Good-bye my friend...

It has been almost two months since I lost Boscoe. He was 13 months old. The terrible disease that inflicted him at such a young age finally took his life. It happened very quickly and the kidneys just shut down. His blood levels were elevated to 10x the normal level. He went to the emergency vet and stayed for three days. He was on IV fluids, enough for three dogs his size. He was also on two anti-nausea medications, one doubling as a sedative. And he was on basically a morphine drip continuously. He was still not comfortable enough to sleep soundly until we visited. It was heartbreaking to know he had no fight left. We spoke volumes to each other without words those few days. He gave me forgiveness for not being able to cure him, he gave me permission to stop blaming myself, he told me he loved me, and he told me he was ready to go. So I let him go.

I would go through it all again even knowing the outcome would be the same. I would do anything to have him back, to hold him one last time. But I take comfort in knowing he is free of pain now. He was truly special and I will never regret what I went through with him because I had the true privilege of having him in my life. He taught me so much and I thank him for that.

I wrote the following piece just after his passing. While I still feel the scars, I know that I have healed enough to take on the task of giving another dog the best life I can. I have been looking at a few lab litters and may have finally decided on one to be born July 8th. The final pieces should come together in the next few weeks. I know Boscoe is smiling down, happy to hear that I will love another pup again, he always wanted to please me. And he always did. You may have been small in stature, but you left behind some pretty big shoes to fill buddy.


Boscoe - (Boscarelli)
March 15, 2006 - April 19, 2007
To my Boscoe:
There is nothing that I can say to take away the pain. Nothing to say or do to fill the void in my heart, my soul, my life. I feel so empty without you. I know that you are free now, that your spirit soars above unrestricted by a body that failed you. You were beautiful in body but so much more beautiful in spirit and personality. My once in a lifetime best friend. My sidekick, my buddy. My passenger seat sits empty without you to claim the spot, who else can ride shotgun as well as you. Every time I turn around, every place I go and look, I think I see you, I find another memory. You had shoved yourself into every nook and cranny of my life and heart and I can never let you go. And that's fine with me. You filled my heart with so much love and laughter and joy. You taught me so much, and I hope I taught you too. Not once did you ever fail me. I am so sorry for those times I let you down, disappointed you, treated you unfairly, made you think you did something wrong. You never did anything wrong. You were a little trooper. I love you so much and I am so glad I was able to free your spirit of the pain of a broken body. But I can never ever replace you. I don't even want to try. You were my world little man. I will never forget you and I will never regret you. I watched you grow up, explore the world, learn and soak up information like a sponge. We had a bond that some people will never see in their lifetime. We communicated on a level far above words and gestures. We were connected so deeply. I knew exactly what you were thinking and feeling and you knew me inside and out. You knew what I wanted before I said it. You did what I asked before I could even verbalize it. I trusted you with my heart and you trusted me with your life. I'm so sorry I couldn't make it longer. I feel like I let you down. But I know that you loved me and forgave me before you left. I don't want to love like this again. I don't want to tarnish your memory by getting attached again. And I'm so deeply scarred that I don't want to allow myself to love again for fear of getting hurt again. I can't believe I lost you. I can't believe you are gone, never to return again. You and I were inseperable. We did everything together. Now the simplest thing scares me because I have to do it alone, without you. Every move I make I remember you being there, sharing it with me. I turn around and look for you because I think you are there, you should be there, and I have to keep reminding myself that you are gone. And it opens the wound a little more each time. I think I see you when I turn around, all the spots you used to lay. All the memories come swarming back and I am terrified that someday I won't remember them all. All I have left are your beautiful pictures to hold on to and the knowledge that you are no longer in pain. My baby, my boy, my little guy. I love you more than words can say. Rest easy now bud. I love and miss you. I pray I will see you again someday Bos.

Meet Reno, he doesn't want to leave home...

This is Reno, a black labrador retriever at risk of losing his home in Holland, Wisconsin. Please read his story in the post below.

The basis of the story is as follows. A friend of mine lives in the town of Holland, WI caring for her mother. The Town Board states only 2 dogs per household. My friend brought 6 dogs with her in her haste to get to her mother, who also has a dog. That's a total of 7 dogs. The Town Board has issued variances for other members of the community. However, my friend was denied for a variance. This is absolutley ridiculous since her dogs are highly trained, gentle animals who give back to the community. If you read Reno's story below, you will see that he has his Canine Good Citizen and Therapy Dog certifications.

My friend is appealing the Town Boards decision and there is a way to help. If you would like to help Reno, please email me at k_mcknight37@yahoo.com.

