Wednesday, October 30, 2019

"Consistency - Thou Art a Jewel!"

I think that
The two most important things 
I learned in Bible College were:

1. "Keep balanced!"

and

2. "Consistency - Thou Art a Jewel!"

And I also think I can safely say that
 both apply to puppy training!


We have begun to have a routine with Max...
And CONSISTENCY definitely pays dividends!
(TV watching is not one of those regular routines,
but he appears to like watching old Westerns
with my husband!)

Max has learned to sit on command...
And sometimes he lays down on command!

Max is learning to do better on a leash,
and that is thanks to those who recommended a slip chain.
My daughter is helping TRAIN ME how to do this!
He's not "heeling" very good outside,
but does great when we practice inside the house,
up and down our narrow hallway!

The Labrador Retriever part of him is showing up
in his joy of retrieving tennis balls.
It's great exercise for him (and me!)
He is learning to let go of them
but he is not always CONSISTENT yet!
Treats seem to help!

"Potty training" via crate training
is going well,
with only a few accidents.
I'm not sure
 who is trained on this,
HIM or ME!
Potty training seems to be one of those things where
"Consistency - Thou Art a Jewel"
definitely pays off!

"Train up a child in the way that he should go;
and when he is old,
he will not depart from it."

I think that definitely can apply to puppies...

Max seems to be doing very well for four months of age.


(The above quote re. CONSISTENCY  is from the late Mr. L. E. Maxwell of Prairie Bible Institute!
Come to think of it, I think "Maxwell" is a good name for our puppy,
calling him  "Max" for the shorter version of his name!)


Friday, October 18, 2019

Meet Max!





About two months ago I had my yearly check up with my family doctor...
He informed me that my latest bone density test showed
that I had osteopenia,
and the part of my body showing the lowest bone density
was my forearms.
He prescribed more exercise, 
and recommended weights and walking.

My daughter Crystal is an Occupational Therapist.
"You need a dog," she said.
"It will give you and Daddy companionship
as well as exercise."

My husband had taken a strong liking to 
Crystal's large sized Labradoodle named Buddy,
but we decided we needed a smaller size.

MEET MAX!


Our grandson seemed quite delighted
with the new addition to the family!

Max is supposed to be a mid-sized Labradoodle,
but if he grows as big as his paws indicate,
he may be a little larger than we anticipated!


So, here we go...
I'm not sure if he'll be teaching me,
or I'll be training him...
but we'll see what new adventures lie ahead!

Already I am learning that I am not very patient.
"For ye have need of patience,
that, after ye have done the will of God,
ye might receive the promise."


(By the way, we've only had Max for 11 days,
and I can already tell a difference
in the strength of my forearms
due to his stubbornness on the leash!)