General Update

Hey all been a while hasn't it?

Basically with the arrival of a possible new addition to the pack this fall/winter or next summer/spring I've buckled down and started working on Bo's leash reactivity.

After a lot of debate and research I finally decided to purchase a prong collar for training purposes. Bo tends to lunge and bark when he sees other dogs or freak and run the opposite direction if something frightens him. So there for if I continued using his halti/gentle leader there was a big chance that he could seriously injure his neck in the process of trying to get towards another dog. I of course did not buy the prong on impulse or as a "quick fix" because I understand that it is a tool and to be used correctly with the hopes of eventually not using it a lot of training needs to be used behind it.

We've had the prong for about 3 days now and I've already seen a bit of improvement as far as his reactivity. We've walked to the dog park (a place I've vowed to no longer go to after an incident with Abby) yesterday so my friend could grab some bags for me and also to test his reaction. I came armed with some treats and just walked him passed the fence and had him sit/stay a few feet away from the fence so he could observe while my friend went in to get some bags and came back out. When a golden came up to the fence to greet abby who happened to be by the fence. Bo didn't have much of a reaction other than some whining, but he kept his butt planted. So once that stopped I let him walk up to the fence and greet the other dog. And he was happy beyond belief as far as I could tell. His nub was going, hackles weren't up, ears weren't back and he wasn't showing his normal anxiety towards the other dog. After the dog walked away he was completely fine and relaxed and was happy to continue on our way back home.

We've had plenty of other interactions with other dogs as well including today when we accidentally nearly smacked into this other lady and her dog. We were passing around a fence and had no idea they were there. She was also working on her dog as far as leash training. So guess it was a good experience for both of us because neither of the three dogs reacted towards each other. Abby and Bo were interested, but gladly stepped into the street with me to pass them and we continued on.

So... so far I'm happy with the progress. he's allowed a little poodle thing to charge up to us and sat patiently until the owner came and picked her up/ Which was nice instead of getting my arms pulled off with an 85lbs dog freaking at the end up the leash like usual.

Also I have a video for you all! Bo's first off leash agilityish session!

The Big Scare

Earlier this morning Bo one of the little boys got a hold of some hair get. We have no clue how he got it because it was up on the book shelf so he had to climb to get it. Anyway the boy got it and gave it to Bo while my dad was in the bathroom (my mom and sister were at soccer and I was sleeping) Anyway my dad came out and saw what happened and took the bottle. I didn't find out about it until maybe an hour or so after it had happened parents said to try and get Bo running around I was like why? they told me what happened and now I was just ticked off for multiple reasons I guess mostly because I didn't find out about it until hours later.

So I took him outside and that's when I noticed the hives. God they were all over his body and he couldn't get comfortable. Thank god for this one forum I belong to otherwise I never would have known what to do. Sadly we didn't have any benadryl so I had sent my dad out to get some and gave Bo a few tablets.

Anyway now 5 or so hours later the hives are pretty much gone. He's still acting normal and shows no signs of lethargy or anything. So I'm thinking we're in the clear, but I'm still watching him like a hawk and keeping the phone near by just in case

Camping out in the living room!

My sisters decided they were going to sleep on the air mattress in the living room last night. Bo decided he would join them. Abby on the other hand preferred sleeping with me in my bedroom(spoiled brat!). I came out when they were fitting to go to sleep and snapped a few pictures.

Went for a Swim...

And I totally wasn't expecting it. We took the dogs to the lake like usual and was throwing toys for Abby to retrieve. My dad was holding Bo and my sister and her friend were just watching and minding their own business. After a while I took Bo's leash from my dad and walked down to the water. Oh course I was thinking hey it's Bo he hates water so what the heck.

Next thing I know Abby sprints after the ducks and I wasn't expecting a reaction from Bo, but sure enough he shot off after her and charged into the water. I was standing way to close to the edge of the bank and of course ended up soaked to the bone.

HA! everyone was cracking up over it, but I just sat there like what the hell just happened and here comes Bo trotting up to me like "watcha doin in there?" and started waggin his nub and kidney beaning around m.

I do have some pics and I'll try to have some uploaded laterz if possible

Intro

This blog here is for my dog Bo. I'll try and update as frequently as possible with his training and just life in general. Bo is our 2 year old Fawn boxer boy who came from what I would describe as a BYB(uneducated about breeders at the time). Despite that he is a great dog. He's got an amazing temperament. Loves children and other animals. Bo was raised around young children and therefore loves them to death. Bo and I currently work on back yard agility, obedience, and frisbee. We have yet to compete and maybe in the future we will, but as of now it's just for fun.

He is the second dog in the household and the second dog I have owned. My girl Abby was the one who introduced me to the wonderful life of dog ownership and Bo is the dog who introduced me into the wonderful life of owning boxers. Boxers are truly my heart breed and I will always own one, but I do intend for my next dog to be an Australian Shepherd.

Boxers are all around goof balls and that's what I love best about the breed. They also have great drive and are great with kids. In fact they pretty much are kids themselves personality wise.

Anywho here's a pic of my boy taken around 5ish months of age















Bo with Rohan