General Dog Chat 4

[geekone]

Apologies I just noticed the thread was running out so I am going to repost.

That's so lovely steppe.

I can't get my head why anyone would be so cruel to a dog

My hairdresser’s mum has just adopted a dog like that - large breed (can’t remember what exactly), under a year old. Had spent her whole life in a flat without going out or seeing another dog. She was afraid of stairs, because she’d never seen any. She lives on a farm now (an actual farm! Not ‘we sent the dog to a farm in the country’ )

Hello all. Dropped off this thread for a while (after you had been so helpful with all my questions when we got our rescue DDog) because we've been going through some difficult stuff and generally having to focus on that. We're sort of emerging through the other end of it now, but if there were ever times and there were when I wondered about whether getting a dog was the right choice for us right now, going through a tough time has really shown that the answer to that is YES. Honestly, were it not for DDog I could easily have spent all day/night hiding under the duvet with a bottle of wine and yet, each day, I've known I have to put on some clothes and get out for at least an hour's walk in the fresh air and more often than not it's DH and I together - which is not something that would have happened before DDog's arrival - and it's really get me through some difficult stuff.

Going to go back and read through the thread to catch up but just wanted to say hi before I pitched in again as you were so helpful when we got her and - whilst nothing is perfect obviously - she's come such a long way in the three months we've had her now and, I hope, for her, her shitty life before coming here is already a distant memory.

Waves at distantdog. Sorry to hear things have been tough but don't worry about dipping in and out as that's what these threads are for. Sounds like DDog has slotted nicely into your life though.

BiteyDog was very good at agility this week. I can definitely see an improvement and he really wants to do it. Just need to keep my end up and stop getting it wrong as he looks at me all .

Thanks Bitey - it's been a bit rough but Ddog has definitely helped us through it by becoming more and more of a little minx as each day goes by and she feels more settled with us. She is still very attached to me but I had to go away for a few days and she and DH got some good bonding time in, which seems to have stuck. It's weird with a rescue dog as we're actually happy she's got a bit naughtier because it shows she's feeling more settled "on her own territory".

And I how I laugh now at a post I made a couple of months ago when she was till our PFB and she'd tried to eat some cow poo and I was worried it would be a habit... well as we are out in the countryside she now regularly samples sheep, donkey, cow and deer poo... we spoke to the vet about it and the vet was totally non-phased and said nothing to worry about. We still stop her when we see her doing it but we are less precious about it now because she equally eats a lot of grass and leaves and twigs and all sorts (despite DH still feeding her plenty of posh dog food and us indulging her with plenty of treats) and she seems to be doing just fine. We are certainly not under-feeding her but she wolfed down an entire banana skin from our neighbour's compost pile the other day...

It's so good that she is being naughty isn't it distantdog. She has now found her home .

I am way more relaxed about things as well as really we can't stop them being dogs and I think cow poo must be the equivalent of the finest steaks to them .

Ha yes, my friend says her dog views deer poo as luxury Belgian chocolate truffles.

I really don't want to tempt fate but I think we have finally cracked the sleep issues with BiteyDog.

We moved the bedside table and pushed his bed right in the corner beside me. We now have a rug in front of his bed so when he gets up to turn and get a better sleep position we don't hear his nails on the wooden floor.

And I think the biggest change has been waking him up (as he sleeps really early) after dinner and doing literally 10 minutes of tricks and training. I had tried taking him for a walk but it made no difference as he gets enough physical exercise as it is.

He's just woken up and had a pee and now is back sleeping. So much better than the wandering around the house at 3-4 am which we used to have

SquirrelDog was wandering the house at 4am last night but that was my fault because he was sleeping beautifully and I disturbed him getting up to go to the loo!

We’ve got a scent trial this morning. I don’t know about him, but I’m not feeling particularly with it.

BiteyDog even stayed on his bed when I went to the loo. From a puppy he has never been one of those dogs that sleeps well but this is the best we have got so far.

Enjoy your scent trial Squirrel. Maybe it's a case of you will feel more up for it when you get there. I chased the lady who does scent training up again here a few weeks ago but she never bothered to get back to me so looks like something to cross of the list

We left BastardPup for the evening yesterday - first time we have tried it - to go to the pictures. Bless him, he was good as gold but very confused when we came back in at 10pm.

Mind you, he'd had a hard day at daycare including rolling in a dead rat...🤢

Eughhh how horrid BunchOfBastards. Why are they so disgusting

Half way through! So far SquirrelDog has been perfect. I, on the other hand, have failed to notice one of his indications and lost us 1.5 handling marks. Back to school for me...

Don’t give up, Bitey! Our trainer is thinking of possibly doing a longer workshop style training session, and I think occasionally other places do too - might be worth the travelling as a one off?

