10 Months Old

Hobart turned 10 months old on Tuesday! He's growing up so fast! This month I'm sick of saying things that always are just reworded versions of the last months "month for month" post. So I'm going to briefly give 10 things that Hobart needs to improve on!

1. long stay commands... Hobart prefers to be free... but if he's at my feet then he won't budge.
2. less excitement when coming... Hobart loves to come bounding up when called to me... not always a good thing! 
3. elevators... Hobart recently decided that he's not a fan.
4. jump.... Hobart isn't thrilled to have to jump onto things... but he's getting better.
5. side... Hobart isn't great about switching to the "side" command.
6. calmer off leash greetings
7. better unders... he's good, but not perfect.
8. posing for pictures... it's pretty dumb, but amusing. When a camera comes out... his head goes down!
9. leash perfection... never pulling or getting tangled up.
10. I can't think of a tenth one.... he's too good!

~Elijah & Hobart II

9 for 9

OOOOps! Forgot that it was Hobart's 9 month day on Saturday, because it was also my little brother's birthday!!!

1. Hobart is awesome! He has something about him that you can't help but love him
2. Hobart is so smart! He picks up on commands quickly, though he doesn't always choose to maintain his speed on commands after he has learned them. He is still quite brilliant!
3. Hobart is handsome! you can't help but love his face! He is so cute for being 9 months old!
4. Hobart is comforting! He is always there by your side when you're upset or in need of a friend! He'll lean up and against you and wag his tail when you look at him, which is so cute!
5. Hobart is good in public! He is! Every time he goes out, he continues to show me how mature he is!
6. Hobart is energetic! Sometimes that's bad and sometimes it's good! He can get out of control and begin zooming around the house or yard, or he can just be springy and ready to go! 
7. Hobart is quirky! That's negative and positive. He loves anything of comfort (a sleeping bag, a blanket, a bed, or a rug). He also likes to test how much he can get away with, without being corrected out right! 
8. Hobart is such a fun puppy! I get frustrated with Hobart at least once a day, since he's slightly pushy and a little bit troublesome from time to time, but he's still such an amazing pup. He has lots of personality and makes my life interesting!
9. Hobart is AMAZING! That's kind of cliche and doesn't necessarily mean much ,but it does to me! He's so outgoing and loves life! I'm not sure that I'd like to be raising any other puppy!

sleepy pup :D

 ~Elijah & Hobart II

8 for 8 (another month gone by)

Hobart is 8 months old! Is that really true? YES! A few days ago I officially picked up Hobart six months ago!!!!!!

1. Hobart is handsome! I know that doesn't improve his chances of being a service dog, but he's certainly quite good looking. Everyone wants to pet him!!!

2. Hobart is good in public! Two weeks ago we went to a debate tournament and was out in public for like 40 hours straight. That was a lot for me and him! I was very proud of him for being so good.

3.Hobart is quite intelligent. He has a good brain and he tends to use it! Though, he's not always keen on using his commands, he does learn them very fast!

4. Hobart is a great companion. He's a good comforter and friend. He doesn't need to talk he just sits next to you and puts his head up against you and tries to understand. I'm not really even joking! He makes dog emotions very clear.

5. Hobart is friendly. Dembre was a one person dog overall. He got sick of having hundreds of people asking to pet him. Dembre never gets sick of attention. He's always wags his tail and gives his happy look when people constantly invade his personal space.

6. Hobart is playful. Playing, is his favorite. He can go from serious and perfect to complete clown and goof ball. I can't really get upset about that, because at 8 months old he still isn't an adult and he has his puppy craze moments. It's actually kind of funny!

7. Hobart is another reason to keep on raising for CCI. When I got Hobart I loved him and then he got to the age of about three months and kind of started to get on my nerve (mainly because of his puppy phases). We had our struggles and it took me three more months to get a grip on the idea of Hobart's personality. Now that I have realized how I can work with him I'm happy to say that we get along great and I think he's an amazing dog!

 8. Hobart makes so many memories. The look on his face when we go running; the play bow and wagging tail when I have his Wubba; playing with Pepin in his free time; and so many other adventures. He keeps me busy, but also keeps me sane!

