About Bentley Squirt the Trained Lab |
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- Microchipped: Yes
- Housetrained: Yes
- Owner Experience Needed: None
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Squirt, now called Bentley, was adopted from us about a year ago as a puppy. Unfortunately, the owners new fiance is allergic to Bentley and they now have to give him up. Below is a bit more about him as of now, however, I kept the original write-up about him when he was a puppy so that you can see his progress:
Bentley is house broken, and crate trained. While we have been in the process of transitioning him out of his crate when we are not home this is a new process that we have only been working on for a couple of weeks. So far, so good though. He has not had any accidents in the house or destroyed any items. He knows basic commands such as sit, lie down, stay. He is also trained to sit near his bowl when it is time to eat, we place his food down, and then give him the command to let him know he can eat. This certainly is not something we make him do for an extended period of time, yet more of a way to keep him calm while we get his food for him.
Bentley loves to play frisbee and cannot contain his excitement when he sees my fiance getting ready to take him for a walk in the park. As far as walking is concerned we have a harness we place on him which he walks great with. Without the harness he does tend to pull more, yet he does fine. He loves to play with other dogs, and children. He is very friendly and loves to meet new people.
As far as his diet is concerned he eats once a day. We feed him 2 1/2 cups of Taste of the Wild. He is not territorial of his food at all. This is something we made sure to work on him while he was a puppy and continue to do from time to time today. Making sure that if we approach him or even place our hand in his bowl that he does not become aggressive.
Jensen and her six one-week old puppies came to us from a high kill shelter. We just couldn't let them be put to sleep so a transport drove them down from north Florida.
Foster Update 04/26/10: I can happily report that they are all doing well, putting on weight and becoming outgoing playful pups! The smallest of the bunch, Squirt has come a long way since last week when I picked them up. He is holding his head up high, beating up his brothers and sisters and stays the longest at the food dish. The Karo syrup definetly gave him the boost he needed! They are ALL very sweet and developing very distinct personalities.
Foster Update 5/20/10: Squirt is a tan baby with beautiful eyes and a sweet personality! He started off as the smallest in the litter and recently has caught up in size and personality. He loves to play outside, hang out with my big dog and eat!! Squirt loves to be held and snuggle under your neck. He thrives on any attention you will give him and hasn't met a food dish he didn't like!
Foster Update 8.25.11: We have only had Bentley a few days, but we can tell you a little about him in a home setting. He is very, very energetic. He will play fetch for hours and not get tired. Literally, the first two days, we kept trying to bring him into the house, but he was still had so much energy left that we had to go back outside and work off more energy. He absolutely loves balls, frisbees and any toy he can fetch. After we've taken him for an hour long walk, he is not tired at all. I guess what I am trying to say, is that he needs a lot of exercise. (He will probably outgrow some of this in the next year or so.)
A few other points about Bentley:
1. He is an absolutely gorgeous dog
2. He does know his commands of sit, stay, down, no and "in the crate"
3. He is not food aggressive at all
4. He is totally housebroken
5. He is ALWAYS happy. He is the quintessential happy go lucky dog.
6. He is very well behaved in his crate and will go in when asked
7. He is very friendly with other dogs
8. He is happy to see you when you get home.
9. He likes to be petted, but prefers playing fetch
10. He has a lot of energy - an hour long walk is not enough for him
11. He sleeps well
12. He is not an alpha dog
13. He never gets up on furniture
14. He never tries to steal "people food"
15. He has obviously been trained well
16. He is nice to guests
17. His fur is beautiful, and he doesn't scratch or shed much
18. Boundless energy
** According to www.dogbreedinfo.com, the Labrador Retriever is a loving, affectionate, lovable, patient dog. Once known as the "St John's Dogs," the Labrador Retriever is one of the most popular breeds in the United States. Originally from Newfoundland, Canada the Labrador was trained to jump overboard into the icy waters to haul fisherman's nets to shore. Specimens were brought to England in the 1800's by English ships coming from Labrador, where the dog's fine retrieving instincts were honed and developed. One of the best family dogs and canine companions because of their gentle, loving disposition, the highly trainable Labrador also excels in drug detection, as a guide for the blind, and service dog for the disabled. The breed is also an outstanding obedience and field trial competitor. Highly intelligent, loyal, willing, and high-spirited. Lively and good-natured, they love to play, especially in water - for they love to swim. They have an excellent, reliable, temperament and are friendly, superb with children and equable with other dogs. They crave human attention and need to feel as though they are part of the family. Labs are easily trained. These dogs are watchdogs, not guard dogs, although some have been known to guard. They have a life expectancy of 10-12 years.
