And there's peace in the household once more... =P

Ari's energy level has been steadily increasing.  Me, being the worried person thinking I'm at risk for over excercising her, has thrown caution to the wind and am just going with it.  Yesterday's activities included a nice walk (her off leash so she did a fair bit of running around and rolling in deer poop lol), and hour at the river, play sessions inside (these are kept fairly sedate as we are STILL working on Ari's biting humans during play issue unfortunately), and another nice jaunt through the woods.  Today I think a bee hive crawled up Ari's butt Stick out tongue because she was off the charts obnoxious which started after our off leash walk!  By obnoxious I mean play bowing and trying to bite my pant legs, feet and arms (in play), so I snapped on the leash, another jaunt around the trail followed immediately by swim time!  We played "fetch" in the water for an indeterminate time and then got to the end of the loop, I saw she STILL had energy to burn, so I reversed course (much to her confusion) and we backtracked along the look to extend the walk!  

Now there is one clonked out puppy who is currently twitching in her sleep - and her human is quite tuckered herself and finally able to relax too!  

When she wakes up, it'll probably just be a short "business" only walk since I think after this long weekend she's fairly tuckered.  

She's such a retriever (minus the not really getting the bring it back part lol), loves the water, and HAS to have something in her mouth to carry when walking about - preferably a stick, they are her absolute favorite thing in the entire world.  We tried playing fetch in the water with balls, but she could care less about going after those.  However, if you have a stick in your hand she goes bonkers and will go after it time and time and time again with nothing but 300% enthusiam!  

Both the SO and I, in some ways, can't wait till she's grown up already.  We want so badly to start conditioning her for hiking but know it's far too soon.  Once her leash manners are there (she's getting better, she's better with a harness on) my SO can't wait till she developed enough to be a jogging partner - which I think Ari is going to love, she loves to just run and (yes I'm partial) she's absolutely beautiful to watch.  

She's already 5 months old and she's really starting to fill out.  She's all akward looking, getting really tall and her featherings are just starting to come in.  Her coat is still very soft, and so shiney!  Unfortunately she did grow into her ears so they are no longer goofy looking Big Smile.

She's been super sweet at night.  My SO has been pulling long shifts (it's his busy time) so it's really just been the two of us.  Last night we were cuddled together on the couch and I must say she makes a fantastic foot warmer!  I love the little bugger, and soon enough it will be time to spay her (probably do it this month), followed by enrolling her in obedience classes.  Wish we could have done the classes sooner, but I'm trying to hold out till the trainer who came to our house, starts up classes again since I want to go through him for all her training.  I DO hope she'll get her CGC someday but we have a long road ahead of us for that!  Right now I'll settle to finally nip this biting thing once and for all - she's gotten better, but it's not there yet.  I'm also pretty peeved at people who do not respect me when I tell them do not allow/encourage her to jump on you.  I pull her off when they won't and keep her back, but she KNOWS not to jump on me or my SO (doesn't mean she still doesn't try lol) but she will take advantage of any minute amount of freedom anyone gives her so it's hard to reinforce the no jumping.  I do give Ari credit she was about to jump on me (after taking a swim and then rolling in the sand) and I just shot her a look, and she stopped, cocked her head and grabbed a stick instead!  She's a smart cookie, just pushy and well a puppy with a puppy's brain and attention span!  

Now if I can only get her to stop eating the deer poop she just rolled in....Ick!