Shooting, fetching, obedience, and other fun stuff

Artus has been doing well. He will fetch a bumper to me when I throw it as well as a duck wing. (He's not nearly as enthusiastic to give the wing back when he retrieves it, he'd much rather keep it for himself). He sits until I tell him to fetch it and sits to give it to me. I also drug the wing along the ground and hid it behind a tree. Then I brought him out and told him to look for it and he followed the trail and found it. Not bad for only having him a couple of weeks. We'll be doing a lot more of this type of training as we go along. I've also been taking him to places I hunt and letting him explore. I am posting some pics of a recent outing down by the Snake River.

I don't think he'll have any problems getting in the water when it warms up and I start conditioning him for it. He also doesn't have problems with loud noises so I am confident that gunfire conditioning will go well too.

We've been working with basic obedience too. He sits, comes when called, goes in his kennel on command, and waits until told to come through the door. We're working on consistency with those things but he knows the commands and what's expected now.

We're working on housebreaking and he's coming along ok with that. Lots of routine involved and he's getting used to it slowly. He's much better about being in his kennel now too. Next week he will get his last round of shots and I'll be able to take him to a lot more places to socialize him.

In other news, I sighted in my rifle yesterday for the first time. It's a Remington 30.06. I'm looking forward to hunting with it this fall.

Here are some of the pics of the kids and the dog playing at the river. There was a beaver slide that Artus ran/slid down over and over.

Explanation and Update

I wanted to clarify that this is designed to be a blog about hunting adventures with me and my family and our dog. However, since hunting season is months away and we are focusing on raising and training the puppy in the meantime, much of what you see here will involve the dog for a while. Since he will be an integral part if my hunting, I am including stories about training him here.

I had forgotten how much work a puppy is. I believe it is well worth the effort. It takes a lot of work, but anyone who is considering getting a dog should be willing to do the research and put in the effort of training a good dog. I'm not limiting this to working dogs. Any dog worth having takes work to obedience train. It helps to do research beforehand on the breed you go with because then you can have a reasonable expectation of how the dog will act. Learn about the parents of your dog and how they act. Many times the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Dogs behave better when they have a job or something to do! They also behave better when allowed to be inside and part of your family "pack". They are a pack animal and have a desire to please their boss. If you establish this type of relationship with your dog you will enjoy him much better and have a better pet because of it.

We have been working hard on crate training and house breaking Artus. He's very quick to learn and gets better every day. In about two weeks we will take him for his last round of shots at the vet and then be able to have him out and socialize him at places like PETCO and Sportsman's Warehouse. They are pet-friendly places with people and other dogs around so he can get used to strangers.

We have been taking him out to the desert and fields also. This will help him learn to use his nose and start exploring. That will help in the future as he is introduced to hunting situations.

Another part of what we are doing is teaching him not to jump up on us or chew on our hands and also to stay off the furniture. It's cute now when he is a puppy. It will not be cute when he's a 75 pound dog. Now is the time for him to learn manners, not when he is bigger.

Here are some pics of a couple of outings we've had already.

Introducing....

Artus vom Drakehaus. We picked him up from the airport at 6pm last night. He's everything we were hoping for so far in regards to coat and conformation. He also doesn't appear to be afraid of anything. He's very confident. He's truly a menace in all the ways a puppy can be but I wouldn't have it any other way. I took him in for his shots and worming and microchip today and he did just fine. Very confident and good personality.

Plans and More Plans

We have been working on several things lately to get us ready for this hunting season. I bought my hunting license the other day in anticipation of a spring bear hunt I am planning with a friend. Today Kaci signed up for hunter's education and should be able to get her hunting license in May. This will be the first time she hunts. To that end, we have been looking for a shotgun for her. We may even travel down to Utah for the right one.

Our drahthaar puppy is due to arrive sometime next week and we are all ready for him and eagerly anticipating his arrival. I am looking forward to training this dog.

We are also planning on going to Malta, Idaho in April to see a natural abilities test for the drahthaar club. Our puppy will have to do a similar test next year so we are attending to see what it's all about.

Lots of things coming up including a move back out of town in May. I am done with apartment life! I can't wait to be in the country again.