8 Months Old!!

We had a stomach bug take our family by storm the past three days...so far, out of six people in the house, only my younger sister is still healthy.  She is very nervous.  ;P

I'm probably about 80% better, and I'm grateful that I was able to collect more sap (2.5 gallons today, plus a stockpot-full yesterday!!) and take the pooch on a walk in the woods.

Speaking of the pooch...guess who's 8 months old already!!

Yep, this photogenic dude is growing up fast!  He's 55 pounds, and will probably fill out a tiny bit more; I expect he'll top out right around 60 pounds.  Now, to some people, I know that 60 pounds sounds HUGE, but even though it's been a while, I still find myself comparing other dogs to my 30" tall, 100 lb Irish Setter.  With that dog in mind, Thane seems very small and compact.  :)

We've been through two obedience classes so far...his basic obedience is fairly good, though I could be a lot more consistent about practicing it with him.  Now I mostly need to work on a few bad habits he's picked up, like jumping up to say hi to people (he still LOVES people!), nipping at my hands and ankles on walks (we're making progress - yay!!) and not pulling tissues out of trash cans to shred.  :/

He is still very much a puppy...as evidenced by the pile of wicker basket shreds that I just swept up from under the dining room table...but it is good to see continued progress.  He's restless if he doesn't get a decent walk - but all he really needs in a day is one good walk and a couple play sessions to keep him happy.  I think that he'll have a really nice, moderate energy level when he's an adult.

He continues to have a fairly short coat, which is partly due to his age, but also a good sign that he's more Old-Time Scotch Collie than AKC-type Collie.  His coat probably will get some bigger, especially next winter, but I think it'll stay very manageable.

I had him tested a couple months ago to see whether he carries any of the gene mutations common in Collies - and he's clear!  That's great news for when it comes time to breed Butterscotch Farm's first litter of Scotch Collie puppies - Thane won't be passing down any major genetic faults to the next generation.  (I will also have Thane's hips checked for hip dysplasia before breeding him.)

Well...I've probably talked about my pooch for long enough.  Suffice it to say that I've still got my work cut out for me (he's entering the teenage phase now - eek!!), but we've come a long way, and I'm glad to have this crazy pup in my life.  :)