And I know there are those out there who think they are "just dogs." But anyone who has truly loved a dog and known their companionship knows it's much more than that. The time and love invested is more than words can say.

Help Reno stay at home

Please read the following story being posted for a friend and taken from http://sanityshome.blogspot.com/2007/03/holmen-wisconsin.html

Holland, Wisconsin
This is Reno, he is no longer welcome in Holland, Wisconsin. Shame on the residents of Holland, Wisconsin. Keep reading to find out why.I am sharing this post with all of you because I feel very strongly that everyone needs to see just how the restrictive and unbending anti-dogs laws really effect the individual. The unfriendly town of Holland, Wisconsin is a place you don't want to live.Here is a story of dogs, highly and careful trained, dogs who give back to the community far more than they will ever take, dogs who brighten the lives of many. This is the story of a town chasing away dogs trained to provide a community service. No, the dogs in question are not of the breeds the headlines love to tout as killers. The dogs in question are Labrador Retrievers. I ask you, all of you, just what sort of people live in a town that drives away dogs trained to bring a little sunlight to shut-ins, encourage a child to learn to read, entice an old man to take his medicine? Is this the sort of cold, uncaring town you would chose to live in? For me, I know it is a town I would go out of my way to avoid. Shame on you, Holland, Wisconsin, shame on you. ________________________________________In the wake of the town board's decision not to issue a variance for the number of dogs I have, I've been preparing for each dog to go to his new home. What should the dog take with him to help settle in? What do the new owners need to know about their training and handling? What do these people need to know about the dogs' individual likes and dislikes? What their souls are like?One of the dogs leaving is my Reno. Oh my God. Reno.He needs his semi-deflated basket ball. A bumper of course. A cow femur bone preferably stuffed with peanut butter, but it's fine plain if that's all there is. He'd like a spot on the couch if one's available, but he'd never be rude or pushy about it.He gives 5 with both paws individually and then "10" with both. After this, he leaps into the air, and then spins one circle and grabs his tail. He's a very mellow dog by nature, and this trick just cracks him up. It's his only one.He barks three barks to let you know someone's arrived, and then quiets. Other than that, he never makes a noise. His obedience is terrific, on or off leash. His manners are terrific. He has the temperament of an angel. He passed his Canine Good Citizen / Therapy Dog International test as a walk in. He leaves and go lays down when you eat, although he's happy to help you out with the leftovers if invited. He looks sad when you give him a bath or trim his nails, but he always cooperates. Reno always cooperates.He is wonderful with anyone he meets, human or animal. Any age, any temperament. He used to go to work with me at the assisted living facility. There was an old crotchety man who would only take his meds and come out for meals in exchange for being able to take Reno for a walk and throw a few bumpers for him. The only time I ever saw this man let his guard down or his expression soften was when he was with Reno. He'd been a hunter when he was younger. I guess the dog took him back to better days. Reno loves to ride in the car. He makes the most wonderful face if you ask him about "The Bird." He likes to "tunnel" through your legs, and stop in position to get scratched above the base of his tail. His back feet march in place as he does this. He likes to be scratched behind the ears, too.On the day he passed the final series of tests needed for the American Kennel Club to award him the title Companion Dog, he was mounted by another male dog who had gotten up during the exercise known as the three minute down. Not only did Reno not get up from his down, but he looked at me across the ring and wagged his tail as if to say, "See? I am a GOOD boy."Yes, Reno. You're a VERY good boy.God help me next Wednesday when he's taken out of here.Eleanor HerrickHolmen, Wisconsin

Biopsy Results...a little late

The biopsy results came back awhile ago. The specialists don't believe this is genetic, which is good to hear for his parents. They found evidence of fibrosis, which is scarring that will lead to the destruction of the organ. So that's not good news. They also found that his tubules are abnormally shaped. They're not sure why and I don't know what it means for his future.

What I do know is that he's been acting great. He's been vomiting a little bit, which is another symptom and bums me out. However it's mostly because he plays right away after he eats. So I've been crating him for a bit after he eats and he hasn't been vomiting. His activity level is great and he's otherwise healthy. He's a little tired out right now from our walk today. He swam a little and it was cold. But I'm keeping a positive attitude because he's doing great.

I do have some updated pictures on the camera, I just need to get them onto the computer.

The plan right now is to do another blood check in a month or so to see where we stand. I'm really praying that his numbers have at least gone down, if not back into normal ranges. His urine is still dilute though. But we'll see. The only changes so far have been diet and one med. We may look at adding another med and I want him to go see a holistic vet when I start working again. We may have to go to sub-q fluids if his numbers stay high and more symptoms appear. But this disease is kind of a day at a time. And I'll take whatever time with him I can get.

