I can’t believe how fast time went by and that Jessie and me are a team for around 10 month now. Today she is turning 1 and she is one of the best things that ever happened to me.
I am very pleased with her and am extremely happy with her character. In general she is a very calm but attentive dog. She not easily fazed by anything and is extremely laid back. I was a bit worried at times, as she didn’t seem to have the “typical Toller energy or enthusiasm”, however, I have noticed this change in the last couple of weeks. It seems that as she is getting older, she is having more energy and also has more enthusiasm for both work and play. She still very laid back and calm but I can see the smile on her face and the enthusiasm in her eyes, each time I take the ball, dummy etc out. Once we are outside, it’s go, go, go but around the house she is calm and chilling and doesn’t mind a lazy day (apart from when she gets her hyper moments after being outside and wants to continue to go).
She is very people orientated and thinks she needs to go and say hello to everyone. While she happily goes off to greet people, she is very loyal towards me though and she wouldn't go of with just anyone if I am around. About 70% of the time I have her off the leash and she is great, never runs off to far. Training is going well, she knows the basic comands and behaves her self well. She easily picks up new tricks but also is the kind of dog that thinks "I do it BUT what is in it for me". She is easily motivated by food or her current favorite toy (at the moment this is a red ball). I am trying to teach her a new trick about once a week and to review the old once daily to keep her occupied. Once a week, we go out hiking for the day, which she absolutely enjoys. During the week, we alternate between obedience and tricks or dummy work (apart from our walks and doggy playdates).
For the next year I plan to get more active in obedience and maybe start competitive obedience with her, as well as agility. As Jessie is a gun dog, I also work with her in that area and she enjoys retrieving dummies but I don't think she will ever work in the field. Still I believe it is essential that I maintain her abilities as a gun dog and as this is what she is breed for.
Apart from that she is a happy girl and we look forward to extend our family by another Toller in the future.
And now for some pictures of the past:
8 weeks:
9 weeks
5 month
1 comment:
Congratulations! So cute to see the puppy pics again.
Post a Comment