Toys, toys and more toys

Now if I just crane my neck far enough, I should be able to sneak it away from Fred...

This is MY Bottle

Posting questions onto dog forums can glean very useful information.





A little while ago I posted on DogzOnline to ask advice for toys for big dogs. Fred's been busy chewing up all the wood in sight, and I don't have enough money to keep him constantly supplied with tennis balls.

Some helpful people suggested I try giving him my empty plastic milk bottles, cordial bottles etc, and fill it with kibble.

Muuuuuum... he took my bottle!!!

State of Bottle after it met Fred n Rosie

I tried it out this weekend, and the results were quite hilarious.Here is Rosie investigating Fred's bottle. She managed to lose hers the minute she got it, and went after Fred's instead. Bad move. There were lotsa growls and dog fights over it =S

In fact, Fred got quite protective over this bottle. I'm not sure if it was because it was bigger or what.

Giving Up

Don't forget, Rosie managed to push hers under the dog bed. And somehow never figured out how to get hers back.

I love the look she gives me in the last pic. LOL.

Poor Rosie.

Gnaw, Gnaw, Gnaw

Here is one of Fred chewing away on Rosie's bottle later on. Rosie's given up and is just chilling out. He's such a bully, isn't he?

The last pic was taken later, and I just think it's hilarious. The dogs have learnt to stand up on their hind legs to check out what the 'humans' are doing inside the house. This only happens when we're in the kitchen putting together their food, or in this case, I'd put some kibble on the ledge, when I was trying to fill one of the bottles. Since Freddie had taken her bottle, she'd gotten up to investigate, and see if there were any more left.

Look! I'm human too!

Slip' Slidin' Fred

As we only moved into our house a few months ago, there is still lots of stuff that needs to be unpacked. In an attempt to keep the house relatively tidy while we do this, we decided to keep the boxes and other things in the garage.

Now that we've decided to make the dogs permanently outside dogs at night, the bf set up a barrier of sorts inside the garage with a wardrobe that fell apart.

In the last few days, we have come home to increasingly more and more shredded paper, etc. What they did was go into the laundry (you need to go through the laundry to get to the garage), and knocked down the laundry powder, travel brochures, and a book the bf was reading. They love that book. The spine and cover's all gone to shreds. I noticed a page half torn on the ground last night. *shakes head*

Last night was the worst though. They'd managed to push down the barrier, and had a field day in the garage, tearing up stuff. I guess it makes our life easier in a way, whatever gets ruined, we chuck. No ummhing and aahhing abt which things to keep.

They must've had SO MUCH FUN going through all our stuff. Coz it would've smelt like us, and they could've just happily sat there, dragged some stuff out, and chewed to their heart's content.

*sigh*

Anyway, I walk by the kitchen this morning (which shares a wall with the garage) and I hear this scrabbling. Oh no, I think. He's back in there again! And it's not even 9 yet!

So I look out the window to investigate.

Fred was sitting on the lounge chair outside, Scrabbling to get up it, and sliding, because of the material. It was soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cute. I ran back to get my camera, but just as I was lining the shot up, he spotted me and came over to say hi. =/

This is the only shot I got in before he came over.

Fred getting off his 'slide'

As you can see, he's just getting off the chair. *sigh* it would've been suuuch a great shot. You can also see the scattered papers from their 'fun' in the garage, including the empty laundry powder box (blue) in the middle there to the right.

Rosie, on the other hand, is still too busy sleeping.

I'm tempted to see what Fred would do with a slippery dip. He looked like he was trying to climb one when he was on that chair. LOL. Sooooo cute.

Fred: What She Doing? Rosie: What she *always* does. Taking photos. Just sit still and we'll get a s

Here is another pic, a little later on in the morning. I love how Fred cocks his head to one side, trying to figure out what's going on. He's soooooo dopey. LOL.

As you can see, Rosie's sock is off. We took it off the other night. It was starting to smell =S All she did was lick it...

She's walking better too, which suggests it's healing. It's still blackish red though.

Right now we're washing the foot regularly in a bath diluted with tea tree oil.

She's so particular though. When she comes in the house in the evening, and it's obvious it's 'down time' she'll sit there for a good fifteen minutes licking her paws etc. Such a clean doggy.

Fred's also getting bigger. We're putting him on adult food
soon. I went by the co-op on the weekend, and picked up a huuuge bag,
like 20-odd kilos for $28. Designed for 'non working' dogs. They say if
you own big dogs, the puppies shouldn't be fed puppy food, because
it'll make them grow faster than they should, since they have such big
bones. Usually they reckon you should hold off until they're over 6
months.