Health Update

Boscoe has been doing well. We held off on the Addison's test and ended up doing a biopsy of the kidney instead. The vet at Cornell spoke with the renal specialist there, who recommended a transcutaneous ultrasound-guided biopsy. After a little deliberation about risks vs. benefits and cost and funding, I opted to do the biopsy. It was done Friday 10/06/06. The procedure went well, he responded to the anesthia normally, and everything was fine. He stayed the night at Cornell Friday, at his dinner, had IV fluids and pain meds. I picked him up Saturday morning 10/07/06 and he was alert and active. He was acting like his normal self, although whining for no apparent reason at times. He has been acting like himself since he's been home. I was instructed to keep him quiet, which hasn't been too hard since I have been sick for a week. He did get to play some with Zoey and Rico yesterday and I was surprised he didn't tire out quickly because when they ran a blood test on Friday before the procedure he was showing even more anemic, which is bad. I keep checking his gums, if they are pink it's good, if they are pale and more white then that is bad. So far they're still pale but showing a touch of pink color so we'll keep monitoring. He goes in Wednesday 10/11/06 to the regular vet to check his blood again to make sure there was no internal bleed from the biopsy.

The bloodwork at Cornell on Friday showed his numbers around the same as the last test ( I need to get the actual numbers when I talk to them next). His ionized calcium had come down a little, which is good. Also, the specific gravity of his urine went up ever so slightly, but that's a move in the right direction. His first test was 1.006, then 1.008, and now 1.010. This is still low and out of the normal range showing he cannot concentrate his urine adequately but we're moving in the right direction if the number keeps going up and he can concentrate even a little bit better.

We should have the results of the biopsy sometime this week. They sent the tissue sampe to a lab in Texas that specializes in renal disease. They thought we would have the results Wednesday but it may be later in the week. Either way I am extremely nervous because this should tell us a true diagnosis and tell us what caused the failure. So basically I'll find out if I'm a horrible owner and caused it by letting him get into the lysol water lol. I'm praying it comes back that there isn't actually any kidney damage. They only biopsied the left kidney, which I'm not sure why and I forgot to ask. But in any event, I'm nervous about finding out the resutlts.

He's been acting normal and like himself though. He seems to drink a little less now than when this whole thing started. I'm considering starting to homecook his foods more vs giving him the prescription diet. I feel like it would be better for him and he would get some variety, which is a big deal with renal dogs. And it may end up being cheaper in the long run. In any event, we should have some answers by the end of this week.

As far as training goes, I have been sick since last Monday so we haven't gotten out much. I'm trying to beat this darn head cold and stomach bug thing and it's just not happening. Hopefully by next week we'll know if we can continue moderate training with his condition and hopefully I will be over this illness and ready to get outside! As of right now I can only be up and going for just a few hours at a time before I need a break and then I'm trying to get a few hours in at work or make myself or Boscoe some food. What I'd like to see up working on in training is distance marks, some light cover. I want to get back to doubles again and start working left and right over casts. I also am going to start some drive training with him which I hope to eventually clean up some mouth issues as we progress.

One thing I've done for helping him learn to hold the bumper when he is near me is to just let him have it and run around then call him to me and NOT take it away from him. If he drops it I just tell him to fetch it up.

Alright, well, that's enough for now. Just to let everyone know where he's at healthwise. Hopefully I will have some good news to report by the end of the week.

Skidboot the Dog

A great clip from the Hill Country Reporter taken from http://users3.ev1.net/%7Eabraxox/Skidboot.html and uploaded here cause it is smaller and google rocks.

The Training Continues

So, I've updated on his health status and so far since he has no other symptoms other than drinking and urinating a lot, I've decided to keep him active and keep on training. It's what he loves and was bred for, he deserves to do it. You would never know he's sick so we'll keep going as long as he says it's ok.

We were doing well with the quiet issue in training mode. If he's just in play mode or whatever and someone throws something he can't have then he goes nuts. We took him to Hunting and Fishing Days and he heard the trap shooters so we went over and he went nuts because he didn't have anything to retrieve. But when we are in training he doesn't do it. So it's a slow continuous process, I am still searching for a surefire way to teach him that quiet means quiet, now.

I took him for a walk on the Ontario Pathway today and brought a bumper along. On the way down the trail we just walked really and he got to smell everything and just take in all the sights and sounds. When we got to the end it was a little wider trail and I threw him a few retrieves. I threw into the edges where the weeds were higher and he did excellent. I let him hunt for awhile because we haven't done much cover work and it was a good learning experience. He did great, he's very tenacious. One throw went into heavy brush and tree roots hanging off the creek bank that I didn't intend and he had a heck of a time bringing it back up but he did it. He wouldn't give up. I was very proud of him.

