ParkerPup.com

We've received a few of questions in our guestbook (and in person) and would love to address them. This is the place we'll do so, so if you have something you would like to know, please feel free to ask! We'll try to address most questions we get, and we do check in frequently.

FIRST OF ALL: We want to thank you so much for dropping by and leaving so many thoughtful comments for our little Parker. It means so much to our entire family that you take the time to leave us a note. It's obvious to US that Parker is a wonderful gift, so to have confirmation from all of you is especially wonderful. So thanks!

Please let me know when you add to the site.

First of all, thank you for coming in the first place! We've added a Subscribe! link so you can sign up to be notified when we update. While we would love to send out alerts every single time we add things to the site, we don't always do so as it might annoy people... because.... we always have things add! We'll try to limit our email alerts to once a week at the most, but feel free to check back often because we might add a few surprises here and there without spamming your inbox and causing a jam!

Can I send you the dobie for some obedience work??

YES! Just don't expect us to send him back.. We love doggies over here!

Just kidding. We use a "positive reinforcement" training method, which simply means that we reward desirable behaviors (praise, cookies, tennis balls or favorite toys) and use "management techniques" and the withdrawal of attention to prevent behaviors we don’t want. One of the greatest things you can do with your pup is sign up for an obedience class. We've had years and years of experience with dogs, and it's amazing what you will learn by taking a course to understand animal behavior. It's also a great way to bond with your puppy.

There are classes available in most cities, and it's important to check them out to see their techniques before signing up. If they show compassion in their training methods and lots of praise, it's probably a good place to go. 

What about the other dogs in the background?

Those loveable pooches are Parker's big sisters!

Sophie is 13 years old and is an amazing old girl. She has had a long, wonderful life and we love her dearly! She has been amazing -- one of her best tricks is to talk (bark) on command. She responds very well to hand signals, and currently depends on them because she's almost completely deaf (as of about a year ago). She also suffers from Vestibular Disease, which causes one to not properly perceive one's orientation. To put it more simply, she often feels very dizzy and often walks around with a head tilt. This came on in about 2006, but she has seemed to adjust very well, and still seems extremely happy and content. She mostly ignores Parker and lets Daisy take on responsibility of playing with the puppy. Sophie unfortunately passed away in 2009.

Daisy... Daisy, Daisy, Daisy. She belongs to me (Jenn -- Parker's "sister" -- 29 y.o.) and she lives just down the street with me in my condo. But she goes to Parker's house every day while I am at work and Parker is her best friend in the world! She is 5 years old! We spend a lot of time over there, raiding cupboards, eating real food, and of course playing with the puppy. We are a very close family and very much enjoy spending time together. Parker also comes over to Daisy's house quite often to give Sophie a much deserved break.

I'll also include Hobbes (the cat who thinks he is a dog). Hobbes is Daisy's kitty and he's 3-1/2 years old. I know, I know.. Daisy has a kitty? Yes, she does. She needed a friend to keep her company at the condo when she's not at Parker's house. She now shares her cat responsibility with Parker (though neither one is very good at cleaning out the litterbox)! Our family has always been very much a dog family and had previously never even entertained the idea of a cat. But Hobbes is a special little kitten who loves tormenting the dogs, chasing them, attacking them out of nowhere. He truly thinks he's a dog.. as his first encounter with another cat looked like this:  followed by this:  

--Visit Hobbes on Myspace! (Wow.. just realized I am a really, really, really big nerd -- but in all fairness, that doesn't get checked very often.)

I noticed you were knitting in one of the video shots...

This makes us laugh. That is Parker's "mom" in the Parker, Kitties & Christmas Hats video and a number of people who have watched it have noticed this and brought it up to us (either here or in person). Parker's mom knits SOMETIMES (not often) but happened to be doing a a few scarves to donate to a girl scout troop.

Who are YOU?

