Way South of the Border

Age:  Just over 9 Months
Weight:  95 pounds

This spring we took a trip WAY South of the Border...south of the Canadian border that is!  We all packed into the car and drove 14 hours down to South Carolina to visit with family!  Alright, truth be told we didn't do the whole trip in one shot, we drove about 9 hours and then stopped for the night and finished the rest of the trek in the morning.

Initially we weren't so sure how Piston was going to handle such a long trip, but he traveled like a pro! :)  He very quickly recognized the pattern and would curl up and go to sleep as soon as we hit highway speeds!

One challenge we found however was "potty time".  Every pit stop we made...well, our explorer found all the new sights, sounds and smells to explore were just too much of a distraction!  He'd get out there and completely forget to go.  It wasn't until we'd get back into the car and back on the road would he let out a little whine as if to say "Nuts!  I knew I forgot to do something", but then he'd go right back to sleep.  The next pit stop would be no different either.  It was nearly 36 hours after we left our home before our stubborn boy finally took the time to relieve himself!  Proud to say that not once did he consider going indoors despite the activity level coming to a standstill.


As we traveled further south, it definitely got warm for our furry Canadian dog!  The snow had practically just finished melting back home! ;)  At one of the rest stops in North Carolina, there was a great shaded park that we spent some extra time relaxing in.  We found some neat outdoor taps that Piston could drink from!

Then we played in the water a little bit to try to cool Piston off.

Once we finally arrived at our destination, Piston was happy to greet his extended family :)

Can I Come Out?

Age: 39 weeks
Weight: 95 pounds

Before Piston is allowed outside, we ask him to sit and wait patiently until we give him the release word of "okay".

I thought he just looked too cute peeking around the door waiting to be released outside.

Oooooh Deer!

Age: 34 weeks
Weight: 90 pounds

David and Piston went for a walk in the woods this afternoon over in the Doon Heritage Park. The Park is all fenced in and hasn't opened for the tourist season yet. It's like our own private leash free park! Piston had a great time romping around in the grass, big fields, and the woods part.

One time when he was sniffing around the edge of the woods, Piston came back carrying a prize he was VERY proud of!

Can't blame him really, it's quite the impressive antler! David said it looked pretty fresh and figured it probably had been shed within the past few days!
It's bound to be his new favourite toy!

Piston Power Forged in Zion

Age: 33 weeks
Weight: 88 pounds

We received the form to get our Puppy Registration papers this week so it was time to finalize a registered name to go along with his call name. After much deliberation and lots of time with the thesaurus...we've decided on Piston Power Forged in Zion. I don't think we should have any problems with it not being unique enough! ;)

When we send in our Puppy Registration request we have to include a few photos...so here are some of the "glamour" shots we took over the weekend.

Ooops....blinked!

Awww...such good focus! Good "look" Piston!

My favourite shot ever! :)

Piston Tugs Daisy - Round 2

Age: 33 weeks
Weight: 88 pounds

Okay so it was Dylan who started the Tug-o-War...but Daisy thought she better get in there and see if she can't teach Piston a lesson this time!

New Bed!

Age: 32 weeks
Weight: 86 pounds

Looking quite regal on his new bed from Costco

I Think He Wants to Go Outside...

Age: 31 weeks
Weight: 84 pounds
We're trying to use "Show me" to encourage Piston to give us an idea of what it is he wants. So tonight when he went and sat in front of the back door and started whining we asked if he wanted to go outside, and to "show me". Not what we were expecting...but I think he got his point across! :)

Dog, Cat and a Pigs Ear

Age: 30 weeks
Weight: 83 pounds

I gave Piston a pigs ear tonight to chew on and Boosh decided that it was far too interesting to not stick her nose in there and check it out.

Minxi even steps in to give things a little sniff. Tho she quickly decided she had no interest in such things...well, at least not enough interest to want to stick around that close to the dog!

7 Months Old

Boy time sure does fly!

Trunk Bed

Age: 29 weeks
Weight: 81 pounds

Riding in the trunk on the way down to Port Allegany to visit with Gramp for David's birthday. He looked really comfortable....but then I got out the camera and he suddenly started looking quite pouty. I still thought it was cute enough to share...


The bed is from Costco (we "won" it from the SSDCA Ontario Chapter Meet) and it fits perfectly into the trunk space!

