Sometimes when this lanky, goofball teenager is rocketing around the house or climbing on the table I wonder if he'll ever grow up, and I simultaneously mourn the short, precious days of puppyhood. Then he'll stop and look at me, and I'll see in his soft, dark eyes and regal head the promise of the adult he's going to be. The next minute, he'll curl up next to me on the bed, sigh and make soft sucking noises, and I'm reminded that the puppy is still there too.

Mornings and nights are the special times. He sleeps on the bed between me and my husband. These are the cuddle times, times for kisses and scritchies and snorfles. He jumps like a cat, light and effortless, but he has little body sense, unconcerned by exactly where his feet land (and who is under them).

Raising Pax was easy and essentially problem-free. My husband and I laugh, however, because we've intentionally taught him some behaviors that other people wouldn't think were particularly desirable. He's pushy. He jumps. He treats the furniture like a jungle gym. And I absolutely adore it. My previous dogs have been insufferably polite and calm, and it drove me bonkers. I will confess, however, that I was embarrassed during free-play at a class when I looked up and he was walking along the top of a table. I'm not worried about these behaviors in the least. If ever they become a problem, I'll simply train him to do something else!

Adolescence has been a bit of a rollercoaster. As a conformation prospect, he is still intact. He has, thus far, exhibited no obnoxious male characteristics except a propensity for marking. That can be managed fairly easily though. When he turned seven months old -- almost to the day -- his loose leash walking and recall went to hell. It was a predictable occurrence, and I didn't panic. I bought a Gentle Leader to use in emergencies -- though I haven't had a reason to use it -- and I switched to a body harness for most of his walks. He's back on a flat collar now, and a few exuberant maneuvers aside, he's fairly well mannered.

A typical retriever, he needs to have something in his mouth when he gets excited. Very often he grabs a shoe or other non-chew-toy. He doesn't chew these things, just carries them until he satisfies the need to have something in his mouth. This habit isn't a problem for us -- just an amusement. We occasionally have to search for our things, finding them dropped in the garage or the back yard.

Just this week, he exhibited his first inappropriate chewing. He found a book on the floor in an upstairs bedroom and chewed that in the early morning hours before I got up. Last night my husband cooked dinner and left the kitchen garbage can full of raw chicken scraps and other morsels. He forgot to put the garbage can away when he was done, and this morning I found Pax tearing apart an empty chicken container. Again, I'm not going to panic. My Newf went through his one and only inappropriate chewing phase when he turned a year old. After a few months of careful management, it was over, and Pax's stage, too, shall pass.

I don't know what the next year will bring. I had hoped to show him in conformation, but he is very much a gawky teen right now. I'll wait until he matures a bit before putting him in the ring. We'll stick with the agility classes, and perhaps by the end of the year, he'll be ready for some trials. Doesn't matter. We're just having fun!

CH SoftMaple Paramount All That CGC (Jazz)

Jazz picked up her first conformation point at the Canfield Ohio Shows this summer.

She is wonderful with our other 3 Boston Terriers and learned alot from our beloved Shar-Pei, Callie, who sadly passed away in May. Hopefully Jazz will be as sucesseful in the ring as Callie, who finished her championship at the tender age of 10 months.

Jazz is a "natural" when it comes to retrieving. She just has to learn to beat the Bostons to the punch. She loves to go for walks whenever possible and won't hesitate to "grab" your arm (very gently!) and lead you to the door when she wants to go out.

Jazz has never been destructive in any way, although getting her fully housebroken has been a longer process than what we were used to. Now she wakes us up in the middle of the night when she needs to go out. She loves baths as well because she knows she's allowed on the beds after her baths. Here are a few recent pics of Jazz and her family. We can't thank you enough for bringing us together!

