washing day

washing rosie has always been a trial. i was warned by her foster mother that rosie truly disliked water and would run away terrified at the thought.

i have kept this in mind, and tried to be as soothing as possible, yet the last few times i've tried washing them have been a trial. incidents range from me chasing after her with the lead, getting the boyfriend to hold her still while i wash, to following her around the verandah (she's on leash) as she shies away from water.

usually i was fred first because he's so docile. he'll just stand there and endure it. but the boyfriend pointed out that doing this shows rosie what she's in for. so this time around i went after her first. tricked her onto the lead and proceeded to wash. i also couldn't find the water buckets today so made do with the garden spout pourer thing. you know, the one that you tip over and water comes out in little holes? kinda like a shower spout (my vocabulary is defeating me this afternoon). it worked quite well.

and she suffered fairly well, despite her starting to tremble by the end of it.

the last few times i have tried rewarding them with bones after the Ordeal, in order to emphasis what a good dog they were. i even praised rosie while i washed her (there were times when she just stood still - cornered as she was between me and two sides of the verandah).

after i finished towelling her, i unhooked her before giving her the bone. bad idea. the minute she was off, she ran. i had to call her back to give her her bone, by which time the whole idea of rewarding her for her behaviour has already been wasted - she's forgotten already.

so why did i take her off the lead first, i hear you ask. well i had it in my head that all rewards should be off the lead, and i wanted her to acknowledge that i was giving her a reward. it doesn't sound right when i type it out. but either way i think i know how to work this better next time around.

the minute rosie got her bone you should've seen how fast she pelted out into the backyard.

*sigh*

after i washed freddie, i made a point of giving him the bone while he
was still on leash and drying how down. this worked much better -
although as a control group freddie isn't very helpful. he's such a
good dog.

taking care of dogs is all trial and error. hopefully next time i'll do it even better, and make a point of giving her bone before she gets let off.

the trouble with owning a dog

Rosie chased after a cat last night. Technically not as bad as you'd think. Except that 1. She ran across the road to get it (I'll tell the story in a min), 2. The owner was there, and 3. I have no idea whether or not the cat survived or not.

I've started making a conscious effort to discipline the  dogs about pulling on the lead when walking. I usually stop if they pull, and don't start walking until they turn around and acknowledge me.

Last night she pulled. There was a car driving towards us (we were on the opposite footpath) so I figured that must've been why she'd wanted to go quicker. As I'm standing there holding the lead, Fred, who never pulls, got bored, and started walking around me, twisting the lead as he did so.

As I turn around to try to untangle, somehow the other lead slipped out of my hand. The minute the lead went lax, WHAM, Rosie's pelting across the street. Chasing down a cat. I couldn't believe it.

She must've sniffed it out across the street. I kept on yelling at her to come back but she didn't really listen. Meanwhile, luckily (or unluckily, depending on how you see things) the car that had been driving towards us had already turned into the driveway OF THE HOUSE THE CAT BELONGED TO.

So there's my dog chasing this cat through the brush (and I'm pretty sure she nipped it at one stage), me standing there with freddie still on the lead, screaming "Rosie! Rosie! Come! Rosie!" and the owner sitting in his car refusing to come out.

Eventually the cat pelts across the driveway, and Rosie runs across and I manage to get her attention and back on the lead. The whole time berating BAD DOG, BAD DOG.  *sigh*

I apologised profusely to the owner, and asked if the cat was alright. He didn't seem too worried. But then Freddie spots the cat and lunges. Luckily he's still on the lead. But of course the owner didn't spot Fred, and totally freaked about this big moving thing near him.

=S

This is one of those times when I wish I didn't have big dogs.

Anyway, so I walked them straight home and after feeding them left them outside (usually they get to come in after dinner).

Bf reckons they obviously knew they'd done something wrong.

I was rather ruffled.

I realised I should've left my address with the cat owner. Because last thing I want to know is that my precious Rosie has managed to kill a cat. Because the min that happens the owner is allowed to request I put my dog to sleep. People are very sensitive to dogs who kill other animals - particularly domestic ones.

And I've invested too much time, love and money to be putting my dog down.

At the same time I have to be a responsible dog owner.

Feeling a bit frustrated and upset about it all, really. Very unhappy with the dogs. I know it's in their nature to chase after prey, and cats are a nice start (although rabbits and other vermin would be better), still...

Being a responsible big dog owner can be a bit of a trial.

Doggie Training

We took Fred and Rosie down for doggie training tonight. Second time
around. Last time we took them, Rosie spent the entire time eyeballing
the other dogs and growling. I was so embarrassed. All the other dogs
were exciteable, but none growled. The trainer basically just dismissed
Rosie's behaviour explaining: "some dogs are just dominant" *gulp*

This time around, she was placid as a lamb. All chilled out sitting at
my feet. I was so pleased. I think she's learnt that this is a chance
for her to meet other doggies. That or she just decided she was going
to be good for once. Naughty girl. Even the trainer said that Rosie was
a troublesome one. =/

So far we've been taught to teach them 'watch' so that they'll look at
us, and tonight we learnt 'heel' where they lean against your left leg,
and then there as another one, where you teach them to walk at your
ankles.

