Taffey's Milestones (First Six Months)
                                                              

Born - 8/2/00   retrospective - this is not an average puppy timeline
                         "sessions" - means about five minutes or less
                         everything is a game and fun in the daily routine
                         confine before and after 
  
                         puppy analysis
                              1) very precocious
                              2) natural retriever & pointer
                              3) loves to train (fun game)
                              4) adjusts & learns quickly
                              5) confident & brave
                              6) high prey drive
                              7) loves water
                              8) wants to please 
 
September 2000
         sire & dam - OFA hips good & CERF numbers
         weaned at four weeks, all pups friendly & people loving,
         well socialized with other adult dogs & children
         when six weeks old visited kennel & I liked "this one"
13^th -15^th  pointed wing  (6 ½ weeks for 10 secs.) & first one in litter to
         retrieve to hand, Joe's says she OK!
18^th - picked up at Joe's at 48 days old after LITTER Cerf'd clear  
         (long trip home in her new crate containing a big towel rubbed
         on her mother and siblings' pen floor - "security blanket")
19^th - started crate training (using alarm clock - out at midnight, 3 & 6
         am first two weeks, four hours next week, and to six hours) 
         Start "The Walk", any short trips she rides along in truck crate
20^th - trip to vets - ok & first Heartgard Pill
22^nd- walks in forest preserve & four retrieves a day inside,
         each morning 3/4 sits (hot dogs bits)
28^th - introduction to water (at the lake with Lick) started to do 3/4
         downs (hot dog bits)
29^th - two walks at different forest preserves and fields (every day!)

October

3^rd - wading in creek at forest preserve (8 ½ weeks old)
4^th - more wading in the creek
5^th - first swim! after long walk (hot day)
6^th - long walks (every day) + more swimming
           9 week booster shots
7^th - easy day & noticed she is tracking me in hide & seeks
8^th - retrieving bumper outside, watches TV action
9^th - walk and bumper + retrieve from shallow water
10^th - all retrieves have been to hand and today swimming (retrieving
         video)
11^th - more water after walk & cloth collar leash breaking
12^th - walk, retrieves, water, cloth collar, leash
13^th - long walk + bumper land & water, collar, leash
14^th - Noah took care of  (APLA observation test trip, Roberts. IL)
15^th - walk on leash, bumpers land & water, frozen quail four times in
         heavy grass (started using nose)
16^th - choker collar (very early, but easy adjustment, short walk)
         watched airplane, retrieved dummy from high grass (out of sight)
         got close and used nose every time (reduce hunting for marks)
17^th - walked around the long block (heeling and sitting like an old
         dog - happy & fun, amazing!) NO HOT DOG BITS!
18^th - eleven weeks old! second pheasant hunt with Greg & Lick
         (12 pheasants) travels like an old dog, but just a distant
         spectator
19^th - one block heel/sit walk (am), field walk past lake (five retrieves)
         lake - three swimming retrieves (one 5 yards !)
         First AIRBORNE leap!  (note: Heartgard pill 21^st)
20^th - do repeat of Thursday's activities to vets for 11½ week old
         booster shots, start late night walks on leash
21^st - tethered to place board during yard leaf vac, regular walk with 5
         land & 4 water retrieves, place board & watch Lick do 12 fun
         bumpers
22^nd- regular trail walk with 5 land & 4 water, night walk ½ block on
         leash (heel & sit), monthly Heartgard pill
23^rd- morning walk full block on leash (heel & sit), regular trail walk
        with 5 land & 4 water
24^th- early morning walk (6:00 am), tethered to place board for 2 hrs.
        (watched training table construction), walk to the lake (heel & sit)
        plus 3 water retrieves & put on training table, walked around
        eating dog food 25^th- twelve weeks old, hunting trip with Lick 10
        pheasants, plus she was with Lick (five minute cover run and
        flush close to truck), sit (a lot!)
        *Article in HRC magazine stressed how Everything is off of "sit"
26^th- short walk & water retrieves (more sits) did first "under water"
        retrieves of rocks (too funny!)
27^th- went hunting with Lick (four pheasants), stays in crate - out for
        fun, worked on sit & heel - switching to Eukanuba
28^th- start table work; walking "whistle" sits quail retrieving walk
29^th- heel left and right with varying speeds and different sit durations,
        table work - right over morning and evening, quail retrieving walk
30^th- quick walk with several dummy retrieves table overs (twice),
        pheasant hunt with Lick 
 31^st- quick heel & sit walk (left & right), three sessions of "over" on
         table, four hours - kennel, pheasant hunt with Lick

   Six pheasant hunts in October
   Seven hunts in November   Taffey rides in her crate,
   Three hunts in December    gets out to air, hears the gunshots,         
   Two hunts in January          smells and carries birds
   One hunt in February

