Louie's First Draft Lesson

Since I turned 19 months old recently and since the weather was decent today, I was finally able to talk Mama into giving me my first draft lesson. I have to admit I didn't really know what a "draft" was... I thought it was like a little breeze or something. But, I remembered that Katie always gets really excited whenever she gets to go drafting, so I wanted to try it out.

First Mama put this harness on me which was pretty much the same as my car seatbelt, so I didn't mind it a bit. Then she told me to "Stand" and "Stay"...piece of cake for a pro like me. Then she started hooking me up to this wagon thing. I didn't care because I was focused on my Stand Stay. Then she told me "Forward" and offered me a salmon treat - Yum! I started walking forward and it felt weird because something was dragging behind me. It made me walk kind of funny for the first minute or so, but I stayed calm because that's just the way I am... call me Mr. Stability. Mama said she was so proud of me and she complimented me the whole time on what a good job I was doing.

Here I am patiently waiting for Mama to unhook the cart.

When can we go again Mom?

Dumpster Diving

Katie and Louie have been finding a lot of interesting things on our walks lately, but a few days ago they really hit the jackpot. Someone put a trash bag full of perfectly good clean stuffies by the curb for trash collection. We picked out a few and brought them home. Louie is especially enamored of these new toys.

Rally-O Practice

After taking a break from rally training we are getting back on track in preparation for our upcoming competition in Hot Springs, Arkansas at the end of September. It will be Louie's first time off lead in the ring as he works toward his Rally Advanced title. Katie already has 2 Rally Advanced legs. I told her if she gets one more leg in Hot Springs she can retire from the rally ring at the ripe old age of not quite 3 years old. Katie obviously enjoys practicing rally, but she gets tense in the ring. She will be focusing instead on her draft and therapy work. Louie, on the other hand, is phased by nothing and seems to enjoy competing. He will continue to do rally, therapy work, conformation and will hopefully start working toward his CD next spring. I will also give him an introduction to drafting as soon as the weather is cool enough.

Katie

Louie

"Speak!" Therapy

Therapy Dogs Come in All Sizes: Bonnie the Yorkie & Katie the Newfie

Last Saturday Katie and I visited the kids at Easter Seals.One teenage boy who is both mentally and physically challenged has always maneuvered his wheelchair into a corner to hide when the dogs come to visit.In the past when we have attempted to talk to him he has always turned his chair away from us.During this visit he was, as usual, way across the room by himself when Katie and I were showing a little girl some of Katie's tricks.When I asked Katie to "speak" everyone in the room jumped at the sonorous Newf bark that came out of her cavernous mouth. Across the room a shriek, which was quickly followed by a chuckle, came from the shy teenage boy. I asked Katie to speak again and this time the boy started openly laughing. I walked across the room towards him and asked if he wanted Katie to speak again. Even though his head was completely down I could see his slight nod, so I asked Katie to speak a few more times. Each time she barked he would laugh. At one point he reached his hand out like he was going to pet Katie, but then decided against it. His teacher said this was big step for him. We are hoping that Katie can bring him a little further out of his shell with each visit. Maybe next time he will be able to feel the soft fur on our extremely loud Newf.

A little girl laughs as she dodges kisses from Katie

Remy the Amazing Newf Puppy

Remember Remy, our favorite baby Newfie? Well, he is busy growing up with his Mom and Dad in California. He's not quite 4 months old and he already weighs over 50 pounds. Remy's going to be a big boy; good thing he is a total sweetheart. 

Wilbon's Ultimate Gift ~~~~ Remy


Besides being outrageously cute, Remy is also brillantly clever. Have you ever heard of a puppy that never had a single potty accident inside? Remy NEVER did. Can you imagine?!?! Not one single accident. Of course this was partially due to his Mama, Maija's vigilence in taking him outside often and giving him lots of positive reinforcement. The other part of the equation is that Remy is a genius. On his second or third night with his new parents he started letting them know when he needed to go out by gently waking Maija in the middle of the night and then going to sit by the door. Remy is an easy going boy who sits patiently during daily grooming sessions and was completely crate trained by 10 weeks old.

Remy is loving life with his Mama, Daddy and Auntie. We miss everyone so much, but are comforted by all of the pictures that Maija sends to us. Remy is a very special Newf puppy and we are happy to know that Louie's little brother has a wonderful, loving home.

Enjoying the End of Summer

Summertime in Arkansas is usually not a pleasant time for a Newf, but this summer has been milder than most. We have actually been able to spend a little bit of time playing outside.

Here's a glimpse into some of the fun we have been having lately.


We hope you all are staying cool and having fun...xoxo Louie & Katie

Fun Match

This weekend Gary showed Louie in an AKC fun match in Little Rock.

Here's a picture of the ribbons Louie won.

Louie tries to stay cool while waiting for his turn in the ring.

Louie, Gary and Katie