Seven Months Old - and beginning to act like it!
USHER: photo taken New Years Day 2010 (seven months old)
Usher remains a relatively calm and relaxed dog, especially for his age. But, he has begun to blow me off when I call him, more and more. I have, up to this point, trained him mostly with incentives (food), and he so he acts like a young dog that has learned to do things to get stuff he wants! No surprise, there. So, the time is approaching when I will need to set some expectations in his mind, “because I said so”. I believe he will adjust to my new expecations without a hitch.
It still amazes me how he acts in public. I stopped to chat with the manager of the local farm store last week, while I had Usher in tow. As soon as I stopped, Usher (a seven month old puppy in a busy store the week before Christmas!) just laid down by my side, without an commands from me. He has an uncanny ability to read my next move and adjust accordingly, without wanting to impose his “say” upon the situation.
I’ve been too busy to write much, lately, so I failed to mention how well Usher did about a month ago at an Army National Guard Reintegration meeting. We took both Usher and Kira and they were both very well behaved. Usher was incredibly sweet and affectionate to the kids that were there with their parents. At one point, he and a young boy (I’d say 5 years old), laid down next to each other on the floor, the boy’s arm around Usher, and Usher’s big paw around the boy. It was as if they were best friends. A magical moment lost since I did not have a camera with me.
I’m looking forward to moving Usher into the new phase of his life - one where he learns about high standards for behavior and his innate work ethic can kick in. I believe he is getting to that stage where he will appreciate learning about my expectations.