I have noticed that a lot of people use the forum for advise when things are going wrong or are difficult so I thought I would start a thread for people with good news to share. Photos would be great too. It doesn’t have to be a major event. Maybe overcoming health issues/behavioural problems. Having a new litter. Winning an award etc
21 month old Toby celebrated his final Chemo session last week. He has been through the mill but we have everything crossed he will come out the other end.
Well done both of you! good news although not so momentous as yours ... in training class Johnny held a down stay while I walked around the (large) room bouncing a tennis ball. To put this in context, 18 months ago he had multiple, daily over threshold episodes where he barked, circled, jumped, and nipped me. In one of his worst frenzies he tore the sleeve out of my winter coat, so learning calm behavior is good news indeed
Very impressive! Well done. Patience pays off. I want to get back to some training with Toby. Need to work on his confidence around strangers so one to one with a behaviourist I think.
Funny you should mention this because Johnny wasn't keen on strangers - hair up, tail up, bark bark bark owner slinks away with screaming dog. In training class we each had a turn to walk around the room and toss a treat to the other dogs. Another exercise had us walk our dog thru the "crowd" of other dogs and handlers. Today Johnny is pretty good with friendly dog-wise strangers. I think for him a lot was maturity. And that he loves training. A behaviorist surely will get good results. If only I could hire a behaviorist to discourage random people who rush up and try to hold my dog's face to pet him.
I have a blue lead which says “Training” which sort of deters people and certainly stops parents with children from asking if they can stroke him. He is ok if there is no eye contact and better if they have a dog in tow.
Love the idea of reporting some good news! When I joined this forum all I wanted to hear was some positive vibes from people who'd come out the other side with their crazy, bitey dogs. It seems since Loki turned 2 we do something every week that makes me think 'wow, I never thought we'd be able to do this'. It used to just be little things like being able to hang the washing on the line without being humped/bitten. My proudest moments recently were on holiday with my mum (an achievement in itself) where on a couple of occasions he actually fell asleep in busy cafes and pubs and people didn't notice we had a dog until we left!
It’s amazing how things start to fall into place. One day you are being constantly followed around the house and the next they raise an eyebrow and go back to sleep! We had the same experience with cafes on holiday in June. So lovely to be able to take them for a long walk and stop off for a bite to eat in peace without the table being pulled over or being on constant alert for other dogs. Bliss
There is a theory that if you write down at the end of the day 3 things that made you smile or feel good/you feel grateful for and you do it for 30 days you start to look for the positive in things no matter how small or trivial it may be. Might help with the puppy blues that seem to go on for ever!
Happy 2nd Birthday to my beautiful boy Toby! It’s been a tough year but he is here and living life to the full.
Happy Birthday handsome Toby! He's looking very fit and healthy. Maggie turned 1 on 4 November. The good news is that she weighs 75 lbs ... we were afraid she'd be pony-sized.
Haha same with Toby although he stabilised around 30kg. His nick name was “Tony the pony” for a while!
From that time I started reading this forum, I increasingly find myself thinking about taking puppy. You are sooooo lucky people!!!
Another short break. Another body of water to explore. This time the North Sea. Toby didn’t mind the cold water. Wish I could show you how happy he was! So much space and lots of other labs to play with. More tests coming up on the 21st and a dermatologist appointment to see if they can help with his itching. Definitely a problem with beef after I picked it up in mistake for duck( same packaging/ no glasses!)
So lovely to see Toby enjoying himself and I think this thread is great! Having a nearly 4 month old puppy its easy to think that this stage is never ending, however we've had a bit of a breakthrough with Misty and her walking. At one point she didn't want to go out of the kitchen door, but yesterday (after some initial hesitation) we were walking her through small village. It probably helped that everyone we met made such a fuss of her
Ah that’s great to hear.Misty looks beautiful. The more people you can get her to meet the better it will be going forward. Enjoy her. They grow up too fast. This was Toby this morning. Lying like this wagging his tail he looked so innocent but was completely hyper on his walk. He hasn’t been like that in a long time. Think he had some energy to burn after being drugged up to go to the vets on Tuesday.