November

1^st - quick heel & sit walk (left & right), two sessions of "over" on
       table, morning pheasant hunt with Lick, long walk in pheasant
       fields, outside kennel for three hours
2^nd - three months old!, two table "over/sit" sessions, kennel three
       hours, heel/sit walks
3^rd - two table left/right "over + sit" sessions with a couple "backs", long
       walk with Lick at Lake Victoria (shoreline - shallow & deep water
       with marsh grass area), start whistle sit chaining, weigh at vets
4^th - two table training sessions of "over/sit" with three "backs", two
       short "heel/sit" walks with chaining whistles
5^th - Started Gun Conditioning Cabela's tape went to second stage
6^th - played Cabela's tape twice into third stage second time, heel & sit
       walk, field retrieves of frozen quail
7^th - played Cabela's tape into next to last stage second time, heel & sit
       walk, short field walk with bumpers, table twice right & left overs +
       backs
8^th - big hunt (Greg & Pietro), heel & sit walk, played Cabela's tape
       twice into final stage, fired primer pistol five times (at a distance)
9^th - RAIN, played Cabela's tape twice into final stage, table twice right
       & left overs + backs
10^th- scratch hunt (David), run through cover with firing of primer gun,
        heel & sit walk, forced "down" command
11^th- heel/sit walks & over table work, sit at door, before feeding,
        placing collar on, etc.
12^th- heel/sit walks & over table work
13^th- heel/sit walks, check cord (always), started remote sit/here
        training
14^th- table overs & continued remote sits with "here"
15^th- pheasant hunt, primer pistol and cover running
16^th- Two sessions of remote sits + here, vets for final shots, weighed
        31.5 pounds, crate inside
17^th- Two sessions of 3-twenty yard remote sit/here, scratch pheasant
        hunt - fired primer pistol eight times, carried dead hen around
18^th- Two sessions of remote sit/here
19^th- start whistle training (sit & here), start thrown bumpers (bird boys)
        3½ months old
20^th- run at creek (five retrieves), remote sits
21^st- run at creek (five retrieves), heel/sits
22^nd- run at creek, pinch collar intro
23^rd- heel/sit walk around block, "overs" on table
24^th- run at creek, five retrieves, remote sits
25^th- remote sits
26^th- walk around the block with heel/sit work
27^th- run at creek with four retrieves, remote sits
28^th- hunting with Lick, run thru area #7- flushed hen, three remote sits
        with here",  outside kennel 3hr
29^th- kennel three hours, crate inside all day, worming pill - Hartguard 30^th- walk to creek with five retrieves. three remote sits, heel walking

December

1^st - remote sits, heeling walk
2^nd- Day off!
3^rd- long walk on leash (start inside crate during day)
4^th- remotes, long leash walk
5^th- long creek walk, heel/sit, remotes
6^th- long creek walk, five retrieves, weigh
7^th- long creek walk, five retrieves
8^th- long creek walk, five retrieves
9^th- walk around the block (pinch collar)
10^th- walk to swamp
11^th- snow day
12^th- walk around block
13^th- snow day
14^th- run with Lick in deep snow, start wearing dummy e-collar
15^th- hunting trip with Lick, weigh - 37.3 #'s
16^th- 25^th - lots of snow, walks on road = zig-zag quartering, wear
         dummy e-collar, runs with Lick, heel/sit walks, some remote sits
26^th- heel work inside, chaining whistles, Dobb's "Taking a Line"
        exercises, wear dummy e-collar
27^th- continue "Dobb's" article work
28^th- hunting trip - Lick, heel/sit whistle work
29^th- check cord walk, start CC e-collar level 2-medium (TT Pro-100)
30^th- sit/heel work (e-collar), backward heels
31^st- check cord walk, sit/heel
        work, backward heels

January

1^st  - run with Lick, heels (backward), e-collar sits
2^nd - check cord walk, heel/sit (e-collar)
3^rd - teeth & gums still raw, run in snow with Lick
4^th - walk with Lick (check cord), two e-collar "heres"
5^th - total heel walk with Lick two e-collar "heres"
6^th - check cord walk, road overs left & right, sits, driveway retrieves,
       three e-collar "heres"
7^th - START MORE STRUCTURE, e-collar
8^th - OB drills with check cord, driveway walks
9^th - 14^th Repeat OB drills, use e-collar
15^th- Hunting at Blonhaven, Taffey runs around carrying a "her" big
        rooster
16^th- OB drills, check cord here, now just dummy e-collar, gums
        healed!
17^th- OB drills, check cord here
18^th- OB drills, rattle stick backward heels
19^th- OB drills, backward heels, work on lining drill, sit drills (see
        Dobb's article)
20^th- Repeat, driveway retrieves (snow too deep everywhere)
21^st- Repeat, driveway retrieves (walk along road, throw dummies up
        plowed drive-ways)
22^nd-28^th   Phase I Forced Fetch (hold), three driveway hold walks
                 no retrieves, continue OB & walks  
29^th- Start Phase II ear pinch hold phased to fetch in steps, to ground,
        stick fetch, walking fetch with various objects plus frozen birds
        no retrieves, continue OB & walks