Category Archives: The Tucker Files

The Tucker Files: Doing Better

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We finally had a nice day here in Southern Ontario.  We took Tucker for a hike and a quick swim, since it has been over 10 days since “The Surgery”.

Here are some pictures from our trip:

running down the trail with gusto! (slightly out of focus, I’m working on this!)

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Swimming in the river:

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Checking out the scenery..(again, slightly out of foucus)

explorer

The car ride…

thecarride

And now all brushed and checked for ticks, resting with his best buddie…a great (almost) summer day!

resting

Good night everyone!!  Thank goodness summer is almost here!

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The Tucker Files – Time for “The Surgery”

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Don’t tell Tucker, because he doesn’t know, but tomorrow he is going to have “The Surgery”

Yes, he is 20 months old, we waited an extra 2 months, but some of that wait can be attributed to the fact that we actually did switch veterinary hospitals.

Tucker had a “meet and greet” at the new animal hospital and all went well, so we booked “The Surgery” and tomorrow is the big day.

At the time of this post Tucker has had his “last supper” as an intact male.  Here he is before I left for work tonight.  I hate leaving him tonight more that usual.

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And since this is a Tucker Files post, I’m going to include some more pictures, because I can!

My sweet, sleeping angel…

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Tucker isn’t allowed in the living room, which is the only room that faces the front of the house.  Some nights, my boyfriend lets Tucker out to the garage to watch for me.  He always knows when its almost time for me to get home.  Here’s what I see when pulling in the driveway…

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And one more, Tucker laying on the cool ceramic tile in the evening…

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Here’s hoping for a trouble-free surgery!  I will let you know how it goes!

The Tucker Files: Golden Retriever Aggression?

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I have to admit, Tucker has been more of a challenge than my previous dogs (except for a male alaskan malamute)  He is very dominant and I am pretty good at keeping him in check.  He has never shown aggression meeting another dog, and has never growled or snapped.  I can take a raw beef bone from his hands and stick my hand in his food bowl.  He hasn’t had a lot of exposure to young children, and when he did he approached them with a little too much “zest”

I managed to capture Tucker making his “killer face” tonight. (bared teeth, crinkled up nose)  At first I thought it was cute and was trying to teach him to smile, but as you can see, he actually sort of snapped at my finger, even though he didn’t bite hard.

On our last visit to the vet, when the vet reached for Tucker’s head, he made this face.  Needless to say, the vet immediately went for the muzzle.  Tucker took it well, and it was removed before the end of the exam.  I told him Tucker sometimes makes this face while we are playing.  The vet set he couldn’t take the risk.  I told him I didn’t blame him one bit.  I think it had something to do with the high strung vet tech who tried to weigh Tucker and backed him in a corner and he peed on the scale.  She continued to try and force him on the scale and you could tell he was avoiding the pee and not wanting to step in it.  I eagerly offered to clean up the pee and told her he wouldn’t get on the scale like that.  She shoved us into the exam room and told me we were “holding up progress”  This made me both irate and embarrassed, and our visit had not started off on a good note.  I’m not making excuses, but the place was literally packed and I think it was a bit much, even for Tucker.  I ended up crying on the way home and thinking that I was a failure in terms of having an obedient, well trained dog.  (When I have a treat in my hand Tucker is actually extremely smart and obedient!)

I am curious as to your thoughts golden experts!  Is this a sign of aggression?  If so, any suggestions on correcting this behavior?

The Tucker Files: Gourmet Dinner for a Golden Retriever

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Say what you will about table scraps, but I feel table scraps are far better than most kibble on the market. Sometimes we spoil Tucker. I guess I should say sometimes we “extra spoil” Tucker. He is perpetually spoiled.

Here’s Tucker waiting for his dinner. He always puts one paw up while begging. I have already explained the menu – perfectly cooked tenderloin (rare-med rare) fresh local asparagus (I.e pure gold) and lobster fettuccine. Rich, I know. I mixed it with his kibble. (Origen Adult Dog)  I always soak his kibble in hot water for about 5 min, so the food expands in the bowl, instead of his tummy.  Heard this from a breeder, it is supposed to help prevent bloat.  It makes a nice gravy.  We make sure his teeth stay clean with the occasional raw bone.

waiting

Here’s dinner.  Since I didn’t get anything for mother’s day, I treated myself.  The expensive stuff was all on sale.  This meal was under $40 and fed three!

gourmet

Did I mention we love food?

Time for a poll!

The Tucker Files: Golden Retriever on a Hike

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Tucker had a great summer with many hikes on the local trail, which involved swimming in the river and fetching sticks.  Here are some of the best shots we were able to capture….

Here is a great photo of Tucker loving the river.  He likes to chase sticks, rescue them, bring them to the shore, and chew them to bits…

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Sometimes he gets ahead of us, and looks back, “Are you guys coming?”