Today we also worked on back casts, just left-sided. What I did was let him walk out ahead of me and I would set the bumper down while he wasn't looking. Then I'd continue walking and call him to me (his here was pretty much dead on today, off-lead) and heel him (heel off-lead was beautiful as well, first time we really have done it off-lead). Then I would have him sit from heel (awesome! first time we did this too - took him a few times to understand that he had to sit even though I was going to keep walking). I walked out and turned to face him. He's seem the arm motions for the casts before so I gave him a back cast. Probably the first 4 times he was confused and I walked a few feet and then he saw the bumper and took off like a bat out of hell or it. After that he really got the hang of it and took the casts perfectly. By the end he was even jumping the gun a little because he was anticipating the cast.

Overall I was very pleased with him today. His OB is good, needs a little refining for sharpness, but I'm happy with it. His retrieving is good but we need to lengthen his singles and get him working singles off multiple guns and work in a little cover. All things I need some help with. If I can continue to get him steady, or hook him up, I can go out and throw and then either remote send or return to unhook him. But I think to do this we have to get the drive under control. All things we will continue to work on and will come in time. Like I said, overall very happy with him, his natural talent and ability are unbelievable. He's too exceptional to waste his talent so I'll work on keeping him healthy and improving his chances of longevity and he can work on doing what he was bred to do.

Health issues

Well it's been over a month since I've written and here's why...Boscoe was diagnosed with kidney failure at the end of August. I had written about his obsessive drinking and I personally thought it might be something like diabetes. I spoke with the vet prior to the blood tests and he thought it was a pyschological thing that is not uncommon in puppies (particularly large breed puppies) and that he would grow out of it. We ran blood tests and urinalysis to be sure. What we found out is that he has 30% of normal function left in his kidneys. Two numbers in the blood they look for in kidney failure we very elevated. After that big shock I started researching and educating myself about the disease and its causes.

We began a prescription kidney diet by Science Diet the day I learned of the test results. A week after that we had a follow up visit with the vet who recommended we get to Cornell for further tests, etc. One week later we were at Cornell. We redid the original bloodwork and his two elevated numbers were still elevated but they had gone down quite a bit, which I'm very happy about. A few other numbers went up though so it's very much a balancing act with the diet. We ran Lyme's disease, heartworm, Leptospirosis, and more tests. We did another urinalysis and a urine culture, which came back negative, as did the above blood tests. We have one more test to run at the regular vet's, hopefully I will be hearing from them tomorrow to schedule that. I also heard from Cornell today that we should be starting a phosphate-binder medication shortly.

As to the cause, we have no answers. The only lead we have is the lysol water he drank. While I agree it most likely caused some damage, I do not believe it is the whole culprit. He drank the Lysol water because he was always more thirsty than hungry since I've had him. At this point the breeder can't find any history of renal disease on the dam's side and both litters the dam has had don't seem to be having any problems. So we can't say that it's genetic or not. I did hear from someone who went through a similar ordeal with test results very similar to Boscoe's that ended up being the psychological thing the vet originally thought Boscoe had. So, while it's an extremely slim chance, there's always that hope. Since changing the food he has been drinking less. I'm going to begin monitoring how much water he is taking in.

He had an ultrasound done at Cornell that showed normal size kidneys. There were no kidney stones, no urinary tract blockages, etc. They did his entire abdominal cavity and showed no abnormalities.

So that's where we are right now. We're looking at another visit to the vet's for a final test for the time being. The Cornell vet plans on treating him as a Chronic Renal Failure patient. His numbers indicate the disease is fairly advanced at this point and it's a matter of management and prevention of further damage until the normal course of nature. His kidneys will eventually begin to shut down. My vet gave me a tenative lifespan of 5-8 years. We cannot get a number really, it's all just a guess, but we do know for sure that his life will be severely shortened. Since he cannot concentrate his urine also this will begin to affect other body systems in the future and cause more problems as well.

Boscoe has a lot of people pulling for him and praying for him though. So far we've seen some numbers in the bloodwork go down so I'm still praying that he'll continue to heal and that maybe it is as simple as the psychological disease causing it all. It doesn't hurt to hope.

Back to the Basics...