We don't know what Fred was being fed before he arrived with us. And
it's pretty ambiguous as to how old he is. The website we first saw him
on said 8 months. But the forums that I've read which mentioned him (he
was on death row, hence all the forum talk abt trying to save him) said
he was 6 or 7 months.


Either way, we got him puppy food when he first arrived, and now that
that bag is just about finished, we'll put him on the adult food from
hereon out. He's growing sooo quickly though.

There's No Place Like Home...

So Rosie made it back safe and sound from the pound. And quite frankly? I think it's the best $50 we've ever spent. Whereas previously she was a bit stand-offish (always sat in the corner, never really came up for cuddles etc), now she's become a more like a member of the family.

The first thing she did when I came home and cuddled her was roll on her back. Submissive gesture, yaay! I AM MASTER! LOL Since then she has started to be a lot more responsive to us, and tonight even settled on her side for a bit of a lay down. Fred in comparison has been moping all weekend, fairly bummed because his playmate won't play with him.

Rosie and her Smart Red and Blue Sock

On her little sojourn, Rosie managed to tear off one of her toenails. Enter visit to the vet, and bye bye buckaroonies. So though we may be poor, Rosie is now wearing a very fetching red and blue sock.

Said sock has already stopped looking so smart, and is a little bit worse for wear. Saturday morning saw Rosie with some of the white bandage dangling out. After fetching the scissors, I spotted Fred sitting beside her, 'helping' by pulling on the bandage. *shakes head*

Currently Rosie's favourite past time is to lick her red and blue sock. Don't ask me why.

Why are you doing that?! Stop guilt tripping me. I can't play coz of this foot ok??

Below are some pics of Fred and Rosie, with Fred looking soooo bummed. hee hee.

He's mastering that bummed/bored look to a tee. Who would've thought no playing around could cause such a face!!!

Fred's favourite scratch though, is still lying flat on his back. Here are some amusing pics. His paws all held up like a kangaroo's! LOL. And check out his face! Bliss!!

C'mon mum, can you do something abt this? He's so bummed...

In case you're wondering, it's the bf's leg you see near Fred's neck, and that's my foot you can see in the second pic in the bottom right hand corner.

It's funny watching the two doggies, Fred's getting a lot bigger already. He's Rosie's size now, and it's only been about 3 weeks.

We were thinking about getting Rosie a little poncho coat thing to keep her warm at night (they sleep outside now) and I had to measure her... when she was lying down, from neck to tail? 90cm...

YIKES.

I was walking them tonight (both) and the little dog owners? You should see how quickly they run to the other side of the road when they see me.I guess they're afraid. I don't blame them, big dogs like mine. But I
guess I never really thought or noticed how antisocial big dogs can be
for their owners.

I guess it didn't help when they heard me shout "SIT" in such an angry and desperate voice. It echoed around the ENTIRE neighbourhood. Rosie managed to sniff and find (I'm thinking it was another dog, but it may have been a rabbit or something), and wanted to go scrabbling in the bushes. I'm not abt to be dragged around the neighbourhood by a 30kg dog chasing a rabbit! So I had to get her to sit. She half sat, and half crouched, wanting to get at whatever she found. I had to drag her away. *shakes head* I'm actually having slight trouble getting her to chill out on walks. By the time she does and doesn't pull on the lead, the walk is pretty much over! =/ I can't wait to get to obedience classes next month. She may be trained properly, but I'm not. And I need to know what rules I can enforce, and what she knows and doesn't know. So I guess the obedience classes are more for me than her. LOL.

Last Friday I also went to the library and picked up all these dog books. Bf never reads books all the way through. So I was quite surprised when he really got into one of them. It was written by this science guy who theorised that the idea that dogs are loyal isn't really true. Instead, they're smart enough to figure out that their lives are a pretty good deal. I mean, who wouldn't want to be waited on hand and foot? Don't need to hunt for food, it always arrives on time, get to walk, have plenty of cuddles, and a safe place to sleep. You'd be crazy not to just stick with your owners. LOL.

I don't know how I feel about that theory. Anyway, so our weekend has been spent reading up on dog books, and trying to enforce our dominance. I even picked up a book called "how to make your pound dog love and respect you". Yes please! So far I think it's working, although I think the one night at the pound probably scared the bejeesus out of Rosie. LOL. And she's realised that 1. we're here to stay, 2. we really do want her, and 3. life's not so bad with us.

