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.

Thanks for all the birthday wishes.

The birthday boy has had a lovely day, new toys, his favourite chews and two lovely walks as well as getting to share my ice-cream (in lieu of cake ).

mint Minty looks like he's having great fun in the woods. Dh and I planned to renew our vows in a woodland, followed by a big Alice in Wonderland Party, for our 20th anniversary, but events got in the way and it never happened. Haven't given up though - just postponed it to our 25th in 2017. Hoping to hire a load of yurts or similar and have our own mini-festival with all our friends too. It's a nice dream, fingers crossed we can make it happen.

Some 'then' photos ... First a few weeks after being found dumped at the side of the road at less than 24 hours old. Then showing how thin he was when he was poorly (he was actually gaining weight at this point).

... and now

Gosh moose - it's amazing how much he's changed in a year!

Glad he (and you) had a lovely day :)

Wow Moose what a fabulous year he's had! He has the most beautiful big eyes - I imagine he's pretty hard to say no - I'd be sharing my ice cream with him birthday or not!

What a lovely idea for a party and celebration. In the woods where we go the wooden decking area outside the cafe, which is just an open hatch really, was decorated with cream swaths of material and flowers and the guests were all pottering around looking beautiful in their wedding best with a gorgeous bride in white - then us four clomping through the woods in walking boots, muddy dog, whistle, all calling minty loudly - as soon as we 'happened' upon the wedding party, I must admit I felt very self conscious and really nervous about mintys ability to cause havoc! DH got him on lead pretty quickly and we decided to forgo our coffee and cake and leave them in peace.

Ahh Moose what a lovely transformation he's had in a year Pip has certainly managed a glorious day for icecream related birthday celebrations.

The woodland mini festival thing sounds fabulous. I hope you get to make it happen.

What a brilliant job you've done with him Moose I think you deserve cake!

Eric is about 9 inches tall to his shoulder, we have a stairgate at the stairs to thwart his mischief upstairs. Why, oh why, is it that the stairgate that stopped all the dc is just another thing that momentarily slows Eric down a little? Today he has shown us that he can jump over it when he wants to He's tiny, he gets no run up to it because there is a bookcase at the bottom but clears the three foot gate easily. Would it be overkill to buy a dog gate for such a tiny dog do you think?

That's hilarious insanity! Can't believe how high he can jump. I think the dog gate is needed as I imagine with that much mischief going on in his head, he would have a ball in your bedrooms and wreck havoc!

It is getting ridiculous now there seems to be nowhere that is inaccessible unless the door is firmly shut. He uses the living room dining room as his personal assault course, he goes on tables, window sills, units, fireguard, back of the sofa in fact he can pretty much do a circuit without touching the floor.
I have to watch him like a hawk in the kitchen as he's almost sussed getting on the work surfaces, it's only the units above that put him off and he's worked out how to open the cupboard doors.
I definitely don't want him upstairs though as we leave stuff up there that we don't want him stealing.
I never realised that dogs jumped and climbed like he does as MIL's dogs never even went on the sofa uninvited.

Oh dear...Eric sounds like a little character!

Maz thought all his christmas's had come at once tonight. We were all sat in my mums conservatory when we noticed a cat with a baby bird. My mum was so busy chasing the cat we didn't see Maz pounce on the bird He was a little forlorn to have it taken away!

It flew away when retrieved but suspect the poor thing may have had one ordeal too much.

The bird would definitely have quietened Eric down, he chases them in the park but if they don't fly away by the time he gets about 2m away he turns round and runs back frightened to death.
Hopefully the bird will be ok if it flew off at the time.

Maz has a thing for crows. I'm glad he stands no chance because the blooming things could probably swallow him whole!

insanity, are you sure he's not part mountain goat?

My aunt's Parson's JRT is exactly the same, never on the floor when there's an alternative surface available.

Are you going to have a go at agility with him when he's older? He'd be an absolute star at mini agility with all that bounce and get-up-and-go. Now you know why I have Lurchers. My two couldn't even be bothered to run on our walk today, just mooched and pottered with the odd trot thrown in. they are still tired from yesterday's walks and it was a bit humid, but fundamentally they're lazy!

Pip has a real obsession with the pigeons, crows and seagulls we get in our local park. They really tease him, landing a couple of feet away, then taking off as he approaches and landing a bit further on, all the way around the park. He used to just chase them full pelt, but I was terrified he'd end up going straight across the main road, as he'd watch them in the sky rather than where he was going, so I really pushed his recall training around them and now he comes back before he even starts to run, but will come back mid-flight so-to-speak if he does decide to take off. He looks so forlorn when he can't get to them though, stands and watches them for ages.

Today squirrel tracking was the order of the day. Round and round ... and round ... and round the oak trees, following their noses all the way and not a squirrel in sight poor dogs.

Have a bit of a problem with Lurcherboy today. On the way home from our walk he trod on a cat-food tin lid that the bin men had dropped, it clattered and clanged and he totally freaked out and dragged me into a nearby drive. I couldn't get him to walk back past the spot, he was really terrified, shaking, cowering etc. Picked up the tin lid walked away a little, showed it to him and dropped it a couple of times, while feeding hi treats, so he could connect where the noise came from and understand it wasn't anything bad and he was fine with that, but still wouldn't go back across the bit of pavement where it happened. He's made a really strong negative connection with the place, as he had no idea what happened, just that it really scared him. Tried a bit later and he'll walk towards the park there, but totally loses it and panics if I try to walk him back (which is what we were doing when he was frightened).

So, I have some work to do to get him to relax around there again, bit of a pain, as it's a few houses up from us, outside the house next to the park entrance and it means going the long-way round and a lot more road-work to use the other entrance until I've got him over it. I know from experience with another of my dogs that developed a sudden fear of a place due to illness/injury and pain association, that sometimes they just can't move on from this sort of thing.

