The Dog

We currently have one dog named Zatarain, after the New Orleans-style rice mix company. He is a three-year-old Leonberger, which is a big dog related to the Saint Bernard, Newfoundland, and Great Pyrenees. At 100 pounds, he isn't as big as most male Leos - he'd actually make a beautiful female with his build and size - but we weren't looking for a big guy this time. I really wanted a Leo with a good working temperament, and I definitely got what I wanted. So far, I haven't made the time to work with him like I should, and I'm hoping to remedy that soon. He does go to obedience class every week, so he's a good dog and he's ready to start doing trials. I just need to make the commitment to get him entered - around soccer games, school functions, dog get-togethers, family things, etc.

I've done a bit of tracking with Z, as he's got amazing natural instincts for it, and a little bit of carting, too. he seems to be able to pick up on things really quickly and he tries really hard to follow directions, so he's pretty easy to train. He loves to swim and is very strong in the water, so he should do well with water training, if I can teach him to hold on to things. It's the one thing he doesn't naturally do. He'll bring things back - and loves to play fetch until he's ready to drop - but he always drops whatever it is at my feet instead of holding on to it. At least I don't have to chase him for the ball. So that's where my training with him needs to focus now, on getting him to hold and carry things so we can move forward to bigger and more exciting things.

Zatarain is our second Leonberger. Our first, and our first dog together (I grew up with a dachshund and Mike had a couple of German Shepherds), was Audubon, named after Audubon Park in New Orleans. He died on October 28, 2009 at the age of 9 1/2 of suspected hemangiosarcoma of the spleen that had metastasized to his lungs. He was an amazing dog, incredibly enthusiastic about working in the water - he got both is WD and WRD titles before I retired him - and always had his own opinion about how things should be done. He won over many a child who was fearful of dogs and he was a beautiful and regal example of all that a Leonberger should be. We still miss him dearly.

Audubon was clearly the top dog in our house, behind Ben, of course. The queen- bee cat rules everyone with an iron paw! Zatarain remained a ridiculous puppy for a long time, really until Audubon's death. Once Audubon was gone, he realized it was all up to him and he has taken on the responsibility very seriously. He still does some completely ridiculous things, like bark like a mad fool when anyone dares to walk past his house, but he grew up very quickly after Audubon died and we saw a profound change in him within a week or so. We won't be getting another dog for a while to give Zatarain the chance to be an only dog. I don't want to wait too long, though, since these guys don't live that long and it would be nice for a puppy to be able to play with Zatarain before he becomes a grumpy old man like his Uncle Audubon was when he came home.

For more information about Leonbergers, click here.