Exhausted.dog.com

Liz the trainer came back this week to check on how my humans are doing.  Mum has been letting me walk too far forward, so I had to endure a lot of correction in the session, but the Irish aunt seems to have got it right.  We did loads of turning, turning, turning until my mum was dizzy so then we went to the park and I was let off to run about.

Or so I thought!  Apparently that was part of the training as well because they had me all of a muddle, running between them then telling me to sit halfway.  I didn’t know which way to go.  Think I need to get my brakes seen to.

Afterwards I zonked out in my bed with my lavender bunny.  This training lark is exhausting.

Zzzzzzz……

Rats!!

Rats!!  I’ve had a lovely time over the weekend with my new pal Ben, meeting my real doggie mum, my first human Leesa (I really liked her, wasn’t pleased when Ben came for a cuddle as well) and roaming new territory.  But now we’re home my mum says It’s all hard work on the training regime cos I’ve been allowed to slack the last few days.

Ben in his house, me below   In the woodland

I thought I was very well bahaved.  I let Ben lie on his rug in front of the fire, didn’t take over his bed in the hall and never touched his food.  I let him keep up with me when we went on woodland walks (he’s a much older dog) and didn’t eat all his chews.  Apparently I wasn’t very good on the lead and should have been paying attention to my mum instead of tugging and absorbing new smells.

Coming home, she says, I was an embarrassment.  We stopped on the way to walk up a hill to a famous battle site – Flodden, where the English and Scots fought in 1513 so 500th anniversary this year.  She wasn’t pleased that I leapt out of the car before her (she says it was lucky I was still attached to the seat belt!), pulled cos I was raring to go, did a big poo at the top of the hill then afterwards jumped in the car boot which was full of luggage and shopping.  I was supposed to get in the back seat again.  Wouldn’t have mattered so much but there were other people around – so, I was in the dog house for the rest of the journey.  I went to sleep so I couldn’t get into any more bother.  Who says I don’t have brains?

Me and Ben, me and Leesa

Going to see my REAL mum!

I love my mum, the one who lets me on the laptop to write my blog, but she’s not my real mum, my doggie mum Holly.  I’ve not seen her since I was an eight-week-old pup but we’re going on a visit this weekend and she lives nearby so we’ll be meeting up!  Will she remember me; will my brother Buzz, or my aunt Brogan?  I’m so excited.  They’re semi-working dogs who go shooting at the weekends, gathering up the birds like pheasant and grouse.  Nothing like that on the beach – but maybe they can teach me how to get a seagull!

My doggie mum, Holly

Me, far right, with the rest of the litter

That’s Buzz climbing up his human’s legs

Day 3

Getting on really well with the training.  My mum must have been impressed in what I’d learnt cos this morning she took me out of our street to Ziggy Chews, the lovely dog boutique, to get a training collar (free dog treats in there as well) and I crossed the road twice without pulling.  On the way back home Meg, the chocolate labrador, was playing in the street so my mum let me off to have a romp.  I was a bit excited when she wanted me back on the lead and had to be told off but I felt guilty so when we went out after my dinner I was on my best behaviour.  She was so impressed we went on a walk round the neighbourhood.  I feel like I’ve won the London Marathon!  Can I have a bone, please, rather than a medal?

  Dog tired

http://www.shopziggychews.co.uk/

I may not be stupid after all

What a weekend this has been – I’m exhausted with all the change.  Yesterday my mum had a personal trainer come teach us how to have a calm walk on the lead, no more pulling.  I always thought my mum liked my enthusiastic dash down the path and over the gate then me tugging her along.  Apparently not.  It exhausts her and she’s frightened she’ll fall over or I’ll escape.  Wow, I didn’t know dogs weren’t supposed to do that!

We did some exercises in the house – letting my mum go through doors first, which is only polite, and having the lead put on me without getting over-excited.  Then we went out and the three of them – the trainer, Irish aunt and my mum – walked up and down a bit of the street till I was so confused I had to watch them all the time to keep up.  Next it was doing the same on the lead with fast steps, slow steps, figures of eight and sudden stops.  Phew, it was hard work and I really had to concentrate.  Afterwards I was bushed.  The trainer said what I did was the equivalent of an hour running.  I didn’t know that.

Bushed

My mum was a bit worried this morning that I may have forgotten but I’m a more intelligent dog than that and I showed her!  I was polite at doorways, didn’t make a fuss about the lead and walked nicely down the path, let her go out of the gate first (see, polite) and strut my stuff for her in the street.  I was desperate to have a good sniff in the bushes but was tugged back – then my mum got the message and took me over herself.  Apparently that’s the way it’s supposed to be – I focus on her (or the Irish aunt who got trained as well) and then she decides what I can do.  That’s ok, may not have to think so much in future!

The trainer said I learnt fast.  I may not be stupid after all.

http://www.barkbusters.co.uk/

Back to normal

After Easter visitors and a lovely holiday, it’s back to normal and weekend at boot camp.  We had a bit of a romp when the Irish aunt and sprog came to collect me.  Sprog likes to wrestle on the floor then I put on a bit of a show chasing my tail, which always has them in hysterics.  They think cos I’m four I should have grown out of it.  Huh, little do they know what makes a dog happy.

Home from my hols

Wow, what a lovely time I had on my hols – riding in the back seat of the car, sniffing out loads of new territory and being fussed by loads of new people.  We had a room right near to a door so I could get outside easily and the grounds were gorgeous – masses of new smells and snow.  I love snow, catching balls of it which melt in my mouth.  We visited a village near Bradford called Saltaire, a World Heritage Site (which means it’s special) and I had a terrific romp beside the canal.   http://www.saltairevillage.info/

But my mum says I also have to write about how I blotted my copybook.  OK, OK, I did bark constantly the first time I was left in our room so that neighbours complained – but I was lonely and in a strange place.  After that I holed up in the car boot when my family went to eat or I sat with my mum in the leisure centre lounge while the Irish aunt and sprog went off to swim.  Also, I made muddy footprints on the carpet of our room after we’d been on a woodland walk (the towels too, but don’t say a word about them) and split my lip chasing the ball on the terrace.

Worst, I had an upset tummy ALL the time and….oops, my mum says I haven’t to spill the beans about that.  TMI – too much information.  Ok, nuff said.

If I promise to be good, will I get to go away again?