I was out in a shopping area this morning helping someone train their dog. A man approached and said, ‘That’s a Flatcoat.’ It was all I could do not to give a Basil Fawlty leap of surprise and say , ‘My god you’re right. I thought it was a chihuahua.’ He then went on to say, ‘He’s only lying down because you’re feeding him.’ I just said, ‘Yes, that’s right.’ I couldn’t be bothered to start explaining we were training a conditioned response and this was a new area with lots of distractions. I think he just wanted to tell us what we should do - it happens a lot. Anyway both owner and I were delighted with her dog’s progress, lying down despite people in close proximity whom he would have loved to have leapt all over and smothered with licks!
Five minutes of sheer panic today. My sister in law, who was coming in to walk monty late morning, phoned me while I was at work and in quite a cheerful voice said , where's Monty then? At home, I said. No, she said, he's definitely not. She said she had searched everywhere, garage, conservatory (God forbid if he had got locked in there, he'd have suffocated) and even been across the road to the neighbours who sometimes look after him. She said all doors and windows were locked and nothing had been taken. I was in sheer panic and kept insisting he was there somewhere. She then said... Your dog walker hasn't picked him up, has she? I quickly rang off and called her. I had shaky hands and my phone chose that moment to freeze. Yes, she had Monty. And had made a mistake , probably looking at last Friday's diary. Can't describe the utter relief. But all afternoon I couldn't settle. I kept checking in on the camera but couldn't see him, (not surprising, he was flaked out on our bed) and I just kept thinking paranoid thoughts. So packed up work early and I'm now in the garden with him on my 2nd g&t playing with his lotus ball.
I always get so stressed when I see people walking on busy roads with their dogs without them being on lead! Why would you do it?! It’s great you trust your dog that much and your dog is that well trained but I just wouldn’t settle. For the sake of popping the lead on it just doesn’t seem worth it. Whenever I drive past I slow right down just in case but I doubt many other drivers are so considerate!
Yes I can identify with this. A few weeks ago I was walking with Red along the main road through our village. Despite there being a speed limit of 30mph, many cars race along there. A man over the other side of the road had a black Labrador with him - not on lead. He called across to me saying I had a lovely Labrador and how old? I told him and asked about his dog. She’s 2. She stood at the kerb and looked as if she wanted to come across. He said she wouldn’t move unless he told her to. I was amazed at the confidence he had in her. Can’t imagine ever doing that with mine.
@leejane what a huge scare. That'd take a big glass of wine in the evening to even begin to calm me down.
I also can't understand people walking their dogs off-lead along roads. I don't care how well trained your dog is, it's still a dog! It could get a fright, it could spot a small furry thing - anything. It's just reckless overconfidence.
I nearly choked with laughter! What a tool that man was. @leejane - how terrifying for you. I am so so glad Monty was ok. You must have been so scared for a while. We just came home from the dog park - we don't normally go on a Saturday arvo and were surprised at how many dogs there were. It was actually really social which was lovely....until.....Maxx's good friend Roscoe arrived and they went nuts and ran straight into Roscoe's Mum's legs and down she went. She wasn't standing on the grass so she landed hard on her hand on the stones. She said she was ok but didn't look it. I was so mortified but then a German pointer ran straight into me and I nearly went down too! It was carnage! But Maxx had an absolute ball. It is so dusty from lack of rain - we left with a yellow dog and came home with a chocolate, dusty one! Better than mud I guess
Ah, the zoomie-peril. The big problem is that different dogs have different techniques. Pongo ALWAYS swerves at the last minute to avoid hoomans. His friend Hywel NEVER swerves and the hooman is expected to step nimbly aside. When Pongo is chasing Hywel or vice versa, carnage is inevitable.
Stanley has acquired a new ball I’ve never seen before. I think he’s stolen it from the dog next door because he’s aparading around in front of the fence with a very smug look on his face
I haven’t had a forum dream in a very long time, but last night @Emily dropped Ella off for a few days. Axel was over the moon and I was quite excited to see a real otter tail in ‘person’
@JenBainbridge video of Stanley being excited for his dinner made me think of Axel and his excitement for food. Now, my friend and I are 2 bottles of wine in, so maybe this is only funny to me. Butttt here is Axel and his typical ‘OH MY GOD IT’S DINNER TIME’ routine
When its time for her lunch/tea Annie tells me by sitting on the mat in the kitchen. She keep staring at me until I say is it time for your dinner. I think she has a clock inside her tummy, because she is only ever out by 5mins either way
We do the get up, sit in middle of floor, stare at most likely person to feed me, that's the routine.
Ripple stares at the mat on top of the cupboard as his dinner bowl goes on the mat. Then after that he stares at the cupboard with his toothpaste in as he knows we clean his teeth, and then go in the lounge and he has a Kong.
Is anyone elses dog really flat and down because of the heat? Rory's really not himself I just wondered if anyone else has experienced this type of thing?
Fred is not himself. I walk both dogs at 6.00 in the morning when its cool, but then he doesn't want to do anything most of the day.
