Just an Update

Well, no new pictures to speak of. The holiday weekend went well. Boscoe went out to visit at my parents house again, ran around and got himself all exhausted. He went to the pond again and didn't want to swim still, no problem. At the lake however he waded in further but was intimidated by the waves I think. He didn't really know how to pick up the stick out of the water either. He'll get there. So that's basically where we're at right now. I'm going to start teaching heel soon and will update on how that goes. I will be attaching the check cord soon and starting to really enforce come outside and at a distance.

Goose Wing Pictures

Boscoe got to play with the goose wing again today and he still loves it lol. We did a couple retrieves in the other field across the street. It's really the first time he's been in it and down by the pond. He did great. He waded into the pond a little but really just to get a drink mainly. He still doesn't want to swim yet but there's plenty of time for that. I'm more than willing to go in with him, once the weather stays warm lol. There is a "family" of geese that come to the pond at night. There were four of them today and they stayed in the water even when we were at the edge, and the pond isn't that big. They were honking and Boscoe perked up a little but didn't really see them I don't think, they weren't really moving. Eventually, as we kept walking around the pond they all took off honking, it was pretty cool. That got his attention! He watched them for a bit and then wanted to run and sniff some more.

We did one retrieve across the gravel and dirt road/path. I was going to do just a squared up retrieve straight across but when he sat he was angled. So I went ahead and threw about a 10 - 12 foot retrieve, at an angle across the road. He went right after it, no problem crossing the road. When he got to the wing and started to pick it up I started calling him back in. He got distracted and left the wing to come about 3/4 of the way back to me. I told him to go get it and kind of pointed in the direction, he started to run back to it so I just kept repeating "fetch it up" and then just let him come back to me on his own accord, which he did. So overall he did great, as he usually does lol. I'm very please with him. I hope with the nicer weather to get him swimming and I want to start getting a little distance to his retrieves. I'm really just working on exposing him to a lot of new things right now and I couldn't be happier with his attitude. I also want to start really teaching heel in a week or two because his sit is about 95% I'd say.

So enjoy the pictures and I will keep updating as he grows up and progresses in his puppy training! Thanks!

Goose Wing Retrieves

I forgot to mention that Boscoe got to retrieve his goose wing again yesterday. He did great! He loves that thing, likes to chew on it too. We just did a few short retrieves out in the yard/field area behind the house. He came right back to me with the wing, it was great. After that we went for a walk around the field so he can explore and get to use his nose. He loves his little puppy walks, especially the woodchuck holes lol.

I have been viewing Jackie Mertens tape called Sound Beginnings and it's an awesome video for bringing a pup up to retrieve. I got to the part where she was introducing the retrieve across a road, path, or change in cover and got excited because we just got a gravel "sidewalk" put in here and we have a gravel/dirt driveway across the street in the other field. I walk Boscoe over everything right now and he has no problems. On walks in the woods he jumps over everything too. I have a feeling retrieving across these things is not going to be an issue. I will probably start introducing them in a few more weeks once we stretch out his retrieves some. But overall he's doing great and we'll keep progressing as he's ready.

Vet Visit

Boscoe went to the vet today. He weighed in at just over 11 lbs. He gained 3.5 lbs. in a week and a half. He's definitely getting bigger. He got his distemper booster and didn't even notice the needle pricking him. He fell asleep on the exam table, it was so cute I wished I had my camera. The vet seemed to think he will be big because of his paws and was suprised when I told him that Boscoe was the smallest one of the litter. He was very good though with all of the other big dogs around to distract him. He thinks he's tough and wants to play with them all. After the vet's we went to my parents house and he got to run around and played in the water for a little bit. Needless to say he is a tired pup. He slept the whole ride home and is now passed out on the bed. Such a cutie, but I better go wake him up so he will sleep later tonight.

This is Boscoe in his puppy prison on our trip over the weekend. He did great! His crate training is going very well, no accidents in the crate. It is such a useful tool for housebreaking. So far he has lasted 7 hours overnight without needing a potty break. He gets taken out as soon as he comes out of the crate and he is learning the routine. He has even started going to the door (we always use the same door when he goes out to go potty) when he needs to go out.

The first picture is the little devil finally sitting still!! His "sit" is coming along very nicely! I don't use treats as often as I should but he performs about 95% of the time (when he is focused on me). I like the idea of using the treat (or sometimes just the hand over his head) to get him to look up and sit vs. a lot of hands-on like I did with my last lab. Not quite sure why I like it yet but so far it seems more effective (if you take out the fact they are different dogs lol). He will sit for food and water but is far from learning that sit means stay as well. But I certainly don't expect that out of a 10 week old pup! Plenty of time for that later, right now he's enjoying being a pup. I must add that usually if I don't have a treat I have a toy I reward him with or he receives his food or water immediately after his sit. He's a great boy, a really quick learner. I hope I can keep up with him!

Introducing Boscoe

Boscoe is my black labrador retriever puppy. He will be 10 weeks old tomorrow. I have had him for about a week and a half and he's a great little guy, and cute to boot. This will serve as a sort of record for his training as he will go on for more advanced training in retrieving and hunting. So far so good, as well as can be expected for a little pup. He is registerable with AKC and his pedigree has titled dogs on both sides. With some training, patience, and instinct, he should go far. Thanks for checking him out!!