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Ryder's Page
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Fernhill's Wild Ryde CDX JH RA ("Ryder") SR368103/03
Sire: AFC AFTCH Rosehill's Mr. Speaker MH OS FDHF CCA
Dam: Adirondac Hilfy of Fern Hill CDX OD CCA TDI CGC ASCA-CD SR017085/01
Born August 3, 2006
Height: 22" Weight: 57 pounds
Ryder Junior Hunter -- September 22, 2014
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Ryder, who was known as Kiwi as a puppy because of his green collar, was born third. From a very early age he
showed definite signs of being very athletic. A cocky and somewhat vocal puppy, he was the first to walk, climbed out of a large laundry basket
(where he was stashed while the whelping box was being cleaned) at 15 days old, and was the first to make it out of the whelping box at 3 weeks.
He pounces and prances instead of walks. He lives with Summer Lee of Richmond, Virginia, and her three other Goldens, where he is learning rally,
obedience, agility, tracking, and field work and loving life.
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September 22, 2014:
Ryder is a Junior Hunter! It took awhile, but not because of Ryder. Four attempts, four passes. Little Red Ryder has his Junior Hunter title.
Such a funny little boy…can you tell he has never had his ears groomed! I think it would take something away…the ears fit him perfectly.
Ryder really likes all things in life but the field stuff does seem to take it to another level. He is just a happy boy especially outside in open spaces.
Don't think senior is in his future but will probably try a WC/WCX and continue to work his tracking and ideally get a title.
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August 10, 2012:
Hard to believe it has been six years!! Still so much puppy in Ryder! I can't remember if I sent you an update on Ryder's CDX. We managed
to struggle through and title last March - 3 wins(196, 193, 194), 3 NQs. Ryder is all or nothing and nothing usually means - 'I'd rather
do my own thing instead of this boring marching around in a circle with no one laughing!!'
Hoping to work on tracking this fall (if the weather ever cools down) and get certified in order to test this winter. Would love to get a
TD, then start to focus on a JH. I don't think the JH will be hard...just hard finding the time.
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March 1, 2011:
Ryder is doing Great. He earned his CD this past winter and we are super close to attempting to certify for tracking. Will probably wait
until the fall for that, but we are hoping to jump right into Open early fall if not sooner. Stays are still and will probably always be
an issue, and then of course my job gets in the way, but we are having a great time. Ryder earned two firsts (195 ½ and 195) and a second
(193) after deciding to heel on the right for an about turn, so not too bad for Novice A. We are just barely stepping into hunt stuff --
I’ve at least got the bumpers, a duck call and a dokken duck. We have joined a training club, so I guess all that is left is me getting
over touching a dead duck - that could be our biggest hurdle.
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Ryder in Novice A, December 18, 2010
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March 3, 2009.
Haven't had snow in years...much less in March. Just attaching a couple of pics. It was apparent Ryder would like the snow
at all times... of course he would also like a pond, some mud, sand, just about anything!
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Spring snow in Virginia, March 3, 2009
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February 16, 2009.Ryder is now an RA -- completed not in good form, but completed! Details to follow.
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Ryder practicing Agility, July 27, 2008
November 27, 2008. Not much to report here, just kind of moving along, but I thought I'd send you a Ryder update:
- Still working a lot on obedience...he doesn't have much of a problem learning, but still struggles with focus and not getting frustrated
- Started working on tracking and he has done really well, and since at this stage there are a ton of treats and toys involved, he LOVES it!
- Ryder also LOVES the water, which could be a challenge if we ever try field tests...it appears his motto is - why get out of the water?????
- We are taking a break from agility...it just got to be unproductive with distractions.
- I had him neutered a couple of weeks ago. I believe he is all developed so thought it couldn't hurt his focus. I thought about it for a long time,
since I've never had one issue with him. He is such a nice dog and really gets along with every dog we've come into contact with, but because he is so
easily distracted I decided to do the deed. I'm certain he hasn't noticed for a minute that something is missing!
- Physically, he is about 55-57 lbs (still working on getting him filled in a little) that may change a bit now and about 22 inches - I love his
size! I can still grab him and pick him up, which he hates...it's so EMBARRASSING!
