a temporary attachment to the pack

[Browning 9mm]

yesterday teatime saw the arrival of a new [temporary] attachment to the pack for the purposes of assessment and basic training 





in the way of some people naming 'new breeds' this is a Shepski or to put it another way, a cross breed / mongrel / 'pedigree' Heinz.

mum a husky - oh  not another one 
dad a GSD - at last a reasonable, trainable , loyal [other than to the biscuit box] breed 

aged 9 weeks, left his mum / siblings yesterday, and destined for my eldest grandson as his first dog, I deny any and all responsibility, I blame the decision on him and his mum  , and of course the bank of grandad.

so, what is he like ?

quote from HB -'annoying, tries to nick my dinner'
quote from Izzy the couch potato - 'annoying, tries to nick my dinner, and wants to sleep on the bed '

so far - nil points.

but....
he already knows where the back door is
he knows that he needs to go outside for various functions
and he does sleep through the night
although he is awake at 07:00 and wants to play with grandad 

there have been issues ...
HB has growled, many times, at him
Izzy has growled, many times at him

but

HE IS SO CUTE
no he has to be returned to his new owners 

[Browning 9mm]

[Browning 9mm]

of course, purely as part of his ongoing assessment / training....

grandson has been told that once he [the dog not grandson] has had his second vaccination, then when he [grandson] comes down at weekends he will need to bring the baby beast with him, [one way of getting the dog poo cleared out of the garden  ] and he can start to walk him in the fields with HB, and in due course hopefully let them run free together .

for now, I've bought him [the baby beast] a long training lead.
well, you have to, don't you 

grandson has been advised that until he hes earned / repaid the cost of the baby beast, we have joint ownership, and if he defaults I will seize the assets 

well, as I said, he is part GSD and so cute .............

[Browning 9mm]

a slightly better pic of HB and Baloo

[Trainfish]

Welcome back HB and OB 

[Browning 9mm]

normality, or as near as it gets in this household, has returned,
HB under the dining room table
Couch potato on err the couch

and the Shepski gone home to his new boss 

so cute !
but not at 06;00 when he wakes up and wants to play 

he will, no doubt, be appearing in the pack at odd times, but I do relish the thought of a lay in in the morning, and HB relishes not having to share his BONIOs 

[Browning 9mm]

well, the good news is that they all seem to have survived his first night in his new home.

a couple of issues, their other dog, Lady, a Spaniel, aka energizer bunny, got grumpy with him when he tried to nick one of her tennis balls, and he did wake the grandson up at 04:00 this morning wanting to play, well he went to bed a lot earlier than he had over the weekend 

only a couple of accidents, mainly caused by cries of 'I'm in the middle of a game, I'll let him out when I finish' which became 'ok mum, I'll clear it up' 

he is booked in at the vets next monday for his second vaccination, so a couple of days later he can start to be walked outside.

oh, and next weekend is his boss's weekend down here, so he will be rejoining the pack for a couple of nights.

quote from HB 'can I lock the bonio's in the cupboard ?'
quote from Izzy 'he is NOT sleeping in the bed'

looks like another fun weekend. but it is the grandson who will be woken up to play at unholy o'clock, not me 

but he is doing well, and seems to be settling in.

so
question

should I throw away my prepared speech for SWMBO ?

'I know he was for Charlie, but it is not working, he can't go back, and I will not have him go to a rescue, so we will really need to give him a home'

mmmmmm  perhaps I should save it, just in case ? 

HE IS SO CUTE 

[Browning 9mm]

update,
he is settling in well, and gets on well with Lady, as long as he does not try to nick her tennis balls.... but she has tons, surely she could spare a couple..

but she is a spaniel 

he, and grandson, will be down for the weekend..
well, he is his dog, so he does NOT get to slope off for the weekend and leave his mum to deal with his puppy.

never mind 'a dog is not just for christmas' [never tried a roast dog instead of turkey  :-[]
but he needs to learn that dogs are a responsibility, not something that you can just 'have' when convenient.

the rescue centres are full of dogs which were 'lovely cuddly little bundles' but turned out to be big, hairy, beasts which were actually hard work to train / look after.

SWMBO and I [ok mainly me] have had rescue after rescue dog over the years, and only one has been a problem......

SIMBA 

a real alpha male, no problems with SWMBO, or the kids, but he would NOT accept me as the boss.

it happens, and it is not the dog's fault.

all our other rescues, and the puppy we actually got in '97, were great.
too many, IMHO, people want 'designer' puppies, that will fit in handbags, and are not trouble otherwise.

most breeds are working dogs, and need care / stimulation etc which can be too much trouble for some people.
THINK before you get a puppy, PLEASE.
have a fallback plan if it does not work, ie a stupid grandad who would take it on.

on the first day of my QPD course, the instructor said ...

