He is turning into a gem. I would say he has put on about 6-8 pounds and has calmed down considerably (although, like most Tollers, he is still a “vocal” dog, shall we say…). We get out every day for about 1-2 hours of free walk/run on the trails here, which he just loves. We have come across a bunch of dogs of all ages and sizes, and he seems to be socializing really well. The only thing that seems to get him excited is a jogger. We are working on that one, too, but right now he feels obligated to jump up on them (not aggressively, but still…) as they go by.
We just got back from obedience class, and he has shown real progress there, too. On leash, he is a much edgier dog, and being in a confined space with 6-7 other dogs, all on leash, was a good learning experience for him. Over the past six weeks he has made real progress. In January, I think we will try the agility class and see what happens (we certainly won’t be sending him to Retriever school, as we don’t want to be the first Toller EVER to wash out completely!).
Attached are a couple of pictures to give you an idea of how he has adapted…
