Howdy Heidi x Ledger siblings family! I wanted to post an update on what's going on in the lives of all the siblings as of their 7 month mark! I realize I am posting this after their 1 year birthday and I am so sorry about that! They grow up so fast! I wanted to wait until I had heard back from all the siblings but didn’t hear back from some. Comments for this post should be opened up if you have any questions or wanted to add any updates. Please feel free to send pictures to our email! We love hearing about the family.
Maggie (formerly Red Girl)
Aka: MagPie, Maggie Mae
Burleson, TX
Personality:
Very smart, fun, loving, and inquisitive. She is truly the sweetest dog.
Favorite Activities:
Anything with her human brothers. Plays fetch well and likes to go on walks
Current Skills:
Potty trained since 2 weeks old. She likes to run and play fetch. She sits, follows basic commands and rules (not getting on the coach, not darting on the front door, rarely barks, and is great on walks. And she had her first swim this week!
Challenges:
CHEWING!!!!!!! lol Food aggression some as a puppy. She's very smart and knows how to be sneaky with kids stuffed animals (specifically Sparkles) and RETAINERS...been through 3 retainers this year lol. She loves human food - she'll sometimes get left over dinner off the counter when we aren't looking. She likes to dig too in the backyard sandbox and get muddy. She once ate my griddle grease out of the trashcan once (we learned about it the next day (dog sick)). We hired a dog trainer (4 one hour visits) which helped a lot but we mostly just learned Maggie's behaviors and gently corrected improper behavior. Crate training from the beginning helped us a lot too.
Goals/Skills:
Trying to teach her how to shake and to only chew on HER toys.
Family:
We love her more and more every day. Our 4 boys walk in from school and immediately yell for Maggie. She's very chill and doesn't jump on strangers (much anymore). She's not a hyper dog. She pretty much just lays around and chills much of the day. She LOVES baths and lets you bathe her. Other than the chewing, she is a fantastic dog. We let Maggie lay in bed with us each night while we watch TV and she'll just lay in my lap (dad) and i'll pet her until she falls asleep. One of my favorite parts of the day. After TV, she'll go outside, do her thing, and then walk right into her crate for bed. She's done that since she was a puppy!
Dusty (formerly Orange Boy)
N/A
Maggie (formerly Yellow Girl)
Aka: Mags
Stephenville, TX
Personality:
Sweet, energetic, ready to please
Favorite Activities:
Going on walks, riding shotgun to jobs with my husband, traveling with our family
Current Skills:
Follows commands: Sit, down, kennel, load up, place, come (recall). Leash-trained, sits when we stop. Kennel trained
Challenges:
No current challenges but prior to training we were having a hard time channeling her energy in a positive way to avoid biting, chewing, jumping and increasing food aggression. At the end of February she spent 3 weeks in a board & train program and ever since she’s been near perfect which has allowed us to work more with her and use that high-energy in a positive constructive way.
Goals/Skills:
Currently working on gaining confidence in having her off-leash, retrieving, introducing her to water.
Family:
Our kids (3 and 6) have loved watching Maggie grow and enjoyed learning right beside her as she worked on commands. We took Maggie on her first camping trip Memorial Day weekend to the Frio and she did so great riding between the kids on the drive down and loved exploring with us. She even took a dip in the Frio but wasn’t so sure about the water after her first jump in. (We plan to start working with her more on this) We’re currently heading up to Broken Bow lake and hopefully she can get more time in the water during our trip. Maggie has been the best addition to our family and we couldn’t picture a better fit. She’s truly been a great dog from the start (with the exception of typical puppy behavior). We had zero nights of crying during kennel training, potty training happened almost instantly and she learns and catches on so fast! We can’t wait to watch her continue to blossom and show us what she’s capable of.
Social:
@maggie__thegoldengirl on Instagram
Sage (formerly Green Girl)
Aka: Sagey-Wagey, Slinky
Magnolia, TX
Personality:
Goofball, very affectionate and loving dog. She will get into anybody's lap- even strangers. She is eager to please, intelligent, and super sensitive.
Favorite Activity:
running, fetch, chewing
Current Skills:
Sit, heel, extended sit (stay), down, break to retrieve on name, kennel, fetch, honoring another dog in retrieval
Challenges:
Sage enjoys destructive chewing and dabbles in the art of digging random holes. She annoys our 3yo daughter by mouthing her arms and hands as she runs alongside her.
