July 2020. One year ago we drove to North Carolina to pick up Zooka. On our way there, we did not know which puppy we would be bringing home and we did not have a name chosen. One year later, we are very happy with our choice.

This month we had more visiting dogs with a few people needing to travel, so Zooka was happy to have some buddies here for a few days at a time to play with him. He especially loves the dogs who also love the kiddie pool so they can race around the back yard, cool off in the pool and get back at playing. Some were returning guests, some were new. Zooka is thrilled about both.

We had more outings this month as well. As much as we love hiking in the mountains, we normally do not get a lot of time to do so since we are so busy with boarding dogs and training clients. With fewer boarders this summer than usual, it has afforded us more opportunities to take off a day here and there to head for the mountains and go hiking.

Zooka loves hiking in the mountains. The smells are fascinating to him. He is less impressed with the views. His favorite thing though is when we encounter a chipmunk or a squirrel. Those are his favorites!

If we are on trails that are not too busy (which is always what we aim for and one of the reasons why we never hike on the weekends) we often use our long line (20 feet or 30 feet). If we are on trails with more people, we opt for the ten foot line. Zooka gets a bit excited sometimes but generally does well.

Unless we see chipmunks or squirrels. The leash manners tend to go out the window temporarily when the rodents show up. The excitement is just too much for him to use the self control he needs on leash. We will get there eventually, but for now, he struggles.

Zooka continues with group classes. Ed brings Zooka to my Polite Pooches in Public Class and has also started our Intermediate Class at our farm. Other dogs are always a big distraction for him so group classes are a necessity while he learns to focus even with other dogs around. The heat is also a distraction of sorts, as it is for many dogs. The hotter they get, the harder it is to pay attention and work when asked. He still needs to learn to listen no matter what, but we try to keep things a little lower key when it's too warm.

Zooka is also learning how to be my demo dog. We have done this a few times this spring/summer. For now, he demonstrates with me at the first Basic Training Class when people come without their dogs. He loves to meet everyone and has been mostly very polite. If you recall, he was doing some demos for me this spring when classes were online for a bit as well when we were indoors and no one else was physically there. Now he is demo'ing when people are there but no other dogs.

We continue with our twice daily walks and our daily training as well. He has demonstrated the ability to control his impulses around deer a few times without chasing. That's huge progress! (Does not happen every time, but the fact it happens SOME of the time is a clear sign he is capable of making good decisions in highly distracting situations.) His leash manners are pretty good but we still have work to do.

We have been getting in some other outings as well, such as to local parks. Working more around other people, other dogs, kids, bikes, etc. are all good practice.

Our training continues with all the basics, his Heel work, his tricks and other “trick” type things that have practical purposes. One of these days I will make a complete list of everything we have worked on so far. Some things he is fluent with, some things he is doing well with but I would not consider them fluent yet. That's more my fault than his.

Over all, things are going well. He is about where I would expect for 15 months of age. Never as far along as I want, but nothing to complain about at this age. In another year or two, he will be an amazing guy. We see glimpses of how good he can be now. We just need to get it all more consistent and reliable.

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