Where the Wild Things Are

[barbarianoftheuniverse]

I have an eight month old Border Collie called Meg. She is far from perfect (and so am I).
Today she has been about 60/40 good. The 40 included chewing up my camera memory card which DH is sure he put safely on the mantelpiece. Every time I look down at this screen she takes a quick munch of the coffee table with her eyes on mine. This despite a 2 hour walk which included much in and out of streams.

That's what Oldgirl used to be like. The worse the weather, the more she enjoyed being outside. She'd insist on sitting/lying in the middle of the lawn in pouring rain or deep snow. She was black and tan, but would disappear and end up camoflagued under a layer of snow quite happily. She had a really thick double coat though and poor old Pip barely has enough fur to cover his skin in places.

He won't get away with hiding now his new coat's arrived though. I love rainy walks, not least of all because you only get dedicated dog-walkers out, which always makes for a more pleasant dog-walk.

I don't tend to do many field walks on my own because I don't feel safe. Dh thinks I'm bonkers, but as my nerves would only transmit to the dogs, I figure it's probably not worth it.

Thanks for the well wishes for Pip, both. Fingers crossed we can be vet-bill free next month!

I'll go through the farmers fields ...it's woods that freak me out. I imagine people behind every tree. Not entirely sure why it suddenly becomes okay by having 8 year old ds with me!

You have to walk through a long, narrow tunnel of trees, totally screened from view, to get to our fields and it's part of a public footpath that is the only shortcut across the motorway, so used by all sorts, not just dog walkers. Still daft, as we have one of the lowest crime rates in the country and virtually zero violent crime here, it just gives me the hebe jeebies.

Just had a bit of a revelation with Pip. He's been refusing to eat his food over the holidays. I put it down for him and give hom his release word and he just stands there looking worried.
We've wracked our brains trying to work out if something has happened to make him anxious, but couldn't come up with anything. Then this morning Lurcherboy growled at him as he approached the bowl. Put Lurcherboy in the other room and Pip ate it straight away. Glad we know what the problem is, but now a bit worried about school run kongs etc. Lurcherboy is on a diet, which is what I think precipitated this, although he's never had breakfast anyway, but I have nowhere to leave them separately when I go out, so not sure what to do for best.

Off to visit kennels with Pip this morning. Think I'd better tell them they'll have to feed the boys separately.

You have to walk through a long, narrow tunnel of trees, totally screened from view, to get to our fields and it's part of a public footpath that is the only shortcut across the motorway, so used by all sorts, not just dog walkers. Still daft, as we have one of the lowest crime rates in the country and virtually zero violent crime here, it just gives me the hebe jeebies.

You're both being wusses . I won't walk on the coon once it's starting to get dark though so hurrah for longer days

I'm not sure how much help Fitz would be if we did ever come across someone dodgy - he'd probably hide behind me with his tail between his legs... He does have an irrational dislike of men carrying large bags and reserves his special 'I'm really big and fierce and scary' low woof for them so as long as any potential attacker could be thoughtful enough to carry a large bag we'd be safe

Sorry should preview ... That should be common not coon (not sure what auto correct was thinking of ...)

Maz would be no use at all...I can guarantee his only thought whilst I was being hacked to death would be 'Ooooh this looks like a loud exciting game....oooh will I get a fuss....oooh has this dude got treats....hey....SQUIRREL!' Does that convey his personality?

Toby has an irrational dislike of people wearing high vis jackets. I do the whole standing next to them, calling him over, treating and praising him but he still hates them. You should have seen him when Dynarod came out!

Mine would both be useless if I was ever in any danger too - but Pip came and put his head on my lap when I cried this morning (nothing serious, just me being a wuss again! ) - so at least I know he loves me really!

Sally, we used to call men in high viz jackets 'the shouting blokes' because there were always loads at the ferry port that would yell directions to us as we boarded and our old fear aggressive Boxer x boy was totally freaked out by them. We made it our mission to counter condition him to them using a combination of aromatherapy, valerian and lots of treats and by the time we lost him he would get excited and look hopeful either if he saw someone in dayglo yellow or someone said 'look shouting blokes' !

Now he was a dog I felt safe to walk anywhere, he was enormous and wouldn't let anyone within a 10 ft range of me - it was just a shame he tried to eat every person and dog he happened across on our wanderings.