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Softmaple's Pheasant Dreams

I picked out a big liver gal from your Jet X Gabby litter for an early Christmas present for my daughter Eva, a college student. She was lonely for a dog that could fill many bills... for a dog that could hunt with her, be shown in the breed ring, do obedience, and agility...but most of all be her cuddly best friend. Eva named her Moxie...because she had a lot of "moxie".....she is bold, bouncy, demanding of attention, and paying attention to everything around her. She is a dog that has the big "W"....willingness. She has a carefree attitude about any situation. She copies what she sees you doing as best she can. This can be exasperating....like when she pulls the whole zinnia plant up, when all you wanted to do was pick off a couple of dead flowers!...but copying has been a great asset in training...She is highly motivated by praise, massage, food, retrieve play...but can take a good correction if needed...and it just makes her try harder to please. As she matures, she gets more and more elegant....trotting around the ring, running full bore just for fun, retrieving birds from 100 yard throws with her head held high, coming back and sitting ever so tightly with chest stuck way out by your side to eagerly to deliver them without a scratch. Her swimming is the last thing for her to fully physically accomplish. She is fearless....and tries again and again to swim to retrieve anything she sees...even if her human friends won't throw her something, she'll plunge into fast moving water much to Eva's dismay, to get a floating leaf, stick, or to explore a ripple. She splashes a bit too much right now but gets better when she gets a little tired... She came to Grace Farms for the summer to allow Eva to work out of town, and was trained for her JH but left with much knowledge toward her senior hunting career....stopping to sit on a whistle, taking back and over casts...ever watchful that she does the "right" thing....She has much joi de vivre....a perfect creature for Eva. She has a nice tight dark liver coat...a head that is broadening out nicely, great bite...nice front and rear..and a gait that just floats....Eva is very happy with her 2001 Christmas gift! She has as you know, as of this date...four points toward her show championship...but there's not just a show dog here....she's miss versatility...form for function.....temperament and sense of humor..mischievous...animated and comical..and best of all devoted companion! Sincerely one of the best retrievers I've dealt with.....(but then I am partial to my granddoggie) Mary Fowler

(This was not a spur of the moment Christmas dog… Mary Fowler has been training dogs since 1973, teaching clients how to train their various breeds of dogs for pet and competitive obedience and hunt testing since 1979. She lives with Jet who is the litter’s father, and has trained him in obedience and field. Mary’s Daughter Eva is the one who shows Jet in Conformation)

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Soft Maple Wind on Water

Timmy is 66 pounds and almost 26" tall (not offically measured). He is still slim but eats like a horse and has tons of energy so I don't think I am starving him. He still doesn't look like he has grown into his nose and tail (both much longer than Ella's)but I am hoping he doesn't get too much taller! He will fill out over the next year I am sure. He has shed lightly all summer, a few curly tumbleweeds but nothing like the huge dust bunnies I get from Zavi. His coat has thinned out and lost some curl, but no bald spots except for the tail. I am looking forward to his adult coat coming in this fall and hope the tail will fill in. I am starting to get lots of comments about what a handsome dog he is, though I still think of him as a big goof!

He definately has good hunting instincts. On one of our hikes in some alpine meadows, he flushed two separate families of grouse. He loves big open fields and will "work" them in a semi-circle pattern. He is a very strong swimmer, and will swim way out into the lake to retrieve a ball (I hit them out with a tennis racquet). Unfortunately, he seems to feel that if his feet touch bottom, he doesn't have to bring the ball any further, and will drop it in the lake and swim around in circles looking for other balls or sticks. I invariably have to wade in to get the ball or get another dog to get it for me! His land retrieves are better, and he will often bring it right too me. I think he just loves the water too much. He would just swim around in the lake for hours if I didn't call him in.

We didn't do any obedience lessons this summer, and he needs more work, so in a couple of weeks we are starting an intermediate obedience/tracking class. I have never done tracking, so it should be interesting, and I am hoping mixing tracking with obedience will make it much funner for both of us. We are still planning to start agility in January.

He is a great dog, with the most wonderful temperment. He still thinks he is a lap puppy and will snuggle with you at every opportunity. He welcomes all people (even strangers), will bark at strange dogs but then will greet them. Zavi has accepted him into the pack and enjoys his company on walks and hikes. She does like to boss him around and Timmy totally accepts it. It can come in useful - last night I heard Zavi growling a bit at Timmy, I went to investigate and there was Timmy stealing some socks I had left out!

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SoftMaple's Northern Star JH

I thought you would like to know how Fenway was doing. Two words.. Absolutely Great!.

The once little little monster is huge. He has grown up to be big and strong and has the greatest personality. He has put on as many miles as I have so far this year (30,000 miles) attending shows and hunt tests. He was recently on "Breakfast Television" with me giving out awards at a local animal welfare show.

My wife and I could not have asked for a better dog. With Duck and Geese season approaching he is already working in the water of lake Muskoka. I plan on entering him in some local tests in October and we will see where he goes from there. I had him with me at a Super Retriever Series Event and the people I talked to (All of whom were professionals) were extremely impressed. They admitted to know very little about the breed but like the confidence the young pup possessed and his over-all look.

Fenway's coat is starting to curl all over. Currently his sides are very wavy, his back and back of his head look perfect. I do have a question though. The back of his ears are a very light almost hazel in color. Yet the rest of him is a very dark liver. Is this normal? My wife jokes that it looks like some put high lights on them.

