- Location
- Melbourne, Australia
Ella was 8kg when she came home from the breeder
(she didn't stay huge though - 26ish kgs these days) Sully is very cute and fluffy
Sully ❤️
- Thread starter Jacqui-S
- Start date
(she didn't stay huge though - 26ish kgs these days) Sully is very cute and fluffy
- Location
- Fife, Scotland
He's the cutest little chicken nugget 
Candy
Biscuit Tin Guardian
- Location
- West Yorkshire, UK
Such a smiley little face!
So smiley! He looks sooo happySuch a smiley little face!
Jacqui-S
Moderator
- Location
- Fife, Scotland
Looking back on these photos I can't believe how Sully has grown up already!
He is now about 19kg at 20 weeks and quite slim, but you can tell he's going to be a big boy. And because he IS big we know how important it is for good training, and @HAH 's post about poor Stilton made me pop up an update which could equally go in the proud moments thread.
We had Sully for a first sleepover last night, and he was a very good boy for us, even though @Sophiedoodle was glad to get rid of him after a few hrs looking after him whilst I was Pilgrim Walking.
Anyway, I took him this morning to his intermediate training class. This is a follow on from a 4 week puppy block, and this is 3 out of 4 in Intermediate.
Now, even given this is mixed ages, I feel this particular trainer, who is a gundog trainer, has unrealistic expectations of his bunch of various and sometimes unruly pupils. For instance, walking dogs at heel, then looose lead past scattered smoked sausage i think is setting them up to fail.
I have been to watch a few of his sessions for consistency since I have him a fair bit but this is the first time I have handled him.
He did ok at loose lead heel, and only strayed once on dropped lead heel.
He did a great sit and stay when I walked away and back about 5m.
And sat nicely at my side whilst me and another 2 handlers were tossing a tennis ball to each other. He didn't stay sat when we were to stand 6ft away, but im not surprised, especially as one of our team was bouncing on the end of her lead
.
The piece de resistance however was the last exercise where you put your dog in a sit, walked away about 5m behind a line, called your dog and got them to stop/sit before crossing the line (handler had to stay on the other side and not cross). After a first try where he wandered to me when I walked away, he absolutely smashed this exercise! There were 13 dogs and only 4 or 5 managed it. Oh and Sully is by far the youngest.
What a good boy
He is now about 19kg at 20 weeks and quite slim, but you can tell he's going to be a big boy. And because he IS big we know how important it is for good training, and @HAH 's post about poor Stilton made me pop up an update which could equally go in the proud moments thread.
We had Sully for a first sleepover last night, and he was a very good boy for us, even though @Sophiedoodle was glad to get rid of him after a few hrs looking after him whilst I was Pilgrim Walking.
Anyway, I took him this morning to his intermediate training class. This is a follow on from a 4 week puppy block, and this is 3 out of 4 in Intermediate.
Now, even given this is mixed ages, I feel this particular trainer, who is a gundog trainer, has unrealistic expectations of his bunch of various and sometimes unruly pupils. For instance, walking dogs at heel, then looose lead past scattered smoked sausage i think is setting them up to fail.
I have been to watch a few of his sessions for consistency since I have him a fair bit but this is the first time I have handled him.
He did ok at loose lead heel, and only strayed once on dropped lead heel.
He did a great sit and stay when I walked away and back about 5m.
And sat nicely at my side whilst me and another 2 handlers were tossing a tennis ball to each other. He didn't stay sat when we were to stand 6ft away, but im not surprised, especially as one of our team was bouncing on the end of her lead
.The piece de resistance however was the last exercise where you put your dog in a sit, walked away about 5m behind a line, called your dog and got them to stop/sit before crossing the line (handler had to stay on the other side and not cross). After a first try where he wandered to me when I walked away, he absolutely smashed this exercise! There were 13 dogs and only 4 or 5 managed it. Oh and Sully is by far the youngest.
What a good boy
- Location
- Fife, Scotland
I think this photo shows his size pretty well.... he's got HUGE paws!!
- Location
- East Sussex
That sounds amazing achievements in training for such a young dog!
- Location
- Cornwall , UK
What a star he is and so beautiful with it too 
xxx
xxx
- Location
- Herefordshire, UK
Wow, sounds a big ask for a puppy, well done Sully!
- Location
- Malvern Worcestershire
Story of my life!@Jacqui-S, I agree with hl ..............
Just found this and can't remember what I was going to say!
What a good boy, Sully! You did your gwanny proud!