So hopefully she'll turn from Troublesome Rosie to Sweet Rosie. Just like her foster mother claimed she was.

Right now as I type this, Fred's settled at my feet, sleeping on his side, with his bottom covering my foot - a sign that he 'owns' me. I don't mind being 'owned' by a 30 odd kg wolfhound, who's going to be double his current size =D I don't really want to move him, I like him being by my side, and being my personal foot warmer. But the dishes really are calling to me...

Meanwhile, Rosie's in the living room chilled out with the bf. We each have a doggie!! =D AWww...

Misdeameanours of Rosie and Fred Dopplegangers

Excuse the quietness. Have had a gruelling day and a half with the
doggies. Rosie ran off during her walk yesterday and never came home. I
spent a harrowing evening imagining crazy things and wondering if she
was ok.

Poor Fred was moping so badly. I got him a Puppy Kong from ebay, which
arrived yesterday. And tried to distract him with that, but he was only
interested in it, in spurts.

So the pound rang us up this morning to let us know that they found Rosie wandering the school grounds yesterday afternoon.

I'm very very relieved. I didn't sleep well last night - at one stage I
was cuddled around Fred on the floor, keeping him company. But I'm also
a bit peeved that the pound took so long to get back to us, considering
they found her yesterday afternoon.

Last night, and this morning, we seriously thought she wouldn't come
home. There are acres and acres of bushland, and I kept on imagining
her curled up under a tree root thinking of getting home. That, or
excited at the prospect of being out in the Wilderness on her own.

Girly fred

So I was looking around at the pound pages today, wondering if I'd see
Rosie's photo, and thinking if she doesn't come back, we're going to
have to work quickly to get Fred a new companion, because he was really
suffering. Bf tried to cuddle and play with Fred this morning, and he
just wasn't interested. And I came across this - I swear, she looks
EXACTLY like Fred. Does anyone in Sydney want to adopt her? I can't,
because I already have Rosie back. But I'd be interested in seeing how
this puppy turns out. They called the puppy a staffy cross boxer. I'd
be interested in seeing this puppy's paws. And she's got a brother up
there as well, but darker colour. But the description: white and
brindle is the same, down to the way her nose is striped! Click her for the big pic. You can also find her (and other cuties) at the Renbury Pound Home Page. This one's under the Liverpool section.

She's currently at the Liverpool Pound, and I've got a feeling she
doesn't have any papers on her. Hey SC_ c'mon... get this cutie.
Pleeeeeeeeeeeease?!?! I'd definately want to see her, if Rosie hadn't been found. Not to say I want to get rid of Rosie, but how often do you find dogs that look exactly the same, from different parts of the state???

Playing with Harry

We went and visited bf's mother's jack russell terrier yesterday. I've watched Harry grow up since he was the most adorable little puppy, and I couldn't wait to see how the dogs got along.

Here's Harry - as he is now, and a year ago as a puppy. How adorable was he?! I don't have a front-on pic on this computer, this is the only one I have.. but you get the idea =D

Harry, the Jack Russell Terrier

Baby Harry

Overall, Fred got along great with Harry. Constantly playing with him.
Rosie was the one who was more interested in her surroundings, checking
out the house and yard, sniffing around and playing aloof. In the end
though she did end up playing with Harry also.

Fred and Harry

Here is Fred looking dubiously at Harry (above). Below are a collection of shots showing Harry and Fred getting to know each other.. awww...

And here is Rosie checking out the joint, and sitting it out as Fred and Harry play elsewhere in the garden.

Rosie Loping Along

Sitting it Out

Rosie's suuuuch a snob. LOL.

I love this shot below. You could almost make up a story about how they argued over who was going to play with Harry, or why Fred was neglecting her or somesuch thing. So off they go to do their own thing... *Grin*

Going Seperate Ways

But like I said, they did eventually warm to each other. I have to give Harry lots of credit. He seemed like he really wanted to play and wasn't intimidated by their size at all. If anything, he just kept on running around with them. The big dogs were good too, often going down to Harry's level to play with him. Rosie's very good at playing with other dogs. This was despite her growling at Harry when we first arrived. *shakes head*

Here they are all playing together. Isn't it
sweet?

Following Sniff

Going Down to Harry Level

Finally, here's Fred trying to play gently with Harry. And here's Fred following Harry along. Heee...

