New Pictures

The pictures I took on Jamie's birthday were a mess. I forgot to change the settings on the camera and they were very blurry. This one came out so so.

Jamie gets a birthday snuggle from Wesley.

Here are some new pictures of Wesley. We are very happy with the way he is growing up.



Wesley is really into shaping so I decided to try to teach him to push a ball thinking he might be able to do treibball when he is older. He caught on very quickly but then added his own twist on the behavior. When I accidentally rolled the ball toward him, he put his feet up on it and "walked" it back to me. He is too clever.



Happy Birthday, Jamie

Jamie celebrated his 10th birthday today. It's hard to believe it's been over 9 years since I went to the Netherlands to bring him here. He is such an absolutely wonderful boy. He had special treats including birthday cake that he shared with Nori, Harry, and Wesley. We adore you, Jamie, and are so happy you came to live with us. Some things are just meant to be. I took some pictures today but haven't had time to transfer them to the computer.

Wesley goes to puppy class

Wesley had a big day yesterday. First his good buddy Seal came over and they had a nice romp. Then, in the evening, he started his puppy class. He was a little distracted at first. After all, there were all those people and puppies he hadn't met yet but it didn't take him long to figure out he had to do some work. He was a very good boy. Tonight he went to conformation class where he met a very sweet Vizsla and he got to play with a mini wire Dachsie. He thought the Dachsie was a lot of fun. Of course, he had a great time visiting with all of the people. This is one very social young man and I am having a lot of fun with him.

Wesley - New Pictures

Wesley has been busy with his training. He has had more playdates with Seal and went to conformation class again last week. There was another Dal pup about a month older than he is and they had a great time together. He had a vet visit to update shots and get microchipped and was a perfect gentleman. He also went to a t-ball game Saturday morning where he met a lot of new people and a lot of children. He was so good with the small children.

Today we snapped a few new pictures.

Wesley goes to town

It was a nice cool, overcast day today so I took Wesley into town and we meandered through a few shopping areas. He greeted everyone with a wagging tail and "look at me" attitude. I have to admit I never tire of hearing people tell me how beautiful he is. We even found a low brick wall to practice stacking.

His reward for being such a good boy was a chance to play in the creek again when we got home. He seems to really like that.

Wesley and the creek

This morning I took Wesley for a walk through the trees along our creek. He hadn't been there before as my husband has just finished getting all of that trimmed down after all the rain we have had. I walked him to the creek's edge and a twig floated by. He launched himself into the water, grabbed the twig, and brought it right to me. He enjoyed that game and then he discovered the joy of splashing around in the water. He was just so cute.

One of my training goals was for him to experience at least 4 new surfaces a week but we are running out of ideas. He has been on grass, deep grass, muddy grass, dirt, mulch, stall mats, pine needles, sand, gravel, stone, patio stone, ceramic tile, vinyl tile, brick walkway, marble, asphalt, concrete, carpet, ring matting, hardwood, granite, orange snow fence laid on the ground, x-pen laid on the ground, a series of different kinds of tarps on the ground, baby dogwalk, tunnel, the barrel from the closed tunnel, and now a creek. Any other ideas? So far nothing has bothered him at all. He is gung ho to go anywhere and do anything.

Yesterday we did ping pong recalls through the barrel of the closed tunnel. I want him to understand he is to race through a tunnel not dawdle. He really liked the game and was running as fast as his very cute legs could carry him.

Wesley at 11 weeks

Wesley will be 11 weeks old tomorrow and I am thrilled with how he is growing up. He is already retrieving his dumbbell, loves to play tug, and has a nice sit on the table. He also looks really good stacked and moves beautifully.

Wesley Goes To Conformation Class

Last night I took Wesley to his first conformation class. I didn't realize there was a CGC test going on too. It made for lots of distractions. I couldn't believe how well he did. He was interested in the other dogs and got to play with two Dachshunds. He also met a couple of very nice children who petted him and gave him treats. He greeted every dog and human with a wagging tail and the kind of body posture that says "Want to be friends?" He stacked up on the table and never moved a foot. He was perfect for the exam including having his bite checked and he got a lot of cookies for being so good. I have been working on his gaiting a little but I didn't expect it to be as good as it was. He trotted around the ring like he owned the place. I got a lot of very nice comments about him. Good boy, Wesley. He will be starting his STAR puppy class on the 13th and I hope he is going to shine there too. I am so delighted with this puppy.

Last week his new adventure was learning how to go up and down the stairs on lead. Talk about a fast learner. He is doing a great job taking one step at a time and not putting any tension on the lead. He was also introduced to box work and caught on very quickly. He really likes shaping games and is already offering cute behaviors when presented with a new object. He met the remote control dinosaur a few days ago. I haven't turned it on yet but he has already learned he can make its head go up and down by tapping it with his paw. Did I mention I am delighted with this puppy?