We also ran out of treats!! =( Last time we brought the wrong treats
(too hard to chew, not fast/gratifying enough to enforce the reward
rule) and tonight we didn't bring enough. I had bought a 6 pack of hot
dog sausages, and chopped em up small, but we ran out by the time we
got to learning 'heel' and had to beg the other owners for treats. LOL.

One of the main reasons that we're taking them to training is that each
dog has a different owner/boss so to speak. Fred adores me and will
follow me everywhere but doesn't really pay attention to the bf. Rosie
in comparison doesn't usually listen to me. Because she originally ran
away from the bf during what will know be known as "the incident"
(where she ended up spending a night at the pound) and the bf was the
one who ended up picking her back up from the pound, she treats him as
boss rather than me. Which is fine (coz I have Freddie), except that
she then decided I wasn't worth listening to. So at training I take
Rosie, and the bf takes Fred.

Basically training gives us both a chance to exert dominance over the dog who usually doesn't pay much attention to us.

Since we started training they have both gotten better on the lead. And
now they will both run to us whenever we call them (well Fred always
did, but Rosie didn't).

I must say, training is a lot of work. You have to constantly reinforce
things. As the lady explained ruefully to me tonight, 'you have to use
a lot of treats on Rosie. she loses attention fast, and you have to
keep her occupied' =/ at least anything i feed her will be taken out of
her dinner. I'm not having fat doggies..

It's amazing what one night of training can do though. She responds a lot better to me now, and Freddie went up for a cuddle with the bf after dinner. I'm glad he still believes that I am boss though. I came online to check email and eventually he left the bf and is currently asleep at my feet. =D

I love the fact that I have a dog which absolutely adores me. Sssh. I don't care if he's just a puppy and that's what puppies do. I choose to believe that he'll always be like this =D Even if I have to tie him to the chair so he'll be near me. no no no, jk. LOL.

We met a deerhound tonight, which is similar to wolfhounds, but a bit ganglier and taller. And boy was she tall. Only 6 months, and she was double the size of Freddie. She was gorgeous though. Freddie looked tiny in comparison. I love the idea of a big dog, and had really high hopes for Freddie. I must admit I'm slightly jealous that this woman had a bigger dog. Freddie is actually quite stocky, and the bf has agreed with my suggestion that Fred's crossed with either Bull Mastiff or Boxer. In case you're curious, here is what a Deerhound looks like. This is one that is currently available for adoption.

Just FYI, these dogs were bred as their names indicate. Wolfhounds to hunt (hound) down wolves, and Deerhound to hunt (hound) down Deer. Yet in general they are one of the sweetest and most affectionate dog types you will ever find.

I've also been checking out the rescue pages again. I swear, I know that I can't adopt another dog, but once you rescue a dog, you automatically find yourself drawn to all the others, just to see what else is out there. If only as an unconscious way to show your support. Least that's what I tell myself anyway.

And just in case you can't get into the forums...here's the cutest pic. He looks a little like Fre

Anyhow, I found the most adorable wolfhound the other night. Again fairly small, blonde, no brindle, and a sharper nose than Fred. But soooooo cute. Here, take a look yourself: here and here  If no one takes him he will be put down =( The rescue groups are currently trying to save him. I wish I could do something but he's in Bland Shire, (which I have NO idea where, and anyway, I have a full house as it is). But he is just soooooo adorable. I really hope he can be saved. Such a waste otherwise..

Family Portraits

Family portrait

Kissy, Kissy, Sleep Time Now

Hear No Evil

Rarrrrrrr

Rarr

Caught this pic a few weeks ago when they were playing. I love the movement. But look at Rosie's teeth!

*gulp*

Dogs can be scarrrry...

And look at Freddie's nonchalant face. LOL

What Greeted Me This Morning

The Jacket Duo

If you ever paid attention, the blue jacket that Fred is wearing was
previously Rosie's. It was bought for her without measurements and was
really too big.


So a new one was bought by the boyfriend yesterday, which turned out to be slightly too small. *guffaws*


We're making do, regardless, and here they are in all their glory.


I love the look on Fred's face. And check out how tall Rosie is sitting. She's such a proud girl.

Fred's whiskers look quite matted, but that's because he's just been drinking. I went up to have a look at him, and you could still see the water droplets hanging off his whiskers. LOL.


The more I look at Fred, the more I think he might be crossed with Boxer or some such. Just look at how square his nose is.


All that cardboard underneath them is from the weekend, when we bought
some new furniture. I decided to give them the cardboard to break down
before I threw it in the bin. Much easier and more fun than having me
stand there and stomp the boxes to pieces.

Sleeping

This cardboard bed was Freddy's invention. He was scraping and chewing away at it earlier before he gave up and fell asleep. I like how he customised his bed, so he could get a 'sunshine flap' to protect him from rays.

hee hee.

Fred on a Chair

Enough Said