Tuesdays With Tag - Off To Boot Camp...

Taggart and I have been having some important conversations lately.

(I took all these pictures yesterday so you could see what a good-looking boy he's turning into.)

He's already seven and a half months old. Handsome and I have been working on his training, but he can be obstinate and I'm not as consistent as I should be. It's really important to me that he learns his lessons, and I admit his stubbornness has been a little frustrating.

Handsome and I had a long talk about this and, after much deliberation, we agreed that Tag is the most strong-willed dog we've ever owned. Handsome could certainly do all the training, but when finished, Taggart would be more his dog than mine, and that wasn't the plan.

We decided it would be best for Tag to learn from a professional. We want him to learn everything he needs to know without diminishing his unique Corgi personality.

So, this week Taggart is going to train with a man with whom Handsome and I have worked for over thirty years. He is also the son of a trainer we always referred to as "The Maestro".

Ray Sommers had a way with dogs of all breeds, and he trained Handsome's father's first retriever.  His son, Mike shared his passion for dogs, and with Ray, they taught us much of what we know about working with our own. They were the original "Dog Whisperers" in Wisconsin.

Michael learned through hard work at his father's side, and he later built his own training business on his personal considerable talent. Sadly, Ray passed away a number of years ago - and he is missed by all who knew and loved him, including Handsome and me.

We're so fortunate that Mike and his wife, Joann chose to relocate to Florida before we came here. Taggart will be moving over to their facility tomorrow, where he will remain for the next seven weeks. Mike will teach him the finer points of citizenship, and then follow up with training to retrieve.

We've decided that Taggart should learn to retrieve because it's some of the best exercise available for a dog, and it will be a great way for Tag to burn off excess energy and stay in shape.

I've been telling Tag about this since I made the arrangements. He's not quite sure what to make of this program, but I know that once he gets into his "school mode", he's going to fall in love with the regimen.

I'm going to miss my little guy, but will see him about three times during "Boot Camp". I'll be taking lots of photos on my visits, so you can follow his progress, too. He'll be practically grown up when he comes back home!

One other thing we discussed is the fact that I haven't let him write his own posts like Fezzik used to. I've promised him that once he finishes his training, I'll let him start sharing in his own voice for Tuesdays With Tag. He can hardly wait!

So, 'til next time...

"More Wagging and Less Barking!"