Aston
Aston is the first dog I got by myself, I was 21 had just started my relationship with Trevor and I had plans to move out. I was searching in facebook groups (not the best I know but here we are). I had been researching breeders pretty heavily but didnt want to wait. I was actually super close to getting a dog from Omen’s Grandsires kennel Vom Hau Huro. But I saw a post about an oops litter with cute little solid black puppies. I was inpatient and wanted a puppy now so I traveled down to Southern Minnesota. Actually with intentions to get a different puppy with a white star on her chest.
I arrived to the property and was greeted by a handful of puppies romping around, I was talking with the owner of both of her parents. It was an oops litter and The parents were supposedly decently bred themselves but he would have never bred them together. After chatting for a bit I was spending some time with the puppy I was thinking I was going to take. Well in typical Goober fashion she comes up, shoves that puppy out of my arms and cuddles right in and takes a nap. My heart was sold. I sat there for probably an hour just holding her. I put down half the cost of her (225 dollars). I called Trevor on my way back home to tell him the news. He was pretty indifferent to the whole situation.
One month later I made my way back down with a friend to grab my puppy! I was soooo excited to get her. I tried to have my friend hold her on the way home but Aston wanted none of it. So we pulled over just before we got on the freeway and did a potty break and she just wanted to sit with me! Such a silly girl. So I drove home with my puppy on my lap, went right up to Lindstrom and she met Trevor. It was love at first sight! I did actually have to go to work that afternoon, at the time I was at a hair salon so she came with me and got to spend so much time seeing all these new people, sights, sounds and smells. I wouldn’t recommend doing this as it was A LOT for her to take in on her first day. But that wasn’t it… It happened to be the weekend of the Pine County Fair… So she got to come on up and meet all of our friends and spend her first night away from her old life at a party. Once again I would highly advise doing this but man she slept all the way through her first night because it was soooo much change!
The same Weekend I brought her home was actually the same weekend I moved into my new home. So it was a lot for us to take in. We luckily got to spend so much time together. I brought her with me everywhere we went! I will say try and get your puppies as used to traveling as much as possible, Aston can travel in the car for 12-18 hours a day no problem!
When Aston was about 4 months old I took her to see a “personal protection” trainer. Aston is a dog with very high prey drive and a lower threshold for civil aggression. I wont elaborate too far here but the methods that were used with her were not appropriate for her age. I am thankful for the lessons that I was taught because I learned how to more thoroughly vet people that I want to work my dog with. My biggest piece of advice when you’re looking into clubs is to ask to see them work a variety of dogs, different ages, different breeds, different drives. Does the helper adjust what they’re doing to each dog individually or do they just work every dog the same? Don’t ever be afraid to ask why they’re working your dog in a certain way and how that will help get to the end goal. It is so important to have an open line of communication. Aston has been washed from bite sports due her having weak nerve. I really think that her foundation was detrimental to her future. I have had a few people offer to work her through her issues but at this point I have decided to just wash her from bite sports and let her do some other sports that she enjoys.
Aston enjoys doing a variety of other sports and activities such as retrieving birds, dog powered sports and weight pull. Most of all she is my best travel buddy and hiking partner. Aston has traveled all over the midwest with me! I wouldn’t change that for the world! We also jokingly call her “Mama Aston”, she has helped welcome and raise all of the dogs that are in our home as well as helped raise my grandparents Labrador Annie. She is so tolerant of puppy shenanigans, she will let them bite on her, chase her around, act tough and best of all show them the ropes of our home. It is amazing to watch how patient she is with the puppies, as good as she is with them she is also not a push over. She has boundaries that she teaches the dogs and all of her corrections are super appropriate. I can’t even think the wonder what my life will be like with out her helping me raise my dogs.
