James and Max

Well, another 3 months has passed (don't even get me going on how fast this time goes by) which means that we are blessed to have Max's trainer, James, join us for a couple of days to see how Max is doing and help us further his training.  Our entire family looks forward to these visits.  Max loves James as well, even if I do warn him ahead of time that he'd better get his act together because "James is coming":)

Our training days with James aren't just educational, they're busy too.  We all work hard at getting in as much as possible during the time he's here.  And... we all drop at the end of the day.  There's not much that's sweeter than an exhausted puppy curled up asleep for the night.

Every time James comes, I think we've surprised him with how well Max is doing.  This is a testament to Max William, not myself.  He's a great dog... laid back, compliant, smart, calm, desiring to work and do his best; and he does an amazing job as Gracie's guardian angel, keeping her within her healthy blood sugar range to the best of his ability. I, on the other hand, am usually the one who needs the tweaking and training.  I get distracted by all that goes on around me; Max doesn't.  I forget a proper command; Max allows for this error and does what I want him to do inspite of my inability to communicate at times.  I get a little crazy with the chaos that can at times be called my life; Max stays focused on his mission in life and doesn't let Gracie down.  Yes, he's an 8 month old labador retriever, but he's not a normal lab pup.  He's Gracie's DAD and he knows that it's his mission in life to take care of his girl.  Does he still have extra puppy energy that needs to be expended at times?  Yep.  Does he still have a desire to chew on anything that doesn't chew on him first?  Yep.  Does he still want to go outside and dig in the flower beds, especially if they're muddy?  Absolutely.  But does he also keep watch over his Gracie girl 24 hours a day, whether he's asleep or awake?  You better believe he does.  And, thanks to James' gentle yet firm manner of training both Max and I, Max is a pretty well behaved service dog whom I can take anywhere and know that he's going to behave obediently.

We can never thank James enough for all he does with Max and our entire family.  We are so thankful that God not only brought Max to us, but that he also brought James along with him.  He truly is the perfect trainer as far as we are all concerned:)  And, I have to say, some of what he's taught me for Max works just as well with children.  My very favorite universal command for Max and the kids... LEAVE IT;)  Works every time:))