Bear has been a wonderful addition to our family...we've had our ups and downs with training but all and all my husband and I are very happy to have this little guy as a part of our family.
Bear did give us a little scare at the end of September when he decided to eat some mouse poison. I had to rush him to the emergency vet where they had him throw up so he his stomach wouldn't breakdown and absorb any of the poison. It really didn't even seem to phase Bear at all...he was back to his mischievous ways within hours of being home.
We've been training Bear to have some self control when around Max and we are teaching him it is NOT ok to chase Max around the house or eat his food. Bear is doing much better than he was when we first brought him home.
Bear got fully vaccinated at 16 weeks which was near the end of October. Once he was vaccinated we started taking him everywhere to get him used to different environments ,people, animals, ect.
Bear has been to several different pet stores which he loves because we always run into people who gush over him and give him treats. He have also meet other dogs and animals at the pet store...Bear always loves saying hello to everyone. Bear has been for a few trail walks which again be loves because we run into wild life and other people...who again always stop to pet and gush over him.
But Bear's favorite outing is probably to the dog park. We starting taking Bear to the dog park when he turned 4 months old -he LOVES it there. I know that taking your dog to the dog park can be a little controversial...I will admit my first dog was repeatedly attacked by dogs as early as 6 months at the dog park by aggressive dogs which made her have behavior issues for the rest of her life.
However, I found a park that is an extension of our local Humane Society. You must be a member in order to bring your dog to the park and it is advertised as being a fun and safe way to socialize your dog. The whole park is fenced in so we can let Bear off the leash (even though we don't trust his recall 100% there is no way for him to run away). They have a zero tolerance for aggressive dogs so you know when you go there that all the dogs in the park are friendly and they aren't going attack your dog.
Honestly it is a great place for Bear not only to go and have fun and socialize with other dogs but I also like to train while we are at the park. There are a ton of distractions so it's great to test how well your dog actually listens to you. We practice loose leash walking, recall, leave it and stay.
Bear officially turned 5 months old on November 26th - it's amazing how much this little guy has grown! When we got him at 8 weeks he was about 8lbs....at 5 months he is now 37lbs! We have no idea how big he's going to be when he's full grown but we have loved to watch him grow.
I hope you've enjoyed our adorable puppy pictures - follow me on Snapchat [mspamblam] if you want to see more of my day with Max&Bear.