Jake turns 1

********Special Disclaimer-This is a LONG post that should not be read by Mary-Just kidding!****


WE MADE IT!!!!

I have to admit there were many times that we were not sure we would make it to Jake's first birthday. We knew puppies were cute, but hard. But Jake sure exceeded the level of frustration that we expected at times.

We all were having puppy fever bad and we all agreed we wanted a Golden Retriever. But honestly, they were just too darn expensive!! We were talking to everyone about it, doing all kinds of research on the dogs, and looking everywhere we could for one.

Then one day out of the blue, my step-sister called for some reason and the conversation turned to dogs (as so many were doing at this point!!) She reminded me that her father-in-law bred Goldens and Dachshunds. And of course, he was much cheaper than a regular breeder. ( In hindsight, we learned "You get what you pay for!" ) Just kidding, sorta... We arranged for a visit to see the 11 pups that were going to be ready just in time for Christmas. Kim went with us and we stayed for several hours playing with the pups. They really all looked pretty much the same, but this cutie was hard to resist:
Dale really wanted a boy dog, even though Jennifer and I argued that all of our pets are boys and we needed another girl in the house. He also wanted one of the redder looking ones rather than one of the lighter looking dogs, which narrowed it down to one. Reluctantly, I agreed and we picked the dog who would later be named Jake. Since we have had Jake, we have told Dale several times that we are NEVER letting him pick another animal. He always seems to pick the "hard" or "loud" ones. Sorry, Dale , but it is true.

We paid our deposit (whoever heard of putting a deposit on a dog!). I had so much to learn!! We went home and never told the kids that we had decided. We just kept talking to them about all the responsibilities that come with a dog. They both eagerly agreed to help take care of him. And they have been pretty good about helping. But we all know who was and is stuck with the majority of the care. Dale was so excited about this dog, that he ordered a book about how to train your Golden Retriever and read it all and got email updates from the lady who knew how to do everything with a dog. He told my Mom "This is going to be the best behaved member of our family. Its really simple. You just have to teach them what you want them to do" Well, I am sure Mom was laughing, and I was cringing. You know how anyone who ever says, "well..my kid will never do that!!!" always ends up eating their words. Well, Jake is NOT the most well behaved member of our family, but we are still working on it and still holding out hope that ONE DAY, he will be where we would like for him to be.

We waited and waited and finally got the call that they were weaned and ready for pickup. It had been VERY cold at that point, and we didn't want our puppy out in the cold, so Dale headed up to get him on that Friday. We were going to surprise Justin. The puppy did VERY good coming home on the long trip and just slept the whole time and never had an accident in Dale's car, which was a concern. When he got home, we told Justin we were going to let him open one of his presents early. He was so excited when he saw that it was all puppy stuff-a brush, toys, shampoo, etc. We took him to the car and he got the real surprise. The look on his face was priceless. Our boy finally got his DOG!! Then when Jennifer came home from school, we surprised her with him as well. And got another priceless look.

He was so small and cute. We kept him in the kitchen area for the most part until he was potty trained. OR in our arms as he never had an accident if someone was holding him. It took a couple of weeks to get him potty trained solidly, but he learned pretty quickly. Although at the time, it seemed to take FOREVER. One problem was that he wouldn't go down the stairs for anything. He finally learned to go up the stairs, but still wouldn't go down. So, we had to carry him each time he went out. Finally, one night, Jennifer and I decided we were going to teach him to come down the stairs. We armed ourselves with treats and went to the steps inside the house. We put him on the landing with Jennifer sitting up from him so he couldn't go UP the stairs. I put all kinds of treats on each step coming down. We encouraged and coaxed for quite a while. Poor Jake was just so mad that he kept barking at the steps. He wanted the treats but not bad enough for THAT!! It seems like he did finally go down one step, or maybe I "helped" him some, but he FINALLY got it. Ever since that day, he doesn't like to be carried. Not that we could anymore!! Here is a picture of him that night on the steps:
Here is his first bath. We bathed him like every week for quite a while. But he would roll in the dead grass clippings when he went outside. Now we bathe him when he needs it. And he just had his first professional grooming the day after his birthday. Obviously, we bathe him in our shower now and not the sink anymore.
Those puppy days were hard but fun. He really slept quite a bit thankfully so I could get some work done. He loved his crate, and has never given us any problem about going in there, thankfully. Except for the first night, where he cried for a little while (and it was pitiful!). This particular picture was taken when he just chose to go in there and sleep. He doesn't do that anymore but is much calmer when he is in his crate. He has recently started "talking" to us when he wants out and we are ignoring him. It is kinda funny.

He learned VERY quickly to ring the bell when he wanted to go out to potty. This has been good-and bad. While it is very useful for him to communicate in this manner, rather than barking, there are times throughout the day where he is ringing the bell constantly. He goes out and back in and then out again and back in. Ten minutes later, he is ringing the bell again. VERY FRUSTRATING!