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A BAD DOG....ONLY BAD HANDLERS

I would add to that
OWNERS.

owning a dog is not having a toy, it is a responsibility....
but so many people do not know what they are doing, don't research breeds etc, then blame the dog / puppy.

IT IS YOUR FAULT !

much more comment and it will be a case of coffee pods and Jaffa cakes, but PLEASE, at this time of the year, think SERIOUSLY before you think of getting a puppy for christmas.

[dannyboy]

people want 'designer' puppies, that will fit in handbags,

Err....does that mean I am not supposed to put the puppy in my handbag? 

Seriously though, dogs are hard work at times, so, if you are thinking of getting a dog, do think about the comments made by @Browning 9mm . Since we lost 'Blue' a few weeks ago, (still want to say "won't be long", when I leave the house), I have been waiting to see if Louisa has said anything about getting another dog. She has said nothing and I think I agree with her, (can you agree with someone when they have said nowt?  ). On the one hand, maybe I am getting too old to have another dog, especially something like 'Blue', on the other, he was good company.

[Browning 9mm]

Dave,
if I had a £1 for every time I said "no, we will not get another dog after losing the last one" I could probably afford a new loco 

but, reasons to get another dog,,,,,,,
1. they are company
2. they are loyal
3. they don't complain when you *** have bodily gaseous functions
4. they reduce stress, just by cuddling up and being stroked
5. they ensure you get exercise / fresh air by needing to be walked
6. they make sure you get up in the morning, ok at their time not yours ...

on the downside
they ensure you get exercise / fresh air by needing to be walked
in the rain / in the sleet / in the snow

would I be without a canine friend ?
NO

BUT

they are not toys, they are with you 24/7/365 [hopefully]
you cannot switch them off [at least I have never found the switch]
but they are the best reason to get out of bed every morning...

and they do not moan if you have a few too many drams 

[Browning 9mm]

my APOLOGIES for my last post to all of you who are cat persons.

I am sure that many of my comments refer to cats, apart of course to the need to walk them, but I am afraid I am, and always have been, a dog person.

and, can you imagine the size of a "dog flap" for a Husky 

[Papyrus]

can you imagine the size of a "dog flap" for a Husky 

Mrs Papyrus and her first husband moved into a house where the previous owners bred Hungarian Vizslas. Not small dogs. They had put a 'dog flap' in their back door which pretty much consisted of the whole of the lower half of the door. But then they were the people who rewired their house and put the fusebox under the floorboards in the hall... Go figure, as the Americans say.

Cheers,

Chris

(Great pup by the way!)

[Browning 9mm]

while I have never been a fan of dog cages / crates etc, I do accept that sometimes they are a necessary evil for the survival of owner's homes / possessions.
hence the acquisition of one for Baloo, though he has not, I hasten to add, been shut in it so far.
it was erected and stowed with an an old duvet and toys, the door left open and he has checked it out a few times, apparently.
he seems to be looking at it as a place to get a rest from Lady.

[Browning 9mm]

well, it is friday, and the young monster is here for the day while mum is at work and the grandsons at school.



I'm assuming it is just a bone, otherwise we may not get any post for a while.

youngest grandson has found a way to get peace from his big brother and the YM,




Lady also seems to be in favour, he can't then nick her tennis balls.

eldest grandson will be down this evening, and then they will both be here till sunday.

oh deep joy 

[Browning 9mm]

purely for info of those who follow this...

Baloo was down the Vets yesterday, had a full checkup and was weighed. 8 kg !
his chip also 'pinged' when check so all ok on that front.

Q. has anyone ever been stopped and had their dog checked for a chip since the law was introduced .... don't all answer at once.

mostly fur I think, but still he got a clean bill of health, and will be back in a week or so for his second jab, so for now no hunting mice with HB [sigh of relief].
with the recent weather, the fields have become a quagmire, especially at the choke points between fields, so HB has been walking the streets, and the path through the local woods, where he regularly sees...... squirrels.

the good thing is that he does not come back caked in mud, and his claws are wearing down nicely.

at the weekend we did walk LM around the block, late at night so he wouldn't meet other dogs, and he is already exhibiting the HB trait of wanting to stop to sniff every blade of grass 

it is a difficult ballance, shouldn't be out till his second jab plus a week or so, but depending on his first jab type, he could be 16 weeks before he get out.

so the risk taken, and he was totally kn*****ed by the time we got back, and then slept through the night.

not to be repeated too often, but he's already met Lady, HB and CP, so the risk is not too bad, hopefully.