Caitlin Luck has gone to the dogs – and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
The owner of Cedar Grove Golden Retrievers is just back from a competition in Bracebridge, where her dog, Glow, was awarded the best female Golden by the Muskoka District Kennel Club.
Luck just returned from a dock diving event in Bowmanville this past weekend, where pooches, Glow and Stormy, competed for big air, speed retrieve, extreme vertical and iron dog.
She is also planning a litter of puppies for the fall – for the first time in more than a year.
She took a break from dog breeding amid a busy life that includes her son playing hockey, and her daughter dancing.
“When you have a litter of puppies, you really have to commit and stay home. For the first two weeks, I literally sleep on the couch beside them. They are in the living room and I basically have to be in there. You don’t go anywhere for two weeks,” Luck said while seated at her kitchen table, with Stormy and Glow, toys in their mouths, waiting patiently in the living room behind a child gate.
Following the full-on fortnight, there is another six weeks until the pups can go to their adopted home at two months of age.
Luck is planning a litter for Stormy, who turns five this December, and who has only had one litter. She does not want to keep her intact for longer than necessary without actually breeding her. She is currently investigating stud dogs, one in the U.S. and one in northern Ontario.
Luck said she prefers bringing the dogs together as opposed to having semen shipped. “I try to do things somewhat naturally because I feel like it benefits the dogs and is how Mother Nature intended it to be.
“There’s a lot that goes into choosing a stud, because I am not just putting two dogs together. I want to check them out. I want the health and the structure of the dogs to match – you don’t want to breed two completely different dogs together because you’ll get two different extremes. The idea is I want a consistent litter, so I know their temperaments and structures are what a Golden Retriever should be.”
She researches pedigree, life longevity and what causes death, and things such as allergies. Luck does genetic testing to ensure two dogs that carry a similar gene for disease are not mated. She even has her dogs’ eyes annually checked by an ophthalmologist. At two, they have their hips and elbows certified. She’s never had a dog fail a health clearance, but has removed dogs from the breeding program because she does not like their temperament or structure.
“Ideally, my focus is to better the breed. When I’m breeding Stormy and I want to keep a puppy from her, I’m looking for a puppy that is improved upon her flaws because no dog is perfect.”
She prides herself on being an ethical breeder. “The showing, the training, the health clearances… I do try and educate people on it.” Her puppies are usually sold before they are born and only after she has met, and vetted, potential new owners. Cedar Grove has health guarantees and Luck does extensive training, such as emergency recalls, sitting for attention, and crate training.
Best in show and dock diving
Luck shows five to 10 times a year. She brought Glow to Bracebridge the end of July, early August. They are conformation shows, assessing the dog’s structure, movement, and how they match up against the breed standard for the Canadian Kennel Club. The idea is to preserve the breed. Golden Retrievers were bred to hunt, so they need to exhibit a certain hardiness.
The shows entail a lot of grooming. Glow also showed in Sturgeon Falls in May, taking home a best in breed. Luck said it was amazing as it was her first time winning that.
The trio have also been doing dock diving, which Luck said is “fun.
“The dock is about 20-feet long on average and the pool is about 40-feet long,” Luck said. They train at Luck’s mom’s pool. One training method is to have them chase a toy. Stormy can jump 12-14 feet and Glow closer to 17 feet. The dogs do obedience competitions as well.
When it comes to dogs, and Goldens in particular, it’s all in the family. Her mom has been breeding dogs since Luck was 10. Her sister is also in the industry.
“I’m always learning and trying to do everything better,” Luck said. “It’s about trying to make people happy. They get a really good companion.”
Find out more at cedargrovefarms.net.