Rosie

Rosie

Here is my favourite photo of Rosie atm. I'm quite impressed at how this turned out. Especially since she hardly ever comes up for cuddles. I guess I should be going to her more often. But Fred always automatically comes up to me. What's a girl to do? LOL. But I am quite proud of this one. =D

BTW, I uploaded a few more pics onto last night's post. I meant to put up a lot more, but called away last night and never came back. Forgive the horrid formatting.

Going to the Vet

Today was a big day.

First, was a visit to the vet. A new experience for us. Vet was slightly batty/dotty. Would stop in mid-sentence before going on to other things. Agreed that Fred should have a booster shot, and then just as he's about to put the needle in, goes, 'oh I guess I should check his heart rate and teeth too.' There were so many incidences of this, that the booster shot for Rosie lay unused on the table for quite a while (a good ten minutes) before she was even injected. Very amusing all around.

When he met the two dogs he immediately said, I'll just give them some treats so they'll like me. Ha! More like he didn't stop giving them treats. I gave Fred some liver treats (broken up into little pieces) when I was teaching him to sit. This man gave him a WHOLE piece of liver treat, and ten KEPT ON giving them. He gave like 3 or 4 servings. Followed by which he dug in a drawer and came out with DIFFERENT treats again. Yikes. I know they're big dogs, but somehow I doubt they're going to eat you if you don't give them treats. *shakes head*

We think he was probably a bit scared of them. I think he was also quite impressed about these two sweeties that we'd picked up at the pound. Everyone's always so impressed with Fred and his quiet calm nature. He just sat quietly beside us as he gave us information. To which he'd stop mid-sentence and go, 'gee he's a lovely boy.'

When his assistant came in to give him some files, he went all excited, 'look at these two big dogs! from the pound!' to which you could see her eyes roll to the back of her head. Both dogs of course had to come up and say hello. I think they scared her. LOL. She just muttered a yes under her breath and tried to get out of there as fast as she could. LOL.

What was more worrying was when the Vet was taking down Fred's details and asked me what colour he was. He's brindle. But like, I thought brindle was a colour that applied to all dogs. Not just wolfhounds. It concerns me that he doesn't know that as a colour...

When I was asking other questions about whether or not to desex Fred or not the Vet replied: "I don't know anything about Wolfhounds" =S

In general though he seems like a very nice guy - if slightly batty. A real character. LOL. I think we'll be back next year to get their booster shots.

Today was also the first day Fred and Rosie have sat in the new car. Fred jumped right on in, an absolute surprise, considering how we had to drag him into the passenger seat of our other car. Rosie on the other hand, struggled to get in. *sigh*

We also took the dogs out on a walk into the bushland. There was an old barbed wire fence along the footpath, and Fred decided to go over to investigate. It was a pain getting him back, because the fence only had gaps in some parts and not all. So we had to walk on either side of the fence for someways before we could get him back. And he wouldn't come, so bf had to physically drag him over.

Of course, not to be outdone, Rosie then had to do the same thing. We didn't realise and there was a good ten minutes when we thought, gee, we've lost her for good. Paid the Vet fees, got her vaccinated, and now she's gone off and done a runner.

We were heading back to the car when I spotted her on the other side of the fence. And while she answers to her name, much more so than Fred, she also insisted I go over to physically fetch her. *sigh*

When it got to getting into the car, she refused to get in. We had to fake leaving her behind before she agreed to come with us. She's like a 2 year old child throwing a temper tantrum. Oh wait, she is close to 2 years old. LOL.

*sigh* Such a troublemaker. I just hope Fred doens't take up all her bad habits.

Speaking of bad habits, I gave them both a bath this morning. Made my own doggie shampoo and then tied each one up individually and got out the bucket and went through each one. Fred was an absolute darling. Stood there patiently while I sudsed him up and rinsed him.

Rosie on the other hand.... the foster carer had originally told me that she didn't like baths or showers. She wasn't kidding. Even with the lead on her, she still shied away every time I poured more water on her. *Shakes head*

Well they definately feel soft and clean now. But my shampoo doesn't get rid of the doggie smell. I'm wondering if it's the Neem Oil I included in the shampoo. Either way, they still smell quite doggy. But in a good way I guess. We don't want to strip them of their natural smell. But at least their fur is nice and clean to the touch. Fred's hair was getting rather greasy.

