4 months... 42 pounds... lots of adventures!

It's true.  Hamlet weighed 42 pounds at 4 months 11 days.  He's huge!! My last dog, Lois, was 45 pounds when she went to advanced training at 14 months.  Hamlet will pass that before he makes it to 5 months.  He already seems big...  I just feel lucky that he's such a sweet, amenable puppy.  He's so easy to handle!

All dogs should have some self control, but it's especially important for a service dog, and even more so for a massive service dog.  That's why we teach him things like the command 'leave it'.  First, we tempt him with something he wants, like kibble.  Then, when he shows that he can resist temptation we reward him with something even better - like cheese!  He prefers sharp cheddar, just like his mama...

Hamlet looks tortured as he resists the temptation of treats on his toes

The Leave it challenge complete!

We've been working with kibble and dog treats for a while, but recently Hamlet has been acing these distractions.  It was time for something bigger... the leave it challenge.  In this challenge, I tell Hamlet to  'leave it', and then I use kibble to spell his name on the ground.  At first, I could only spell Ham.  Then Haml, Hamle, and finally...  Hamlet!  He did it!  And here's the evidence.

Steady Hamlet... you can do it!

Of course, we haven't just been practicing leave it for the last little bit... Hamlet grew so much he needs an EXTRA large crate.  That means I can fit in there too (I being Daisy).  It's cozy!

 Hamlet has also been getting his share of hikes in.  The ticks have been awful, but luckily he's so white that we can see them easily.  His tick repellent makes him smell like a cinnamon roll, but he still hates it.  He loves running outside though!