I can not tell you how many times I have taken things out of his mouth. Maybe 1,765,964 times in the first year. He chews on anything and everything. I have taken out cigarette butts, rocks, paper clips, shoes, rusty nails, rubber bands, undergarments, anything and everything you can think of. As a matter of fact, I just had to take an empty baggy out of his mouth. While ago, it was a paper clip and a small set of Barbie eyewear. He knows the command drop it, but sometimes it is just too good to drop. Luckily, I know how to open his mouth and dig for treasures safely.

Right after Christmas last year, he was sitting on the couch with us watching movies. He threw up. We cleaned it up and it happened again. And again. And again. Because he was still so little, we had to go to the emergency vet. They tested him for Parvo and gave him a pack of IV fluids that made him look hunchback but worked really well. He had to eat baby food for a few days, until he got back to normal. We never knew for sure, but feel pretty confident that he ate something in the back yard he wasn't supposed to (either a poisonous plant, a mushroom, or a frog are the top choices).
Jake loves to play with his toys. Ripping them apart into pieces is fun too. And the most fun part is pulling ALL the stuffing out to get to the squeaker and then chewing on that!! I know this is later, but this is what our floor looks like all the time. You would not believe how much stuffing is in one little toy!This is a picture of Jake wearing his Gentle Leader. When Jake wears this, he knows he is not in charge and doesn't like it at all. He will rub on anyone or anything to get it off. He has worn this a lot while he was in training, but now he really only wears it when we are walking or going out so he won't pull. He can still bark(although we can control it if he doesn't stop when we tell him to), eat, drink, bite, or anything else he needs to do. We just have much more control when he is wearing it. We love you Gentle Leader!!
Also, note that Jake has one dark brown hair growing off his head. This drives me crazy! It wasn't there until he had a bump on his head. We took him to the vet hoping that it wasn't a tumor or anything. They shaved his head to get a better look. The bump turned out to be nothing, but the hair grew back in dark. We like to call it his "mean streak" :)
The cats have never really warmed up to Jake. He bugs them all the time. IF he would just keep his mouth shut instead of mouthing them, the relationship could progress. But he is a very MOUTHY dog. He always has his mouth open. So much, in fact, that I was at my wits end one day and called the trainer on the way to the store and told her "I know you probably don't believe that I should be doing this, but I am telling you that I AM!". I went and bought a muzzle. And we have used it many times. Not to keep him from biting so much, but just to shut his mouth. If he is misbehaving badly, we will put the muzzle on him and he goes over and pouts. But he REALLY calms down with that on. It was a good purchase, but I am embarrassed to tell people that sometimes we have to muzzle him.

Sam will not take anything from Jake. He will meow and pop him in the face multiple times. Patches is a little more patient with him but he pops him too. If they were not declawed, Jake would be in serious trouble and he would probably leave them alone. Here is our Christmas card picture from last year. We tried to have all the pets in there, but there were too many pets for two kids to hold. Especially since the cats were still leery of the new puppy at this point.

We did enroll Jake in dog training. This helped tremendously, but he is still mastering some of the things we learned. We all went to puppy basics class. Then Jake and I went to beginner training, and advanced beginner after that. And then intermediate. We are taking a break to let him get a little maturity under his puppy collar.

However, we are still going to the park to walk and play with the other dogs. When he was a puppy, he would always cower down to even the small dogs. He doesn't do that too much anymore, though. He is really good with other dogs, which I am very thankful for. We do take him to playtime on some Saturdays where he can play with the other dogs. He has also gone to TAG class 3 times. Once was a "normal" class-where we played blind dog's bluff and did some training. The other 2 times were agility training-which he seems to really enjoy and be pretty good at. The first time Dale & the kids took him. Last time it was just me, and he seemed to know what to do without me giving him the commands. He loves to "tunnel" and is REALLY fast at it. His least favorite part is weaving through the poles. Last time I took him, he was 2nd place out of about 11 dogs. I was really impressed!! We may have finally found something he is good at. :) We had dreamed of training him to be a therapy dog. And the trainer is still holding out hope. One of his good dog friends-another Golden named Jack-is now a therapy dog working with children in the hospital. But I really have my doubts at this point. I secretly think he is part Terrior. Although, he did really well when I took him to the nursing home to see my grandfather, so I haven't given up all hope.

Through the training, we learned to spray bitter apple in his mouth if he was misbehaving. We have used this a lot, and it works really well. Here is one time we were having to use it. Once Jake got pretty big, we decided that he really shouldn't be jumping on the furniture. So, he hasn't gotten on the couch in a really long time. But, isn't this cute??Jake walked around with a clothesline leash on him during training so that I could keep him with me all the time. This was him pouting because he had to sit on his rug while we ate dinner.He is really good about not begging for food. Although he does want to be right under your feet or under the table while we eat, sometimes licking your legs.

Jake loves to play fetch. Normally it is while I am trying to work or at the computer. He is VERY good at going to get the ball and bringing it back, but then he doesn't want to give it to you to throw again. This happens numerous times during the day while I am working.