So it's probably for the best they still smell like themselves and not artificial pot pourri, while still being clean.

Tomorrow the doggies are going to meet another family member. We're going down to the coast to visit bf's mum, who owns a little jack russell. I'm kind've excited at the prospect of them meeting. It'll definately be a laugh. Two big dogs, and one little jack russell terrier. =D I'm also interested to see how each dog feels abt meeting others. Especially Fred, and whether or not he socialises well.

Rosie should be fine. She's great at making doggie friends. She used to live with 4 other females at the foster place, and just spent her time getting constantly chased. Fred, who last time saw a little dog, ran, will be the interesting one to watch. =)

Rosie the Sooky Baby

Came home pretty late last night to find two very chastened puppies. Quietest night we've ever had.

Apparently they were very exciteable when the bf came home last night and he ended up reprimanding them. Rosie was sent outside for barking loudly inside, while Fred was allowed in. To which Rosie moped outside whining piteously.

When I got home, Fred came up for cuddles, but Rosie sulked in the study for a few hours.

It's official - Rosie is an absolute sook.

LOL.

We've booked an appointment with the Vet tomorrow. I'm a bit worried about what the final bill will be, because Fred hasn't been vaccinated at all, and Rosie has an irritated eye that I'm a bit worried about.

I need to do some gardening this weekend and pull up a lot of the garden. There's a few things that I'm wondering if they are the culprits. Apparently there are quite a number of plants that are toxic to dogs.

Daffodils/Jonquil bulbs for starters. I have Daffodils in my garden (from previous owner) that are blossoming right now. I'm wondering if the flower itself is different to the bulbs?

I also have a hardy azalea bush that is currently flowering. But according to my basic google search, azaleas can cause skin irritations to dogs =/ I might need to dig it out and pot them or something. But the dogs have run of the entire yard, so who knows where I'm going to have to put them. Maybe in the front yard perhaps? Assuming of course that I can dig it out of the freezing ground and it doesn't die in the process.

I also need to give the puppies a wash tomorrow. I don't want to take them to the vet stinking to high heaven. We've gotten used to their smell, but when you open their bedroom door in the morning, there is a distinct doggy smell.

Rosie's foster mother told me that Rosie is actually quite afraid of baths. I'm just imagining how much fun it's going to be tomorrow. I was planning on buying some cheap towels this morning so I can dry them up as well. Towels are expensive!! $7!!! For a dog?! I mean, c'mon, seriously.... $7 is too much!

A little bit more ball playing..

Hiding From the Camera

So both were very excited to see us last night (we got home a bit late). They definately have our schedule figured out. Bf and I took both dogs for a walk, and ended up letting them off the leash down near the old train station. The only thing with that is that there is a road behind the station, and the minute the kids got off the lead, they started running off into the bushes. I got worried when Rosie wouldn't answer to her name. They eventually came back, but talk about a stressful walk!

Great News though, Fred has started sitting on command!!!! I'm so proud!!! He now knows to sit before we put the lead on him, and when we take the lead off him. He also sits for food (although I think he always did - i.e. he had some really basic training before he got to us - again, the breeder theory). I don't even need to say 'sit' anymore. He just knows. What a smart doggie!!!!

I need to remember to feed them at the same time though. Last night I fed him first, and the bf pointed out I should just give them at the same time, since both of them pretty much know to sit now.

Now you see it....

I'm so glad they're learning 'our ways'. =D We haven't taught them to sit at road sides before crossing yet, mainly because it's a bit redundant (no traffic in the boonies). But I do notice that if we're walking, and we stop, Rosie will automatically sit. She's definately had training.

On the plus side, it also means that Fred is learning from her. Very quickly too I might add.

I get the feeling that he's already asserting himself as Top Dog. Every time I see them, Fred usually has the new bed.

He was annoying Rosie last night. Trying to get her to play. She was too busy preening herself. She's like a cat. Every night in front of the tele, she'll be sitting there, licking her paws and making herself look pretty. And then she picks a spot, walks in a circle 3 times and then settles down for a sleep.

Fred on the other hand wanders around a little, comes for a bit of a cuddle and gets up again. Restless Puppy =)

I ended up giving him another tennis ball to play with because he was annoying Rosie (who just wanted to sleep and not play). Talk about growing puppies. He's already stronger than he was 2 weeks ago. Last time I gave him a tennis ball he took a night to get through it. Last night? Ten minutes, and he was chewing on the black plastic!! He'd already torn up some of the green stuff around it. Yikes.

