I have sadly neglected the blog over the last 2 weeks, I have been busy at work but outside of work I have been creating a few little drama’s that have kept me really busy!! I usually keep this to dog training but I feel like sharing today:)
First I crashed my car, I know that no one hits anything in a car on purpose but I was totally stupid! I was in a car park at night, there were some boys playing football and in truth I was looking at them rather than where I was going, concerned that the ball may come my way and with it one of the children, bang I hit the lamp-post, I wasn’t going more than 10/15 miles an hour and you should have seen my poor car:( not good!
Since the holidays I have had 3 colds on the trot, yes 3 just as I was getting over one the next one started! I feel very uncomfortable in my work constantly blowing my nose, and yet that seems to be most of what has been happening since Christmas!
And just to add insult to injury when eating my tea, that I had cooked including the filleted salmon, I got a bone stuck in my throat! I have been eating fish for years and never have I had that happen before, but it was well and truly stuck! I won’t go into details but needless to say I did try to remove the bone! The next morning I was still suffering and rang the nurse, who recommended going to A and E, so off I went. 4 hours later, having had a camera down my throat, the bone was still hiding and I came home! I feel like my year so far has been a comedy of errors! Roll on February:)
In between my personal drama I noticed that spring is on the way and spring makes me smile :), there is a change in the air, the sap is rising, the birds are singing and the ducks are pairing up on the lake. I so love my home, the countryside gives me a constant source of entertainment, yesterday a Fox ran passed as I was getting dressed, a big red chap with black tips to his fur. I ran to another window but couldn’t see him, returned to dressing as he returned along his first path, hot on a scent and he spent a few minutes checking out the possibilities, giving me lots of time to watch him:)
This morning as I crossed the front paddock a Monk Jac deer shot out and ran along the fence, looking for an opening gave me precious moments to study her and to recall Pie and Betty, I was so pleased that Betty responded to me:)
It is very important to me that my dogs do not chase or harass the wild life. At this time of year coming into spring the deer could be pregnant, I would not want my dogs to cause her to abort. It is all too easy to forget that wildlife reproduce and if dogs chase them, there off spring is put in danger. I am not sure how anyone can let a dog think it is okay to chase deer and yet leave sheep alone, and I don’t recommend trying that one.
I am glad to hear some of the puppies at class are also managing to recall and not chase, keep it up!!!
And here are some of the new Puppy’s attending classes!!
Betty learns to get in the car all on her own!
January 10, 2011
Betty is fairly light so I haven’t felt the need to teach her to get in the car on her own, but I noticed this week that I was being a bit silly especially as she can jump like a stag when the fancy takes her! I think that she is the right age to learn now too, I worry about the soft joints on puppies up to about 8 months, from an agility training point 12 months is the youngest age I would start them, but for a heavier breed I would wait even longer! For jumping in the car eight months seems perfect, plus the weather on Sunday was great and I had a lovely time outside dog training for the first time in some weeks!
Teaching a dog to get in the car is no different to any other training exercise, correct help, food and repetition makes perfect! I had Betty on the lead and a pocketful of titbits. I began by showing Betty the food and threw a titbit into the boot of the car, she put her front feet up to look, but made no attempt to jump in, I put my hand under her bottom and gave her the minimal help, obviously once in she could eat the titbit, I praised her and asked her to get out again. I repeated this several times, still she made no attempt to lift herself, she needed a bit more of a clue! I moved away from the car and ran at the boot, as we arrived I gave a lift on her collar and she jumped in! We repeated this until I did not have to use the lead at all, each time I praised her and gave her a treat. I took her out in the car to train away from home, when we were ready to return she jumped in the car herself! Job done, as long as I put her in the car daily for a week or so to ensure she remembers!
While talking about cars, Betty travels in a crate, a soft one that is secured in the car, so that in the event of an emergency stop or worse, neither Betty or crate will hit me in the back of the head. Pie always wears a dog harness secured in the back to make him safe also. Please make sure your dog is secure in the car, I do not want to hear that one of them has caused anyone an injury nor been injured because they were travelling loose!
Megan, Betty’s sister!
January 7, 2011
Thank you Sue for sending the photo’s of Megan!
Pie the stud!!
January 5, 2011
Well my poor Pie I maligned him, he is a stud!!! Annie came over with little Mel again and he did his duty, with some enthusiasm, though it seemed to take me lifting him on to her back for him to remember how to do it!! Annie was not at all complementary about him, but as she is Pie’s breeder it is all her fault anyway! 🙂 And at the point neither of us thought it was going to happen I told her she could have him back! When I realised that was unlikely I told Pie that if he wasn’t going to use them he could go to the vet for castration! Maybe that is what did the trick:) We will see, hopefully around the 7th March.
Some photo’s of Betty with Mum Gracie and Daddy Pie!
Snow and dog photo competition! Results and happy new year!
January 3, 2011
A very happy new year to all!! My apologies for not giving the results of the snow competition sooner, I was poorly last week and everything went out of the window for the week, having just got over the festivities and the tricky snow time! At long last Phil with Scruffs photo has topped the voting, a bit congratulations to them the prize will be in the post tomorrow!
Betty and Pie are keeping well! It was tough last week when I was off colour, Betty managed to trash the house:) and I didn’t care! Well at least not until I was feeling better and then had to clean up! Pie was meant to be performing stud duties this week, yet despite a lot of enthusiasm he is too coy to oblige, he has one more chance tomorrow!
