The battery in one of our smoke alarms must be getting low and it started to emit intermittent beeps tonight. Lochan didn't turn a hair, Tarka shot up to me with a worried expression and started to tremble. Continued to tremble until the battery was replaced by her brave boss, and now lying in her basket looking hunted. And this is the dog who doesn't turn a hair at gunshot, was out with me in a thunderstorm last week and watched the Red Arrows fly over low and loud this morning without a twitch. So to all you new puppy owners out there - beeps from killer smoke alarms need to be added to your list of things to expose them to in those early critical weeks.....
Re: Killer smoke alarms.... I wonder....is that also on that CD from a well-known Rainforest website previously aforementioned ;D Incidentally, we saw the Red Arrows last Saturday (Leuchars airshow) as their approach was clearly over where Scott was refereeing Sophie's football match. All the parent's eyes were rather diverted - as too was the Refs, but I don't think he missed anything!!
Re: Killer smoke alarms.... ;D ;D Funny that Lochan is so laid back about the beeping, while Tarka was frightened by it... Are they different in character? Or did Lochan get the all-important exposure to the killer smoke alarm as a pup...?
Re: Killer smoke alarms.... I was hoping the Red Arrows would come down as far as us but no, they didnt arrive!
Re: Killer smoke alarms.... I'm with Tarka - those beeps are super dooper annoying. Better than burning down the house though I guess
Re: Killer smoke alarms.... cuillin is with Tarka. smoke alarm beeps are TERRIFYING and obviously the sign of Great Doom Approaching. she hides under the bed when they beep....yet tarkies wee brother brodick seems to find them quite amusing!
Re: Killer smoke alarms.... Hmm.. All four are from the same litter, aren't they? Does that make it a Randomised Control Trial? Interesting............
Re: Killer smoke alarms.... OK Duh Not the same litter at all - remind us if you feel the inclination, as my memory clearly is getting its connections scrambled.
Re: Killer smoke alarms.... No, not the same litter. Cuillin and Lochan are from the same breeder, 10 weeks apart in age and not particularly closely related. Tarka and Brodick are however brother and sister but from different litters - Tarka is about 15 months older than Brodick. In terms of behaviour, my two are completely different despite being only 6 months apart and brought up the same way. Lochan is basically a big sap, loves to have a cuddle on the sofa and never goes further than 20m from me outside without "checking in", and is without doubt the greediest dog I know. But she is really steady to dummies/game, is a dedicated retriever of all things feathered and is a great peg dog. Tarka on the other hand is the pack leader when all four are together but is a gentle girl in the house and rules the dog pack in a very laid back manner. She is a manic hunter of all things feathered/furry and has to have a close eye kept on her or she would disappear hunting game when out. An excellent rough shooting dog though. Brodick is very like Tarka in many ways, especially his game hunting ability which tries my sisters patience something chronic! He simply adores my sister, hunting, Cuillin and food, roughly in that order. Cuillin is gorgeous, a beautiful fox red and bright but with it quite nervous and is definitely better off with my sister than me (I have a more gung-ho, jolly hockey sticks, moving swiftly on training style which definitely doesn't suit Cuillin, she is much happier with my sisters empathetic style). So all four are very different despite all four spending their formative weeks in my house with my rules, and all have similar feeding/training /exercise regimes. So not a great group for a smoke alarm behaviour RCT really.....