I might need to fork out the exxy money and buy one of those $40 indestructible toys after all.

Best of Friends

Sleeping Together

So the dogs are learning what it's like to live in our household. I took them for their walk last night, and while Rosie was still tearing at her lead to walk faster she eventually calmed down (we walked slightly longer this time). At one stage, I was able to let her walk with the entire lead out. Fred's still being a good boy and trotting at my side.

It was quite funny when we fed them too. Both have learnt (although Rosie always knew) to sit for their food. When I peeked out, both were sitting down patiently waiting. So cute!

Fred no longer needs to be dragged into his bedroom. He happily goes in, and is the first out in the morning.

What's the sweetest though? They share the same bed =D Soooo sweet. The bf told me when he sent them to their room, they both went onto the same bed to sleep. Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

I also find it interesting that Fred has now taken over the new bed. They must've come to some kind of agreement? Or maybe all my cuddles (Fred first) have changed their mind, and Fred is now Top Dog? Dunno. Or maybe Fred's just winning all their games?

I let them in last night, and it was obviously the wrong thing to do. I didn't realise at the time they were in the middle of a game. Because when I went to the door, they stopped what they were doing, and Rosie made a beeline for me. Little did I know. The minute they both got in, they started playing. So I sent them back out. BF let them in about half an hour later, and Rosie was still hyped up. Would get down low, ready to pounce kind of stance, while Fred went for the Neck Bite. He loves the Neck Bite. So they were sent out again. Funnily enough, after that they quieted down and just sat on their beds. *shakes head*

Sulking

We eventually let them in again, and Fred went off into the dining area to sleep. He actually sulked for quite a while. I think he still wanted to play, but Rosie made it clear she preferred sleeping at the feet of the Humans. Rosie prefers human company I think. She's settling in well. It's only been Day 3.

Rosie

I hope that they don't mind that they only get 4-5 hours with us most days. At least they have each other for company. And they seem to adore each other. I tried to take a photo last night, but they moved when I went to get the camera =/  They were sleeping on the rug, with Rosie's head on top of Fred's....

I've never seen two dogs who didn't grow up together as puppies get along so well before. Sharing the same bed, cuddling, running around and playing...

The only time they seem to fight is when Fred sneaks in to eat her bones. LOL.

Walking the Puppies

Bummed

First night walking them on my own. They (foster carers) must've been fast walkers when they said that Rosie was great on the lead. She pulled ALL the way. I didn't even want to walk them last night: 1. it was freezing cold, and 2. I knew that they'd been playing all day and had got enough exercise. But it's the good thing to do, if only once around the block so they could see something other than the backyard.

So there I am, with Rosie waaaay out in front and Fred slouching behind me. I didn't want Rosie in front (in case it gave Fred any ideas) so had to keep the lead short. Can you imagine my horror when a rabbit runs out from under the bushes, not ten mins into the walk?! Both dogs stopped and watched, trying to figure out how quickly they could pull it down. Meanwhile, I was backing away, taking the dogs with me.

Sharing

The thing I love about these two? They're like a set of twins. Always running together, shoulder by shoulder. It's great fun to watch. And Fred is obviously a lot happier now than he was prior. You can definately tell the difference. There's no more moping around the house, scratching the green carpet or tearing stuff up. When he comes in, all he wants to do is collapse onto the rug and sleep. And I don't blame him one iota.

They're getting along great guns though. When we looked out at one stage, both were sharing the bed. Awwwwww...

We also let them into the house early last night, while the bf cooked on the bbq. It was amusing watching both of them hanging out at the door watching, hoping for food. They both eventually gave up, and you can see by the photos that he's pretty
bummed about not being included. Guess my cuddles weren't enough huh?

The last photo is actually very good in showing you how different Rosie is from fred. see her back legs? She puts them up like Frogs..... Fred's so short and stumpy in comparison. No matter though - he's gonna be HUUUUUGE.

Next Morning

If I hide behind this bush, Rosie won't see me...

What? Stop blowing my cover!!

S it appears the bf is even more of a softie than I am. He decided
that the dogs could sleep in the house last night because it was too
cold out there. LOL.

They pretty much spent a quiet evening with us watching tele. At one point even I fell asleep on the couch.

Bf sent them to their room, so to speak, and we didn't really hear a
peep out of them. At one stage we thought we heard the curtains being
moved (I kept on imagining Rosie tearing down the curtains), but after
a while, there was silence.

