Yesterday afternoon we played hookie from work and took the ATVs up the mountain to deep lake. I took Jake and Rocky along to give them some free time to romp and to see how they feel about water. Once they figured out that those fishing poles were for catching fish they stuck around to see the action. Every time we reeled in another trout the dogs would go crazy and try to catch the fish. We were able to tease them into the deeper water while the fish was still attached to the line. The water was a bit chilly since this is a high mountain spring-fed lake. Rocky was flat-out swimming trying to catch the fish while Jake would only go up to his belly. It was a great way to introduce the pups to water in a low pressure situation. The key is that they went into the water of their own choosing and they figured out that water is pretty fun stuff.

Jake will turn one year old in the next few weeks, he was whelped September 20th, 2005. I am pleased with his overall attitude and temperment. The past month or so he has chilled out quite a bit and is beginning to get serious about training. September 1st marks the beginning of our pheasant preserves legal hunting season. Tomorrow I aim to take Jake out and chase some pheasants to see if he has any interest. If he looks good I may shoot a bird or two over him. If nothing else, I will make sure that Jake has a good time and gets excited about finding birds. The alfalfa fields are perfect cover right now and should make good training grounds.