Meet Levi, our newest service pup in-training.
He’s about 10.5 weeks old and cute as a button. He’s a Labrador retriever from service dog parents. He was bred specially to be a service dog and we have high hopes for this boy.
I picked him up on Thursday evening and we made the 3-hour trek to the service dog organization before dawn on Friday so the trainers could meet Levi. He came from a breeding cooperative made up of several service dog agencies.
Levi is part of the western themed class.
He’s named after Levi Strauss, of course. The Strauss family had a thriving business in New York and decided to open a West Coast branch of the dry goods business in San Francisco, which was the commercial hub of the California Gold Rush. Levi was chosen to represent the family and he took a steamship for San Francisco, arriving in early March 1853, where he joined his sister’s family. The doggie version of Levi joins Annie Oakley, Stetson, Bolo, and others who are all within about 4 months of one another.
We puppy tested him to make sure he was a solid young pup.
Part of he initial puppy test involves presenting several novel objects to the pup and noting his reactions. Ideally, the pup won’t mind any of the objects or, if startled, we’re looking for a speedy recovery and then curiosity toward the unfamiliar object.
After raising Schooner, the Great Dane, it’s fun to be back in the familiar land of chow hounds. Food is a powerful motivator for the Labrador retrievers and makes for some really quick learning. He’s integrating gradually into the dog family on schedule. The other dogs don’t love him yet — and will very often get up and move away when he comes near — but it’s good, steady progress.
Stay tuned, we’ll be documenting our training and offering tips on house training, crate training, puppy nipping and more!
Let us know: What puppy information would YOU find helpful?
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