I can't believe Maggie is almost a year old! David and I are so in love with her, and it feels like she has been a part of our family forever - we don't know what we ever did without her! In fact, we were just talking recently about having another Snitker Golden join our family as a companion for Maggie at some point. :)

Also just wanted to give you a general update on how everything is going. I honestly can't believe she is almost a year old. It seems like we just brought her home -- time flies! Maggie has been the perfect addition to our family. She is everything we could have hoped for -- smart, healthy, confident, spunky, and sweet as can be.  We absolutely adore her.

The last time we weighed Maggie (maybe a few weeks ago?), she weighed 57 pounds! She is a beautiful dog with a kind, gentle soul, and we are still so impressed by both her intelligence and her temperament. She sailed through formal obedience classes and constantly seeks to learn new things. We have been firm in reinforcing at home what she learned in training, and it is amazing how well she recalls and listens. She is great at loose lead walking, and she loves going to the park to play fetch. We quickly learned that her favorite activity is swimming. If we are near a body of water, Maggie thinks that she needs to be in it. :) We go to the dog beach at least once a week! Maggie loves to go on new adventures and especially loves meeting new people and making new dog friends. She is especially drawn to children, and she often will approach children (if we give her permission) and give them kisses when they stick out their hands. It is so sweet to see how nurturing she is. She is confident, playful, loyal, and gentle, and everyone we meet always comment on how good she is!

BIG thank you to you and everyone at Snitker Goldens. We simply could not have asked for a more perfect puppy for us, and we love her so much!  We look forward to continuing to watch her grow and going on new adventures as a family!

Sharing a couple of fairly recent pictures so you can see how much little Miss Green has grown!

Talk soon,
Hanna

Happy 1st Birthday to these very special Goldens! 

Hello Rhonda and Stephanie,

I hope you are doing well and preparing for what looks like and exciting puppy season!

Daphne, (Fabi/Jack 7/7/17) is everything we ever hoped for and more in a Golden companion and family dog.  She breezed through her puppy class and also through her Canine Good Citizen class.  When walking her through the trails in our neighborhood, many adults and children alike just have to stop and say hi to Daphne.  People are naturally drawn to her and her calm demeanor.  She sits when anyone approaches her as she has learned that that is how she receives treats and affection!

Naturally, even after her classes we have continued to work on commands.  Many times, she seems to anticipate what I am going to ask of her before I even ask it, that is how in tune she is with me!  I follow your website and have really learned from some of your tips such as separating the “stay” command into either time or distance until they get the hang of it.  She had trouble with “stay" for the longest time, and I could tell after I followed your advice that she was just confused over what I was asking of her.  Within days she had it down! (We're so glad this helped, Jennifer! We always start with time...then distance...then distractions.) 

Although she sticks close by my side, she often checks in on what the kids are doing and has a special relationship with each of them.  They literally lay on the floor and roll around with her sometimes, and she is never anything but gentle and loving toward them, even at just a year old!  She amazes me every day. Thanks so much for all that you do to put such special companions into the lives of people! 

Kind regards,

Jennifer  ​

Our next Fabi litter coming up this year will be with Goose (a Jack son!). If you're interested in learning more about this beautiful pairing, please let us know. There are only two spots remaining to reserve from this upcoming litter. Contact us or fill out a Puppy Application. 

A really darling note from a Fabi son and his family.

Dear Momma Fabi,

Although I have been with my forever family for eight weeks now, I wanted to write to wish you a very happy Mother's Day.  I think about you and my sisters often, and Rhonda and Stephanie too.  You would all be so proud of what a good boy I have been since leaving Iowa!  My new family absolutely loves me, and tells me so often what a good boy I am.  I also get about a million kisses and cuddles a day from my new human momma, two sisters and brother, so I'm pretty sure they think I'm a nice addition to the family.  (My human daddy thinks I'm great too, but just isn't into kissing dogs.  Whatever.)  I am so eager to please and have been doing so well with my training.  I am getting great grades at my puppy kindergarten class, and am mastering all of my new commands quickly.  I am more handsome every day and have an incredibly calm disposition.  Thank you for being such a loving momma last winter.  I am clearly the son of a kind, smart, loyal and beautiful mother.  Please give my best to Rhonda and Stephanie.  Their intense imprinting philosophy made all the difference in the kind of boy I am.  My new owners love nothing more than the "watch me" command they taught me.  I love you forever and hope that springtime in Waukon is treating you and all my Snitker family well.

With much love,
Your son,
Louie

Hi Rhonda and Stephanie,

I wanted to write to give you an update on Daphne, and to send you a video that my son made of her.  We could not have chosen a better puppy for our family!  Daphne was 14 weeks old when we were given the opportunity to adopt her. For us, this timing was perfect.  She already had a wonderful temperament and a fabulous start at Snitker Goldens.  The fact that she was already "started"  was a huge head start for us.  From the first night, she went into her crate readily, slept all night and was already in the house training routine.  

She just completed her Puppy Kindergarten class, and while other families had behavior and training issues that they were inquiring about at each class, we literally had no issues with Daphne! She is still a puppy, and needs all of the love and care and attention that any puppy needs, but she is so relational and so desires to please that she is a joy to train and spend time with.  

My son spends a lot of time with her every day after school, and when he showed me this video, I was so happy! 

Thanks again for all that you do; your work impacts so many individuals and families.  

Jennifer and family