Sue Ailsby's Training Levels books, where are you puppy???

So, I've been continuing my reading into clicker training. Sue Ailsby, a well known clicker trainer of whom I am a huge fan, has recently brought out books of her Training Levels - Steps to Success. I haven't ordered mine yet (seems slightly pointless without a dog!) but they seem to have been received very well indeed and I look forward to finally (hopefully) having a pup and her books and being able to work eagerly through the levels. For those out there, if anyone at all is out there, Sue's website is here http://www.sue-eh.ca/, follow the SHOP link if you are interested in the Training Level books. The levels use clicker training to transform your hyper crazy dog into a well behaved family pet and then beyond to elite competition title and service dog levels - if you wish to go that far that is! Sue is also full of good humor and writes very well.

If you don't wish to pay for the books, you can use the old (free) Training Levels by also following the link to her site as given above. There is also a yahoo group for those following the Training Levels, which we are lucky enough to have Sue regularly contributing to. There is a link to it in my links bar.
***UPDATE 29/12/2011 I have now bought the books and they are fantastic and well worth it. There is a lot of new material in the books and my puppy Knightley is coming along so well thanks to Sue and her Levels!***

I am starting to get a bit annoyed with the lack of pups! Every breeder I single out with having excellent hip scores in their lines isn't going to have pups available until November for various reasons. The first breeder, the bitch didn't get pregnant from the pairing. The second one the litter was born all girls. The next three breeders I contacted won't be breeding a litter any sooner than the second breeder's next litter.

However, and this is a big however, the second breeder wants the male pick of that litter for herself. She is an obedience and confirmation show person, so obviously she is going for slightly different things, but it would just make the number of male pups lower to choose from. I mean, who knows, there might just be one. Or none again. :( So, I am not waiting for her next bitch's litter to be ready in November and have contacted a very major breeder up near Sydney, and although I am not quite as thrilled with her hip scores, some of her bitches have good scores back 3-4 generations... others not so much. I guess it depends who she is likely to be breeding. With a slightly larger kennel, she is quite likely to have a girl pregnant or nearly so. This is a perfect time of my life to raise and train an assistance dog, I hope I do not have to continue searching into the new year for the perfect pup.

Anyway, sigh, I will await the reply from the latest breeder with baited breath once again. Surely this one won't be another wait until November. The thing is there are plenty of litters around - I would just have to drop my standards. However, all I have read about hip dysplasia in goldens has convinced me to be picky picky picky when chosing a pup for a working career as a mobility assistance dog which puts so much wear and tear on joints. I am sure I am doing the right thing, I just have to take a deep breath.