08/13/2023
A few days shy of 6 months old and Cap is such a handsome boy! He’s closing in on 40 pounds and is about 4” taller than poor Peggy The Service Dog. she continues to adore him, play with him and keep him in line!
In the last few weeks Cap has been to the Monmouth (NJ) County Fair, a Hot Air Balloon Festival and his first rock concert. He’s visited my different doctors with me, gone on a picnic, has visited the huge dog park nearby and played with a whole bunch of new dogs, chased a lot of tennis balls and then stared, sadly, when they stopped moving.
While he loves to chase things he’s not inclined to catch, fetch or pick them up. Cap does love to play on his own and will endlessly toss his toys in the air while running the yard. When they land he pounces, picks them up, shakes them and repeats until eventually tiring of his game and dismbowling them, leaving their innards and carcass to blow in the wind.
The birds are grateful for the stuffing as it makes their nests soft and warm inside.
He’s a lot more independent now and while still snuggly, he rarely climbs on my bed and bulldozes me for affection. Instead he comes to my bedside and politely requests my attention. It’s bittersweet but I love that my baby is growing into such a well mannered young dog.
Anywhere we go people comment on how well behaved he is for such a young dog. They ask my secret and I simply tell them, “Time, training and consistency.”
His favorite reward is still food but games such as tug are rapidly climbing the list. Affection and praise are also way up there and when I tell him he’s a good boy, his ears go back, his face gets very soft and his tail wags so hard his whole body wiggles.
Loose leash walking still needs work but I’m slowly weaning him off the gentle leader as he becomes more comfortable walking beside me instead of defaulting to trying to lead the way.
He had his first NYC trip and napped on the train, marched confidently around midtown, slept through his first play and relaxed in Bryant Park, getting rewarded constantly for ignoring other people and dogs rushing around.
As he matures it’s time to start introducing some of the easier service tasks into his training. I’m reworking my training plan to account for his strengths and weaknesses, to account for where he is now versus where I had hoped he’d be.
We’ll be moving from NJ to NC over the next 6 weeks so Cap will be getting a training break as he learns to navigate his new normal of a new home and yard, new neighbors, new sounds, sights and scents. We’ll continue work on his current plan without introducing anything new until he’s relaxed and comfortable in his new environment.
As always, it’s with tremendous gratitude and love that I offer this update into our lives. Even though I have 20+ years of training multiple breeds including BCs under my belt owning my first BC is different. I am always grateful for the kindness, support, empathy and laughter I find in the comments.❤️
