HighGarth Jude: Late Developer

Jude Develops Late

At one time I thought that if dogs missed appropriate experiences early in their development, they couldn't learn later what they had missed.

Then I got my first late bloomer. He was a puppy so homely that even pet homes didn't like his appearance. And he refused to leave my house; he growled at people who came to see him for adoption; he was clumsy; he over-reacted to novelty; he even bit me (for real) when I Dremeled his toenails. But he refused to leave me. He just refused. His mother and I continued to work with him.

And lo and behold, he started to grow into his uglier features. He blossomed in personality. He eventually became confident.

But you know how it is when you live with someone and that someone grows and it's hard to see it yourself. Another breeder saw him at six months and realized that he had become gorgeous. I started to show him. He loved showing. I mean he loved to show off, get applause, have people look at and examine him. He charmed his way into majors from the puppy/junior classes under well respected judges.

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