Does anyone tell the instructor the dogs are being set up to fail? If I’d had this insight when Snowie was a puppy, I’d have left the class. He failed at every class for 1.5 years until we found an instructor who set up each puppy to succeed at its individual ability. 1.5 years wasted and many difficult years trying to handle a wild and boisterous dog.
You did your gwanny proud! Does anyone tell the instructor the dogs are being set up to fail? If I’d had this insight when Snowie was a puppy, I’d have left the class. He failed at every class for 1.5 years until we found an instructor who set up each puppy to succeed at its individual ability. 1.5 years wasted and many difficult years trying to handle a wild and boisterous dog.
Jacqui-S
Moderator
- Location
- Fife, Scotland
Not whilst I had been there, however I had the discussion with Scott and Eilidh that if he DID ask us to do the smoked sausage trick on my watch, I would tell the trainer exactly that.
And the reason why I didn't sit Sully 6ft behind me when chucking the tennis ball. 3ft to my side was more than enough of a challenge
- Location
- Malvern Worcestershire
A lot of trainers test the dogs in training, rather than teaching them.What a good boy, Sully!
Does anyone tell the instructor the dogs are being set up to fail? If I’d had this insight when Snowie was a puppy, I’d have left the class. He failed at every class for 1.5 years until we found an instructor who set up each puppy to succeed at its individual ability. 1.5 years wasted and many difficult years trying to handle a wild and boisterous dog.
- Location
- Herefordshire, UK
Very good point Sonia.
- Location
- Isle of Man
Yes. We get this too. Then I go home and practice in ernest.
Our training class is really just for fun though, and Coco likes nothing better than running along a line of plates, snaffling up all the gravy bones while his appreciative audience laugh. Coco is a bit of a showman.
Emily_Babbelhund
Mama Red HOT Pepper
- Location
- Regensburg, Germany
He is so incredibly cute and a Very Good Boy too.
Most puppy training classes are too much excitement for retrievers. Their brains kind of leak out their ears as puppies!
I did loads of puppy classes with my Rotties because frankly they are easy and fun. Want a five minute downstay? Want to walk away when they are in a downstay? Want them to downstay while having a tennis ball or pig ear chucked at them? Rottie pups can do that because they don’t care much about balls or food and really they don’t want to move. Ever. Just let them sleeeeeep!
Ask a Lab or Golden puppy to do that and it’s just mean. Trainers should at least acknowledge breed differences and adapt so the pup and human team can succeed.
I used to think people who got those breeds were either insane or just wanted to have a miserable life.
Seriously, hats off to all you who survived puppyhood. My Señor was already a sophisticated Spanish (adult) gentleman by the time I met him, so I never lived through it.
I may have been seduced (ie fooled) by way too many adorable goldens on YouTube (my fave is Teddy of A Guy and a Golden) but I’m kind of convinced that I am more of a golden person than a Labrador person. Blasphemy!
What do you think the main differences are between Goldens and Labs?
Sorry, this turned into quite a ramble!
Most puppy training classes are too much excitement for retrievers. Their brains kind of leak out their ears as puppies!
I did loads of puppy classes with my Rotties because frankly they are easy and fun. Want a five minute downstay? Want to walk away when they are in a downstay? Want them to downstay while having a tennis ball or pig ear chucked at them? Rottie pups can do that because they don’t care much about balls or food and really they don’t want to move. Ever. Just let them sleeeeeep!
Ask a Lab or Golden puppy to do that and it’s just mean. Trainers should at least acknowledge breed differences and adapt so the pup and human team can succeed.
I used to think people who got those breeds were either insane or just wanted to have a miserable life.
Seriously, hats off to all you who survived puppyhood. My Señor was already a sophisticated Spanish (adult) gentleman by the time I met him, so I never lived through it.I may have been seduced (ie fooled) by way too many adorable goldens on YouTube (my fave is Teddy of A Guy and a Golden) but I’m kind of convinced that I am more of a golden person than a Labrador person. Blasphemy!
What do you think the main differences are between Goldens and Labs?
Sorry, this turned into quite a ramble!
Jacqui-S
Moderator
- Location
- Fife, Scotland
Too early to tell with Sully, but when we were training with Lilly, its stubbornness. The GRs would just lay down and not move if they couldn't be bothered.
i guess thats why they do lab/GR mixes for guide dogs. Intelligence but stubborn, will not easily be urged on if there is danger, unlike a la who may be more reckless and just want to please
- Location
- Cornwall , UK
Two members of my family have/have had GR , they seem to have been less manic as pups , much more laid back but sometimes without the happy if at times obsessive desire to please of the LR xx