Winter pics of Oz at the park today...

[anna_66]

I could have swore it looked (and sounded-shorts and t-shirt) like spring
Great pictures par, that Oz is just beautiful and so is little Murph!

[mugsy]

Great pictures!! I may have missed it, but, why didn't you like the dog park?

[K9soul]

Originally posted by ParNone
Hey k9soul!

Have you posted pics of your Collies? I'd love to see'em.

I posted a bunch in this thread awhile back, sometime before Christmas. I took pictures of pictures but they turned out pretty good.

http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthre...threadid=40759

My collies were the rough variety but of course still had the same sweet collie natures as the smoothies do.

[ParNone]

hey anna!

It really feels like spring too. I tell ya it's torture being stuck in a office today with the sunshine beckoning.

hola mugsy!

It's not a dog park, just a park. I've been wanting to find a park somewhat close to home to get some exercise in. This is the first time we've been to this one and there wasn't much in the way of trails and it was really secluded. There was just me and Oz and an older guy with his German Shepherd at first. I actually felt okay around him, maybe because he had a dog, but he soon left and then another guy came who was all by himself. I don't know, I just had an uncomfortable feeling about him, and I always listen to my instinct, so I decided to just go ahead and leave. I think we'll keep searching and see if we can't find a park with a lil' more activity or that's lil' more open.

Par...

[ParNone]

Oh k9soul, they are absolutely gorgeous and look so sweet natured. I just want to reach out and give those cute collie schnoozes a big ole kiss. And to think I never liked those big noses, until I had my own Collie. Now I can't think of anything better in life then kissing those noses and getting endlessly poked by'em.

Par...

[K9soul]

Originally posted by ParNone
Oh k9soul, they are absolutely gorgeous and look so sweet natured. I just want to reach out and give those cute collie schnoozes a big ole kiss. And to think I never liked those big noses, until I had my own Collie. Now I can't think of anything better in life then kissing those noses and getting endlessly poked by'em.

Par...

Thank you Par They meant the world to me, and still do, just as precious to me as Tommy and Tasha are now. I know what you mean about the collie noses. You just come to love that cute schnoz of theirs. Your description on collies from Reader's Digest seemed very accurate. Especially how they want to please, and love to learn. My two were ultra sensitive too, especially Willie. Just saying "Willie, no" in a normal voice tone was enough to devastate him! Collies take a very light hand with training, and I think would become spirit-broken with too much negative feedback.

[ParNone]

Oh definitely, they shine under positive, upbeat training methods. And I could see where they'd easily shut down under negative ones. Not too long ago at agility class, one of the dogs was making a beeline towards another one, with what looked like intent to attack it. The trainer jumped up near Oz, ran into the path of the attacking dog and was waving her hands, hollering at him, so that he'd be scared to running back to his owner, which he did. Meanwhile Oz about had a heartattack. He launched himself into my lap and the rest of the class, he gave the trainer a wide berth. It wasn't even directed at him, but still it upset him.

He's the only dog in class that the trainer will not use those types of methods on. Whenever he's fallen off the dog walk, those are the times where he's stressed and won't come to me. But she won't intervene, she'll just give me time to calmly go track him down. I don't use any negative language at all towards him for agility. If we make a mistake in class, I just ignore it. Some of the other people can get away with saying "No" to their dogs, but there's no way I could do that with Oz. He'd shut down in a nanosecond. I just let it go, because I know he'll figure out really fast, what gets him the cookie and what doesn't.

Par...

[primabella]

Ozzy is just stunning and Murph is soo adorable! Thanks for the pics, Par. But it doesn't like winter to me!

[tikeyas_mom]

very sweet pics1!!

[GoldenRetrLuver]

Yep! Smooth Collies are great, after seeing Oz and Ozzy I'm hooked on 'em. Of course, the roughs are just beautiful too. (wonder why? ) You just HAVE to keep up with that grooming! It's a must. Molly's blowing her coat now, so I brush her out 2 times a day, for about 30-45 minutes each session.

[ParNone]

Thanks ya'll!! Should I rub it in that's still bright, blue, sunny skies here?

Hey Goldenretrluver!

Yeh there's no doubt the Roughs are beautiful. Love all that gorgeous hair, but the grooming requirements scares me off. I've been wondering about Goldens in comparison lately, in regards to grooming and temperament and such. May have to make another thread.

Par...

[GoldenRetrLuver]

Originally posted by ParNone
Hey Goldenretrluver!