Been for a walk around the kennels this morning. Poor old Pip was petrified of all the other dogs in the actual kennel block and squeezed himself against the wall behind me, but once they let him out in the paddock he was in pointy pup heaven. He liked the head kennel hand and she was lovely with him, so overall I think he's going to be ok. Dh and I are debating the merits of a short overnight stay to get him used to being left there as well. I'm pro - he's anti (although I reckon his reasons are purely financial ).

Went for a walk in our favourite park afterwards, while the boys were at club and dd was at my parents' house and it was lovely. The sun was shining, we had the place to ourselves, plus Pip was allowed off-lead again and the two of them had a blast zooming around. I was so pleased with their recall to whistle as well. Both came back every time, even when they were just going into the river (didn't need that today, as we have guests this afternoon) and mid gallop in the opposite direction to us. Pip even played nicely off-lead with Lurcherboy and left him alone when given the 'leave' command. It was one of those lovely walks that reminds you why you have dogs in the first place.

I love our early morning wander. 6am on a Sunday morning the streets and the park is deserted although did see the young lad with the Jack Russell from over the road heading back home so he must get up earlier than me. Eric found a huge frog this morning, he was very brave sniffing and growling and then it jumped and he screamed like a baby and ran worms are also scary but snails are there to knock over very carefully with his nose

Sounds hilarious insanity! Like the elephant and the mouse.

I had hoped minty would eat the spiders in the house as I'm phobic but can't bear to kill them so I thought a dog eating them would be a natural end, but minty stares and sniffs but no more.

I'm not very happy having picked minty up from kennels. I hesitate to say this incase I spook you moose but your kennels may be very different to the one we used.

We collected minty and I felt there was a funny atmosphere in the office before he was brought in. The groomer came to see us as I'd booked a wash and clip and she said "I'm really sorry I couldn't get a good clip round his head as he got really nasty with me". I was really taken aback but she explained she thought he was stressed by the time she's worked through his matted bits and his head was last and he'd just had enough so had tried to bite her.

He arrived and was thrilled to see us, me particularly bit just thrilled, and excited. But he was shaking, his back legs were shuddering away and I've never seen that.

Also he smells and looks awful - a dreadful, heavily perfumed smell. He has been cut really short, no hair around the eyes at all so he looks quite scary and very shorn everywhere. I can't describe it, but I feel really unsettled myself. He is happily pottering around the house again (though in 2hrs home he hasn't settled or snoozed once) and he was skittish and constantly checking us on the walk on the way home from kennels. If he was a human I'd interpret it as anxiety.

Any ideas about the shaking? If I felt he wasn't happy in kennels I'd need to start looking pretty quickly for a home boarder for August as we have 10 days without him but I can't honestly imagine taking him back to the kennels though he's booked in. The two girls were odd with us, DH agreed, it was a strange atmosphere - no we'd back on his he'd been until I asked had he settled ok
And they both said "oh yeah fine" but that was it and I felt there was nothing behind it.

Sorry - no feedback on how he'd been until I asked.

I'm sorry Mint that must have been really upsetting for you. I hope you find someone before your hols.

That wasn't my experience on picking Eric up from the groomers/kennels Mintysmum. He went for his first bath to acclimatise him for going to be clipped later on because they advised he shouldn't be clippped before six months. The groomer came out and asked if she could trim his fringe because she thought it was irritating his eyes and then brought him out in her arms, Eric was fussing round her until he spotted me. They then said he had been very good, recommended another visit in six weeks and gave him a treat and a fuss before we left. Eric was as happy as Larry, not at all stressed I'd know because he screams if he is at all unhappy.

Mint they sound dreadful. Any relatives or friends that you could leave him with?? We are taking Toby to Wales with us this year. This will be a first for us as we've taken a dog on holiday before. I'm hopeful that he will be ok in the cottage. It's got a secure garden, and the beach is close by. I will be taking his crate with us, as we don't leave him in the house out of his crate when we go out. They're still babies really, and it's not the damage that he'd do to stuff that worries me, it is more him damaging himself.

As for the groomers, I'd definitely not go back. Poor minty.

Eek mint that doesn't sound good - I wouldn't have been too impressed...

I'd definitely look into home boarding for the summer - it's expensive but Fitz found it a lot less stressful than I think he'd have found kennels

He's really tired, finally flopped out and sleeping soundly.

