Three and Change

Both of Porter's sisters are expecting litters of puppies. I expect some of you will have found your way here if you're considering bringing one of those pups into your lives. Part of the original purpose of this blog was to chronicle the growth and development of my pup, because as I was doing my homework before bringing him home, I wished for exactly this type of resource. I wondered how my pup would grow and act, how active he would be, if he would hunt, how he would fit with my lifestyle, and how my life would change. If you're interested in this, click over on the right and surf around through Porter's puppyhood.

And now that I can somewhat sadly say that my pup is full-grown and a full-fledged adult, I can also report on the type of dog one of these new pups (Porter's nieces and nephews) is likely to become.

• Porter is smart, but not sneaky-smart. He knows the names of his toys ("This is not your football - go find me your football!") but if you leave him on a screened porch and forget to latch the doors, he'll stay put until you come home, even if he knows you're out on the boat without him.
• Porter is very athletic and has matured at just under 100 lbs. He is leggy and an amazing and nearly inexhaustible swimmer. He needs a lot of exercise, which we accomplish through daily walks of 1-4 miles, longer hikes on the weekends, and lots of Frisbee chasing. (PS - he is addicted to fetching, and I mean that literally.) He also goes to day camp once or twice a week to socialize and play with other pups. He is a huge hit there, and apparently always the first one in the pool!
  
• Porter is a fantastic hunting dog, limited only by the fact that I have done all of his training in this regard by myself to this point. He has a very strong desire to find and retrieve, and he will use his nose to find dead birds, even dead birds that are 98% submerged. He also naturally points, a talent I have not fostered through training at all and one which isn't needed in the duck blind, but I suspect that a similarly-talented pup would easily make a great quail or pheasant dog.
• Porter is an incredibly loving and protective family companion. He's 100% house dog, and he is very protective of his home and his people. This protectiveness has asserted itself more as he's aged. He is friendly and welcoming when it's appropriate, but generally somewhat guarded until instructed otherwise depending on the situation. He is generally very good with new people and new situations (but recently attempted to attack the big stuffed grizzy bear in Bass Pro Shop. I give him points for bravery.).
• Porter is great with kids but his size and activity level (not to mention the TAIL) is still a bit much for the smaller ones. He is extremely interested in cats in a gentle way and think he would settle in nicely with one if we had one around full-time. I think he would enjoy having another dog around, as well, but he certainly doesn't mind being an "only" dog and seems to enjoy the quiet times with his people a lot.
• He has to this day never eaten a single one of my shoes. He will occasionally trash-surf if I leave something delicious near the top, but this is the extent of his household badness.
  

Other questions? Let me know!