Goals/Skills:
We are taking Sage to her first HRC trial, hoping to get her Started Hunting Retriever Title SHR. In this trial she will be expected to demonstrate skills in marked water and land retrieves in a simulated hunting environment. She is also working on sharpening her hunting skills to be able to honor another dog in the field.
Family:
We have enjoyed getting to stay in touch with all of the siblings. Sage gets to play with Goose and Bowie regularly since her brothers went to family members of ours. We also enjoyed having her brother, Murphy, in our home for training for 6 weeks. They taught each other important social skills. Birdie and Heidi welcomed Sage into the pack and they love playing and snuggling. Heidi and Sage have been helpful to each other in training sessions- Sage is learning so fast by watching her mom's example. Brief update in our lives: We got super busy with Konrad leaving his job in construction to officially work full-time building duck calls and expanding Golden Acres LLC. We welcomed our second daughter into our family this October! Lots of big life changes!
Social:
@goldenacrescustomcalls on Instagram
Fox (formerly Blue Boy)
N/A
Murphy (formerly Purple Boy)
Aka: Murph
Wilmington, NC
Personality:
Playful, smart, athletic, thoughtful
Favorite Activities:
Chewing, sprinklers, trail runs
Current Skills:
Sit, Lay down
Challenges:
Snippy with (hoarding toys/food), chasing cars. [We are] sending him to Meinardus boot camp counterconditioning with the food by giving him treats and talking to him/petting while eating. Slow feeder bowl
Goals/Skills:
Leash training/not chewing on stuff in house/digging holes
Family:
We just moved to Wilmington, NC for my husband and oldest son to surf (he loves it and has adhd so is his best self in ocean). We hope to start a micro school with Acton Academy franchises here that’s a learn by doing/apprenticeship/Socratic model.
Social:
@Mandimarekadams Instagram
Bowie (formerly Black Boy)
Los Angeles, CA
Personality:
He loves to play and is always excited to meet new people and new dogs, maybe too excited. He doesn't bark or growl, just wants to be friends.
Favorite Activities:
Going on walks, playing tug o' war, and digging.
Current Skills:
He can sit, lay-down, roll over, he knows his left and his rights (he'll give the proper paw when asked), and he knows our hand shake which is a high five to each hand and then a kiss.
Challenges:
We struggled a lot with medical issues, one was Parvo, and the other was due to his digging and eating the dirt and rocks. Digging is really the main problem I have right now. In efforts to stop the digging I've researched and watched videos and tried all the tricks in the book, but they haven't worked just yet.
Goals/Skills:
I am working on retrieving. He loves to chase down something, but he's not fond of giving it back.
Social:
@Peyton_Hodges19 on Instagram
Goose (formerly Grey Boy)
Aka: Grey Goose
Cypress, TX
Personality:
Engaged in what is happening, eager to please, driven to perform (especially when treats are on the line). Still has the puppy goofiness. Is getting more and more lovey as he gets older. Loves to carry stuff around in his mouth - socks, stuffed animals, toys, sticks, etc. Won't come out of the kennel without carrying something with him. Can't weed or empty the pool skimmer without his enthusiastic "help". Acts big until something scares, or "hurts" him - then he is very dramatic.
Favorite Activities:
Playing with his best friend Brownie, walks, swimming in the pond, swimming in the pool, swimming in the creek, retrieving the bumper, and above all- treats. Loves to chase the water from the hose. Morning pats after coming out of the kennel with a toy in his mouth.
Current Skills:
Sit, thresholds, heel on lead, place/down, kennel, stay, recall (when not distracted by Brownie)
Challenges:
Making sure he is trained well - both for everyday life and for hunting. We are working with a trainer for every-day life training/manners. The boys have done some work on the hunting training, but we will be getting help from an expert when Goose is ready. :)
Goals/Skills:
Longer duration stays/place and longer distance recalls. Bringing the bumper all the way back when retrieving. Off leash heel.
Family:
Goose has fit right in with our all-boy family. The cat may never forgive us, but our old dog has accepted Goose and has helped show him the ropes. The boys have big plans for hunts with their buddy. The older boys really miss Goose when they are away at College or work. It's our first Golden and we have really enjoyed getting to know this breed. No wonder people are so attached to their Goldens!
Social Media:
@wendymeinardus on Instagram and Facebook.