Minty is fine but I am not impressed with the groomer or the kennels. I would have expected a little more feedback on how he had been. However I think having him groomed during his first ever kennel stay was my mistake. When I think about it now, I'd never have agreed to one of my boys having a stressful experience during their settling-into nursery phase. Like a haircut which DS1 hated, I'd never of agreed to that being done while he was away from me which he also hated at 3yrs old! Don't know what stupid bit of me thought the convenience of grooming whilst at kennels overrode thinking it through properly and not putting a possibly sad, stressed dog through something he gets stressed about (our mobile groomer has reached a stage where he copes quietly with his grooming rather than barking which he did at first). I'm not going to beat myself up about it but it's just an example of how I don't find dog rearing to be as intuitive as child rearing. Poor minty.

I'm glad he's home and for what it's worth it was very good for him NOT to come on holiday with us - 8hr drive one way, 10 the other due to roadworks! And the cottage in Scotland was surrounded by lambing fields and signs about dogs on leads - another guest had had their terrier escape last year from neighbouring cottage, run into field chasing sheep and the farmer had his gun at the ready to shoot the dog. Fortunately they grabbed him during a run past.

Oh Mint, I'm so sorry the kennels weren't a good experience for Minty boy.

Don't worry about spooking me, we've been using the same kennels since the early 90's and they've looked after all our dogs very well, I'm not so much worrying about the level of care, as how Pip will react to the whole situation really.

We took Pip for a quick first time visit yesterday and the head kennel hand was running around the paddock with him. He thought the paddock was heaven - wasn't so impressed with all the other dogs in the kennel block though.

How would you feel about someone dog-sitting in your house, rather than sending him to boarding? I know a few people that do it that way and say it's much less stress on their dogs.

Ds1 is feeling Minty's haircut pain. Both my boys had to go to a barber yesterday, as our long-term hairdresser that's always done them decided not to go back after maternity leave and ds1 has refused to have his hair cut at all in the 6 months she's been off, so it was getting worse than desperate.

Both boys had long, surfy hair and came back with short back and sides. Poor ds1 is totally traumatised. He's tactile sensiitive on his head anyway, hates change (major meltdown involved in getting him out of the car when they got there) had to allow a complete stranger to touch him and on top of all that is terrified of clippers - even if they're being used on someone else. Dh had to be quite forceful with the barber to get him to put the clippers down and not use them on the boys. Needless to say we won't be going back there, both boys are upset, ds1 is traumatised, dd cried when she saw them and I hardly recognise my own dses. Dh got it from me with both barrels when I saw what they'd done. Why he didn't insist they only gave them a trim I'll never know.

Oh dear that's upsetting Moose. I can see your DHs side though, the barbers start and just go on often without much reference to the adult there. It's so hard to stop them or have any influence over how drastic they make the cut.

Not easy for your DS1 though. You could maybe leave it a good few weeks before trying to find a mobile hairdresser as that may be more gentle on him.

House and dog sitter - great idea!

Thanks mint, these things are always so hard for ds1, unfortunately - and I did let dh off ... when I'd had time to recover from the shock - although I still get a shock every time they walk in the room at the moment. Neither of them has ever had short hair before.

Ds1 has announced he isn't having it cut again for at least another 6 months and to be honest, I don't think my nerves could take it anyway. Hopefully our local salon will have a new hairdresser that does a bit of barbering by then!

My own hairdresser is mobile, but has a blanket ban on doing children. I might ask her if she'll make an exception now ds is 12. He is absolutely no trouble while it's being done, because he just shuts down until it's over.

Oh Moose my ds has had surfer hair since it grew as a tot and both him and I would be gutted if he got scalped! Luckily we have a hairdresser who knows how he likes it. We still go back even though we moved as I remember some of the horrible toddler hair cuts he had until we found someone who understood.

I'm glad you understand. Dh clearly thinks I've lost the plot.

At least there's time for it to grow back to some extent before the summer holidays - what on earth would they look like in their wetsuits otherwise?

that sounds like me...I always time haircuts so he is 'due' when we go away as it always looks best then windswept!

First time leaving my two alone for the school run in almost three weeks this morning. I was dreading it after our realisation that Lurcherboy was intimidating Pip out of his breakfast (no wonder Lurcherboy was getting so fat ).

Chanced it and did my usual, handful of kibble in a kong wobbler and buster cube for Lurcherboy and Pip's greenfeeder, plus a large frozen kong. Made sure they were both chowing down on the appropriate snacks before I left.

Have just listened to the tape and Lurcherboy was chasing his treat toys until a few minutes before we got back, so it seems all's well as long as he has some food to keep him occupied too. Phew!