This day seems so far away

and this day came so soon

~Elijah & Hobart II

6 for 6

It's Christmas Eve and it's also Hobart's 6 month day. I  seriously can't believe that I've had him for more than four months. This is where I pretty much start taking him everywhere with me, which I'm really looking forward to :D

1. Hobart is such a smart dog! I'm not kidding when I say that. He may be a little stubborn, but he's definitely a super smart cookie.
2. Confidence comes naturally for Hobart! Sometimes that's bad and sometimes it's good. He does well out in public, because he's not scared.
3. Hobart is also sensitive. Now sometimes at home he gets wound up and goes a little crazy, but he's pretty good at being calm when I want him to be calm and playful when it's time to play.
4. I love Hobart's personality!!! There are moments where I wish he had a little less personality, but I also really love his personality,too. Sometimes he's serious, and others he's goofy. Sometimes he's independent and sometimes he's right there with you. 
5. Hobart enjoys life! He does. Every once in a while he could be a little bit more serious, but he's just happy and affectionate, which is a great service dog trait!
6. Finally, I am enjoying raising Hobart, a lot! There have been some obvious ups and downs and sometimes he's not the easiest dog to work with, but most of the time he's a wonderful blessing in my life. I'm really excited about taking him out in public full swing!!!! It's been weird these last four months not having random people stop and talk to me, because of the dog who's with me. I'm VERY excited!!!

 Merry Christmas!!!!!
 ~Elijah & Hobart II

Hobart's 5 for 5 (what I'm THANKFUL for)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! We hope you enjoy your thanksgiving plans. It just happens to that Hobart is 5 months old today!!!! He's allowed to go out in public!!! That's scary, because he's NOT very mature, but today's Thanksgiving so I'm going to say 5 things about Hobart that I'm thankful for.

1. I'm thankful that Hobart is intelligent and can learn quickly when he wants to. 
2. I'm thankful that I have been blessed with the opportunity to raise another puppy (even though it doesn't always sound like it.
3. I'm thankful that Hobart is getting better in the crate and walks nicely on a leash.
4. I'm thankful that he finally will do a "Down stay"
5. And finally, I'm thankful that Hobart has a sweet personality and really wants to be good even if he's difficult sometimes.

this picture's awful, but I thought I'd run out and take some pics this morning

why does he have to shut down for pics?

decent

Have a great Thanksgiving
~Elijah & Hobart II

Four for Four

Hobart turned 4 months old yesterday, but I didn't realize that and so I didn't do a post. I am amazed that he's already four months old. We went to the vet for his shots and the vet commented on how many teeth he's lost and how huge he is for four months. 33 pounds!!!

1. Hobart is a truly wonderful dog to raise. He is affectionate, but also has a good sense of independence. So far he has been pretty easy.
2. He is Hobart the 2nd and my 2nd puppy!
3. He has done great on house breaking (so far) and has gotten so much better in the crate
4. Amazingly, Hobart has learned "down" after all of his struggles and has also gotten the grasp on "stand"

Dembre around 4 months old

Hobart II around 4 months old

   Elijah & Hobart II

2 for 2

Today, Hobart is 2 months old. I go from saying 16 things I love about a dog back to two things I like about the dog. :)

1. Hobart is adorable, but he's also respectful. He's wrinkly and chubby, and he's learning very quickly! I couldn't want more!
2. Hobart is also calm. A big difference from Dembre. He mouths a little bit, but he doesn't go crazy when he sees a person, he just wags his little tail :)

 ~Elijah & Hobart II

16 for 16 (Dembre's final month for month post)

Dembre is 16 months old!!!!!!! Can you believe it? I've had him for 14 months! I only have 12 days until turn-in. And I have 15 more days until a new puppy.

This month I want to do something a little different. I want to take sixteen pictures from our last year together and put them with a caption :)

#1- Cute as a button on day one (may 28th 2010)

#2- Time to work. The meaning of work has been a big part of our journey!

#3- I can fly!!!!!!! Oh the memories! I'm gonna miss my little boy.

#5- Friends... my beloved pet dog and Dembre hanging out

#6- Growth spurt and all of the sudden he's going out in public

#7 playing in the leaves. Dembre loves the fall :)

#8- Picture perfect. After hundreds of pictures one that captures the real Dembre

#9- going on a hike :)

#10- over the last 14 months we've learned to work together really nicely as a team

#11- Volunteering our time for CCI

#12- Christmas!!!!

#13- the future of a PIT is bright and exciting.

#14- training in the rain

#15- spring comes again

#16- bright eyed and ready for the future!!!!!!!

~Elijah & Dembre

15 for 15

Dembre turned 15 months old on the 1st! This is the first month for month post that is late!!!! Today I present 15 thoughts I have about Dembre and puppy raising.