Yeh there's no doubt the Roughs are beautiful. Love all that gorgeous hair, but the grooming requirements scares me off. I've been wondering about Goldens in comparison lately, in regards to grooming and temperament and such. May have to make another thread.

Par...

Yep, that's probably one of the reason you don't see Collies too often around here. The grooming requirements.

Ohh! Are you thinking about getting a Golden?
Where should I start...

Goldens are shedders, no doubt about that. Daisy was blowing her coat a few weeks ago, but she's finished. As to comparing them to a Collie, Molly definatley needs more grooming than her. I recommend brushing goldens between 10-20 minutes a day, depending on their coat lengh.
Their temperment is excellent with both people and dogs. Esspecially if they were raised with other dogs and/or kids. With cats, it really depends on the individual dog. Daisy's GREAT with both of my mom's cats, but I wouldn't trust her with any small animals; like birds for example.
But, most of them have a nasty puppy stage. Since goldens don't mature physically until they're around 2 years old, you could be dealing with it for awhile. If I had a quarter for every hole Daisy dug as a pup, I'd be rich. She wasn't so bad with the chewing, but some are; and they will chew ANYTHING. Whether it be toys, socks, shoes, paper bags, funiture, etc.
For weather temperatures, they'll be fine if they have access to shade, and fresh, cool water. It also doesn't hurt to add a few icecubes every now and then.

But overall, they're a great breed. But NOT for everybody, which most people may think.

If you need any more info, let me know.

[ChrisH]

Oh, my! what lovely pictures! Oz so handsome and Murphy so adorable!

[ParNone]

Thanks Chrish!

Thanks for all the info Goldenretrluver! I was surfing and stumbled across the cutest lil' female Golden named AppleSauce. I think I'm as much in love with the name, as her cute lil' face. Anyway she got me interested in Goldens again, so I've been researching'em again. Gotta get Murph all healed up, before considering any puppies though.

Par...

[K9soul]

Hmm Tommy has never really been a digger... actually I don't think I've ever seen him dig a hole in the dirt outside, but I don't know if he's just atypical or not, as he's the first golden I have had. But he is mouthy! He puts everything in his mouth! From coins he finds to sticks to clothing to logs he can barely get his mouth around. He loves to always be carrying something around.

If you love to cuddle with a dog, goldens LOVE to cuddle and be cuddled. I have never had a dog that loved constant physical contact the way Tommy does. If I lay on the floor, he lays as close as possible to me. If I move, he moves too. He is in heaven just getting pets and scratches, staring off into space with a look of pure bliss there. He loves to always be able to see where his people are, which means if you are moving around the house, he's following into every room. He will even try to follow me to the bathroom .

I'd say they have a similar nature to collies in that they love to please and love to learn. Probably a bit more emotionally stable. Tommy doesn't get depressed for an hour if I scold him for something, but he will try to do whatever needs to be done to please me.

I'm not sure if all goldens are this way, but Tommy is a clown too. He loves doing silly things to make me laugh. If he hears me laugh it's like getting a treat for something, he connects the behavior and will keep doing it to get more laughter.

I think the breed is very loving and devoted, not best for people who have to be away from home constantly. Goldens thrive on being with their people. If you like your personal space without a dog right there laying on your feet or resting their head on your leg etc., I'd not recommend them. They seem like very touchy feely types. I love that in Tommy personally I think that is a reason they can be so great with kids too, because they don't mind a child hugging and hanging on them, they delight in it

Like Julie said, they do great with other dogs and pets. They aren't territorial at all that I have seen, never minding to share their space with someone else.

Tommy is vocal when he plays, and barks a bit if he hears the doorbell, but otherwise isn't a big barker. My collies were much more into barking than either Tasha or Tommy has been. Tommy is really easy to groom, but does tend to shed rather heavily. He enjoys the attention and contact of being brushed.

I think the biggest "con" that I have experienced with Tommy has been his chewing. He has never chewed on furniture, cords and the like. He seems to prefer to chew on cloth, as in his blankets/bedding, laundry, etc. I used to could not give him any toy except hard ones that couldn't be destroyed in an hour, but I've been able to actually teach him not to chew certain toys by only letting him play with it supervised, and then when he begins to chew I say "don't chew" and hand him a Nylabone or something. He quickly came to understand what "don't chew" meant and once he gets used to not chewing a toy he naturally will play with it and when he's ready to settle down to chew, set that toy down and pick up an acceptable chew toy. I've always been impressed with how quickly he learns.

Well, I didn't mean to write a book here. Most of this is based off of my own experience with Tommy, but also some of talking with other golden owners.