 

Charlie has really blossomed this week as a strong swimmer. I am now throwing sticks as far as I can! He now swims in waves and doesn't ever fear the water. I'm glad I've been able to take him swimming several times a week before it starts to get cold. 
















Being a very good boy at Tiffany!








Our third week of feeding raw went smoothly as we added more kinds of meat. Here he is eating a chicken back, lamb green tripe, and sardines:












































I forgot to add that we dogsat my neighbor's chi-poo. What a ball of hyperactive crazy! Charlie really did not like it when she would bark at or chase my birds. He would stand between them and slam her down with his paw. Do you think he was protecting my birds?


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## jnjmc (Mar 31, 2015)

*23 Weeks*

And a video of Charlie swimming from last week:


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## Cpc1972 (Feb 23, 2015)

Charlie is adorable. Chloe barks like crazy in class. You can walk her or she can see other dogs and she doesn't do it. I think your right about the setting of a group class may be stressing him out. We want to do a different type of class with Chloe but she has to stop the barking in these kind of situations. It totally stresses her. It's strange because she loves other dogs. But with all of them in a room it's just to much.


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## Anele (Dec 12, 2014)

Charlie is such a beauty! I love that hat on him. He looks like he was just meant for the water (which I guess he is, haha!).

As for training-- how is the class set up? How close is he to other dogs, are they on leash, what are your tasks, etc.?

We are in a class for adolescent dogs. Our first class just involved us holding our dogs on leash and rewarding them for good behavior (loose leash, lying or sitting, eye contact, etc.) around other dogs-- not close to other dogs. Not the most exciting of classes, for sure, but we need it as a foundation for every other class we want to work on.


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## jnjmc (Mar 31, 2015)

Anele said:


> As for training-- how is the class set up? How close is he to other dogs, are they on leash, what are your tasks, etc.?



It's a beginning competition obedience class. We are doing tuck sits, stand, drop, recall, and heel at attention. There are maybe 6 dogs total? It's a small class and there's 6+ feet between the leashed dogs at all times. I think he gets really bored because they're never allowed to say hi to the other dogs and there's more sitting down doing nothing time than when they can be up earning treats.


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## jnjmc (Mar 31, 2015)

Another week went by with nothing notable to report. He's still the same mellow, well behaved pup. I can't believe he's going to be 6 months old in about a week! When does the adolescent challenging phase really start? We weighed him today and he is now 40lbs! 

He swims so far these days!









My gorgeous stick dog

















He knows he has to share me


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## rabernet (Feb 24, 2015)

Charlie is beautiful! I can't get over the fact you can take him to so many public places, like Tiffany's. We don't have that leniancy here, to take Noah places. Even the Home Depot where my folks live say that they no longer allow pet dogs inside, due to some mis-behaving dog incidents in that particular location.


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## jnjmc (Mar 31, 2015)

rabernet said:


> Charlie is beautiful! I can't get over the fact you can take him to so many public places, like Tiffany's. We don't have that leniancy here, to take Noah places. Even the Home Depot where my folks live say that they no longer allow pet dogs inside, due to some mis-behaving dog incidents in that particular location.


Yeah, we're really lucky that Seattle is such a dog-friendly city. I love that I rarely have to leave him home alone, people take their dogs everywhere here. Most major retail shops and coffee shops that I frequent accept dogs inside. I've never had issues taking him anywhere and in most cases he's super welcome with the employees giving him treats and lots of attention. We also don't seem to run into any misbehaving, barking, or aggressive dogs in public. Maybe it's because dogs are so used to being in public places with their humans and have learned how to behave? Whenever we go to a coffee shop or restaurant, we usually find other dogs resting quietly under the table and ignoring other dogs/people just a few feet away.


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## jnjmc (Mar 31, 2015)

Charlie turns 6 months old tomorrow! It's amazing how quickly time flies when you're raising a pup! I am so in love with him. He's perfect.

Imagine my delight when we showed up at the dog park to find a pack of basset hounds (including two young puppies, that shouldn't have been there) and A PIGLET!!!! I had been feeding Charlie a lot of raw pork and I was worried he would try to eat the pig. I mean Charlie was OBSESSED with the pig! But this pig thinks it's a basset hound and everything was fine.












































We went on a 7.5mi hike with 1400' elevation gain to Anette Lake. Charlie loves hiking so much. He gets excited as soon as we open the car door and he smells that we are in the mountains. He has this extra spring in his step! It's starting to get a little chilly and the leaves are changing colors. I love the way his color blends in so well with the fall colors. 





































Charlie and Jasper









I got a rain jacket for Charlie! He hates it. But I wanted to try to keep him dry when it starts to rain a lot. I don't want the house to smell like wet dog all winter long! Isn't he adorable?

























We are considering dropping out of his current obedience class. The 1+hr round trip for a class that starts at 8:30pm isn't really working out for us. I am going to look for a class closer to us that's during the afternoon.


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## GoldenSkies (Feb 27, 2014)

Aw! Charlie is so handsome. Happy 6 months, time does fly. I agree I always love goldens in the fall they go perfectly with this season. Good luck finding a new obedience class closer wish I could help unfortunately we are a few hours away.


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## Cpc1972 (Feb 23, 2015)

Great pictures. Love the pig pictures. I have a cousin with a pet pig.


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## Coby Love (Apr 9, 2015)

Charlie is so handsome!!


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