Both Betty and Pie managed to stay out of and off of the ice on the lake, thankfully! Annie brought Gracie, Betty’s Mum, over with her last week and Gracie was not so successful! Despite the thaw the ice is still on the lake and quite tough in places. Gracie was suddenly in the water and obviously in some shock from the cold, was trying to scrabble onto the ice which just kept breaking under her feet! Thankfully it was only a minute or two (though it felt like 10) before she turned to Annie and I calling her and saw my outstretched arms, to which she quickly swam and I hauled her out! A few minutes later she was practically dry and none the worse for her trauma! Neither Annie or I saw Grace actually go in the water, she was just suddenly there, it happened so fast! Giving us both an unwelcome insight into how quickly tragedy could have hit.
Were any of you given a fright over the holidays?
Snow and dog photo competition!
December 2, 2010
Oakley!
Tye after the snowball catch!
Syd hates the snow!
Toby in his new home!
Tye catching snowballs!
Kev
Type your favourite dog into a comment and post please? email me your photo to take part in the competition for a recall pack and my recall DVD! Closing date for entries 14th December – closing date for voting 21st December 2010
Nessa
Scruffs
Cheryl's dog 🙂
Dogs and snow!
November 30, 2010
Please send me your doggy snow photo’s there will be a prize for the best!
Betty was a bit surprised by the snow this morning! There was no way she was venturing outside without Pie and I going first on the strange white stuff! By the time we went for a walk we had barely made the gate when she got very excited by the snow! Here are some photo’s I took on our walk this morning, hoping you like them:) can you spot the Stag prints, I seem to have ended up with a few of my footprints, but the stag looked to belong to a big animal and I found them near the house!
A reminder to be aware of the dangers of ice, so far Betty isn’t tempted onto the lake, I will be keeping a careful eye on her while all the ice and snow is about!
What are they chatting about?
I would love to hear your caption for the photo of Pie and Betty chatting? 🙂
And Sue sent some photo’s of Nessa’s reaction this morning, distinctly unimpressed!
Did you say "sit stay"? Not likely!
What am I doing out here?
Betty is growing up! And a local dog walking warning!
November 27, 2010
It never ceases to amaze me watching a puppy grow, this week Betty had a day of going off her food, not just her food but treats as well! I know Annie (her breeder) won’t believe me:) she has been such a greedy puppy! The only tummy upset Betty has had is from over eating, which she has always been willing to do! She seems to have a cast iron stomach, never suffering from upsets from the rubbish all puppies eat. It has only lasted one day, Betty is back to normal now! But the day seem to mark a change in her, I wonder if her hormones have started to kick in, as she also seems since to show signs of more grown up behaviour. Last night she sat on my lap for more than an hour having cuddles, the longest she has done that since she would fall asleep on my lap as a baby! I think her first season cannot be too far away now, I am keeping her entire so that I can have some babies one day!
I would add that Betty would have eaten my food on that day, just not dog food, she wasn’t ill! Plus Betty at 7 months has done most of her growing now, which her dip in appetite confirms. In response I have reduced her meals slightly to fit her new appetite. I have seen clients who at this point in their puppies development, believing the puppy has gone off the food being fed, change the diet. Not a good plan as this can lead to the puppy starting to pick and choose what they eat, controlling their owner in this way is a signal that will have a negative affect on the relationship! A puppies appetite reflects how much they need, if fed a well-balanced food, low in salt and additives.
The same day she was off her food was also a bit traumatic for her:) Betty came out to help at the Thursday morning puppy class. We were discussing what to do if your puppy is approached by a scary dog, and I had Betty out to demonstrate how I would protect her, by getting her behind me and stamping my foot and shouting “no” and shooing the dog away. Betty had not seen me do this before and thought I was a bit scary! As we progressed with the class I moved a pole on the ground, as I lobbed it Betty ran under it so that the pole bounced off her head! I hastened to add it was light weight and did not injure her, but she did jump! A few minutes later I managed to tread on her! Poor Betty, what a bad morning! Betty was almost afraid to move for a while, and laid down every time I looked at her! Watching the class doing more fun things soon cheered her up though, I am pleased to say!
The reason we had been talking about unfriendly dogs is that a friend of mine had a very nasty experience with her dog. There is a Staffie that lives in Dunmow that has hospitalised 4 dogs that we know of (in Felstead), and last week her dear boy ended up with 2 wounds one of which is a foot long, and he was on lead! The attack would have killed a smaller dog. The owner jogs in Felstead on a Tuesday and Friday morning, and seems to have the dog off lead and not muzzled to date, despite the dogs history! He goes out early between 6.30 and 7.30am, I would imagine he goes out in Dunmow other mornings possibly. It is a brown Staffie called, Holly and wears a flashing collar . If you see them watch out! He must be reported until he, the owner, gets the message! Dogs that do this should not be allowed to live on and continue to terrorise us! It is not the dogs fault that she has got like this, but it is too late to change now! If you have any more information on this dog, please let me know?
I was conflicted about telling you about this Staffie, my heart goes out to the really responsible Staffie owners out there, especially my clients, who I know would be mortified if their dog even growled at another dog!
Avril Munson's Blog 