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, IÂ 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!
This is what Nessa thinks of West Hams result!
November 9, 2010
Nessa shows her disgust at West Ham's result!!
There if I just followed football more closely it might explain why Betty chewed the pom pom’s off my new hat!! I must have a football fan for a dog and I didn’t know it!
Double Doodle trouble at class!
November 5, 2010
Phil and Hilary were the only ones at class this week, due to holidays and Nessa being spayed this week, They both have Labradoodles of similar ages, Phil’s Scruffs is slightly younger at 6 months with Hilary’s Truffle nearly 2 months older! Both puppies are making excellent progress, both live with 3 children in their families and are coping well with them:) as are Phil and Hilary! Phil and Hilary have worked hard and are both determined to have really well-behaved dogs for life! Many thanks to Phil’s wife Yuka for taking these photo’s!
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Me, Phil and Hilary with the double troubles!
Phil and Hilary with their Doodles Scruffs and Truffle!
Betty is 6 months old! oh dear!
November 3, 2010
Betty was 6 months on the 20th of October, it is around this time that puppies move into a new developmental period and it seems Betty has with a bump! It seems almost over night that she has gone from cute and mischievous to a hooligan! More confidence has arrived creating a whole new ball game! All puppies come to this phase, I don’t know why I should be surprised and I had intended to write a blog on this as she hit this age, to warn you all of what was to come:) for me and any of you with pups of the same age.
Betty is braver on walks, her new confidence means that she goes further from me. On days when I am busy and she has less work, she is a little demon, ripping up anything I mistakenly leave lying around:)! Today she hit an all time low, she started having a real “go” at her Daddy Pie, telling him off for going in her crate to take a chew, Pie, bless him, was taking no notice of her!! Betty sounded really aggressive, really horrible, I was soon in the kitchen and hurled a box of tissues at her as well as growling fiercely at her! I could see the look of “oops” followed quickly by concern and she dropped on to her tummy and submitted, and quite rightly! I will not tolerate any anti social behaviour from one of my dogs, and this was the first time Betty has had or needed a real scolding. I was pleased to see her concern at my reaction, at least the terrible age she is at doesn’t also mean that she has no respect for me!
The day did not improve, her toilet training then went out of the window! I am the first to admit if I have been slow to get Betty out to the toilet or if I have been sloppy in making sure she has been. I caught her pooping indoors! Yes, time to be told off for that too! I shooed her outdoors, showing her I was not happy with my tone of voice and serious face. I had a very different puppy for the rest of the evening, a much nicer one:).
Most of my regular readers know that I do not use telling off as a training method, and in fact rarely scold my dogs, but there is a time and place for doing so and the day was right for Betty! Hopefully it will be some time before I have to scold her again!
I wanted to tell you all about it as I know there are several readers of the blog with pups of the same age, we all have a challenging month or two ahead! It is around 6/8 months that our little darlings turn into little hooligans, it feels like they have forgotten all the work of the early weeks. Well they haven’t they just need to learn in a new way at this developmental stage, it can mean going back to the beginning on some exercises, or finding ways of making the exercise simpler so that they can be right again. Being sure not to get into the habit of telling them off too much or this is when the relationship can be spoilt! Managing the puppies time is helpful to avoid trouble, use of the crate to prevent mischief is helpful at times.
With the dark evenings with us now, I will be putting up some ideas for indoor training and amusement for puppies this winter, I am hoping we can share ideas:) so get thinking please? Either mail to me or you can post on the appropriate blog later in the week.
The slide show of Betty and Pie, notice the tea towel Betty is lying on:) stolen, but looking innocent again:)! I tried to catch Pie doing his face trick, not very well but looking cute!
Some great photo’s
October 29, 2010
JJ is so cool!
This is Fiona and Winnie on the left
I love this photo of JJ, he is a great dog, his personality is as big as him! Graham his owner is making a great job of training him, along with help from Mum, Val!
Fiona was a pupil of my instructor and behaviour courses who has gone on the run her own dog training business! Her little dog Winnie is a half-sister of Betty by my Teddy. Winnie is a super star at agility, as you can see from her trophy!!!
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