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SoftMaple's Miss Ellie Mae (Ellie) is living in a loving home with kids 3 horses and lots of cats! The kids wanted a jogging and basketball partner, and dad wanted a dog he could occasionally take hunting.

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SoftMaple.....Jax

Jax has so many great qualities, that some of her bad habits aren't so bad! I have been amazed at her concentration on chewing her own toys and never my shoes or the couch!

Jax is the most cuddly dog I have ever owned. She doesn't seem to ever be close enough, unless she's on top of me! Unfortunately, she doesn't always know that it hurts when she is stepping on me....

I have had some difficulty training her not to jump on people. I would love some helpful tips on how to keep her off people. My other two curlys weren't like this.... She is getting better, and I do believe she knows better, but sometimes she just can't help herself when she gets excited to see certain people.

Now, she may be a little spoiled, but I have never had a dog who whines as much as Jax, if she doesn't get her way right away! Whether it's to go outside, she needs water, or she wants the toy Rex has--she whines! I think I may have to just get used to her demanding tones.... :-)

Jax is usually GREAT with other dogs, but I have noticed some aggression w/my cat and with little dogs. I have been working with her, but I am afraid some of her attitude has to do with jealousy. She seems to like to control all situations. Any helpful hints there?

I will continue to send you pictures of Jax. Rex taught her to swim this summer and she had so much fun. I am going to have to take pictures of them out in the lake with their orange dumbbell.

Everyone has fallen in love with Jax. She goes to work with me everyday at the Pet Center, and is very social with everyone. If her and Rex don't come to work with me, clients ask where they are!

I hope everyone else, who has one of Jax's litter mates, is as happy as Rex and I are!

Glad you enjoy the pictures!

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SoftMaple's Mockingbird (Scout)

Scout has had a wonderful first year. From the outset, she was obviously intelligent and full of personality. She was fetching the newspaper as soon as she had the strength to carry it--The Sunday New York Times was, at first, quite a challenge. Retrieving is what she does all day long. She is seldom without something in her mouth. We did have to teach her that indoor toys stay in and outdoor toys stay out--she has been great at differentiating which are which and now always drops her toys at the door.

Scout has been a wonderful companion for Rosie. They are great playmates--still love that tug of war and playing hide and seek. And now that Scout is as large as Rosie, they are more evenly matched. They are hilarious to watch.

I thought, initially, that Scout would be my dog --she and I do have a terrific bond. However, it is with my husband that she really "lights up". He is the one who takes her to the creek for water retrieval and there is nothing that makes her happier than that. Although we are not hunters, my husband and son have had some gun training at a local club and we have discussed having Scout trained for fielding. I know she would love it, just don't know if we have the time for it with the children's busy schedules.

It still amuses us to see how Rosie and Scout are so different. Rosie loves to be groomed, to look good, to be inside on her bed or outside taking a walk with me, to please me with her obedience, to put her head in my lap. Scout tolerates grooming (what are you doing?!), slobbers her water, is happy outside digging in the dirt, bringing me what she finds, retrieving anything I throw, playing soccer with the kids, running like crazy. Of course, Scout is still a puppy and Rosie is approaching three years. Despite their differences, both dogs are perfect matches for our family. And despite Scout's BIG personality, obedience training with her was a breeze. (Her wish is my command :) )

We dearly love our Scout and feel so blessed to have her.

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SoftMaple Rainwater Tru Grit (Grits) is living in a field home. His owner is experienced in training most retriever breeds as well as pointers. When Grits was just a few months old, he put him in the pigeon pen to check his birdyness, and he had caught one within 20 seconds. (He was happy)

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SoftMaple's That's Mya Doga ~Mya

Mya is doing absolutly wonderfully!! She just keeps growing though and we're wondering just how tall she is going to get. Our golden, Abby, is on the small side, so now Mya seems to tower over Abby. Although one of Mya's favorite things to do is stand next to Abby and rest her head on Abby's back which is just too cute, even though it's a bit awkward now that Mya is taller!!

Being in the northeast, we have had a very hot summer so the dogs spent most of it in the pool. Mya especially takes "dips" whenever she feels like it all on her own. Even this morning after the both dogs were romping in the yard for a while, I spotted Mya heading down the steps into the pool, swim around the deep end then head back to the steps and stop and sit on the second step of the pool surveying the sleeping cats on the patio. WHATTA LIFE!! The only down side is that her coat is dry and frizzy but the pool gets closed next week so she should be looking much better soon.

We are in the middle of a 6 week Agility class that she seems to be pretty good at. As the instructor says, Mya really only knows where 2 or 3 of her paws are at a time, so walking across the dogwalk planks are a bit tricky for her yet, but we are both having fun. As long as she is getting treats.......then she'll do anything. Treats are a HUGE motivation for her.

