After his big adventure in field running yesterday morning, Zig attended a picnic at one of his favorite people's houses. Why's it one of his favorite places to hang?

1.) There's a pool

2.) Lots of other dogs to run with

3.) 3 acres, fenced

4.) Birds and bunnies galore

5.) There's always A LOT of attention and a LOT of things to chase!

Field dog.

Yesterday was the first time that I took Zig along on a field run with the girls. I was actually surprised at how clingy he was at first, but the longer we were out, the further out he would venture. He was a little concerned at first by the grass that was taller than him and the sticky bushes he kept getting tangled in, but learned very quickly how to charge through everything. While Zig's recall has gotten more reliable, I decided to put the collar on him as a safety precaution. My Weims tend to range pretty far out when hunting or on walks and I wanted to make sure I could still have control over Zig if he decided to follow.

Romp!

ooo...birdwing!

Zig and Vera love to help in the garden.

While having a garden with 3 Weims and a shorthair running around is rewarding and challenging, it has been amusing, too! One thing for sure, it has (and still is) helping Zig learn what it means to have BOUNDARIES!

It took awhile, but the extra weight has finally disappeared and my sweet ZigZag has suddenly come bounding back. He is more active, more balanced in body and attitude, and his phenomenal bird drive has returned! Zig's training continues, but isn't as such a battle of wills as it was when he came back. Stay tuned!

And the pounds just melted away...

As with any high energy breed, exercise is a must! If you want to have a peaceful evening on the couch, be sure to run/work your pup before you want to relax! Zig gets in a good 5 hours of running and playing in the yard with my girls every morning. He relaxes in his crate in the afternoon, and then in the evening he is out in the yard and doing more structured exercising and training with me. A pup like this is a lot of work and can be exhausting at times, but it pays off in the end when you're both passed out on the couch and happy!

"But I rolled in THAT on PUPOSE!"

Sit means sit!

"Wha? Waddya mean no barking?!"

Zig survived the early and hardest stages of bootcamp! While he's still not perfect and occasionally goes deaf when you ask him to do something, he's a lot more receptive and is actually a very fast learner! Zig's new home will have to continue with the "Nothing in Life is Free" mode of training with Zig to make sure it becomes a "way of life" for Zig. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, he's a very demanding and determined boy!

Zig when he came back to me...

When Zig left my home he weighed in at 52 lbs, when he came back a year later he was tipping the scale at over 80 lbs! I was in shock because I had a hard time keeping weight on him because of how active he was when he lived with me. The extra weight was hard on Zig and his body- he had trouble running and keeping up, jumping into the car, and his coat had become very dry and flakey. Poor guy! I could also tell that he hadn't been worked properly, or at all! He had become very demanding and loud, which doesn't mix well with the tiny stubborn streak that was already running through him!

Zig when he first came to me!

He was such a puppy!