Took Boscoe out today for his first time on a prong collar. He did really well and it regained some of his focus on me. I decided to really simplify things and just took a tennis ball out to the yard. I know some people don't like retrieving with tennis balls...but that's another matter. Anyways, with the prong collar on I put Boscoe in heel and threw the ball about 5 feet. No noise, sit was good, he got released to retrieve. Second throw was about 10 feet. No noise. I continued throwing, keeping myself calm as well, and gradually increased the distance. He had a harder time sitting the farther the throw was. I really think that gave me some insight into what's going on in his head. I heard one barely audible split second whine on our longest throw, but I didn't even have to say quiet. I enforced sit and he got to retrieve. It was a good session.

I let him have a few minutes to walk around and relax. Then what I wanted to do was use a toy that I've been using for his water retrieves, it's dumbell shaped. I knew that it would give him more excitement than the tennis ball but not as much as a bumper or dokken. I only did two or three throws with this toy. The same routine, a short throw about 5 feet, then 10 feet, etc. He was quiet with this as well but I could tell he was getting tired so I put him up.

So what I learned was that this is how simple I need to keep it. We work up to more exciting objects to retrieve once he's learned and the repetition is drilled into him that this is the routine for a retrieve no matter what. I think he'll start to focus on me and trust me as well...at least I hope so. We'll add distance as well once he "gets it."

On another note, a friend recommended to me Modal Theory by Iain MacDonald and let me tell you, it's really interesting reading. It really lets you in on what's going on in the dog's head. At least it's the best educated guess I've seen to date. A lot about drives and the dogs frame of mind determining which mode it operates in. I can't really say as I understand it all just yet, but I'm trying. I'd suggest looking up the theory for anyone whose interested.

Second day at it....

Ok, so we had the second day of quiet retrieving. Vey simple, very short throws. No guns, no whistles, no calls, no nothing. I had a helper so we threw, enforced sit and quiet, mark got picked up by the thrower, and we tried again. Out of 6 - 8 throws, Boscoe got to retrieve one. It was noticable however after several throws he was whining more than barking and was quiet sooner. Also, he was sitting better so it was easier to work on getting him quiet. His deal is he lets out a big bark and a jump when the mark is thrown. For the second day at it I really don't think it went badly. I also did some heel/here work with the check cord and slip lead. This was out in the yard and while he started trying after a bit, his focus was on all the smells, etc...not on me. I think to help with the lunging issue I'm going to introduce him to the prong collar and use it when we are retrieving. I'm hoping this will allow me to focus more on the barking than the sitting. Don't worry, sit will be a regular on the OB sessions! He's going to be a handful, as Travis says, but we'll keep at it.

First Live Fliers

Boscoe got his first live fliers yesterday. He actually had to help me catch them first so we could use them lol. He did a great job, caught two, pinned them down until I came to take them. Anyways, we did this thing flying by the seat of our pants as neither of us really knew what we were doing. The first one sends off and Travis hits it. Boscoe's first flier is a cripple. I released him before it was down so there wasn't much to do but wait and see how he would handle it. The duck didn't have much fight but Boscoe wasn't sure how to pick it up. I should have realized this when he was only pinning the ducks down instead of picking them up the other day. But in any event I was already on my way out to help him when I realized the duck hadn't died. I tried to get him to fetch it up and help him out a little but he was still having some trouble. I had Travis finish the duck off so it wasn't suffering. Boscoe was a little nutcase in any event, wanted at the duck, barking, the whole nine yards.

Well, we set up to do it again with the second, and last, duck. Boscoe was barking like a fool and straining at the leash when the duck was in the air. It went down and off he went. It took a few more seconds but the second duck was dead. Boscoe was still having some trouble though, and seeing how he handled the first one I was already in route. He was just having mouthfuls of feathers so I took it from him and put him up.

We wanted to let Ranger have some fun so I took him out and got set up. Travis threw the duck and just shot into the woods. Ranger took off like a rocket after I released him. He got to the duck, mouthed it, picked it up, shook it around, and then...get this...starts chasing and biting bugs! The dog is nuts! No coaxing could get him in from either Travis or I so we go out and take it from him and put him up.

Took Boscoe back out and threw the dead ducks for him. Things went much smoother. He picked them up with a little difficulty still and headed back in for me. He got two or three throws then we tried Ranger again, with the same results. By then it was hot and buggy so we loaded up and came back home.

Now for the bad news. We haven't done a lot of steadying or a lot of gunshots, so it maybe that putting this all together is too much at once, too soon. When I hand throw singles, I hold him until the mark is just down and then let him go. Now, he's not always sitting pretty. He strains at the leash sometimes. But he doesn't bark. He always gets released before he has the chance to bark or whine I guess. Well, with the excitement of live birds and gunshot he was barking and whining and the whole bit. I definitely need to nip this in the bud so I took him out today to get some corrections in. I also wanted him to get some practice in holding larger objects so I used the dokken. Again, working on too many different concepts at once. In any event, he wouldn't sit and was barking like crazy.