He loves the maillady and she loves him. She puts a treat or two in the mailbox EVERY DAY just for him. He loves to go get the mail.

On the other hand, he HATES the garbage men. They make really loud,scary noises. He FREAKED out one day about a mile away from the house and PULLED me most of the way home. After that, we had to work on desensitization. He now can watch them from the house with no issues, but he knows when they are there.

Jake LOVES my Mom. He gets SO excited when she comes in. He ends up between her legs so that she can control him while she pets him. The bad part is that he did that one day to an older overweight with bad knees lady who came to visit us. She was shrieking and I was trying to not laugh, but it really was funny. I got her safely to the couch and put Jake in his crate for the rest of her visit.

Jake is a little scared of new experiences, so sometimes it takes coaxing. That is why it surprised me how well he did with the agility.

Jake likes to go to soccer practice or baseball practice. Anywhere there is people..he is learning that not everyone likes dogs. But he is much better than he used to be. He likes to catch the soccer ball. He is not too familiar with frisbees yet. He has ridden in the back of a truck, and did okay with that.

In general, Goldens love water. But Jake required some getting used to it. We have taken him to the lake many times now. For the first few times, he wouldn't have anything to do with the water but would bark when we would get on. He liked the boat ride. Eventually, my uncle, who has dogs too and let Jake borrow the life vest, just pushed him in. He swam in circles not knowing what to do until I got there. He got more and more used to it, although we would have to jump in and call him to come to us. But he still preferred to be on the float or the noodle.


Toward the end of summer, he just started jumping in without permission (and no life vest!) which was a problem too. Since Justin was the only one in the water and he wanted his noodle. Justin abandoned the noodle like we were yelling for him too, but when Jake saw Justin swimming the other way, he swam after Justin. Justin got to the steps to the dock first but was too scared to climb them with Jake on his back. Jake thinks he can climb the steps to the dock, so that is where he always goes when he is ready to get out. Well, he can't climb them and we normally have the lifevest on him so we can just pull him up. But we had nothing to hold onto this time. It was a mess. I am sure anyone that was there thought a kid was drowning or something, with the way Dale was yelling. Oh, and we lost the noodle as it floated down the lake. Dale was working on the boat, so it was torn apart and we couldn't go get it. We ended up driving and going for a noodle hunt. Thankfully, we were able to return my Dad's noodle.

We bought Jake a pool so he could play in it here. He wouldn't get in it. I had to get in the middle with treats and calling him. He FINALLY put one paw in,earned a treat, and finally got another paw in there. Now, he will get in it by himself. This was his first time in there. Notice the water level--give me a break, dog!!


But, we finally made it to his first birthday. Everyone kept telling us the first year with a Golden is hard. But it gets better. That's what we kept hearing. So, we had a goal to make it to his first birthday. And we did it!! Now, everyone is telling us the first two years are hard, but it will be worth it. They are great dogs, if you can survive those first few years.

I will admit that I see moments of greatness every now and then. Times when I can see that he could be a good dog one day. Our big achievements lately have been that he is actually going out to the van and jumping in his car crate without a leash. That is a big deal. And he is waiting on the front porch for Justin while we watch him walk home from the bus. He will play fetch in the front yard off leash for a while.He waits with no leash on until I release him to run to Justin and then come back and go back in. He is doing absolutely wonderful on his walks and walks right beside me and doesn't pull at all as long as he is wearing his Gentle Leader. He is catching treats and balls now, which is fun. And he is great at the WAIT command. This is very helpful in not running out the door. He also has mastered the SIT command and knows the DOWN command. He lays beside me when I work. But if I get up, he gets up too.

So, we made it to his birthday. Wow!! How they grow in a year's time. Jake is weighing about 90 pounds now and doesn't realize how big he has gotten. He even barks at himself in the mirror, thinking its another dog.

We had a birthday doggie dinner for him.Wasn't that sweet of me not to light the candle?? We have too much invested now~can't hurt him. He got some presents that he got to unwrap himself.The funny thing was that I had his gifts wrapped and on the stairs to the basement. We went down there for something and on the way back up he snagged this gift and immediately went to unwrap it.


He loved it!! It was suggested by several people. It is a real live (well, kinda) deer antler to chew on. Better that than a rug!


This was his other gift. Dale thought it was great. And the last gift was supposed to be a very durable chew toy that would mentally stimulate them and help with boredom. Right!! It is a pumpkin that has 3 squeaker toys inside that they have to figure out how to get out of the holes. Here is a video of him getting them out.

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So, we made it one year. Now we will set our goal at two years. I have even heard people saying that their Goldens were not mature until they were 3 years old. But we will take it one year, or rather one day at a time. He is a pain at times, but we still love him. I can't tell you how many shoes, bras and panties and underwear he has chewed up but we have learned to keep that stuff away from him for the most part. He is beginning to leave the laundry alone for longer periods of time and the shoes too. So, we are in hopes that our perseverance pays off with a great dog one day. He is a good dog now and we are happy that we have all survived one full year.