General Dog Chat 4

[geekone]

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

BiteyDog is at daycare today but I am at home and the house is soooo quiet and empty .

Hope everyone is well.

SquirrelDog is going away in a couple of weeks so I can get the living room and landing painted (it’s pretty open plan so there’s no real way of corralling him). I know it’ll be less stressful for all concerned but I feel sooo guilty already.

Sounds a sensible plan otherwise poor squirrel dog might end up sporting a new colouring

Yesterday Bella spent the day with Eric and exH whist I went out with eldest dd. It seemed so strange being without her for a full day. She took full advantage of the relaxed rules there and plundered all Eric's hidden treats and went upstairs and slept on the bed. Unsurprisingly she didn't eat the carefully measured portion of food I sent with her
Today though she hasn't growled at any dog on either walk and has greeted each one nicely, real progress

Bella sounds like she is doing very well with other dogs.

We have started doing some obedience training again as it feels the right time. BiteyDog is flat out as he found it very tiring

That’s what I’m worried about - ‘poor’ SquirrelDog might well find himself with a ‘pebble grey’ nose!

Attempting to have a coffee before we go out. Being very intently stared at...

I am sure if SquirelDog did get a pebble grey nose he would be more than helpful to you by 'painting' other sections of your house .

It's the calm after a storm here. BiteyDog has had a hell of a full week and I would normally make this a 'rest' day but the weather looks like it's going to be awful again later and tomorrow so think I may have to drag him out this morning. He's still sleeping which isn't like him and is too tired to eat but if I wiggle his ball in his face I suspect that he will suddenly be full of beans . Also gives me a chance to try and practice some of the obedience commands we learnt this week out in the open.

I had clients with me yesterday afternoon and it ran on a bit. Suddenly noticed DH heading out into the dark and lashing rain with cocodog before I could ask him if that was a good idea☹️
Arrived back with a soaking, cold fed up dog and he had managed to trap his foot in a fallen branch and has pulled his hamstring. They hadn’t got very far. So I ran through all her obedience commands for about 10 minutes hand feeding her with her supper. She then helped me as usual with lighting the wood burner ...picks up kindling and hands it to me. It is her party piece and after all that she was ready to settle down in front of it. Wish DH was as trainable😬

Ouch that sounds painful for your DH thegirl. The storm sounded terrible so I was glad we were all nice and warm inside. There is no way BiteyDog would have walked in that.

We have just had a nice 90 min walk in the forest. Practiced some of our new commands. I do feel a bit guilty that we ignored a lot of the obedience training for a while apart from recall but I have to remind myself that the first 18 months was just stressful enough trying to keep him healthy. The trainer we found is a good fit so going to keep the 1-1 lessons going for a bit and DH is keen to get involved which helps as it then seems much more fun doing it together. Even BiteyDog was having fun

Omg it's terrible here again. The weather turned in an instant. So glad we got back before that happened

Took BastardPup and the kids out earlier as DH has buggered off to the match. Had a lovely run around off the lead chasing seagulls in the park but then decided to roll in something.

Forgot about it as I intended to wipe him down at home. Left him with DS1 while I went into the cafe (dog friendly but he was not having the laminate floor) to get a takeaway brew. Came out to DS1 saying get the lead, NOW. He had been tickling BastardPup's ears and his hand came away with dog shit on....

Ewww how horrible BunchOfBastards

I shall always carry wet wipes from now on 😬

I carry kitchen towel and anti bacterial hand wash after I didn't quite judge the poo bag with the poo one time

PestDog has decided that walking through the city centre when there's a match on is EXCELLENT. Not only are there numerous morsels on the ground to hoover up, he actually had two drunk people decide to share the meaty part of their dinner with him - he didn't even solicit it.

We're back home and he hasn't even asked for his dinner yet I suppose it's one way to save on dog food

Haha maybe PestDog is waiting for his appetiser to go down before he tucks into his dinner

SquirrelDog’s appetiser this evening was a leather riding glove. Fortunately, it didn’t for me. Unfortunately, I was really planning to send it back, rather then serving it to the dog. Fortunately, he doesn’t really ‘eat’ things, he chews them up and spits them out. Unfortunately, I had just tidied and hoovered and now there are little bits of chewed leather ALL OVER the stairs.

likeshyt I remember looking after my friend/s dog when she was young, and was told they were teaching her with other dogs, by putting themselves between the puppy and the dog, they say hello to the new dog, and then allow the puppy to say hello. Can't remember all the reasons now, but it worked, and it seems to make the dog look to you for cues too.
The other dogs will soon make it clear if she over steps the mark, I posted on here a while ago about how far to you let the rough play go, as we had had one or two incidents where steppedog had been really playing rough. Most people were of the opinion that as long as both dogs are still playing and are giving off happy signals, then it is actually OK. I do intervene though as after a big steppedog looks to me for help!

steppedog is in the doghouse at the moment.

If he didn't have big spaniel eyes, and put his head so sweetly on my knee he would be being rehomed....

Has steppedog been taking lessons from BiteyDog. He had perfected the chin on the sofa and looks at me with his sad eyes to get what he wants

Cocodog has two pals, a patterdale cross and a border terrier that we meet fairly regularly. They play really nicely and take breaks lying down and having a pant or a mooch round then going again. She also has a couple of bigger pals, young labradors, who just don’t ever want to stop. I have become very good at “ gosh, is that the time” type breaks to the conversation with owners to make our escape before Cocodog gets grumpy and gives them a telling off.
What did steppedog do?
I am in doghouse with cocodog at the moment because I came indoors at ball play time and when I came out it was starting to rain so ball play was very brief tonight😬

Oh dear what has steppedog done? Bella has no remorse I don't think so doesn't have the sweet begging for forgiveness face hers is more of an eye roll and preparing to do it again at the first opportunity.
We are both fed up of these dark evenings though, she's missing the long walks later on and I'm hating walking in the dark as my dodgy eyesight makes me feel vulnerable.

I'm missing the 'being able to leave the doors open to the garden'. It getting too cold so when BiteyDog refuses to come in I have to close them and hope he soon gets bored of being outside.

Bella never goes in the garden so thankfully it's not a thing here. If I open the back door she waits until I go out with her then sits at the side of me until I walk back in. I used to take her out every morning first thing and every night before bed but stopped when it was obvious she had no intention of toileting on the garden.

steppedog has been a complete pain in the neck for the last couple of weeks.
He is on steroids and it makes him really hungry. Given that he is a terrible scavenger anyway, it has been horrendous. He has run away from me 3 times, I completely lost him on one of those, and one of them he ran straight across a busy road. Over the river, over the filed and then over the road. Why? because the houses on the other side had their bins out. Walking him has been a nightmare.

His piece de resistance was Friday night. dd's birthday party, all food safely up on top of cooker. I hadn't eaten yet, was waiting til girls had gone home. Came back into kitchen and my pizza and half of dd's birthday cake - gone. (at least we had already done cake and candles with dd)

Dh threw him outside until after the party, and it was chucking it down. he kept putting his head in through the cat flap, and I was so cross I didn't even give in. (well, for about 15 minutes)

Doesn't help that this week I am walking 2 dogs, and the other one is a bitch in season, so I have to watch out for dogs, and get her on the lead (fortunately she is super obedient) and watch out for likely steppedog escape routes, and by the time I have been via the other dogs house on the way there and back, it is a 2 hour walk every day.

Sigh. dh turn tomorrow, I am out for work.