[Stevenzachsmom]

Thanks Jean. I had a beagle growing up too. Got him when I was 4. Had him until I was 21. He had issues - poor neurotic dog. Not the brightest crayon in the box, but we loved him.

I've had the hound, Northern breed and GSD. I was expecting, almost hoping Boh wouldn't be so smart. It is almost like having a GSD. I have to keep him mentally and physically challenged all the time. The main difference is in the desire to please. I do laugh at Boh. Ya can't not laugh at him. He is very funny.

Honestly, the nose is the only hound thing about him. He doesn't bay or howl. He doesn't have a high prey drive. He sits quietly at the kitchen door and watches the birds and squirrels. He has met our two pet rabbits. He is interested, but not obsessively so. He greets them and walks away.

Every day, I start with "Mind Games". We have a training session after breakfast and one after dinner. He knows, sit, down, stay, come, wait, leave it, drop it. His tricks are rolling over, standing on his hind legs and dancing and the combat crawl. We only made two pieces of agility equipment, but he does those, every time we go out in the yard. We are also working on getting into the car, without getting sick. He used to drool as soon as he got near the car. We have progressed to him willingly climbing into the car, listening to the radio, starting the car and moving the car forward and backward. No drooling. Our next step will be to drive around the block.

I have never done clicker training before, but I intend to. I need to move away from the treats. I think Boh would love nosework and I would like to try that. I know what Boh likes. He likes to climb, run, track and eat. I pet sat a shepherd and hoped that Boh would learn a thing or two - like how to catch a ball. Shepherd catches ball. Watch Boh. Catch! Ball bounces off of Boh's head. Definitely not his thing.

Boh is probably the most destructive puppy I have ever seen. Much worse than the shepherd. If a toy has even a small bit of stuffing in it - he pulls it all out. He chews off their faces and appendages. He proceeds to rip any surviving fabric to shreds. His tennis balls are naked. Needless to say, he gets no toys unattended. I buy him good quality toys - Kong toys. They are no match for him.

Sadly, I do not live close to Pat. I have enrolled Boh in a class that starts in two weeks. I have never used them before, so hope we like it. At least I know enough to not let anything transpire that isn't fun for Boh.

Thank you for the kind words. We think he is adorable too.