Time Flies

Not much to say this week other than Artus had been progressing just fine in all areas. His housebreaking is going really well. He's had the chance now to meet many other dogs and people and socialize with them. He will wait to come in and out of the house until I tell him it's ok. He will "sit" good, go to his kennel and dog corner well, and will lie down with a little prompting. He adores my wife and all small children.

Outside on our yard work, he will search and retrieve training bumpers as well as sit, mark, and fetch them. In the field, when we hike with him, he points ducks and robins and deer. I've been able to get him to hold pretty steady on the points so far. Not bad for a 3 1/2 month old pup. I can't believe we've only had him six weeks. I plan on introducing him to birds in the next few days and hopefully I can get some pictures of that when I do.

He's quite the celebrity when I take him out to stores. He thrives on all the attention he gets. Lots of people either haven't ever seen a dog like him before or have and loved the one they knew. Here's some more pics for everyone from an outing we went on in the river bottoms.















He was one tired dog after this hike. He got to point lots of ducks and deer. Thanks to my wife Kaci for taking all these pictures!

Socialization and Random Pics

Things have been busy around here and I haven't been able to do a whole lot with Artus lately. Last week we did go out to several places repeatedly to get some socialization time. They love him at Sportsman's Warehouse, Petsmart, and PETCO. He's also been to several people's houses and also the PETCO socialization day last Saturday. All of this helps him learn to get along with other dogs and people. I've noticed he doesn't play as rough with other dogs as he did and he loves people, especially kids. I've been exposing him to cats too because aggression towards them can be a problem with this breed.

We had him out at the farm the other day and he didn't like the cows much which is just fine with me. All I want him to do on the farm is go around with me and hang out. No working cows for this dog. He wasn't sure of them at first and then just got used to them being there and didn't worry about it.

In the next week or two I'm going to be introducing him to wild birds and maybe some planted pigeons. I think he will do good. Everything I've seen in Artus so far leads me to believe he has great instincts.

In other news, we'll be moving to the farm in Firth in a couple of weeks. We're looking forward to having more space and less neighbors. I will be raising birds again there and some of them will be used in my training.

Here's some shots of Artus. He's now doubled in weight in the five weeks I've had him. He's 25 pounds now.

Pointing ducks and geese at the river:




Getting in trouble at Sportsman's Warehouse:


Random pics from the park and other outings:








Watching bulls being tested at the vet.




Thanks for looking!

Artus in Utah, Snow in April, and 300K

I took a trip to Utah on Friday and Saturday to pick up some water barrels and attend a training day for the Wild West Chapter of the VDD-GNA. There was lots of rain and snow the whole trip. By the time I got back, Artus and I were covered in mud.

We met at Wasatch Wings west of Lehi, Utah for a mock test/training day. It was cool to see all the other people and dogs and learn more about the test Artus will go through next year. We did a simple rabbit drag with him. I'll practice a lot more of those with Artus now that I know better what to do. He got a lot of nice compliments from the people there and I think it was good for him to meet lots of other people and dogs for socialization purposes. I got lots of good advice from some knowledgeable people there too. Here are some pics of the puppy and the weather conditions:











On the return trip, my '94 Chevy passed 300,000 miles. It's been a pretty good truck to me. It's not nearly as pretty as when I first got it but every scratch and dent has a story. This year we're saving up to buy a new truck. This one just has to make it one more year.

About Me...

A little history about me. I was raised in a home with no guns and no hunting. I had extended family who hunted but no one in my household. I started shooting with friends when I moved to Idaho when I was 16. Over time, I developed an interest in shooting and firearms.

It wasn't until my first marriage that I got interested in hunting. I was 26 and my ex-wife's family got me involved in hunting. My friend Ryan Cook got me started hunting upland birds over his Springer Spaniel and his son-in-law's Golden Retriever. Another friend, Steve Higley, got me interested in hunting waterfowl. Most of all, I love being outdoors and also the rush of making a good shot and the satisfaction of eating or using what I hunt.

After my divorce a couple years ago, I started looking for a dog I could use to hunt birds with. This eventually led to the purchase of the pup I'm working with now.

I find that taking my boys with me hunting is a great way to spend time with them and to teach them outdoor skills. These are skills that can benefit them the rest of their lives. Some kids can get good at video games. I'd rather my kids get good at skills they can use to be more self-sufficient.

Here are some pics of my boys last summer with their first shooting experience.

Derek:


Tony:


Drew:

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.