The time has come. Jake learned his first "big boy" trick at three and a half months old. He has mastered balancing treats on his nose and catching them, only AFTER Cliff tells him to. Of course, he misses a few times here and there, and sometimes the treats fall off on their own, but he knows not to eat them if they do fall (such discipline!). Jake has been known to keep the treats on his nose for long periods of time. No, I do not mean ten seconds...I'm talking more like one to two minutes! I have missed some of the most fascinating moments on film...like the time Cliff walked around the house, or the time he went to the restroom and came back to Jake STILL balancing his treat! I have never seen a puppy so willing to please his owner. (I guess he has figured out that the frequent trips to Petco and PetSmart will continue as long as he is doing what we ask of him - so spoiled.)
Jake can also retrieve things in the water, dive off the dock/side of the pool, sit, stay, lay down, shake, and he understands "go to your kennel." Our most recent tasks are to keep him from chewing up his beds/blankets and teach him to come when he hears his name. He is fine in the house and in the backyard where nothing has him side-tracked, but after seeing how disobedient he was while chasing the neighbor's cat across two yards, we have decided it is time for him to understand when he hears his name, he better come running!
Besides learning new tricks and going to the store for new toys, Jake also loves watching television. Whether it's sports, the news, computer screen savers, or just YouTube videos of other dogs, he concentrates so hard on whatever he is watching. I personally believe this will help him learn new tricks...the "watch and learn" theory of dog training! (yes, of course I made that up, but I think I'm on to something)
Maturity/growth update: at four months old, Jake now weighs 42 pounds and is completely house broken...but he still wakes Cliff up at 5am to go outside :)
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