Sounds like me and BiteyDog at agility. He gets it right but I keep turning the wrong way or leading him incorrectly .

Now a workshop type day sounds great. I suspect the trainer near me has more people than they can accommodate so didn't bother replying back .

squirrel, can I ask where you are based?
I like the sound of a workshop day, but we are beginners in agility etc, so might not work for us.

Had a weekend of highs and lows.
Friday went for a massive walk in country with Steppedog and Friend's Dog (FD) who I am walking at the moment, with another friend, lovely day, lovely walk, no houses, so no bins and food, so both dogs good as gold.

Sunday we were in London, panicked phone call from DS, Steppedog had killed rabbit
cue dd2 (with us) in floods of tears
25 minutes later, text from ds, rabbit has got up and is walking round. Cue 25 million phone calls and texts, he wants emergency vet, rabbit has no marks, no broken legs, is fine, dh and I are recommending wait til we get home. Ds has gone from distraught to angry and not a happy bunny (excuse the pun)

Get home at 4:30. rabbit is fine.

I didn't tell ds, but if Steppedog had wanted to get the rabbit, as opposed to play with the rabbit, rabbit would be well and truly dead.
Very fond of the rabbit, but he is old, and getting thin, and is really not going to last the winter.

dh in the doghouse, as he let the rabbit out into the garden to free roam before we left, but forgot to put up the sign on the back door, so ds let the dog out.

Oh steppe that sounds very stressful. Glad DBunny is ok

'Get a pet' people say. 'It's so relaxing'.

Hampshire/ West Sussex, steppe, but there is a Scentwork UK website which had details for other areas.

Oh great, I'll have a look.
he should be good at scent work - he can smell bin day from a mile away....

bah!
was just out walking and thought I'd come home and post about our new regime and how it is worked, when it stopped working

He is a real bugger.
So, I got out the long lead we had to use when fostering, 10m long, and he used to run to the end and yank, it was awful, but I thought I'd try it, to stop him running off.

He walked beautifully on it yesterday and today, really worked, no yanking, seems to have worked out that it is a lead. It is long enough that he can sniff and potter and trot along etc, but not run off.

So, much easier walking, no running off to food. Get to the nature reserve, let him off. As usual no problems there, lovely walk.
Feeling smug
Today we get to the end of the nature reserve, and I send him into the river to wash off his muddy paws, all lovely and then call him to me, and he looks at me and turns round and legs it for the gate.
Out through the gate, down the path, over a road (quiet cul de sac fortunately) into the childrens play park where he is always a nightmare, and sure enough, into the bin, found the house with food out for birds, running wild. Rolls in poo, and then takes off over the car park to the pub, round the pub, down a parade of shops

Big busy road after the shops, fortunately he circled back to the pub looking for food.

I didn't know whether to shout or cry.

steppe it's two steps forward and one back isn't it . I think the problem is that they actually pick up on all the things we do so quickly that they exploit any weakness . I still have to out manoeuvre BiteyDog at the end of a walk so he doesn't actually think we have finished otherwise he does the jumping away each time I grab him to put his lead on .

We have another training 1-1 today for lead walking. I am expecting BiteyDog to show me up lots later

Oh dear, I think the trainer has broken BiteyDog again. He has taken himself off to his bed for an early sleep as it was all too much for him

I just tip toed into the bedroom and he is flat out asleep. Maybe I should hire her everyday

It is the way he is always one step ahead.
He is really good at putting his lead on, never minds, comes over and stands and waits etc. But today you could just see him think, hmm, I haven't had any naughty food, so nope not coming, and leg it.

I think the thing that throws me is that it is a different place and situation every time. I was so not expecting a problem there by the river, it is one of our nice moments at the end of a nice walk.

really I should write a blog.

Life is never dull.
It was cold, so went out in thick fleece, scarf, gloves. (NOT raincoat, and no hood)
Started raining lightly after 10 mins. Hmm.
was picking up Friend's Dog, got to FD house and it is now raining heavily. Thought - we'll be fine, and went off.

Thick, heavy, wet, freezing SNOW and sleet, for a whole hour. Dogs loved it, all 3 of us soaked to the skin.

When we were nearly back to FD house I phoned dh, who was working from home to see if he would come and get us. He was in the middle of a skype meeting.

20 long minutes home from FD house, as we started off, it started snowing again!

Soaked to my knickers I was.

Get the kettle on steppe to have a drink to warm you up.

I am fully expecting agility to be cancelled later due to the weather.

it is revolting isn't it Bitey?

on the plus side, SD behaved himself because I had him on the long lead at any possible point he could bolt except when in the middle of a large park