That is Mary Ann in one picture -- she came with me to pick up Ryder. And Carol (who I take obedience lessons with) in the other. We were out starting our tracking lessons with Ryder.
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July 27, 2008. I'm attaching some pics of Ryder and my other two Goldens as well. I tried to get a couple of pictures similar
to ones I sent when Ryder was little. Not really little anymore. He is weighing in at about 57lbs and 24 inches. I love this size.
I have a feeling he will put on a few more pounds, but he is perfect to me. As you know, he turns two in a couple of weeks ... amazing how time flies!
Ryder's coat is a beautiful red/gold, but short. Again good for me, since I think he has been brushed once and only gets a bath if he rolls in something.
Ryder is incredibly
light on his feet and since we've run into each other more than once
that is a good thing. People mistake him for a female and a puppy all
the time. It lets him get away with some questionable behavior
sometimes. People say "Oh, he is just a puppy." I'm going to use that
to my advantage for as long as I can.
We don't have any competitions scheduled. We need to work on "off leash"
and duration for awhile. Our agility instructor is a bit baffled with
Ryder because he can be SOOOO GOOD and then just completely turn off and
no one can really figure out why...but then he is back to SOOO GOOD
within seconds, make that minutes. We've decided "Ryder's World" just
takes over and it is all too much to handle. I think I've mentioned
before we are working really hard at staying connected for longer and
longer periods of time with very randomly timed re-enforcements ranging
from food to play to silliness. He is fearless and smart so teaching
him the obstacles will never be the issue. It's convincing him that he
needs to stay in touch with me. With all that said, in the last few
weeks there has been a bit of a difference in him, so maybe we are
turning a corner...ever so slowly.
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Summer's three Goldens, above
Ryder's 2-year old portrait, left
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May 28, 2008. No shows just yet. I would say we are working on getting our act together as a team. Ryder is very independent
and still hasn't quite decided that being with me is the best thing ever. We've been working on a lot of pieces of exercises, hoping
that it will be easy to put them all together. Ryder's attention span is very short...he has been referred to as ADD. He is super quick
to learn, just doesn't like to do many repetitions, so you have to keep moving quickly. When training slows down he gets distracted and
doesn't like to "play" anymore. I know we won't be the fastest to get to the ring, but I think he will be very impressive when
we get there. My goal is to get obedience ring time by the winter of 2009, and work through rally the during the next year. Unfortunately
for him, my job gets so hectic from April through October that we are often training in the dark either early morning or late at night.
I'm sure my neighbors think I'm off my rocker.
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April 18, 2008. No real news to speak of. We are just plodding along. Ryder has moments of brilliance and moments of pure puppy.
Sometimes he is a pleasure to live with and sometimes not...but he is always funny. I've attached a few pics with Ryder and a couple with
all the dogs, so you can get a look at his size. We were at the vet a couple of weeks ago and he weighed in at 58 lbs. Still very lean
and very fast. It's hard to put weight on him... wish I could say the same. If he was much bigger, he could really get away from me.
Right now we are going through another spurt of battling who gets to be in charge. We go through phases...sometimes he
believes I should be and other times he isn't so sure.
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Ryder at 20 months with his pal Bud
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February 26, 2008. Not the best, but these were taken at a seminar we helped our obedience teacher with this past weekend.
People tell me that he is starting to look like an adult, but I still see him as a puppy. At the seminar, someone asked me what
made me go with his breeding and I said I was looking for a small field male...and she said "that is small?" So
heightwise I think he is getting close to finished...I need to weigh him, but I'm guessing he is still under 60lbs. I love the color of his
coat. It seems to be deepening a bit to a great light coppery color.
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February 16, 2008. Congratulations to Ryder, who earned his Rally Novice title February 16, 2008 with his equally novice
handler, Summer Lee. Summer has worked very hard with Ryder, who got the title in 3 straight passes. This
team has great things in front of them! What a Valentine's present!
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News about Ryder, 2007
Christmas, 2007
Ryder was not too happy with this gift.