Now, he knows the quiet command. The only times he barks or whines is when playing. So I went a couple of routes today. I gave him the sit command and enforced it (despite his complete and total lack of attention on me...all focus was on the dokken). Then I gave him the quiet command and held his muzzle. I didn't have a helper to pick up the bird at the moment so I waited him out until he was quiet. As soon as he was quiet I told him good in a calm, soft voice and released him (he was also sitting at this point as he was a little calmer). We did this about 3 or 4 times and then I had a helper (yay Travis!). So I had Travis move out to be my thrower. I told him this time around if Boscoe barked I wanted him to pick up the dummy and move back to his throwing spot. We did that twice and Boscoe was just a nutcase. I still did the sit and quiet routine. After the second throw I tried to walk him away from the imaginary line. Still no focus on me (slip lead on). I took a bit of a break and put (or tried to put) him into a down. It almost became a power struggle. I was doing it thinking that it wasn't a working position and he would get a little calmer. It took a couple of minutes but...finally...a minor success!! He actually looked up at me!!! Focus!! So I put him into a sit and told Travis to throw and that he could have this one. I let him go before the dummy was down to avoid the noise issue. Being only my third dog to train, even Ranger isn't as high as this pup! I've gotta get some new tricks up my sleeve to get him focused on me during working.

My ways to do this? OB!! Pup is only 5 months, but mentally mature enough and grasping commands enough to start moving on and recieving more pressure. To this point though, it was all positive training, short sessions, etc. So here's my plan, stretch out the OB sessions and look at methods of motivation to gain focus on the handler. He's compliant on all commands he knows now so this is more getting even more reliability, focus, and consistency. What I want to establish is a better working relationship where he relies on me for direction. Then we can move up to adding distractions. As for the retrieving aspect, keeping it simple from here on out. Lots of single marks, I may move away from the dokken for now, not sure yet. I will probably back off on the steadiness issue and will let him go as the mark is almost down. The other idea I've read is to teach the dog to speak so that in turn, you teach the dog to be quiet. This will help reinforce the quiet command and what exactly it is for.

Now for the rest of the bad news. Boscoe was growling at the dokken and trying to shake it some. To correct this, I took up the check cord and reeled him in. He didn't have the option of chewing and playing because he was being forced to come in. It worked well and by the last two to three retrieves he did make tonight he was bringing them in a lot better with little to no chewing, growling, etc.

So, the plan is in place, the zero tolerance policy in effect, we'll see how it goes. This pup is worth the effort so I'm dedicated to solving this while he's still young. It's not out of control, it's harder I think for me to adjust and learn how to effectively deal with and solve these issues as they've never presented before in my VERY short "experience."

Introduction to Gunfire

Boscoe did great on Thursday, August 10, 2006. It was only his 2nd real introduction to gunfire. The first time out we shot my Marlin 17HMR without any retrieving. He's not a shy pup, he loves noise and loves to investigate the source. He did ok but we realized we really needed to put the gunfire together with the retrieving and use his desire to outweigh the potential scariness of the noise. So we took him out with a 22 and dead pigeon. The first couple of times he would look at the gun as he started to run (no steadying really going on during this) but then continue on his way. After several throws he was ignoring the 22. We kept at it and moved the gunshot in as he felt more comfortable. After a bit he was fine with the 22 right next to him.

So we put him up in the truck and brought out his big brother, Ranger (2 year old yellow male). We decided to use the 20ga. with Ranger as he has no gunshyness. The very first time he heard gunfire it was about 4 or 5 shotguns all going off while we were shooting trap. Well, someone (me) forgot to roll the window all the way up. The very first throw for Ranger (working on steadying him as well - we're getting back into working on his training) I was still holding him and I see this little black furball shoot past us and pick up the pigeon. It was a great reaction to Boscoe's first hearing the 20ga. Needless to say though, I made sure he couldn't jump out next time.

Ranger did great, he needs work on his recall (read e-collar!!) but he's a great dog. Just needs polishing. We basically did the same process working the gun closer slowly with Ranger. Then we put him up and brought Boscoe back to work on the 20ga. He did awesome!! He wasn't even looking at the gun like he first did with the 22. Loves the pigeons. We worked the 20ga. in closer slowly and he was fine with it right next to him by the end of the session.

He was getting tired so we let him rest...or so we thought. Travis wanted to shoot again and when he did, Boscoe shot out like a rocket from under the truck looking for something to retrieve. It was cute, and a good reaction. He was looking around for awhile so I finally just threw the pigeon again so he wouldn't come up empty handed. He did this every time Travis shot. I'd rather have the drive there and have to tone it down than have to try to put it in him though. Overall, I was very impressed and proud of him. Travis was even getting into it and was proud of Boscoe...I'll get him into this game yet lol.