1. I only have a little more than I month left with Dembre!!!!! I'm excited, surprised, and a little nervous. I am soon to be a second time puppy raiser! And I'll be seeing my favorite black lab in the world. 
2. I love Dembre so very much, but I'm about ready to turn him in.
3. I have officially been raising Dembre for 13 + months
4. I recently sent in my slideshow pictures to CCI and I was like, "Oh my goodness, the time is coming..... SOON" 
5. On the 2nd I turned in Dembre's final progress report :D I'm not sad about that one
6. Dembre is AWESOME and I really hope he does REALLY well in AT!
7. I have gone into crunch time training and feel like I haven't done a great job, but as an afterthought I've spent 13 months training him and so I shouldn't freak out
8. I'm not quite sure Dembre's perfec ;P
9. Actually I KNOW that Dembre's not perfect
10. I LOVE that dog. He can be annoying at times, but he's really quite a good pup
11. I love how Dembre is great in public and allows anyone to pet him :)
12. Though I look forward to getting a new puppy, I really will miss Dembre
13. Dembre means peace-loving and I think the name fits him perfectly
14. If I could choose to go back to May 28th 2010 and choose a different puppy I would not.
15. 15 Months!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

~Elijah & Dembre

Dembre's 14 for 14

I am still looking for suggestions! I always try to give people time to comment on posts, but I don't want to miss Dembre's 14 months birthday! If you have any suggestions for ways "Miraculous Journey" can improve you can comment on this post or on my last post!

1. Dembre is AMAZING! That probably sounds a little over the top, but to me it's true! He's such a good puppy and I love him!
2. I had a hard time leash training my Golden Retriever, Pepin. She was the first puppy that I ever had in the house and I was 9 when I got her. She remains my beloved pet to this day! I fostered many dogs since then, but I still regret not having a dog who loves to heal! Dembre gave me an opportunity to have a dog trotting by my side, not pulling ahead or lagging behind! That's a good trait in a PIT!
3. Dembre has fans! Places we visit often (like the library) always have employees asking how Dembre is doing and when he goes back for AT! I'm not surprised. Number one it's not common to see a dog out in public places. Number two Dembre loves everyone and therefore people love him.
4. I take Dembre out in public and he always impresses me! I've had a couple of embarrassing moments along the way, but most of the time Dembre is better than I thought he would be. He walks on a loose leash, and listens quickly!
5. I love to watch Dembre play. He is extremely cute. He wiggles like a fish and and then takes a handsome bow and then does it again. Eventually he'll roll over on his back and kick his feet up in the air and then suddenly flip back over and if there's another dog they'll be rolling around batting each other with their paws.
6. Talking comes easily for me and Dembre gives me something to talk about. Dog in public= questions/excitement. I get questions like these. "Why is he wearing that thing on his nose?", "What's his name?" "Is it going to be a guide dog?" and comments like "I could never do that!", "You're doing such a good thing.", "I should do that!" All of those questions need an answer and so that's what I give!
7. Yesterday I was doing a training session and Dembre responded to every command until we got to "stand" then he got confused. He tried a "down" and a "sit", but I had to show him what to do! I'm so happy that he's come to the point where he can do more than 20 commands.
8. Now I've started to leave Dembre alone out of the crate for up to an hour! He's really good! So far I've only left him inside alone while we work outside, but soon I'll actually leave him! That's a big accomplishment.
9. Dembre must be cute, because he's been offered food twice in public in the last month. I was at Friendly's with some friends on Mother's Day when the waiter asked if Dembre could have some soft serve vanilla ice cream. I hadn't seen that coming. I had to explain that he isn't allowed to eat people food. "Not even on Mother's Day?" the waiter asked. I had to say no again. Then a couple of days ago I was getting tea at Tim Horton's when the server asked if Dembre could have a plain timbit. Once again I had to explain CCI rules.
10. As turn-in draws near Dembre has some things that he has to touch up on. It's a big job preparing a puppy for advanced training. Dembre needs work on "out" and "stand" he needs a little work on long down stays as well. I have a few things that I want to do with him before he's gone, including a 3 day conference. When he turns-in I want a puppy that listens well and has a good chance of graduating.
11. By this point you might not be reading anymore, because this is a really long post, but Dembre's ability to remain calm in the face of distractions impresses me!
12. Dembre loves attention. In public he usually shuts down for the many little girls that want to pet him. He lets them pet him, but isn't really paying any attention. His problem is the people he knows. When he sees certain people he goes wild! I need to work on that! A LOT!!!
13. Dembre makes me proud. I have trained hard and have put a lot of time into his training. According to our program manager preparing the puppy for advanced training is the goal, not preparing them for graduation. That's pretty much saying that you give the puppy you raise your best shot and hope that they do well in AT. The trainers get them to the graduating point (even though puppy raisers do the majority of the work) 
14. 14 months! Really! That means I only have a little more than 2 1/2 months with Dembre. It's time to make some more memories and work hard to prepare for the next step of Dembre's Miraculous Journey!

