Oh my giddy god......

[HangingOver]

I can't actually believe I'm finally typing this... I think I'm getting a dog!

I've wanted one of my own my entire life. I had one growing up and look after friends and neighbours at every available opportunity as I adore dogs so much. A rescue came up locally and I thought he looked lovely, he was snapped up immediately, but came up again yesterday! Me and DP are meeting him this afternoon.

Any tips for meeting a rescue for the first time? Other than being gentle and calm? He's 8 months so a bouncy chap.

ARGGGH! So excited. 😁

So much as we're going for force free training all the way.... I can't pretend that DangerPod getting tangled in my laptop wire on his first day and scaring the crap out of himself hasn't been useful. He hasn't touched it since!

Sadly balls aren't very interesting to him. He only likes things made of cloth. He won't even do rope toys. His current favourite is a gross old knotted pillowcase.

Tonight, in preparation for next week's training, we did an exercise where you fill a muffin tin with a couple of each treat in each hole to work which his most "high value" are. Here he is, the spoilt wagon.

@HangingOver are you Irish?
Isn't he a great boy!

What a feast that is! Which one came out on top?

Why does he look like Victor Meldrew?

Good treat haul!

Mine are currently willing to sell their souls (and each others) for a Carnilove crunchy thing I think its something wanky like Ostrich and Blueberry or Dodo and Asp Milk... they're all that sort of flavour but the dogs think they're amazing!

When we were on holiday our new neighbour gave DDog something like mackerel and blueberry. I honestly think she would have left us, moved in with them and never looked back if she's thought she could get a never ending supply of those ones.

So obviously I bought him all the overpriced bougie kangaroo and kale and all that bollocks...

Mango and chicken was fourth

Turkey and apple third

Those two were from the same online store and cost about four hundred pounds each

Second was something smelly resembling a pepperami from the pet shop

First was some bog standard bacon flavour Baker's crap on three for two from Sainsbobs.

Haha no but I listen to audiobook constantly as it helps with my OCD and I'm addicted to rural Irish detective fiction so I have Irish voiceover artists in my ears almost constantly.

Mine all rate a Morrisons gravy bone as highly as twatty squillion quid a bit Llama and Moondust treat.

The heathens.

Bit confused by him being a wagon
My mother in law is a wagon and a weapon.
Our dog liked warm sausage. And cheese and beef mini bites.

LAMA AND MOONDUST 😭

It's sprats for Lady Stinkabelle but my oh gets the borks so they're out 🤣

Must find some llama and moon dust though she'll love that. All the boogie stuff gets a paws up from her... had to drag her away from alligator feet today even I have my limits 🤮

Top treats in this house are Lidl kabanossi,
which are cheap as chips and chop into a million pieces, and liver cake. They get liver cake more often since I discovered you can make it using a stick blender, and cook it in a couple of minutes in the microwave with practically no smell.

@hangingover you sound like a lovely person with so much going for you. Please do prioritise your happiness too. I think you're doing a great job with Pod. I've never rescued a dog (had mine from pup) so I don't know to what extent he'll settle but it makes sense that anxiety will cause a lot of the behaviours which time and training will improve and that his behaviour will settle in happy loving home. To what degree I wouldn't know. I think a lot will depend on how well socialised he was as young pup as to how happily and easily he can integrate in to world as adult.
I personally wouldn't advocate that you shrink your lifestyle too much for too long to fit in with dog.
I know Pod could be very happy with you and lucky to have found you. But do prioritise your needs too. If you do anything long enough it starts to feel normal but it doesn't necessarily mean it'd be right for you.
Pod's behaviour sounds like it can be challenging and I don't have enough experience to know how much love and care will change it. I'd like to think it could.
Some people may rescue dogs who have lifestyle without many visitor's, job, town walks, they may have other challenging dogs already etc. so they may not always have to change their life too much to accommodate challenging behaviours. Others may find rescuing dogs so rewarding that they find great fulfillment in doing it and are willing to make any lifestyle change to accommodate dog. Others may rescue and have a lifestyle that enables them to readily manage dogs happiness and behaviour, for example a homestead with loving family including other dog where rescue dog can live their best life happily without overly restricting rescuers life (e.g. they may not even need to walk nervouse dog outwith their land for dog to be living best life.
I admire them all and wish every rescue dog a loving happy perfect forever home.
Everyone is different. What I really hope you'll do is ensure that whatever you do, you remain happy too.
You're clearly doing a fab job with Pod and dealing with a lot of unexpected behaviours, which are different from what Rescue told you. It sounds like you have good support from trainers. I really do hope this all works out for you. But throughout please do always remember your happiness is every bit as essential as Pod's is. There are so many people who go to ends of earth for their dogs and will always put their dog 100% first no matter the personal cost to them which is absolutely commendable. But I'd say most people need both their dogs and their own needs to be fully met for it to be a happy, successful long term relationship. May you do both. Good luck!

He has lovely eyes @HangingOver

My pup could never choose a favourite treat, he loves them all too much ( he’s part Lab so food obsessed). I buy whatever’s on special offer.

Mine would absolutely sell her soul for the M&S deli tripe dried sausages. We chop them up tiny to use as recall treats or in treat rollers and I swear they are like crack to her. The Sainsbury's ones are a close second and don't honk quite as much.

Oooh could you send me a link to the less honky cheaper ones

Today felt like our first proper weekend together. The last two have seriously confused RescuePod as DP is home and pottering all day which upsets his routine.

Today I got to go back to my sports training in the morning which was WONDERFUL! Unfortunately due to there being more general bombing than usual during the day he only had one nap so has spent the last two hours starting arguments with inanimate objects.

King of chaos, doing his thing

"General bombing"??

Bimbling 😁

He's going to be a cardboard recycling specialist... i have one of those. She's excellent at killing cardboard boxes and turning any cardboard into small small pieces. She also likes to lie down with some bubble wrap and patiently pop individual bubbles!

I am loving these Pod-casts!

Zing!!! 😁

DP very graciously offered to stay in with Pod wlas friend asked me for a takeaway. In my defence I did warn him Pod hadn't had his second nap. Came home to a shell shocked DP who couldn't believe I'd only been out two hours. Pod and DP now both crashed out in an exhausted heap.

More fun tomorrow! 🤣😭

You are coping brilliantly. It’s like someone has dropped a hyperactive toddler into your life! Adorable mayhem 😂

It makes me so happy to see his face.

Imagine when it finally sinks into him that he really has a warm, loving and stable forever home. Dear boy.