Look for more pictures soon. We'll be doing a live flyer sometime this weekend probably. It will be good for both dogs I think. Boscoe weighed in at 25 lbs. a few weeks ago and on this past Saturday he weighed in at only 28 lbs. We'll be talking to the vet about when to switch to high energy food...he's growing steadily so I'm not concerned about hips but I also don't want to push him into an unbalanced growth spurt. I trust the vet so we'll see what he recommends. Never had a picky eater, I've determined this little guy just likes to eat off the floor instead of out of the bowl. But usually he only eats one meal a day, or half of each meal, etc. Oh well, he'll reach his full potential in due time. I love that I can still pick him up if I need to. He's getting long, leggy, and lanky.

Thanks for sharing!

I almost forgot...

I started using the duck call with him today for the first time. Obviously he has heard actual ducks before. He went nuts trying to get to the call lol. On one water mark I started calling when he was almost to the bumper and he got confused and turned to start coming back in towards the noise. I stopped, told him to fetch it up, and he finished the retrieve. After he had the bumper in his mouth I started calling again. It will be good for him to get used to it and learn to retrieve regardless.

I also did a water mark from farther off shore. Since our pond sets in lower, he couldn't actually see the mark go down on the water. So he took off, made it to the edge, looked back at me like "what do I do now" so I told him to fetch it up and in he went and finished the retrieve. It was just another good change up to get him exposed to. Seems like a little thing but the little things go a long ways.

Pictures!! Yay!! Pictures!!

Here are just a few to catch up for now. The first one he definitely cut in on his little friend Zoey, a golden retriever/lab mix - my brother's pup. He's such a goof! The swimming pictures were from today, it was definitely a hot one. He's sleeping of the exhaustion at my feet as we speak. I even got some videos of him today running the water. I got his great water entry too! He's progressing very nicely. He had the choke collar on Sunday for the first real time to actually train with it and he did awesome. We only use it for a little while and he gets focused and will actually walk at heel. I can't believe how trainable he is. And he's all focus when it's time to retrieve. His recall is amazing for his age. Even if he's scented something or is trying to chew something, whatever, he will come to me. I've discovered today his one weakness on the recall...the ducks! He decided he wanted to play with them again today (they are out in the creek) and almost got the big one that can't really fly. While I love his enthusiasm I had to teach him to listen and to excercise some amount of control lol. He got introduced to gunshot again last week. I shot my Marlin 17HMR and while he acted surprised at the pops he was looking about to find them and not trying to run away. He would wag his tail when I got his attention after I shot too. We went out to the range. I can't wait to give him a flyer.

He's self steady on water marks too. He waits for the splash and will now even wait until I release him on his name. He goes sooner on land marks but I let him. Not that I would really damper his drive as it's so high already but better safe than sorry. He takes good lines in the water too. I throw a couple down the bank and he has only cheated and come out on the bank early once. He brings the bumper right back to me too. The one entry point we have he has to go up a little bank to get to me, there's not too much flat surface next to the shore, and he holds it all the way up until he gets to me and I take it. Sometimes he drops it when he gets out at first if he swallowed water or wants to shake but always picks it up and brings it to me. Gotta love routines!!

His OB is great. Sit requires a little more focus than the rest of them so I've been treating a lot more lately because I didn't treat a lot when I taught him. I already touched on his recall. I taught him using "come" but am starting to use "here" as well, so far so good. He knows down now, not as reliable but he just learned it. And sitting heel is going great too. We use a lot of treats with it to get him into the right spot. I try to work him when he's got some of his energy out because otherwise he's jumping for the treat and sits out away from me.

He got to play with the dead pigeon yesterday. He loved it of course. It was a bit more frozen than I would have liked but made it easy to throw at least. He only got to do a couple before we had to go to the fire department meeting/training. He tried to eat my zucchini when I picked them out of the garden too!! Crazy pup!

no pictures...just an update...

Just a little update, still no pictures, I have a few I just need to load them to the computer. He's growing steadily but still a small guy. I don't mind, he'll reach full potential, and probably with a lot less risk of hip problems. And it means he's an easy keeper. He's food motivated when it counts, for treats during training, but prances and spins for the water dish over the food dish. It's a nice change I must say.

