Litter 1 – The How I Met Your Mother Litter
23 March 2013 – Three males and two females
The litter was born on day 64 after natural mating. Rikke had labour contractions that stalled, so we had to go to the veterinarian for an oxytocin injection, but after that everything went smoothly. Two of the puppies were born at the vet clinic, one in the car, and the last two at home (Swim and Nella).
Sire: Albert – Birkebo Daimon Albert
Dam: Rikke – Work of Time’s Born to be Nifty
About the Litter
This litter produced lovely dogs with a fantastic temperament and generally strong working ability. Swim and Nella both achieved hunting awards, Indy became a search and rescue dog in the Norwegian Rescue Dogs organisation (NRH), while Casper and Dennis were family dogs. I have received very positive feedback on these dogs—and our own Swim was my dream dog.
When Rikke was X-rayed in connection with whelping, it was discovered that she had spondylosis (calcifications between two vertebrae). All puppy buyers were informed of this, and everyone agreed to have the dogs’ backs X-rayed at the same time as their hip scoring. At that time, none of the offspring showed signs of spondylosis, but Casper unfortunately developed it later, and this was the reason he was euthanised at the age of 9.
Rikke lived her entire life without any issues related to her spondylosis. The year after her litter was born, she developed epilepsy, as the only one of ten siblings in her litter. None of her offspring were affected, and I am also not aware of any cases in close relatives.
The only criticism I have of this litter is that, unfortunately, most of the dogs passed away too early, with an average lifespan of only 9 years.
Swim – Nifty Dude I’m Awesome
Reg. No.: NO39871/13
Sex: Male
Height: 62 cm
Weight: 33 kg
Retriever Hunting Tests:
2nd Prize, Åben A (novice field trial), Denmark
3 × 2nd Very Good EK (open class)
Working Test: Passed working test EK (open class)
Show: Excellent with CK (Certificate Quality)
Owner: Kirsti - Nifty Dude Flatcoats
Dennis – Nifty Dude Wait For It
Reg. No.: NO39872/13
Sex: Male
Height: 60 cm
Weight: 30 kg
Other: Allergies
Intended use: Primarily a family dog
About Dennis
Dennis was, first and foremost, always happy, wagging from nose to tail. He was extremely kind and patient, and wonderful with the family’s small children. Dennis was easy to train, and it did not take much before he understood what was expected of him—especially if there was a treat waiting on the other side.
He was social, loved attention, and adored swimming. He enjoyed stealing paper from the firewood basket, and would quickly sneak past if he had “secured a prize” from there. He also had his own opinions about what he wanted; if you tried to get him somewhere he did not feel like going at that moment—for example from the garden into the house—he would often lie flat on his back and offer his belly for cuddles instead.
Dennis lived in Slemmestad, 1.5 hours from us, and I looked after him a few times and had the chance to meet him on several occasions over the years. Unfortunately, Dennis developed allergies when he was a few years old. He was put on cortisone to relieve the itching, but after several years on this medication he developed Cushing’s syndrome as a side effect. He was therefore taken off cortisone and recovered. After this, his allergies were managed with regular shampoo treatments. Dennis also had a couple of episodes of vestibular syndrome, but fortunately made a full recovery.
The family’s own words: We adore our cuddly, happy, goofy, lively, and incredibly kind boy!
Dennis lived to be just over 8 years old. He became acutely ill and had to be euthanised due to abdominal cancer ❤️
Casper – Nifty Dude Rabbit or Duck
Reg. No.: NO39873/13
Sex: Male
Height: 62 cm
Weight: 32 kg
Intended use: Primarily a family dog
Show: Excellent
About Casper
Casper stayed with me until he was 12 weeks old, so it was especially hard the day he left. He was trained a little in obedience and tracking when he was young, but first and foremost he was a patient and kind family dog. He was described as a best friend with a bubbly, happy temperament right up until the very end—he never quite grew up.
