Derek and I have spent the last 11 weeks training our puppy, Bradley, basic manners.  After the first two weeks with our new puppy spending most of his time doing everything we didn’t want him to do and not seeing any signs of improvement, we called in the expert.

After much research, we came across what appeared to be the best combination of services in the City.  Jill Skorochod is owner of Time & Patience Dog Training Ltd. At the time we contacted Jill, Bradley was only 11 weeks old and had not had all of his immunizations yet so we couldn’t take him into a class full of other dogs.  Luckily Jill offers in-home training, which is great for a number of reasons.  For us, it was particularly beneficial because we wanted to focus on some of Bradley’s most annoying behaviors.  In a classroom setting, there is little opportunity to work on specific behavioral issues without disrupting the flow of the class.

The thing that was most comforting about our first in-home visit with Jill was that she showed us that our puppy had a brain inside that tiny head.  We were sure during those first few weeks that Bradley was not capable of learning.  He just seemed so young and distracted by the world that we didn’t think he could focus long enough to teach him anything.  Jill taught Bradley multiple commands in the very first session.  It gave us the confidence and comfort of knowing that Bradley would learn manners and in fact enjoyed learning.  Teaching Bradley to follow commands gave him more focus and purpose, which contributed to many other behavioural areas that improved rapidly, including house-training, chewing furniture, and biting.

Jill visited us three times over the following four weeks, providing advice and training for us and Bradley that is invaluable.  By the time our private training was over, Bradley was not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but he was a fun and lovable puppy that was learning good habits and dropping bad ones.

Another huge benefit of Jill’s expertise early on in our puppy’s life is that by the time we started the first level of obedience, Bradley was way ahead of the game.  Basic Companion is the first level of obedience classes that Time and Patience offers.  It is a 5 week course, and the fantastic thing about Jill’s operation is that if your dog does not meet the standards which are required in order to pass the class, you can take the class over and over anytime you like for FREE!  Jill offers this lifetime guarantee because she wants to make sure dogs around the City are well-trained.

Yesterday, we were very proud puppy parents when Bradley passed Basic Companion!  He still requires some work, particularly in the loose-leash walking area, but he knows what all of the commands mean and will usually follow the command with the reward of a treat waiting at the other end.  As Jill describes dogs after they pass this class, we have a civilized dog and if we continue to work on all of the things we learned, he will be a basically good dog.

However, we’re not after just a good dog.  We want a great, off-leash reliable dog.  And that is going to take many more weeks of training and homework.  Luckily Jill will be there with the “Correct Companion” and “Off-leash Companion” classes to help us along the way.  Time and Patience will be part of our lives until Bradley is as well-trained, and well rounded as he can be.

Bradley loves the world, quite literally.  He has loved every dog, child, adult, and even every piece of garbage he has ever encountered in his time with us…and we love him.  He has a great personality, and he’s pretty cute if I might say so.  His love of the world presents two obstacles for training.  The first is that he’s so cute and lovable that we probably let him get away with more than we should.  And the second is that he can become unfocused when we try and train him outside of the quiet of our house.  Wheatens are high energy and stubborn as well, so this adds to the challenge.  But we’re up for it, and I think Bradley is too.   If the progress we have seen over the last 11 weeks is any indication of what’s to come, I have total faith.

Here are the before and after shots. You be the judge:

Recently, Bradley got to meet one of his cousins. Phoenix is also a wheaten-schnauzer cross who is one year older than Bradley. He came from the same breeder and belongs to Kim’s cousins. Naturally, they get along wonderfully. They’re very good at sharing back yards, toys, food and affection. Even better, they’re great at tiring each other out.

Lots more pictures after the jump.

Kim and I went to visit my Grandma last week. This was a real treat for Bradley since she has a large, fenced in back yard. He spent much of the time romping, running, chasing balls and rolling around in the grass.

If you like pictures of dogs and pictures of grass, then strap yourself in. There are plenty more after the jump.

Our little Bradley is the featured puppy on The Daily Puppy today. We hope all the attention doesn’t go to his head. Head on over to see more cute pics.

Since I work from home, I get to spend all day with Bradley. Lucky me! I set up a webcam so Kim can keep an eye on Bradley and not miss him so much while she’s out of the house during the day. Stay tuned for all sorts of puppy hijinks. You never know when a special guest will make an appearance.

Kim and I are very excited to introduce Bradley. He is a 9 week old 3/4 wheaten and 1/4 schnauzer. There may be some Irish in there too.

After much deliberation about his name, we realized the street he was born on had a name that would be great. Even better than Axl, Lars, Dimebag, Ozzy, Slash, Mustaine or even Lamb of Dog… so I am told.

Bradley just had the most exciting day of his life. We drove to pick him up from the Muskoka region where he was bred. Today he discovered grass, life in the big city, the exuberance of a 3 year old and humped his first leg.

This was more than enough to tire out any pup. And so, now we sleep…

While Kim and I were away in Hawaii, our friends Jamie and Rosie of Photocaptiva were busily working on the countless photos they took of our rehearsal and wedding day. Much to our delight, they were finished before we returned. You can see the results in the above slideshow.

Kim and I are blown away by how well Jamie and Rosie captured this time in our lives. We had a really good feeling about how the wedding photos would turn out after our engagement session with them, but this is above and beyond all of our expectations. I doubt you would believe me if I told you that ours was their first wedding shoot.

We would like to send out a big thank you to Jamie and Rosie for their hard work and the care that they poured into these photographs.

As well as making a video of Kim dancing with our flower girl, Karylton, Jon also caught many great moments in stills. All this on top of being a groomsman. Many thanks to Jon.