This site really isn't about 'us' but for our love of our furbabies! I try to avoid having too much of the crazy, wacky family on here but if you are really that interested -- my father is Parker's dad. Our joke is that he is the master, I am the "web"master. Parker lives with his mom and dad and Daisy and I live about 5 minutes (walking) away. It really comes down to the fact that we are a closely knit family and we love all our puppies and we are all one big dog pack! 

What kind of treats do you reward him with?

You can purchase training treats in most stores. They are about the size of a dime and great for rewards. It also allows you to reward your dog more often without worrying about overfeeding (Supersize It!)... The training treats we use are a combination of training treats from PetSmart or Petco, as well as Solid Gold Lamb Jerkey we cut up that we purchase where Parker takes his obedience classes. While Parker will work for minimum wage (dry training treats), the token treats are the lamb jerky -- he goes crazy for them! Depending on the trick, we also have been known to use pieces of string cheese. For a bigger reward, you can also use string cheese! Doggies love it.

Hi just wanted to know what you feed Parker and at 4 months how tall and how much did he weigh?

We'll have to check our records from the vet, but I will try to get his records put down here if anyone is really interested. He is a little porky (his nickname is "Porker" because he loves to eat so much!) but he's slimming down some. Parker started out on Nature's Variety Prairie Kibble -- Chicken Meal & Brown Rice. It's also for all life stages. We have since switched him to Canidae All Life Stages and he does very well on that. He gives it two paws up! He'd probably give it 4 paws up, but if he did that, it wouldn't look very polite! ;)

What was his doggy cake made of? Looked like peanut butter.

Here's the recipe we used for his 6 month birthday celebration:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 egg

Mix flour and baking soda. Add remaining ingredients. Pour into greased 8" round cake pan and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Let cool. For icing, you may puree cottage cheese in blender, or we used peanut butter, which gives that highly-amusing peanut-butter-effect! ;)

I know Parker is awesome in obedience classes now, but when you first started taking him was he a bit hyper, or did he take to it right away?

We started Parker in Puppy Preschool. I guess you could say that's the ideal time to start a dog in class because it teaches them socialization at an early age. Since it was a puppy class, they spent a good portion of the time JUST socializing with other dogs and other handlers. So once you got their wild oats out, so to speak, (by puppy playtime or by playing "pass the puppy" so they can experience other people, and not just you) they were more apt to concentrate on you and not the other dogs in the class.

Parker, though, is pretty mellow. He was always willing to bypass other dogs to earn a cookie! So we never had to worry about him acting out, even at the beginning.

There are a lot of posts that have Parker interacting with children. Is this a school or a church setting? Do you use this time to teach children how to interact appropriately with animals? I find very few people do that anymore, so I'm curious.

Those are kids from our church and they LOVE Parker (and vice versa)! They've watched him grow, and are always asking about him when he's not with us. They're all very well-behaved with him around and have seemed to pick up on how to treat animals. Plus it's good for our little guy to experience touchy, grabby hands. He's always exceeded our expectations around gobs and gobs of kids!

Have you considered taking Parker to a nursing home for interaction with the residents? Animal interaction is shown to improve the health and the outlook of people in nursing homes, and he just seems so perfectly suited for that.

That is something we have talked about and will definitely consider. Those programs are a lot of work, however we will be putting him through more classes and hope to get his CGC training (Canine Good Citizen: http://www.akc.org/events/cgc/index.cfm ) done where he takes his obedience classes. He certainly has a wonderful temperment that we'd love to share with those who need it!!

Does he shed a lot?

YES. YESYESYES. Yes x a billion. He sheds A TON! We keep him bathed regularly and brush him regularly, and we have a number of products to eliminate the shedding, but he's a shedding maniac! We just have to suck it up (literally, with a vacuum cleaner) and deal.

What kinds of classes does Parker take?

Parker's taken a number of classes so far. He started out with Puppy Pre-school, Tricks, Obedience, CGC Prep/Obedience,  and is now starting up with Agility!

How do you trim a golden retrievers feet?

