the baby beast

In a few weeks "Gus" Bone vom Hochland will be 18 months old.
I feel guilty for not posting about him (I just added a partial post from April that I never finished) and I am not sure why I haven't posted/written and I can't say that my desire to do so today will continue.
Yesterday I found myself really wanting to share how proud I am of this boy.

Its been a fascinating ride so far, filled with joy, pride, amazement and frustration.
My hope was to do search and rescue with him but the higher power had different intentions. First we were flooded out by Hurricane Florence and then pushed away by all the local SAR groups; "A GSP??? No thanks!"
I still get furious about that. Started at 3.5 mos as we intended to but were thwarted by Florence, Gus would have been a rockstar. And I would have learned how to handle him and his talents.
Instead I did as promised and put him on quail.
One of the most mind-blowing dog moments of my life was to set him down in a 70 acre field with 3 planted quail, no long line, no e-collar, no exposure, just "go find"
And he did, and he pointed.
Powerful genetics at work.
And recall...........those are genetics too.

As posted, at 10 months he did his breed test and received perfect scores. I am not too proud to say that I cried when they announced it. I was so afraid I had failed him but his genetics are strong.

In the last weeks I have seen him mature and gain confidence. My baby beast is tall, strong, athletic, nervy and submissive. He gets in some situations with dogs and it is clear he becomes anxious. I have worked hard to keep him from any negative interactions on leash and to reward him for ignoring other dogs on leash.
Note I have mentioned on leash twice - off leash he removes himself from anything he doesn't like and finds other things to do or easier going dogs to play with.
Its very much a learning process for me as Bugsy was always confident and had very different dog-dog skills.
Recently though I have seen Gus grow in confidence and engage more in multi-dog play. It isn't a necessary activity but it makes me more at ease to see him more at ease.

My Gussy is an expert snuggler, a great companion in the car, absolutely ridiculous when playing, and an amazing trail dog.
Yesterday I was able to walk a trail in woods surrounding a lake and I only had to ask him to stay in range and he'd do a check in immediately.

And he is an absolute fish. He is the strongest swimmer I have ever seen.

There's work to do for both of us. He needs a job and I need to find the right one for him.
He needs to not be so wild in the house - he isn't always wild but when it is, it is WILD!
We need to dedicate more time to training, find a class to formalize it, and keep working.

I fully confess that he is not an easy dog but I knew that going in. His pedigree is exceptional, he is a working line bird dog though and the energy and drive are HIGH.
Bugsy wasn't an easy dog either...........until about 8 yrs old. That's when people started to compliment me on his behavior but they thought he was 2 LOL.

Raising Gus is a reminder of why puppies are cute but not for the faint of heart or really for me. Of course its easier to bring a pup into a pack to assimilate and I think that if I brought Gus home when Bugsy was 8 or so it would have been really beneficial for Gus and a whole lot easier.
But the higher powers had other intentions.

So its Gus and I, figuring out our relationship. Learning about each other, finding the right methods of communication, and building our bond day by day.
I confess, I am glad the real puppy days are behind us and while still very puppy, he is also maturing.

Love ya Gator, here's to many good, active, fun years ahead

Gus aka Bone aka goofball & savant

I can't really say why I haven't written, I have thought about it but the desire wasn't there. Tonight, I want to write.

"Gus" Bone vom Hochland is now 10+ months old. He's tall, lean, athletic, talented, smart and odd.
And I mean odd.
Despite my ignorance & his limited exposure he had a perfect score in his "derby" or natural ability test. He also was given the highest allowed assessment for conformation.
The limited training I did for that testing gave me a whole new appreciation for the training hunters do and also the level of trust they must have in their dog.
Gus has recalled off leash since forever.
We've had a few blips but his recall is rock solid and I don't feel as though I've put THAT much work into it.
When I think of the amount of work on recall I put in w Bugsy and it was never really reliable, Gus's recall astonishes me.
His nose is so intense that I find myself feeling bad for him at times. His head literally explodes as he takes in scent.
He will walk and/or climb on any surface.
Noise is joyful.
Everything is food.
He loves water.
Leaps like an antelope.
Has a BIG voice.
And sleeps deeply and in contortions..........
never completed this entry