Ears are going up!  Weighed Samson today, and he came in at roughly 20lbs.  It's hard to say for absolute sure since I'm weighing myself, weighing myself with him, and then taking the difference...and sometimes he is a bit wiggly so it's difficult to read.  But, yes, roughly 20lbs.  I've had to adjust his feeding schedule because it seems that he just really has a neutral interest in eating.  He doesn't hate it, he doesn't love it.  I wonder if maybe he has been holding out in hopes of stuffing himself on mostly treats (bits of meat, hot dogs, etc) that I give him during training (he is very attentive to my hand gestures...down is becoming easier for him, today he even did it from a stand position, and stay he knows VERY well, though it might take a couple times for him to remember).  Anyway, his feeding schedule...I am leaving the food out for around an hour or so.  It seems he is better able to "get his fill" if I leave it out for that long.  I've had to sit next to him while he eats and keep distracting him back to the food so he'll finish up.  This way he can take his time and get all he wants at his own pace.  The top picture is newer, as you can see, one ear is going up faster than the other.  Looks very funny!

He has heard me talking to my mother and sister a few times over the phone, and when he hears them, he throws back his head and howls!  Actually howled!!!  He is not a very vocal pup, however, and sometimes you don't even notice him padding along beside you.

Yesterday he stepped in poop and I did not check him before letting him in the house as he has been so careful.  I didn't notice until I was down on the floor petting him and noticed a nasty smell...and saw poopy paw print smears all over the floor.  Me and my mother cleaned up the floor, and Samson got a bath.  We have a new shower attachment which should make things easier on him.  He did not enjoy the bath, but there were parts where he was not agitated, and simply accepted the water flow.  I think once he was upset because the water got too cold.  I talked to him the whole time, held, him, let him know he was good, and all that stuff.

And then...this morning...I gave him his bi-weekly egg.  I decided to give it to him whole to see if he could figure out how to open it up.  He thought it was a toy and he started to carry it off...I got it back, cracked it a little, set it in his food dish, and let him have at it, which was stupid as he still thought it was a toy...he took off running sending egg yolk EVERYWHERE.  All over the doormat, kitchen/dining room floor, his front paws...somehow he even managed to get some on top of his head!  I didn't want to give him another bath so I got a wet washcloth and got everything off him as best I could, and let him lick up the egg yolk he'd spilled...and cleaned up the rest.

He is getting a lot more mouthy and nippy.  It is difficult to get him to stop sometimes as I think he is wanting to be alpha.  He barks back at me in defiance when I scold at him to stop...and then I bark.   At least for another couple months, mine is the bigger, meaner, scarier bark.  He stops immediately and knows I mean business, and I pet him and tell him he's a good boy for stopping all that nipping and biting.

He has been coming around with me in the truck to do chores on the farm, he LOVES truck rides.  When I let him out to pee when I get home he does his business then almost immediately runs back to the truck door and looks up.

His crate is still a problem, as he gets whiny and insistent in it before he eventually remembers he doesn't mind the crate at all. I try to ignore him to let him know that whining will NOT get a response out of me...and tell him he's very good when he's been quiet for a good bit of time...but oh my it is so hard to ignore a whining puppy :(.