Smok'ngold Retrievers

10/22/2026

10/19/2026

TEACHING THE CHIN REST

Watch video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfQOgPas0OY&t=9s

The chin rest is a useful foundation behaviour with applications in a variety of training situations. It helps develop calmness, focus, handler connection, and duration, while teaching the dog to remain comfortable and engaged without constantly anticipating the next exercise.



Some of the benefits of teaching a chin rest include:

Calmness and impulse control: Encourages the dog to settle, remain connected to the handler, and wait rather than constantly offering behaviours.
Handler connection: Teaches the dog that the handler's hand can be a place of reinforcement and calmness.
Building duration: Provides a clear way to teach the dog to maintain a position until released.
Cooperative care: A valuable skill for grooming, brushing, nail trimming, ear and eye examinations, wiping feet, applying medication, and veterinary handling.
The chin rest is also a valuable part of Janice's approach to teaching the dumbbell retrieve, helping to develop:

A calm, steady dumbbell hold
Confidence and comfort with an object in the mouth
Resistance to dropping the dumbbell
Duration of the hold
The ability to maintain position despite anticipating the next step
These skills provide a useful foundation as the dog progresses through the different stages of learning the dumbbell retrieve.

10/15/2026

QFTR!!! Congratulations Scott Robin and Smok’nGold’s Ocean Commotion on a job well done!

09/25/2026

🐴 What can horses teach us about wildfire smoke? More than you might think.

New Morris Animal Foundation-funded research found that air pollution can negatively affect Thoroughbred racehorse performance and that air quality near racetracks can sometimes reach levels associated with health risks for both animals and people.

These findings are part of growing efforts to understand how wildfire smoke impacts animal health. Researchers are also using data from the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study to investigate whether wildfire smoke exposure affects dogs' longevity.

As wildfire seasons grow longer and more intense, this research could help veterinarians, animal owners and policymakers better protect animals from harmful air pollution.

Read more: https://www.morrisanimalfoundation.org/article/wildfire-smoke-effects-on-animals

09/07/2026

If there’s a mouse in the house Jet will always tell you😂😂. She woke her owner up in the middle of the night to inform she needed to get up and check out the cupboard.

09/05/2026

A guy and his golden.