~Elijah & Dembre

13 things for 13 months

Dembre is turning 13 months tomorrow. Can you believe it? He's grown up so fast and I still don't know where the time has gone. Soon we are going on vacation and after we get back I'll only have about 3 months left with him. It hurts to think that in August Dembre leaves and then there will be about 6 months of waiting to find out if he's going to become a service dog. If he passes every test and learns every command then comes graduation :D In the midst of turn-in and training there will be another puppy in my home and another chance at handing over an amazing dog to an amazing man, woman, or child with a disability.

you've got to admit that he's a handsome boy :D

1. Dembre is so grown up. We went shopping this morning and he trotted along like a perfect dog. He got a little nervous once, but I am so proud to see him progressing
2. I only have 2 more commands that need to be fully installed in his mind. He isn't very good at stand so I need to really work on that. And I just introduced "Out", which tells Dembre to go out of a door. It feels weird. He knows way more than he doesn't know
3. No matter how I try to not admit it. I only have 3 more months with my wonderful puppy. During the next 3 months we have a lot of work to do. Places to visit; sights to see, commands to work on, all this to make a well rounded dog.
4. Dembre has learned to communicate very well. He listens well. He reads me like a book.
5. We have been enjoying a lot of time outside in the nice Spring weather.  It has been really fun taking him out on long line
6. Dembre loves playing with Pepin (pet dog). They get along great. He also likes the baby goats.
7. I think that with his personality Dembre has a good chance of passing, but a lot of puppy raisers think that their puppies will make it and they don't. I know that there's a large chance that he won't pass, but I hope he does
8. Even though he is over a year old Dembre still likes to be goofy when he's not in public or sleeping or in a training session. I hope that doesn't get him released.
9. I think that Dembre will be ready to turn-in in August. He needs me right now, but by the time August comes around he'll be ready for AT.
10. In public Dembre is still impressive. My PR friends and I have noticed that he gets a little nervous and stressed in public sometimes, but he still responds to commands quickly and doesn't try to avoid things directly.
11. When we first got Dembre my mom thought that he was calm. That is partially true. He is not usually a goof ball, but he can be. 
12. Dembre loves his life. He doesn't let much of anything get him down. I love that about him.
13. Now that Dembre is 13 months I expect a lot of him, but he still is given room for fun and games. He spends a lot of his life in a "down" and doesn't always no what to do with himself when he's not in a command. He's come a long way from when he was a little puppy, but I still have work cut out for me :D

~Elijah & Dembre

Dembre's First Birthday!!!! (long post)

 Dembre's one year old today! Yes, it's really true! He's 12 months old! To suit this special occasion I'll tell twelve things that I love about Dembre and I'll share photos from our past ten months together!

12 things

• Dembre is the most AMAZING dog! (with an exception of my beloved Golden Retriever, Pepin.) He's great in public and he's great at home (for the most part). I had seen my friend raise puppies and thought that she did a great job, but that if I raised a dog that my puppy would never turn out that well. It's partially true and partially false. I haven't done the best job, but Dembre has turned out well :D
• I never cease to be amazed at how much Dembre cares about me. He always wants to be with me. He's had a hard time with a down stay, because he wants to be with me. He's become more attached than I have :)
• Dembre usually listens without being corrected and for that I'm thankful
• Dembre makes a great companion. As I mentioned he likes to be with people so he is always good with people
• I never thought I'd find a dog who was perfect in the crate. Yes, almost literally perfect. Unless, he needs to go to the bathroom Dembre is great in the crate. I couldn't hope for more
• The first thing that Dembre does when he is placed in a stressful situation is look to me for direction
• Dembre can be really calm and really excited, but he's usually a balance of the  two.
• No matter what I do Dembre will always be a dog with a good personality
• Dembre loves to come energetically!
• Since I got him Dembre has always been good on leash
• When I teach Dembre commands he learns quickly and listens carefully

• I'll say it a million times, but I just really love Dembre

Dembre--8 wks

Dembre 10 weeks

Dembre 13 weeks

Dembre 4 months

Dembre 4 months

Dembre 5 months

Dembre 5 months

Dembre 5 1/2 months

Dembre 6 months

Dembre 7 months

Dembre 8 months

Dembre 8 months

Dembre 8 months

Dembre 9 months

Dembre 10 months

Dembre 10 months

Dembre 10 months

Dembre 11 months

Dembre 11 1/2  months

Dembre 1 year old!!!!!!

 I love that puppy!

~Elijah & Dembre