Scott Linden Outdoors

A fetching foto ... get it?

Well, his first day home was uneventful in terms of interaction with his great-uncle, Buddy. Manny still has a lot of puppy in him, even after two months at breeder-trainer Jeff Funke’s kennel, where we sent him for some attitude adjustment and force-fetch training. [You’ll recall, as soon as Manny got bigger than Buddy, the fighting began, jockeying for top dog position in our pack.]

It’s one day at a time, for sure. But every day without a growl, dagger-stare, or other nefarious intent is a good one.

I’m keeping them physically separate (our rule: a gate, kennel, house door or more between them), but they are often in full view of each other and quite close. Poor Buddy averts his eyes, avoids proximity when possible, but is a trooper about it all. And our Corgi Emmy is thankfully, oblivious to the potential due to her dotage (14-1/2 years old … 101 in dog years).

I’ll keep you posted as Manny assimilates, everyone adjusts, and his training continues. By the way, he’s a hell of a retriever now.