We go for walks in cute little nearby town of Clinton, New Jersey and educate many who assume she is a poodle/Lab mix. Everyone falls in love "with that face" and I answer the regular questions regarding shedding and if she needs to get clipped, etc. Plus she is so mellow that most people cannot believe how young she is.

We are enjoying her tremendously and I'm so glad I checked your website last year at the exact right moment so we could bring her into our home!! I'll get pictures off to you in the next day or so.

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Back to the Puppy Diary Home

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Liver Boys	Black Boys	Liver Girls	Black Girls
SoftMaple Wind on Water (aka Timmy)	SoftMaple Rainwater Tru Grit ~ Grits	SoftMaple's Mockingbird (aka Scout)	SoftMaple.....Jax
SoftMaple's Northern Star (aka Fenway)	SoftMaple's Pax Americana ~ Pax	Softmaple's Pheasant Dreams~Moxie	SoftMaple's That's Mya Doga ~Mya
			SoftMaple Paramount All That (Jazz)
			SoftMaple's Miss Ellie Mae ~ Ellie

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What about Mom and Dad?

CH SoftMaple's O'Dark Thirty SH WCX CD CGC CR-536G27M-T OFA cardiac, CERF

Jet was co-winner of The Sarona Jacob of Marvadel & Sarona Sam of Marvadel Memorial Field Trophy given by the Curly Coated Retriever Club of America. He has two more Senior Hunter Passes this year, and is busy training for his Masters level. (Jet gets his first MH pass)

CH Charwin Evensong WCX JH CGC CR-CA22/41F/C CR-480F35F CERF

After her litter here, Gabby went back home to Charwin. She is in training for her WR and WCQ, but keeps getting interupted for puppies! In obedience she should be going for her CD this year. (Gabby earns her AKC CD)

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This page created by SoftMaple

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Order your copy of The Puppy Diary

Or mail a check to:
$19.95 ($5.50 Shipping and Handling)
Cathy Lewandowski
8282 Soft Maple Road
Croghan NY 13327

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About the Book

Follow a litter of puppies from birthday until they go to their new homes. The diary contains lots of pictures, tips on puppy rearing, some breed specific information, and lots of information on the care of any breed of dog.

I started doing an on-line puppy diary since many of the people that would be getting one of my pups would not be able to travel here to see the pups. I did not want to put a bunch of cute puppy pictures online, and encourage anyone to have a litter just because they wanted to see cute puppies! Breeding dogs, if done the right way, is a lot of work. Lost sleep and sometimes heartache. It takes a lot of time, effort and money to raise a litter of puppies. Once I started doing The Puppy Diary, I realized I had a captive audience. These people logged on every day to see the pictures, and read what was happening. I used this opportunity to cram as much education into each day as I could. Health, Coat issues, grooming, feeding, socializing, vet care, puppy evaluations, shipping puppies.... you name it! I tried to put it in The Diary. It was suggested that I make it into a book. Well here it is! There are 560 pictures and over 300 pages of living with and watching one litter grow up.

I am sure may conscientious, caring breeders raise litters similar to the way I do. Its is a good look into the time, money, commitment it takes to bring up a litter of pups. Some of the things that go on behind the scenes, that the eventual puppies owners (family), never realize go into the litter. Enjoy my litter as I see them. Day to day

Contents

Chapter One (Week One) ... Page 1
Seger comes into season
Happy Birthday!
Removing the Dewclaws
Start of the Bio Sensor program

Chapter Two (Week Two) ... Page 48
Coat issues.
Tail Gland Hyperplasia
Do Curlies Shed?

Chapter Three (Week Three) ... Page 94
End of Bio Sensor Exercises
Worming The puppies
Eyes are open
First pup escapes from the box

Chapter Four (Week Four) ... Page 130
Weaning. The great food fight!
Introduction to the puppy play room
Shark Cage

Chapter Five (Week Five) ... Page 156
Field dog? Show Dog? CPE?
Happy Mothers Day!
First Stacked pictures

Chapter Six (Week Six) ... Page 195
Toys! Toys! Toys!
What’s In A Name?
Kids and Dogs
Introduction to Wings

Chapter Seven (Week Seven) ... Page 236
About Puppies and Retrieving
Socialize your puppy
First Shots & Vet Visit
Splish Splash, first bath!

Chapter Eight (Week Eight) ... Page 286
Shape up or ship out!
Requirements to ship puppies
See all the pups!

This Site Created By SoftMaple Curlies

SoftMaple is planning a litter