And They Say Hounds Don't Fetch...

We weren't positive we'd ever be able to take Henry off a leash, nevermind get him to fetch.  He never ceases to amaze...

Henry Can Fetch!

Since it's been a while since I've blogged, I'll fill everyone in on a few different updates.

A couple of weeks ago, Henry and I spent the weekend at my Aunt and Uncle's house in NH.  He got some quality time with their black lab, Mace, while I spent a couple of days fishing off the coast.  Mace and Henry have always gotten along great, so they had some fun hiking together on the local trails and bumming around the house.  He's really been much more calm around other dogs lately.  He hardly ever barks when they approach.  That includes the time that two pit bulls off leash ran up to him on the trail while we were running.  The only problem now is that he usually starts howling after they've checked each other out.  He's definitely improving though!

I've also started to take him off the leash to go out back to the bathroom now.  He really enjoys the freedom a lot and it makes a huge difference in his enthusiasm when we play.  Earlier in the summer I would have been really nervous about this but over the past few months I've gotten a good sense of reading his body language and general interest level.  If I can see he's starting to get more interested in a dog barking down the street than playing with me, I'll get him excited to get back inside for a treat.  He also seems genuinely interested in staying with me now.  He never lets me out of his sight inside or outside and my biggest problem when we worked on recall was that he wouldn't let me leave him alone.

Since I've been able to take him off his leash, we've been able to play some new games. He's actually playing some crazy form of fetch at this point.  When I throw him the ball, he'll chase it down and swat his paws at it until he can get it under control.  Then he just sprints around in big loops pretending that he's keeping it away from me.  When he gets tired he'll flip over on his back and wait for me to come take it away.  Like I said, definitely not normal fetch but I'll take it!  Plus, hound fetch is more fun.  I'll try to get a video of it at some point.

Happy Trails,

Chris and Henry 

Updates from afar

Because Chris hasn't been blogging lately about my puppy (Shame on him) I decided to update his blog for him based off of what Chris has been telling me the past month.
So *ehem* updates on Sir Henry the Hound.

Henry went through a wee bit of a bratty teenager stage a few weeks ago and decided to start chewing on things. Things such as handwarmers, the couch, the carpet, etc etc etc. He has since grown out of this little phase (thank goodness). We're still not sure why he regressed in his whole 'domestication' process but with some steering in the right direction he's back to his good 'ol boy self. He's still a little mischievous stinker sometimes so we have to keep an eye on him.
He also has been going through a bad bout with ear infection - poor baby! Chris noticed a few weeks ago whenever he barked he would shake it head and he would shy away when Chris tried to touch his ear. So he took him to the vet and we got antibiotics for 2 weeks that didn't work, so we took him to the vet again and got new anti-biotics and hopefully these will do the trick. Apparently he's been looking better so hopefully it keeps up! I can't stand knowing that he isn't feeling well.
Chris and Henry still run practically every day and Chris has been teaching Henry to run next to the mountain bike, which he apparently loves. When Chris took Henry to the vet they weighed him and now he's up to a very healthy, muscular 50 pounds. His ribs and chest bones don't show anymore and apparently he's quite the muscle head now from all the running. Just as long as he doesn't get chunky!
Henry's latest thing has been throwing up in the car when Chris takes him for rides - which could be potentially problematic for their cross-country road trip they have to take in 3 weeks. The problem is Henry gets really worked up when we go any speed below 40 mph so I think he whines himself into a fit and barfs. We'll be working on keeping him relaxed....I think for the big trip Chris is going to put the crate in the car so that'll help. Hopefully Henry will just sleep the whole way!

My birthday was yesterday and I got a card in the mail of Henry with a bow on his head. My poor abused puppy....we take so much advantage of his cute face. Can't help it!

In the past few weeks Henry has also mastered sit, stay, lay down, roll over, play dead, and come. He's been getting really good at being off the leash in the yard and when people are sitting out on the porch he stays right next to it. Chris has been working really hard with recall - which Henry is slowly getting the hang of. Last week the family was out on the porch and another dog, Macy, saw something and went after it. Henry went to go too and Chris called him back, and Henry came back! When Chris told me that I was so proud. We're so blessed to have such a smart little guy.

So that's all the updates on the hound dog. He's still the center of our world and we just love him to death. I think he's really helped Chris with us being apart this summer - whenever I call or Skype with Chris, Henry is sitting right next to him. For example:

I was skyping with Chris and Henry came over, laid down, and wiggled his way in. He was watching me move around on the screen, so cute. He really is a cuddle bug.

I'll blog again in a few weeks....as soon as Henry comes to Utah! I can't wait to show my hound the trails!

Love,
me

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Sorry Again

Sorry again for the time between posts but Henry and I have been spending more time on the trails lately.  Unfortunately, this means less time in front of my computer to keep the updates coming in.  He's certainly been keeping me honest this summer with my training and he's even learning to run while I mountain bike behind him (on a leash of course).  I'll start to update with pictures ASAP.  In the meantime, feel free to follow his athletic endeavors at http://app.strava.com/athletes/sir_henry