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“Ahhh, chewing a stick I just rescued.”IMG_0974

Tucker and I Took the “Leave-It” Challenge, and Passed!

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Does your dog have self-control?  Can you place his or her favorite treat inches away and snap a photo?  What a great challenge!

I came across this blog post from a great blog called It’s All About Dogs while browsing dog blogs today, and it seemed like a great idea!.  I Googled “Leave It Challenge dogs” and came upon this cute blog post from another blog called  Lynne’s Letters of various dogs posing with their favorite food. Can you and your dog pass the “Leave It” Challenge?  Share this post with your other dog friends and see if they can complete “The Leave-It Challenge”.  It’s fun, regardless of the breed!!

Here’s Tucker watching intently while I position the kibble…

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And here I am in action, placing the kibble, and telling him what a good boy he is the whole time.  He is only just over a year old, and for a golden retriever, this is extreme self control.  Keep in mind, he also has the photographer flashing photos behind him in the background.

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And here he is, challenge complete.  Milliseconds after this, he went for the kibble, (I quickly said “good boy!!!!!)  and I got 90 percent of it, praised the heck out of him some more, and gave him a small piece of cheese!!  Good boy Tucker!!

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Yes, I AM wearing flannel pajamas and a pink sweatshirt, it IS Saturday night! (these photos are courtesy of my boyfriend and his fancy-dancy camera)  Now if only he could leave the shoes, socks, food on the counter, eyeglasses,contact lenses, prescription pills, ……

The Tucker Files: Happy 1st Birthday Tucker!

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Today, October 7th, is Tucker’s first birthday.  We plan on spoiling him with a meaty bone and some extra play time and cuddles!

Happy Birthday little man!

Tired Tucker, “After the Hike”

Here’s “Monkee” who is now just a shell of himself…

Tucker and “Monkee”

Off to play!

The Tucker Files: Golden Retrievers and Counter Surfing – Part 2

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Tonight we were watching the Canada vs US Women’s soccer game, and I was preparing some tenderloin steaks for supper.  We bought a large roast at 7.99/lb so it came to just over $20 for the roast.  I cut off two beautiful 1 1/2″ steaks and cut the final end into 3 pieces, which would have been perfect for filet migon.   Holiday Monday at about 5 pm…the doorbell rings.   I decide to be bold and go answer it.  It was someone offering to seal our driveway.  I gave him the boot and came back to the kitchen, checking the status of the game.  My boyfriend and I looked over to the center island in the kitchen.  There was Tucker, up on the counter, eyeing our steaks.  We yelled “No” and he looked away, only to find the other 3 pieces of tenderloin.  He quickly grabbed the thickest one, before we could react.  Nothing you can do at this point.  He was well rewarded for jumping up on the counter.  Golden Retrievers truly are the best…they are!

Here is a picture of Tucker after his “catch”

Tucker after Tenderloin

And here is Tucker, with his Monkey, a little while after tenderloin…

Tucker after tenderloin…with Monkey

Needless to say, his food will be appropriately rationed tonight…

The Tucker Files – Shopping Spree at PetSmart

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PetSmart

Today I spent over an hour in PetSmart.  I just love that store.  Needless to say, Tucker and Betty got a little bit spoiled today.  I apologize in advance for the grainy photos, they were taken with my cell phone.  I plan on developing my photography skills in the near future.

I  started in the dog section.  The first thing I picked out was Monkey.  Kinda looks like a sock monkey with a squeaker inside.  I thought Tucker needed a new stuffed toy, and besides, it was half off!  What was I thinking…

Here’s monkey after about ten minutes:

Next was the clicker.  I’ve been watching videos of dogs trained with this method, and want to do some more research on it before I attempt it with Tucker, but again, 50 % off, so I figured, why not?

While I was in the training aisle, I picked up a training line.  This will come in handy with the digging, counter surfing and unruly behaviour.  Now if only I could find his training collar…

Now that Tucker is starting to shed, I picked up the Furminator.  It was on sale also.  I was so concerned about getting the right weight, I didnt realize they also sold different coat lengths too.

Next I sauntered over the the cat section.  Who am I kidding, and the fish section, rodent section, bird section, and reptile section.  I eventually returned to the dog section to focus on treats.  I feel these bones are really great for their teeth.  They are Canadian made and are stuffed with a meat filling.  The only downfall to these is when one gets dropped on your toe, or you stub it on one.

Tucker is enjoying one of the bones as I write this.

Last but not least, the liver treats, also made by Rollover.

When I was finished at PetSmart, I sauntered over to Best Buy and treated myself to a new blogging tool, considering I am always fighting with my teenage daughters for computer time.  Yes, it is PINK!!!!

It was a pretty great day.  Now I am enjoying a glass of red wine and playing with my new laptop.