Red will be six months old tomorrow. She has been with us 4 months. So much has happened in that time and a lot of it is documented on this forum, mostly under the thread Puppy Blues. I don't want to go back over all that - it was a grim time for me. I hadn't realised what hard work a young puppy would be. I didn't think our older dog Sky would react with such indifference to Red and that we would need to keep them separately (and still do to a certain extent). It was a horrible coincidence that Sky went lame and couldn't go on her walks, then being diagnosed with arthritis and having to take medication daily. She suddenly went from a sleek black lab to an overweight one (she's slowly losing that weight). Worst of all for me was the sleep deprivation because of toilet training and the sheer physicality of everything (I have arthritis). So Red now - we are in a pretty good routine here - food, play, training, walks, toilet outside, time with Sky, rest times, bedtime. Her coat is the most beautiful antique gold, red and white. She has become very gangly - big back legs and I think she is going to be very tall comparing her to Sky who is quite a small Labrador. After the horrible diarrhoea issues we had, she is now on a food which she likes and suits her. She has been house trained for weeks now and we have no accidents in the house. Even when her diarrhoea was at it's worst, she somehow managed to communicate her need to go outside. Red doesn't bark (but we know she can) so I have had to 'tune' into her needs. We are on our second Puppy course and we both enjoy this - the first horrendous night where we were both so stressed is a thing of the past. She walks beautifully on a loose lead (she was a nightmare for weeks) and we are now managing to pass people and dogs well but of course this is a work in progress and we haven't been anywhere really busy yet - that is to come and no doubt will be a big challenge as other things will be. Recall work is not going well. Not being able to give her high value treats has definitely affected this but we are hopefully going to have some one to one training soon and I must start to give this priority. Her relationship with Sky is coming - slowly. She can be too full on for Sky but we plays lots of games, have kongs and they do both settle during the evening (when I have tired her out!). It's good when they are both settled in their beds and I have started to pick up my hobbies again. Most importantly, she is part of our family and we absolutely love her. She is very sociable, loves cuddles and belly rubs. This forum means such a lot to me as I feel I have been given so much wonderful advice and support. My DH has been wonderfully supportive to me when everything seemed so black and grim and I kept thinking we would have to return her to the breeder (that's such an awful thought now) because I felt I just couldn't cope. I still have occasional wobbly moments but as you all rightly said to me - this will pass.
Lovely news xx I owe my present happy, challenging life to this forum too. Hats off to Pippa and all who work with her .
This is a wonderful post to read @Atemas - Red sounds like she is growing into a delightful dog. Coco & I also owe a lot to this forum. Just reading other's posts is so helpful - they often ring true for us.
Once again so good to read your post @Atemas, I love how you share both the good and the bad with us so readily. Sounds like Red is a puppy to be proud of. This forum is indeed such a great thing.
So pleased to read this @Atemas - you have worked really hard to get Red to where she is. I too have arthritis and have an injured right knee which sometimes makes walking incredibly painful - so I can understand your comments about arthritis. The work you have done and continue to do with Red on her bond with Sky is paying off and will only get better. Keep up the good work and the posts!