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December 16, 2007
We made our way through 2 legs of Rally Novice this past weekend. It wasn't spectacular, but we had fun and managed some
decent scores (I think the judges are very generous in Novice). Ryder had a 96 and a 99 (second place). My goal was to
move fast, get some good attention, and make the ring a happy place, which I think we accomplished. He showed no nerves
at all. We've been going through a bit of a rough patch, with him testing boundaries and showing a slightly stubborn and
very independent mind of his own, so that made his looking to me that much better. Although since you are only in the ring
for about 18 seconds, you would think we could keep it together. But some people didn't. I'll have some pictures to send to
you this week. They had a photographer taking pics -- of course I only picked the ones Ryder was looking at me, but a couple
of them show him in a nice heel position with a very nice stride -- you should be able to get a good feel for his size and frame.
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Ryder at attention, November 4, 2007
October 22, 2007
Ryder...I love his size. I can still cuddle him up on my lap (much
to his horror). It is very hard for Ryder to be still for more than 4 seconds. I don't think he sees the point
of "settling down." That is what the crate is for! We were at the vet the other day getting our
health certificates for our trip to Canada, and he weighed in at 51 lbs.
I've upped his food a little bit, just to see if we can get a little
more weight on him. He is such a ball of energy I can't imagine him
ever being fat. A friend of mine was looking at him the other day. She said, "I
thought he was really skinny, but when I put my hands on him, he feels
really solid." So I'm not worried at all...he'll grow like he is
supposed to. And at least at this size, Bud can still pin him when
necessary.
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August 6, 2007
Happy Birthday to Ryder! He is about 55 lbs at this point. He still appears quite lean...but he definitely gets his two cups
plus treats, so I know he isn't starving. Still working agility and obedience, probably more agility...so we are going
to try to start a better balance as I get more time. Also doing a lot of work on "relationship" and focusing his drive. It's been a lot of fun!
Two pictures of Ryder on his first birthday
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July 11, 2007
It is hilarious to watch Ryder play with Bud and Brandy -- he can leap frog over them, which freaks them out. Both will come running
to me when they've had enough as if to say -- can you believe he can do that???
July 6, 2007
I haven't measured Ryder's height, but his weight was 51lbs today at the vet's.
June 29, 2007
For some reason this month, I think he is starting to look more grown up. Everyone keeps telling me how big he is, but for some reason,
I still see him as the same size. We are hanging in there with agility. He loves the tunnels and so far has had no problem with wobbly
boards and about a six inch teeter totter. I've been told that goldens often have trouble with the movement of the boards -- but not Ryder!
Lots of thunder and lightning storms lately, and luckily Ryder shows no signs of anxiety at all. Imagine that!
Ryder, 6/29/07 - 11 months
June 5, 2007
10 months and counting. It's hard to believe this time last year I was waiting to hear if Hilfy
was pregnant! Time passes so quickly. Ryder is doing great. Still a little handful, but very smart and even when he goes over the top, he
can come back quickly. We are still attending agility classes and working on basic obedience commands. I will say it takes a lot to keep
Ryder focused. I'm finding it hard to be more exciting than the brand new stick in the yard, but I keep trying. He really is a very sweet
boy...no bad intentions...very few tantrums...but does like to push the rules sometimes. And why not???
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News about Ryder, April & May 2007
I had Ryder on the golf cart with me this afternoon and I remembered the day we got home he could barely reach up to the seat...
now he just walks up on it. We spent this past weekend at a Sylvia Bishop seminar...it was great. Lots of fun ideas on how to train
and play with all skill level of dogs. We did a little bit of fun heeling and recalls and stuff, and Sylvia really liked Ryder.
Someone told me she said..."that little puppy is going to be spectacular." It was very nice to hear. And he behaved himself quite
nicely all weekend...in the hotel, at the seminar, in tight spaces with a lot of dogs. He made me very proud!
We are still playing with agility. Ryder is definitely a fire ball. We are going through a stage of him telling me..."let's play my way"
and me saying "I don't think so." I'm sure we will both live through it...I just keep remember Sylvia saying to me "figure out a way to
always make him correct, so he doesn't lose the fire. You can correct him, but don't break him."