It's amazing isn't it? One single, seemingly innocuous event and they make a strong, paired response for life, but when we want them to pair two things in training etc it takes hours, weeks, months of repetition.

He could be part goat I suppose, we think he's part cat some days. I thought shih tzus were pretty staid dogs so it must be the poodle in him that makes him such a pest. He is so lovely though he gets down when you ask it's just the staying down never lasts for very long .
I think he's just pretty clever and so entertains himself with all the mischief but he only does it for his audience. I left him two hours this morning with him having free reign of the downstairs (and the upstairs seeing as I didn't know about the gate) and he was laid in his bed when I got back and there was nothing to indicate he'd been up to any tricks.
Poor Lurcherboy being so scared hope you manage to help him overcome his fear.

How's Fitz's foot doing today basil?

Am I doing this right? We live in a house that is in effect back to front so the kitchen is near the front door and the bins are out there and the garden is open plan.
Obviously I go in and out the front door numerous times a day and Eric would follow me which would be fine if it wasn't for if he sees someone interesting he'll shoot up the path to greet them.
So I'm working on him sitting and waiting by the door whilst I go to the bin which is working pretty well particularly if the reward is a morsel of ham or cheese.
Which brings me to food. Eric isn't a great eater or rather he isn't a great eater if it's in his bowl but eats everything out of my hand so because he is somewhat of a challenge and he works well for a reward we're currently in the situation where he gets more than half his food fed to him through the day as rewards.
Is this ok? Does it matter if he has constant nibbles rather than a couple of meals?

That's absolutely fine insanity. Some dogs that have a lot of training may be fed their entire daily meal quota from hands rather than bowls, as long as you're not exceeding his recommended intake it will be fine.

Foot seems to be ok, thanks moose, certainly hasn't affected his activity levels ... The lurcher pup was a bit younger than him so not quite as fast which made him feel v pleased with himself

Insanity - Fitz has more than half his food during training or from food toys - the only meal he has from his bowl is tea and that's gone in seconds!

I'm a bit worried about Pip this evening. He hasn't been himself all day. In fact he's been extremely sleepy all week, but I put it down to extra walks and the humid weather to begin with.

This morning though he didn't give us our usual 6.00 am wake up call and didn't even start squeaking when dh's alarm went off - resulting in dh hitting snooze and us all oversleeping. Then when we got up he was slow to come and say hi and felt a bit hot.

He's been really lethargic all day, just sleeping and not really showing much interest in anything, although has eaten his two meals (so far) and kongs, plus a chew while I did the school runs.

His ears feel hot and his nose is now a bit dry, but wasn't earlier and most telling is that he didn't bother to get up and run to the door when dh came home from work - he just lay where he was in the middle of the floor while Lurcherboy did his usual excited dance. Plus, dd has just been sitting in the living room squeaking one of his new toys repeatedly and there was no response from him, he didn't even lift his head to look at her.

So, he seems to be eating and drinking normally, is weeing and pooing normally too, but seems unusually exhausted and not as interested in his usual activities. Frustratingly few actual symptoms, but just a feeling he's not quite right.

I suppose it could just be a mild virus. It's just over a week since he was in kennels, so it's feasible he could have picked something up there and has now reached the end of the incubation period, I suppose.

Cross posted.

Good to hear Fitz's foot isn't holding him back.

Would like to see him outrun Pip though.

Well seeing as Fitz is only 17" to his shoulder (which would bring him up to Pip's elbow?) I don't think he'd have a hope in hell of outrunning Pip

Hope he feels better soon - I think sometimes dogs and cats can have off days probably caused by mild viruses - if it were one if the children I'd be telling them to have a warm bath and an early night but with the animals I go into panic mode

Pip definitely has the advantage with his impossibly long legs. I don't think many non-sighthounds could outrun him. Lurcherboy can't catch him, but cheats by running a smaller circle and heading him off at the pass!

I am the same panicking about the dogs' health. I am far more calm and level headed about the dcs.

I've just started a thread for one of our lovely MN vets to reassure me that I'm doing the right thing just monitoring him and booking him in at the vets tomorrow night if he doesn't pick up. Feel so daft hemming and hawing about what to do.

He did actually just pick up a toy and take it to ds2, but when he threw it for him he just stood and looked at it rather forlornly, whereas he'd usually be up for a good game of tuggy and retrieve. He's definitely not himself, but as you say, probably just a mild virus. I reckon possibly a kc/upper resp virus, as the vaccination only covers a handful of strains and he has just been in kennels.

Poor Pip. I hope he picks up tomorrow. It is daft that we worry so much but I think it is the lack of communication element that causes it.

I'm exhausted tonight myself. I had my best friends toddler today and I am worn out! You forget how full on they are. Plus in my wisdom I decided a street walk would be easier than the park so took it upon my self to walk to pets at home. This was a round trip of about 5 miles in the pouring rain manhandling dog and pushchair. Combine this with 2 school runs, craft sessions, trainset building and crawling around playing cars I am cream crackered!

But I got a new treat belt clip bag ready for (hopefully) starting KC scheme dog training on sunday night as the local club reopens after a venue refit.

I hope the MN vet comes on to help Moose, sounds a bit worrying.

It is hard without the communication element. The kids know that my standard refrain when they complain of any pain, bump, graze or soreness is "oh well, a good nights sleep will sort that" then they get packed off to bed early that night, so they're both fairly resilient!

If a dogs off colour you know it's genuine though. Maybe Pip will pick up after a good nights sleep tonight?!

Poor Pip, hope he picks up quickly. I think dogs are more worrying because they can't let you know what's wrong and when they give you the sad face it pulls your heart strings.