Magnificent Manu
Manu has been doing well on evening walks, we walk around on loose leash and allow him to get his nostrils all full of the different smells. After he has expelled some of that nose energy we start on 'heel' and work on keeping his head up and his shoulder by my leg. It's a work in progress. We walked by the pond for the nose fulfillment (there are ducks there). Then a brief walk around our immediate neighborhood. We live on a mountain and flat places are far and few in between - anything on an incline/decline is very difficult for me to navigate without the assistance of my Service Dog. So walking with Manu is very limited.
On special occasions we will travel to our nearest state park for a level walking surface. It is very taxing on my energy level, thus the 'special' occasion.
Manu is 100% puppy, growing his mind and body. He is enthusiastic about all the things his amazing nose finds, the stories of the scents he has yet to learn. All of the scents we have no clue about - the dog, well his nose was born to read that scene and some dogs were specifically bred to strengthen that natural instinct. The Labrador Retriever is one such breed. So there is absolutely no reason in the world to try to train him anything until he has had a chance to explore what his nose alerts on. After 30 minutes or so we can begin a 20 minute exercise and training session. We are doing this in the evenings but will be moving this to mid day as the temps drop down below my comfort level. We are working on commands and behavior constantly so 30 minutes a day on nose exercise and 20 minutes of leash work will have to do for now.
Manu is a very high energy pup who loves the outdoors, it would be cruel to keep him inside all day long. Even in bad weather he loves his outdoor time and doesn't seem phased by rain or sleet. Haven't noticed any storm related anxiety, which makes me think he would be good for Search and Rescue work.
At this point in his life he can go in many different directions. Search and Rescue, Service Dog, Therapy Dog. The possibilities are there, all he needs is the correct guidance.
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