We went to the vet and got a weight on him yesterday. At eight months, he was 43.2 lbs. I'm not sure how that measures up to the rest of
the litter. I'd be interested to know if you've had any feedback from anyone else. He finally seems to be filling in a little bit...but
still A LOT of limbs...and he can really move when he wants to.
Ryder, 5/4/07 - 9 months
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News about Ryder, February/March 2007
I've attached a picture of all three. You can see that Ryder isn't much smaller than Bud at this point. I'll try to get
a better body picture. We are still waiting for all his parts to look like they should go together. Right now he looks
like he comes from 3 different dogs. I finally sent off Ryder's paperwork to the AKC. His registered name will be
Fernhill's Wild Ryde. Seemed to match our experience over the last six months plus I couldn't come up with anything golfy.
Hope you like.
Ryder is progressing as you can imagine. We are still on an obedience and agility track. We had a private lesson
today with a lady in Richmond. I stopped watching Ryder for a second to listen to something she was saying, and when
I glanced back for Ryder he was on top of the fully extended a-frame. I do believe he thought he was on top of the world!
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Summer's 3 goldens -- Ryder is the shorter one in back.
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News about Ryder, January 2007
It is amazing how quickly they change. Right now (at 5 months) it seems like none of his parts go together, but his body is finally
starting to catch up with his legs. We went to our first obedience run thru this weekend and had a great time. Mostly
we played in the ring, we did a few set ups, and a touch of heeling. I'm trying to help him think the ring is a fun place,
which in Ryder's world, at least so far, every place is a fun place.
I was happy with his performance at the run thru. Again, we didn't do much, but there were flashes of attention. Granted
I had a tug toy and food, so if I couldn't get attention with that...I've got no chance in
the future. But he did very nicely with the new sounds and all the new
dogs. He still likes to charge every new dog, so I have to watch that
carefully, but I keep telling myself..."he is just a baby."
Ryder and I are going to start a puppy agility class in a few weeks. I think I had mentioned to you that I
have no interest in agility, but thought I ought to at least give it a try for Ryder's sake. So I will let you know how that goes.
I've attached a few pictures so you can see his size. His coat has started to get a bit of a curl to it, so we will see how long that lasts.
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Perpetual Motion
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Bud must be shrinking, he's not so tall anymore!
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News from Summer, December 2006
All is progressing great with Ryder. He is very smart and picks up things quickly. He has a mind of his own, and
is not afraid to throw a tantrum when things don't go his way, but they seem to be getting much shorter and less frequent.
Mouthing is steadily improving, but I think it will always be a part of him. Ryder is still mostly legs and on the thin side.
It seems he can eat and eat but will only grow up not out.
Ryder is actually spending this weekend at a friend's. We are working on him learning how
to behave when at other people's homes, plus she lives out in the
country with horses and lots of land, so are trying to add to his "life experiences."
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Merry Christmas!
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It's MINE!
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Something's funny!
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Ryder with his pal Bud
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Ryder and his frisbee
News from Summer, November 2006
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It is amazing how long his legs are...although I think I said that the last time.
Ryder had his first trip into the swimming pool yesterday. We have a local canine swimming pool which is awesome.
They do a lot of rehab work as well as recreational swimming. So Ryder had his first lesson yesterday and he took
to it like a duck to water so to speak. No fear whatsoever and after about 4 minutes was in retrieving a toy like
a champ. It even tired him out for a few hours. I didn't get any pictures of him in the water -- I'll try for that the next time.
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This puppy has more personality than he knows what to do with. That
special look in his eyes comes out in every picture!
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News from Summer, October 2006
Hi, Mom -- let's play! 10/05/06
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Bucketing down the stairs -- 10/14/06
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October 23: Ryder goes in this week for more shots. We had to stop at the vet last
Friday for something else, so I put him on the scale. He was 17.5 lbs.
Still mostly legs, but you can feel him bulking up.