There are different ways, and this is the easiest way to show. Now, not all die hard golden people will do it this way, but for the quick trim, clean look, this does the job. :) Instead of trying to type it out, how about a How To video! Easier to show anyway.

Is it possible to trim the longer hair on a goldens hind legs and tail or will it hurt them?

Yes, of course it's possible! As long as you are only cutting the hair. However anytime you take shears to your dog, you usually want to have a pretty good idea of what you are going to do. It's very easy to make your dog's coat look chopped up. My suggestion is: take them to a groomer the first time. Let them know specifically what you are looking for. Some people actually have their goldens shaved in the summer, so anything is possible. If it is something you want to keep up and do on your own, I'd talk to the groomer. There are a few tips in trimming up your dog (such as having thinning shears as opposed to regular shears) that may help you out.

How often and how long do you brush Parker and Daisy? and How much and how often do they shed?

Well, we try to brush them once a day. It's best to keep up with it rather than have a huge project once a month. Goldens are big, big shedders. BIG!

I am saving up my allowance for a golden of my own. Is a female better or a male, or are they just both the same?

The first thing I'll say is that having one dog is a lot of work. Having TWO is even more work! And it's more than just the "start-up" cost. It's maintenance, dealing with unexpected emergencies, vet bills, etc. With that being said (I could go on and on), regarding males or females... it really is personal preference. Of course is would vary by genetics and what traits gets passed down to each litter, which is one reason to really do your research when looking for a golden. One major difference between males and females -- females are "Love me! Love me! Love me!" and males tend to be "I love YOU!" We've heard this description many, many times, and it does seem to ring true. Of course, each dog's personality is different so.....

 How do you choose your breeder?

One great way is to go to a dog show in your area. They'll show all types of breeds at big dog shows and if you can find the breed you are after, you've hit the jackpot! Talk to the handlers. Many breeders will be there. Some things you should look for once you find some potential candidates: look at the pedigrees. You want to avoid any inbreeding. We sometimes look at titles of the dogs; are they Champions, etc? One thing you want to do no matter what: talk to the breeder and tell them exactly what kind of dog you want. If you want a dog who will run with you, be active, play with you, be your sidekick -- tell them that! If you are looking for a dog who won't be hyperactive, TELL THEM! I cannot stress this enough. Most good breeders will be able to help you find a good match.

*It is also important to note that your dog will NOT come trained. If you want your dog to know basic obedience (and let's face it, you do) it comes with a lot of hard work and dedication. It's not as simple as handing him over to someone who can train your dog for you either. Part of what will make your dog amazing is if you spend time with him, bond with him, learn how to teach your dog and understand their language. Imagine visiting another country where you don't speak the language and you are just trying to exist. It will take work to learn how to get around and if you don't try, it's easy to get frustrated and give up. Your dog doesn't speak your language. The whole idea behind training is to find those instances where you CAN communicate with your dog. Your dog wants to know what you want out of him. He wants to please YOU, and that means you will need to learn how to communicate with your dog and learn how to properly train him. The main point I'm trying to get across -- please know what you are getting into when you decide you want a dog. It's not easy. It's a commitment. It's not cheap. BUT if you do things right, it's soooooo worth it!!!

**We get a lot of questions asking HOW we train Parker. It's kind of a long, drawn out answer. The first thing to remember is to make the experience a positive one. Be patient; the dog will not get it right away. Reward, reward, reward! Be consistent. Keep the training periods somewhat short; you do not want your dog or puppy to get burned out. We ALWAYS suggest taking your dog to class.. we happen to take Parker to Pup-A-Razzi and he LOVES it there. Training should be fun and the dog should enjoy it. If he's not, you won't get very far. If you have specific things you are looking to learn how to train, feel free to drop me a line and I am always more than happy to try to help, or find out for ya! :)

*Please note that while we LOVE people to sign the guestbook, it can sometimes be difficult to reply to you in that format, especially if you are looking for a reply. Please always feel free to use the Contact link! We do our best to answer any emails we get.