Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

 Christmas this year was such a great event.  We went down to St. George the day after Christmas and really enjoyed being together playing games, going on hikes, bike rides and pickleball.  The dogs loved being in the back with the birds, and the large area to run, climb and play.

I had to sleep with the dogs in the craft room near the entry,
since it was on tile, and not on carpet.

Bear looking for a handout near the pool.

Jack got a little wild on the walk running off.  

What wonderful weather.

Spending New Year's Eve with the sleepy jack.

I broke down and bought a shock collar on Amazon.  During our trip to St. George Jack ran off so far in the field I couldn't see him.  I whistled and yelled for him, but with all the bush, he could see me.  So I got a collar which provides a beep, vibration, and finally a shock which can be controlled by remote control.  I've taken it on a few walks since then and he responds so well I don't really have to use it.  He usually knows the threshold of distance I'm willing for him to take and he'll typically stop and come back within that range.  I also got a training harness for Jack so he doesn't pull on the leash.  It tightens up around his chest as he applies pressure to the leash.  It isn't a sure solution, but helps more than without it. The choke collar wasn't really making a difference for him. But the harness is a big improvement.

Bear is only 8 pounds away from matching Jack as far as weight.  I can tell he is really just taking off on growth.  I think Bear may be allergic to something.  Sometimes he'll itch his feet and sometimes whine as he's scratching himself.  We need to see if we can figure that out.  He gets his second set of shots this coming Thursday.  

	Jack (12/6/2019)	Bear (9/18/2020)
Weight	45 pounds	38 pounds
Neck circumference	17.5 inches	16 inches
Chest circumference	26.75 inches	23.5 inches
Body (Neck to tail base)	27 inches	24 inches
Age in weeks	56 weeks	15 weeks