Newton the Newfoundland, 4 months old

Our Newfie pup, Newton, is now 4 months old and weighs in at 50 pounds. He's adorable, but never get a puppy in the winter. It's messy and you have to constantly go outside with a  puppy  in the snow, sleet, hail, wind, freezing temperatures and what not. Newfoundland puppy fur is a snow magnet & he's a hot mess most days. That said, this pooch is so fun to have around! 

He really is a great puppy and truly does not get into much. He mostly picks up whatever stray toy or item is left within reach and is quite good about letting us take it from him. He kennels up nicely at night and is doing better with car rides and leash walking. He has learned "sit" and "down." The only trouble spot we're working on currently is his table manners--as in, how HE behaves when we're sitting at the table eating. He likes to try to jump on the table or on our laps to get at the food.  It's a work in progress!

He has learned to love ice cubes and "begs" for one each time we get ice for our drinks. How does he beg? He sits in front of the fridge and gives us his most pathetic look, similar to this shot of him outside:

He is a pro at ringing his bell to let us know he wants out. How did we train him to do this? Simple. I tied the bell to the doorwall ("sliding glass door" to you non-metro Detroiters) and and rang it once against his nose as I let him out. He had it mastered the next time he wanted out. No joke. It only took once to show him this trick! I've had to raise the height of the bell almost as frequently as we've had to adjust his collars because he grows so quickly. 

Here's Newton catching a scent outside in the snow. The white flakes are snow falling. He loves being outside and we have a hard time keeping him in when there's snow on the ground. He is a winter loving dog for sure!