Byron

[rainbow]

LOL, I love his bottom lip ....it looks like he's pouting.

Tooooo cute.

[pbpatti]

The last set of pictures you posted are just adorable. Byron looking at his mom with love in his eyes and a smile on his face.

[TwinTails]

Aww Thank you He always looks like he's pouting, lol!

We just got back from a 2km walk. We went to the mall and sat by the front doors (he got fed his lunch there, to get him used to things). A lot of people asked me about what he will be trained for, and one woman even gave us a donation of $20 (for food, treats or whatever he needs, as she said) It was very generous and kind of her, especially in these hard times for everyone

[ancientgirl]

Wow, that really was nice of that lady.

[TwinTails]

It was very generous of her It's so nice to know that there are still beautiful generous people in this world

[mona_b]

Awwwww what a sweatheart......

Just a suggestion...At his age just go with the basic commands for now...Sit, stay, down, heel..After the basics you slowly start with the things he will need to do...Like pick up things...Teaching him so much at once will confuse him at times. And not only that, he will forget them, because he is still very young.

SDs/SSD's are fostered out till they are about 16-18 months of age...They are taught the basics and socialized....It's not untill then that they are trained for what they are being used for..Either for Seeing Eye dogs, or disabilities or even for autism...At this age it's easier for the dogs to understand what it is they are supposed to do...

It's the same as what I did....I had my dog for 18 months..Did all the basic commands ( in german)..I did teach him tracking.Then my brother took him to start the police training. And at this age he started his SchH also.

As for hoping he gets to 100lbs, well that's heavy for a field lab..A co-worker has two that he trials with, Gunner and Max are both 75lbs..The heavier they are, the more problems with the joints.

I wish you all the luck with your training..Just remember time and patience...

[TwinTails]

Thanks Mona! Oh yes, we are taking things slow! He naturally brings me things that I have named (bone, ball, bear, toy, etc). I'm not so much worried about his training until he is at least 18 months The males in his family have all been 95 - 100lbs (not obesse, just very big boys). His parents, grandparents, etc all have all the health clearances (Byron will get his done once he is of age), no joint issues So hopefully he will be a healthy boy, regardless of what size he gets to

[TeriM]

Originally Posted by Ryan48

Makes me want a puppy. (smacks self hard)

Me tooooo (double smack for me).

Byron is simply adorable .

[Tundra_Queen]

TT, he is absolutely squishable!! I love chocolate labs and he looks so soft. I love the smell of puppies, they always smell like baby pablumn.

Originally Posted by klmccallum

Sounds like your on the right track TT

Are you doing the SD training for a certain foundation or is little Byron for yourself?

I had a friend that trained a black lab for 2 years for CNIB years ago. It was very rewarding as far as the accomplishment but was very hard to let go. :sad:

As far as I know CNIB do not train dogs. Unlles they started in the last few months or donating money to the school in Oakville that trains guide dogs. But they have nothing to do with dog training.

Debbie

[TwinTails]

SO Byron and Lua were in a tiny spat last night. Byron went to sniff Lua (she hissed, he ignored), she swated him without claws. He's doubled in size from when we brought him home, and doesn't realize that he can hurt while trying to play. Lua has smacked him a few times now, never with claws (which is odd for her, she usually hits with claws, teeth, etc, lol). Byron already leaves Majik alone (from day 1), respects Bo (he lets her walk on him, lol), doesn't bother Oliver (who is still terrified of him), and attempts to play with Baby (though she isn't too sure about that, lol). All in all he's doing very well, learning his place in the pack

Another cool thing, he has figured out Down and I no longer need to place my fingers on the floor for him to understand! Yay! Also, he now is allowed to play around the whole apartment, provided Gary and I are both up to supervise. He's ignoring the birds when they are out too (he looks, but shows no interest otherwise). He will run to his papers if he needs to go, so no accidents in a long while

He still doesn't like to go out in the cold (he would rather stay inside, curled up in his warm bed). And he is terrified of going down stairs. He will run up them no problem, but going down is another story. Not sure how to deal with that (the stairs we have are large amounts). I think we will work on going down a couple at a time, and praise like the dickens when he does! We also treat when we walk him (going to the mall), he loves his food, lol, so it makes it better to get him walking. Plus when we go out, I take one of his meals with us, and feed him when we get there. We sit by the entrance (and Gary goes in to do the shopping), and I ask him to Focus on me, and reward when he does. People walk by, kids crying, shopping carts, cars, sirens, horns, etc...he ignores them all while I give him his lunch, piece by piece He's doing very well!

[ancientgirl]

Sounds like he's doing really well.

[TwinTails]

We started clicker training, and he's now responding much faster to commands, and is more patient and willing to do what I ask Here are some pics from last night - we had gone for our 2KM walk, plus played for about an hour when we got home, so he was tired, lol!

















(He loves to show off his butt, and sleeping under the coffee table is his fave spot!)

[ancientgirl]

Aww, and what a cute little but he has.

[TwinTails]

Byron says "Why, thank you!"