Titus Murph Bovee- There's a new Pup in our family

 Our newest addition to the family is Titus Murph Bovee, a big boy from the Kendallville Shelter.  We've been wanting a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, so when we found him posted online, we thought we better get him right away.  He's a good boy, but definitely needs quite a bit of training if we're going to use him for what we would like to on the farm  We'd like him to be able to pull a cart eventually, so with some aversions to wheeled things, we're trying to help him get over some of those anxieties.  He has much to learn yet, so one day a time we are helping this boy realize that he's in a loving home and will be allowed to work with us out on the farm as soon as he follows the rules.  :)  I keep telling him, "You can go out with your Dad in the field if you'd just do what you're supposed to and stay close and obey".  I don't think he's gotten the message yet, so we keep training to help him realize what is required.

 Taking him to his forever home.

 They think he's about 1 year old, so he's pretty big for a puppy still.

 He's great with the children, although they could live without his puppy energy.  :)  We're all getting accustomed to his behaviours and how to handle them.

 We bought him a pack to go hiking with us, but with him being extremely car sick, we haven't taken him out yet.  We keep taking him for short drives to help him get used to it, give him crystallized ginger before we go, and hoping that he'll outgrow it.  He always jumps right in the van, so he isn't scared to get in, it's just the motion that makes him woozy and you can see it on his poor little face when it hits.  We'd love some suggestions on how to help him with that.

We really never considered that a dog we got might have some hang ups with certain things, like bicycles, lawn mowers, vacuums, buggies, etc.  He's got them all.  But thankfully, he loves the music that comes out of my family's fingers and mouths.  That is a blessing!  He fits in pretty well, has some characteristics just like my children (like the car sick one) and seems to be loving his role as the newest member of our family.

He's a smart boy and learns pretty fast, so I see great things from him in the next couple years as he grows into an adult dog and realizes his place and role.