As far as training goes, he's progressing very nicely. He has a duck to play with and a freshly killed pigeon as well. He smells them whenever I open the freezer haha. He will get to retrieve them a lot tomorrow. We have been doing sitting and walking heel. He does great with sitting heel and treats. Walking heel is ok, I just got a really fine choker to try. Put it on him tonight and started out really gently. It's amazing how quick he was paying attention to me. A little more work and add some treats for incentive and reward and I think he should breeze through it. Come is just getting more reliable as we go. I couldn't be happier with my little super marker. And he's a fish in the water, he loves it, I have to cut his sessions for his own good lol.

Update...and some bragging!

Boscoe is doing great! He is doing puppy doubles very well. His puppy blinds are great and so is his puppy casting. We did some "back" yesterday and he nailed it...now just to teach which hand to turn which way on. He's doing single marks out to about 40 yards right now.

Today he went swimming. I decided to try some water marks for the first time. He went out and swam and cooled off for a bit first. He saw the bumper and he wanted it, went nuts for it. So I threw it out and he went leaping for it. No puppy splashing either! He would go out and get the bumper and bring it back, let me take it, and then turn around and sit, looking out at the water waiting for the next throw! And most of the time he didn't even shake off first! It was so cute and I was so proud of him! Not that I taught him or anything, all instinct, but it was awesome all the same. Had him out to maybe 5 or 6 yards for just a few throws.

He was born March 15th so he'll be four months soon. Couldn't have asked for a better pup. He's learning super fast and is really smart. He marks really well. His obedience is coming along great. He's out of FC AFC Two Toes Out The Door by MHR Cedar's Edge Raider's Miss Abby (she has more titles...). So far so good! I will get pictures up soon! I really want some of him retrieving, maybe the boyfriend can help me out with that when he comes home!

Update...Finally...

Wow, so I haven't been doing a good job of keeping up on this site! Well, what can I say since my boyfriend graduated fire academy and is now a fulltime career firefighter. We definitely had to celebrate his graduation this past weekend.

But now on to Boscoe! He's doing great. Finished his last round of shots last week. He weighed in at 17lbs. at the vets last Wednesday. He may be 18 or 19 by now, not sure. He doesn't eat a lot when it's hot out. He's doing great though. Loves the water, loves retrieving. He can pretty much handle the big dog bumpers now lol. His obedience is going well also. Come is getting solidified. He will come to my whistle, I need to get him on the real whistle for it though. We're still working on heel but he pretty much sets himself up sitting at my side to wait for his retrieves now. So I'm using that to my advantage. He knows "off" as well. I release him for retrieves on his name. I tell him "fetch it up" if he drops the bumper on the way back, it's starting to sink in. He's definitely not a dog to hold items when he gets to you though, he tends to drop his retrieves when he gets to me. Plenty of time to deal with that later though, I just want him to want to retrieve now. The greatest thing though is that he has started looking out waiting for me to throw the mark. It's awesome, I really think he'll be a super marking dog. He makes himself wait until the bumper is almost on the ground before he wants to go.

Well, I guess that's all the updates I have so far. He's a little terror. He's had so much energy lately it seems nothing I do can alleviate any of it. He played with everyone at the firehouse though tonight so hopefully he will be a little tired out. He's a great pup and I'm please with him for being around 14 wks. I will get some more pictures and try to keep everything updated more often.

Swimming Finally

Boscoe swam for the first time today finally. We went for a walk and he was getting hot so I stopped to let him drink out of a little creek off another road. It was deeper in the middle and I don't think he meant to end up swimming, but he did. And he didn't freak out when he realized his feet weren't touching anymore. Hopefully he'll do it again now. He was hilarious in the water, biting at the droplets he splashed up. He also found something to be scary (I could not for the life of me figure out what) because he was barking and half growling with his little hackles up. It was the first time he'd ever done that. But again, a fearless little guy he is.

So today was the day for firsts I guess. He found the big dog bumpers in the house when I was cleaning and wanted to play with them. I figured he was about big enough to start carrying them so we went outside and did a little bit. The grass was too tall in the field (guess I gotta get mowing!) so I went to the driveway so he could see and so it was easier to pick up the bumper. We did a few marks then I threw a little puppy double, no more than 10 feet, most likely less, on either one. He did awesome! He had a hard enough time trying to get a good hold on the bumper so he didn't switch or anything. He was rearing to go too. He loved it, he's such a great pup. I only did two or three I think and then threw him a few fun bumpers and put him up. He was jumping for the bumpers in my hands as we walked back to the house.

It's hard because I want to take pictures of him but I'm the only one out there to throw and hold him so the pictures must be sacrificed now and then lol. But he's coming along great, I'm very pleased. We will probably do a little heel work in the house tonight - partly just to keep him occupied and stimulated as he just keeps oin going - he's been doing great at it already.