October 15: 10 weeks old and we are still surviving. Ryder is much more of a handful than my
other two were at his age. Not in a bad way, just more dog. Carol told me that is because this time I
actually have a "dog." He is full go, not afraid of anything. He walked right off the couch yesterday.
Luckily, it's not much of a drop. And he frequently tries to fly off a moving golf cart. I've attached
some pictures of him coming down the stairs in my house. He took one slow trip down, and now it is full
speed all the time. He likes to chase the cat, convinced he will catch her.
We are working on all the basic stuff -- more how to be a nice dog to live with than anything else.
Crates seem to be more acceptable to him now. Not great, but acceptable, especially when you add a
frozen peanut butter Kong. My dogs have gotten used to him. Not a lot of play, but Brandy doesn't
growl at him any more. So I think life is good for little Ryder.
October 5: We went to the vet for our next rounds of shots yesterday, and all was well. Ryder is up to 12.7 lbs
and it seems like you can literally see his legs growing. He is getting to the stage when controlling
limbs seems to be a bit of a challenge. But rest assured the hopping take off is still in tact! In the
last week, Ryder has ridden on a golf cart and run all around a golf course, been to Kings Dominion, but
no roller coasters, been to his first night of puppy class, and chewed more stick and pinecones than any
one puppy should! Not terribly exciting, but at least it seems to wear him out at this age.
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News from Summer, September 2006
Ryder bounding through the grass, September 26, 2006
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He loves to carry things in his mouth. 9/29/06
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Making for the top -- 9/29/06
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The takeoff hop! 9/29/06
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I'm so sweet when I'm sleeping! 9/26/06
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We made it home with no problems...small crying, but seems to like riding in the car...in fact that is
the least amount of crying so far in a crate. He does seem to be settling down in his crate at home --
we've all gotten a decent amount of sleep the last few days.
My other two goldens have had very different reactions to Ryder. Bud, my male, is ok with him. He gave
him some attention, but is far more interested in what treat is coming next. My female, not too keen so far.
She seems to think he is some alien that likes to launch himself at her, so we are taking it slow. But
overall it has been a very easy transition. I'm knocking on wood and typing at the same time.
I took Ryder to the vet on Monday...and all clear. He said all looked good. We will get another round of
shots next week. Ryder has been very good all around. Only a few melt downs on the leash so far, which
is to be expected. But I am bound and determined to have a golden who doesn't pull on the leash, so we are
starting with rules quickly, but with all the cookies coming, he is getting the picture and doesn't seem to mind.
My obedience coach just loves him. She thinks he moves beautifully! I think I've been wearing him out every day,
so it will be interesting to see how he does once I go back to work. Today I started leaving him for small bits
of time by himself to see how he does...so far the house it still standing, but he sure can let you know when he
is not pleased. I'm glad my neighbors aren't too close. Luckily it doesn't last long.
We too have started with the sits and downs, and quite a few self control games. He has no fear, so also high
rewards when he comes to find me. He is VERY different from my male, who would never think to try to escape
anywhere he was put. Today Ryder went through a cat door to see the rest of a friend of mine's house. So he is
going to teach me A LOT!
In the pictures today, I caught Ryder in take off mode...everything starts with a hop...it seems to be what
gets him going. And you were right about climbing. As you will see...he has no fear. I was in my friend's
backyard and he was certain he could make it up the slide. Doesn't he look bigger already?
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Summer Lee and Kiwi (now Ryder)
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Puppy Pictures at Fern Hill
Kiwi's going home portrait, 9/23/06 |
Kiwi's portrait, 9/8/06 |
Cuddly Kiwi 9/8/06 |
Kiwi follows his nose, 9/2/06 |
Kiwi, 8/25/06 |
Kiwi the Climber 8/27/06 |
Kiwi, Pac-man puppy, 8/15/06 |
Kiwi, 8/10/06 |
Kiwi, 8/7/06
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Kiwi boy, one day old 8/4/06 |
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254 Babbs Road, Lenoir City, TN 37771
Tel: 865-300-7607; text or leave message for callback
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E-Mail:
edwardskc@gmail.com
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Fern Hill Farm All rights reserved.
Revised October 30, 2014
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