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.