On the way home, with the back seat back up, he was more inclined to give smiles for the camera :)

Power Steering

Age: 29 weeks
Weight: 81 pounds

We haven't really mentioned on here the difficulty we've had trying to get Piston to walk in a heel - but those on the Shiloh Forums or those who talk to us regularly have heard about it.  He is independent and has a lot of drive to go explore.  He wouldn't take treats or a toy either. No interest in them compared to all the fun he "could" be having.

It was difficult when we go out to keep his focus - he was too busy with his nose to the ground or watching everything else to get any guidance from us. He is never nervous about anything, he just thinks he is a kid in a candy store, or at Disney World!!  We would try "loose leash walking", but he was always walking too far ahead and would take up all of the slack in the leash. He just was not getting where he was supposed to be.

Several other Shiloh owners on the forums told us to buy a prong collar. It was Sarah who said it was like power steering with her Nero. I had heard her talk about the wonders of the prong before...but to hear from other owners too was a great sign.

So we did it....we bought a prong collar....and you know what....THEY WERE RIGHT!!!

What a difference! He actually pays attention to the guides and corrections. He notices when he is getting near the end of the lead and he slows down a touch to prevent the collar from tightening! Its wonderful!! He has a really high pain tolerance so most corrections don't even phase him, but this seems to work on a different level. Its not pain, its more of a surprise because its different. The prong now gets his attention without having to yank him first! (The martingale collar we were using before just didn't phase him.)

We still aren't in a good heel position, but we are worlds better! This collar has really helped give us hope for gettin Piston to walk politely all the time!

Doggie Play at Bechtel

Age: 28 weeks
Weight: 81 pounds

Rompin with some other dogs at the park...

Loaded up in the car to head home...good thing he tends to lay down in the car! Otherwise, we might outgrow the Magnum!

We got back to the house, he didn't even want go in...just wanted to flop in the snow out front. Our silly "little" snow puppy!

Teaching To Tug

Age: 28 weeks
Weight: 81 pounds

After reading this great article on how to play tug with your dog, we thought we should really give it a try. We figured it would be a good way to tire him out on days when he's got that little bit of extra energy.

So here's our first attempt...

Seems it was more effort for him than we thought...didn't take long to tire him out at all!

We'll keep working on it!

It's The Little Things...

Age: 28 weeks
Weight: 81 pounds

Piston's got all of his big dog teeth now so we figured he was bound to start destroying toys. So....we bought him this octopus made by Tuffy's. It's cute! Its durable! Its got a squeeker in each leg and it's head! Plus...it's purple! ;)

He seems pretty interested, and starts chewing on one of the legs....

But then! GASP! The real fun happens when he realizes there's a tiny little tab of nylon webbing between two of the legs!

It's the little things that keep Piston happy

Just Chillin'

Age: 27 weeks
Weight: 77 pounds

Just hanging out in the snow chewin a stick. This dog loves being outside in the snow! He'd do it all day long if we'd let him!

I can't help but include the goofy shot ;) Wouldn't be a Shiloh if his tongue wasn't sticking out for at least one photo!

Trotting at the Park

Age: 27 weeks
Weight: 77 pounds

We were at the park by ourselves, so David thought he'd show off Piston's little trot. He can go at that pace forever! Now if only we could too! The second half of the video is just them goofin' off.

Ohhhh Sooo Tired!

Age: 26 weeks
Weight: 75 pounds

After a good romp this afternoon - Piston was just pooped! He's lookin a little cramped in his favourite spot in front of the door these days. I couldn't help but laugh at the forehead against the cabinet tho! He was so tired, he didn't even notice me standing there over him!


Then, later that night at my parents place, as I'm coming down stairs....this is the funny sight I see. So tired he got confused on which end goes where! LOL! Or is that a butt pillow, not a bed? In his defense...it was well past his bedtime!

6 Months Old

Boy he's getting big!!

Not A Little Dog Anymore!

Age: 26 weeks
Weight: 74 pounds

This is what our puppy looked like in the trunk of our magnum when we first brought him home....


This is what he looks like now if he tries to stand up in the trunk of the magnum.....


Where did our little puppy go?? and why did he leave so soon??

Yoda Impressions

Age: 25 weeks
Weight: 72 pounds

Whenever Piston is concentrating really hard on something he drops his ears really low and wide. In this photo he's even got the wise "use the force" look on this face.... Or at least I think that's the look he was going for. Really tho, he could have just been thinking about the frozen piece of fruit he had in his mouth!


In this photo he was using his Jedi mind trick to try to convince David to give him another piece of fruit.


When that didn't work....he tried this face instead...