This morning, in typical Fred behaviour, he was the first out when I
opened the door. Rosie on the other hand took some convincing to go
outside. I don't blame them.

When I snuck my head into the room, other than it smelling very 'doggy'
there were no poos or wet patches. I think they were too exhausted last
night to do anything other than sleep. LOL

Despite his size, Fred is very much a puppy. He is always searching for
food, but always in the wrong place. We're currently feeding 1 dog
each, and we alternate every time. This morning I fed Rosie. Fred
automatically runs over to try and get some food. Meanwhile the bf is
yelling out "fred! fred!" He doesn't realise that his food is waiting
for him if he just answers to his name. LOL.

He wolfs it down so quick though. One minute it's there, the next
minute it's gone. In comparison, Rosie takes a little longer to finish
her food. Which means that Fred will sit and watch and wait. After
she's done he goes over to sniff, and tries to find any scraps she may
have left. *rolls eyes*

I've noticed since we got Rosie that Fred does the 'crawl on belly'
thing a lot more often. He definately knows where he is at. Although he
does try it on. When they sleep he sometimes sneaks a paw over her to
show dominance. If she notices and pushes him off, he doesn't try again
though. LOL.

I'm actually missing them quite a lot today. I spent a lot of time
outside watching them play and cuddling them. I constantly forget that
Rosie is there for me to cuddle because she doesn't automatically come
up for a cuddle. But if you call her, she comes. Fred on the other
hand, just makes a beeline for me every time he sees me.

Think I've got a favourite? ;)

Getting Along

First night in a new place and they seemed to get along great. I got up
to let them out this morning (we shut the door to the garage because we
were worried it'd get too cold at night), and I see Fred getting up off
the old bed. LOL. Looks like Rosie's Top Dog after all. I thought he
might beat her, because when we put the bed in the garage, he spotted
it and went straight to it. Ah well. He's still a puppy - he's still
got time ;)

Good news - there were no poos or wet patches in the garage, so maybe
we won't have to worry about the toilet training so much after all?

Rosie seems to be settling in slowly. She's so different to Fred. She's
very inquisitive, wants to get into everything, wants to know what's
going on, and she's actually pretty active to boot.

Roarrrrr

The two puppies have a lot of fun though. I watched them today, and
took lots of photos (while standing in a safe place) as she haired
around the yard with Fred taking chase.

We think that Rosie is more of a Greyhound Staffy Cross, than a Great
Dane Bull Mastiff. She just doesn't seem to look like Great Dane or
Bull Mastiff. And she's just not big enough. Rosie's also got a staffy
- looking head. At the wrong angle she actually looks quite mean! LOL.
She's currently abt 2 inches taller than Fred. And we all know that
Fred has AGES to grow. In comparison she's full sized.

Resting

We decided not to give Fred a walk today. He looked so exhausted after
playing with Rosie. I'm actually a bit concerned he's getting *too*
much exercise, now that he has a playmate who will run with him. They
rough and tumble it to such extremes. At one stage they were jumping up
at each other like male deer when they buck heads etc. And they just
take knocks on the head like nobody's business.

So after a bout of playing Fred goes to sleep at the back door, while
Rosie goes investigating, going from one side of the house to the
other, constantly on the lookout. It's actually quite amusing to see
the different temperaments in the dogs.

It must be said though that she is VERY tolerant of Fred. I never
thought Fred was an annoying puppy. But every few seconds he's on the
attack for a game. His favourite right now is neck biting. He goes
after her neck and her nose to show dominance. And she fights back.
Apparently it's actually fairly gentle play. She hardly ever growls at
him unless he has something that she doesn't. Like a stick I threw to
him this morning. Rosie eventually found out and growled at him. Fred
looked up at her all quizzical and Rosie went and got the stick. To
which he looked at me all sad and confused as if to say: 'she's got my
stick!'

Fred actually seems to like sticks a lot. When I threw him the stick I
hoped he would bring it back to me. He ran after it, but after he got
it, he just plonked himself down and began to chew =/

All in all I'm glad they're getting along. Fred's a much bigger sook
than Rosie is though. Course it might just be that he's a puppy. He'll
still come over for a cuddle. Rosie will come, but mainly because you
call her. It's so great when a dog comes to its name. LOL. Rosie's a
Leaner too. She can practically push you down with her weight. Fred's
learning it too though. Can you imagine when he gets fully grown?!