Let’s finish up the Wildflower Birthday Celebration with Kjempe CGC CGCA! Marija sends us this happy update:
“Two years old and still turning heads! Kjempe is the ultimate charmer. So social ~ loves people, loves my nieces and family, loves other dogs, loves cats, loves to be the center of attention ~ and is ALWAYS the one getting the all of the compliments! This morning's compliment? "Your dog is 'stunning'!" (and he knows it...prancing along).
Kjempe still does not walk. It is always a prance/trot. We walk fast, or I have to kick it into a slow jog to keep up to his natural gate. We walk or hike every morning between 2-4 miles. If I'm not up at 5:15, his snout is in my face wondering what's going on...unless of course he's tired, then we all sleep in until 5:45 ha ha.
On his birthday we walked along the river and knowing he's not the fondest of water, I let him go up to the river to dip his feet in and get a drink. All of the birthday excitement must've been in the air because he RAN out into the river and looked at me all proud (I was having a heart attack because I haven't taught him to swim yet), and then he paddled his way back towards where he could touch and came running out with zoomies so excited! Despite my anxiety, we turned that into a "fun/exciting" experience - now he's a water dog :-) Swimming lessons are on board for the summer.
We started agility training this spring and are currently in level two with an instructor who's been teaching for over 20 years. Her mother has two Berners and she attends the annual show in Estes every year. Kjempe is in HEAVEN! He LOVES agility. He is an absolute rockstar, cannot wait to try new contacts/obstacles, is completely attentive and ready to learn, masters skills in 2-3 tries, and is THE fastest dog I've ever seen. Now I'm in training for sprints so that I can keep up on the course. The instructor cannot get over his fearlessness, and agrees he is extremely fast and surprising nimble for his size (104 pounds).
He works with me every day at the computer ~ well, as you can see, I work and he sleeps. Belly rubs and scratches are top priority, and if you haven't tried one yet, all of my animals love the hypervolt muscle massage gun. The second I turn it on (for myself), I'm surrounded by animals vying for a turn. I never get to use it...
Kjempe loves the snow and winter, he can't get enough. This year he got a skijoring harness and did some cross-country skiing with me. I was impressed by how well he mined the skies and harness.
Still a lot in store for this pup! Live music/concerts, events downtown, hiking, swimming, agility and skijoring ~ BEST SIDEKICK EVER!
What a wonderful life!!!! Thank you, Mariya — so much. And HAPPY BIRTHDAY KJEMPE!