April 30, 2014

Bad weather continues here in Erie. We have had very strong wind and heavy rain for a couple of days now. I took Silas for a walk around the development this evening due to field flooding. We had a nice time in a fenced in baseball field as he was able to run free. There are so many distractions for a puppy in a townhouse area with lots of other pets around. Sarah and I are attempting to make a move back to the country in the Venango/Clarion county area. Silas an I will have much more room to roam there; more wild birds too! Silas spends most of his time now with free range over the entire house. He is doing quite well with all the new space. I have fencing to make the deck safe as well since it is elevated.

April 26, 2014

Mom and Dad came up to Erie this weekend. Silas discovered he likes to  sleep on the couch with Dad almost as much as he does with me. I have noticed quite a change in his behavior over the past week. He is a little more relaxed throughout the day. He explores very well on our walks but checks back with me. He does well with positive reinforcement to include a piece of kibble or a little petting when he does something I ask him to do well. He is fairly reliable with both whistle and call at this point. He has started to really notice birds on our walks. He had his rabies shot on Monday and weighed 10.10 at the time. The week before he was 10.1. I am feeding him 1/2 cup Purina Pro Plan puppy, Focus, 2 times a day. I am thinking I will continue 2 smaller feedings a day throughout his life. Just an update of his development.

April 23, 2014 Jazz/Silas is 12 weeks old today.

Silas is 12 weeks old today. I have not posted for several days because I haven't had a chance. We had a beautiful weekend in Oil City, Venango county over Easter weekend. Sarah sang a church. Silas and I took a nice walk on Saturday. It was our nicest day so far this year. I called a nice gobbler in while Silas hid beside me. He is becoming more and more independent and is exploring his environment a little more on each walk. He alternates from walking around my legs to quick sprints out ahead. I think he is coming along quite well. At home, we have begun to allow him into other rooms of the house. So far that is going as well as expected. He attempts to play with the cats but they are not yet ready for him. He is starting to bark some at the cats or us when we are not in the room with him. I'm not sure what to think of this behavior yet as we live in a town house and I don't want the neighbors to complain. Anyway, he is doing well so far as my limited experience tells me. He sure is a nice boy!

 

April, 15 2014 Snow in Erie

As I write this post Silas is chewing a rawhide on the kitchen floor. We just returned from our evening walk in snow, 2 inches with more falling, and a bitter 20 degree air temp with wind. On a positive note, he seems to adore snow. Silas has changed quite a bit over the past few days. He is biting at our hands, pants, etc. much less. A firm no and short time out have seemed to work well. He comes out and plays hard following this but with no nipping attempts. Silas is meeting many new adults, children and other animals and has become much more outgoing with them. We took a walk through Oil City on Saturday where he was quite a hit among the townspeople. Silas is now sleeping through the night in his kennel. I put him to bed around 10 pm after a restroom trip and he sleeps soundly until 5 am when I get up to feed him and take him for a walk. He is a really good boy. Yesterday he noticed a robin and chased it a short distance. He had a couple of booster shots yesterday and has a rabies shot next week then he will be off to pet smart for puppy class with Sarah and me. I want him to have more socialization with other dogs.

April 11, 2014

Silas and I missed an absolutely beautiful day outside today. I woke up at 2:30 am with the flu, which has been going around work. It was all I could do to get him out to the bathroom. He was a good boy throughout the day as it looked like he was aware of something being wrong with me. On another note, he has become much better with walking on a leash over the past 2 days. I am not certain though that he is able to comprehend the meaning of "no". Perhaps I should use the French word.

April 10, 2014

We finally have a nice day here in Erie. It is in the mid 60's but windy. Yesterday Silas decided he would jump in a water hole and swim across, and it was only 45 degrees out! He just loves mud and water. He and I are impatiently waiting for Sarah to get home from work so we can go play at the game lands fields. I am amazed daily at how bold he is. He loves to investigate everything round him. He is a really good boy at the house too. Since he has come home, he has not barked at all during the night. I've said it several times before, but Bill Kelley has an excellent line of dogs in his kennel. I can't wait to see how Silas develops as a hunter.

April, 8 2014

 

I took Silas for a run on the game lands along Old Waterford Road this evening. I want to introduce him to as much cover as I can early on. We walked about 2 miles, mostly along an old tram road that runs into a hemlock bottom and clear cut. I kept the check cord on him tonight as he has started to range out ahead pretty well and I want to be able to stop him if need be. He has been doing a nice job with returning on 2 whistle blasts. I also use "here" and two whistles of my own. I want to always have the ability to call him back, even if I loose the red whistle. Young pups are really fun to watch and I can certainly see some real potential in this pup. I take along a rope with a ball to toss for him on occasion. I want to keep his trips fun. I am thinking about applying a little bit of grouse scent to it when I start throwing it in cover. He returns to me most of the time. I'm in no hurry to take it from him as I want him to enjoy it. I believe I will introduce him to a cool pigeon this weekend so he can get the feel of a real bird in his mouth. I will also start with some live birds very soon. I am having a little trouble getting them at this point. Well, things are going well. He is sleeping on a little blanket on the floor as I write this. I hope he is having big dreams of wild birds.