He was very eager to learn and picked up exercises quickly, but could also become a bit “hot.” After a short break he would regain focus and be ready again. He was easy to train, highly food-motivated, and very enthusiastic. He always wanted to cooperate with his handler. He attended tracking courses, obedience foundation courses, and rally obedience courses, and was also trained a little in retrieving.
Casper was very social and got along well with other animals, including sheep, goats, and horses. He did not like fireworks or thunderstorms.
Casper unfortunately developed spondylosis over time, which led to stiffness, reduced mobility, and pain in his later years. He lived in Bremanger, on the western coast of Norway, and I visited him once when he was three years old. He and Svim were very similar both in appearance and behaviour.
Casper was euthanised at 9 years of age due to spondylosis ❤️
Indy – Nifty Dude Spoiler Alert
Reg. No.: NO39874/13
Sex: Tispe
Height: 57 cm
Weight: 27 kg
Other: Indy broke her jawbone when she was 8.5 weeks old, which resulted in a slightly crooked head. She also injured one of her knees as a puppy, but rehabilitation and conditioning with a chiropractor and canine massage therapist, along with regular treatment, fortunately kept it under control.
Intended use: Indy was an operational search and rescue dog in the Norwegian Search and Rescue Dog Association (NRH) until she retired.
About Indy
Indy lived in Bjørkelangen, 20 minutes from us. For just over the last year of her life, she lived together with her grand-nephew Murphy from my fourth litter, and she was an amazing dog for him to grow up with.
Indy was described as a dog with many qualities that her owner greatly appreciated. In everyday life, she was easy to live with. She did not require much and was good at relaxing when nothing was going on, whether at home, in the car, or out on walks.
She was described as easy to train and very focused. She was easy to motivate and never needed to be asked twice before throwing herself into tasks with great enthusiasm. Even in situations she had not encountered before, she understood when something was expected of her. She had good working capacity and was always ready to work, maintaining a steady and efficient pace. On several occasions she proved that she could search for hours and still have both motivation and energy left, long after other working dogs would have run out. She consistently impressed by simply never giving up.
Despite her strong drive to work, she did not build stress. And although she was very social, she paid little attention to distractions such as people or other dogs when a task needed to be completed. In short, she was very well balanced in all the working traits one hopes for, without the negative sides that often come with this type of dog.
Indy lived to be 11.5 years old and was euthanised due to old age ❤️
Nella – Nifty Dude Challenge Accepted
Reg. No.: NO39875/13
Sex: Female
Height: 58 cm
Weight: 27 kg
Retriever Hunting Tests: Excellent BK (beginner class)
Unofficial Working Test: 2nd place in beginner/novice class (BK/AK) in the Norwegian Retriever Club Oslo & Surrounding Area cup, 2016
Show: Excellent
About Nella
Nella lived in Oslo, and during her final year she lived with her niece Phoebe from my second litter. Nella was described by her family as a truly wonderful dog. She was always ready for new adventures—whether it was playing in the snow with the children, skiing in a pulling harness, cuddling on the sofa, walks in the forest, watching football matches from the sidelines, learning new tricks, or training for retrieving work.
Nella was kind to everyone, both adults and children, males and females, puppies and other animals. When meeting other dogs she was very well-mannered and had excellent social skills, which meant she never ended up in conflicts. She was a gentle dog who was easy to work with, driven forward by her own curiosity and enthusiasm.
She was primarily intended as a family dog, but she was also trained for retrieving and achieved an Excellent in Beginner Class (BK). It was very clear that she enjoyed it. Nella took to retriever training very easily, which made her a joy to train. She was focused during training sessions and always ready to solve the tasks given to her in cooperation with her handler.
After a training session, a good walk in the forest, or other activities, she would usually collapse at home and snore deeply. Nella was an easy dog to live with, which is why she was often called “Lovely Nella.” Sadly, Nella passed away far too early from cancer just before she turned seven years old ❤️
