Brush pen on Strathmore watercolor paper, about 7.5″ x 5.5″. Reference photo by Tina.

Only being 6 MOS old, Skipper’s life adventures have really just begun. After a rather lengthy search on the Internet I found a very reputable breeder in Ft Collins CO who’s main focus is the health of her dogs, and since Skipper will be introduced to canine sports, his hereditary history was an important consideration. With the internet being our main medium of communication, we felt we were right there through his mom’s pregnancy, delivery and birth. Digital photography combined with the internet allowed us to truly be a part of the entire experience.

When he was 8 weeks old, Skipper was loaded on a plane in Denver CO for a direct flight to Sacramento CA where we picked him up after a 2 1/2 hour flight. He looked so tiny and adorable in his crate as he was wheeled into the pick-up area of Frontier Airlines Cargo depot and we were “in love” as soon as we saw him! He slept in his little crate during the 2 hour drive to Chico and was warmly welcomed by our older golden, Casey.

Skipper recently graduated from his “Puppy Kindergarten” class which was an excellent opportunity for socialization and introduction of the basic commands. He’s so smart….yes, I’m a tad prejudiced!…..and was truly a quick study! He knows his “sit, down, stay, wait, watch, come” commands by voice and signal and is polishing his “leave it” command to which he responds nearly 100% of the time. We’ll be continuing his obedience education with the same trainer who emphasizes positive reinforcement (clicker training) as opposed to the use of choke/pinch collars which is what I had always used in the past. I have found the new method (new to us) a very easy and “feel good” approach to obedience training and would highly recommend it to all who may be preparing to attend obedience classes. Since we have two dogs and each is on a different diet (Casey has food allergies), I didn’t have enough hands to hold food treats for each of them and the clicker, so we’ve substituted the word “YES” for the clicker. It’s been so amazing to me to see how fantastically the dogs have responded to this method and we’re “yes-ing” with enthusiasm for every positive response to a command….with as much energy as you would when saying: RIGHT ON!! ALL RIGHT!! WAY TO GO!! FAR OUT!! Well, you get the idea…we’re having loads of fun and so are the dogs!! – Tina

Thanks, Tina! Skipper reminds me of Duffy when he was just a pup – a little white puffball! Thank you for sharing him.

I went with a brush pen sketch again, this one was purely pen-to-paper. I usually like to mix up my techniques from day to day, but I got in a time crunch. I really enjoy doing the brush pen sketches and they go pretty fast when I don’t try to draw ever hair…