For the past 3 weeks I have had a lingering virus that has lurked on and on in what can only be described as a darstadly manner. I'm hardly ever ill so am rubbish at coping with it when I am - all I seem able to do is sleep. This has made it difficult to give little Joy the exercise and mental stimulation needed by a 10- 11 month lab puppy, so she's been spending much more time at daycare than her usual 1 afternoon a week. I have had mixed feelings about this, I've never needed to use daycare at all with previous dogs. I looked thoroughly into the qualifications of the people who run it and it all seemed very satisfactory and I have to say I don't know how I would have managed without it.Joy seems to be very happy there, she pulls to go in, wagging madly, but seeing her bounce off to play with her new friends without a backward glance at me was both reassuring and sad in equal measure. Luckily by Friday I was feeling much better so we resumed our usual routine. However I was dismayed to find that Joy was absolutely all over the place, paying very little attention to me, pulling on her lead all the time, not retrieving as she had been, just not quite the little dog I was used to.So yesterday, armed with frankfurters, cheese and carrots I set about getting us reaquainted. I remembered from early days at puppy school the trainer asking us for the next 2 weeks to reward our dogs every time they checked in with us on a walk. I thought that would be a good way to start and unless I'm being over optimistic it's amazing to see the difference in just a day. I've got my Good Girl back again! Today it was like everything had just slipped back into place, she's done sit and stay when we see runners and cyclists, she's walking with me off lead when asked, she's sitting at crossings without being asked. I'm SO SO pleased with my little sweetheart! Do you think I'm allowed gin to celebrate? We only usually have it at Christmas and on holiday but.....well, Easter's a bit like Christmas..... isn't it?!
She was good on our afternoon walk too, well. apart from pinching a glove off the back of a moored boat but that doesn't count as naughty, it counts as sweet and funny and she was happy to swap it for a piece of carrot Husband is of the opinion that 'The dog's being good again' is quite possibly the most feeble excuse he's ever heard for 'hitting the gin'. However I'm not anticipating him refusing to join in with the celebration
Haha, I can sympathize! I have one very good older dog, and one (mostly) good one-year-old... He has been going through a slightly rebellious phase recently; today was a good day and while we haven't resorted to gin (makes me cry...) we are opening a very nice bottle of Riesling as I speak...
Well, that's done it now! Woke thismorning to heavy snow. I put it down to drinking gin at Easter rather than Christmas and blame myself and the feckless Forum Folk who encouraged this behaviour!
It must be true - I drank only tea last night and have woken to driving rain. I knew I should have hit the gin....we love snow.
We also love snow......up to a point. I think I've just discovered that the point at which we love it up to is Easter! Really ready for some Spring now. Also the amount of snow we had (lots) was totally disproportionate with the amount of gin I drank (not lots). I'll have to have another this evening though, can't go wasting the lemon.
Hello Selina27 we're in West Yorkshire and haven't been over greedy with our sneaky treaty gin (yet). You'd be most welcome to join us but Joy says it's bedtime now and I think she's right. Maybe some other time?!
Totally agree. With a wine chaser with the evening meal. The dog's behavior then tends to be viewed as funny and endearing instead of frustrating
As a rule, I'm not a big drinker (although there are occasions where that falls spectacularly apart) and I never drink alone. When I was alone in the UK with my new puppy and two adults who hated her, I dropped both those rules. Copious, frequent and irrespective of company.
