Wednesday 25 February 2009

most expensive dog biscuits

one tends to marvel at the sums people are willing and able to pay for dogs, second dogs and housing for their dogs. one also pours molten scorn on those who stick bling on doghouses and collars to make them the "most expensive".

today, however, my dog was fed an exclusive, and certainly expensive, biscuit. a trip to town... a visit to bettys... a purchase of fine, hand-crafted, vanilla-scented and sugar-encrusted thin butter crisps for our little biscuit connoiseur... all ended in the bag being carelessly left lying about, and sam skillfully sniffing out the supreme goodness within. luckily his rival, my daughter, is quite greedy, so had gotten through quite a few of them before they became dog biscuits.

Thursday 19 February 2009

encounters of the weird kind

our walk today was along the river, to "goose green" and back on the other side, over the big grassy field where dogs abound and bound. i have avoided it in the past because i don't know how loose dogs, or indeed how a bound sam, will behave.

today, i learnt a few things about that. first, i must accept that sam has a split personality. he really wants to bound and play with those other dogs. however, he also wants to cower and wish them away.

on our trip across the stray, we first came across a loose and easy-going black and tan being, fairly large but also seemingly calm and gently interested. how did sam react? he tried to leap straight at the dog, which was luckily a couple of metres away. when the leash restrained him, he instead jumped into the air, like the amazing jumping dog he is. he made quite an amusing picture in all his jumping bulk. however, the other dog was not amused by the spectacle, and walked off, leaving sam to let out one of his rare barks.

next, i kept sam close outside the playground while our little girl did her thing in there. after a while, a cobble of three dogs, two of them loose, came running up. this time, sam did not want to play. he laid down; when two of them came up to snif, he sat crouching, even nipping slightly to get them off. the friendly couple was not very fazed. the third dog, a fat black labrador, was gentler, and sam let it -- her, perhaps? -- snif.

he really has to meet dogs. hopefully, the encounter with the last dog outweighs the less fortunate ones... or maybe he learned something from those as well.

Wednesday 18 February 2009

dogs are natural scouts

a sniffer dog at a norwegian airport just caught two chaps carrying cannabis, ecstacy and a large stash of cash. this isn't news, exactly, but the fun thing is that it happened while the dog and its handler were outside the customs area, taking a break. "a sniffer dog can't help it, it does its job 24 hours a day," explained the customs officer.

well our sam is ready for mischief all times of the day, and definitely night, too! he can't help it!

amusement

we have a room, "the other bedroom", which is forbidden territory to sam. unfortunately, he is very interested in it, and it also has a non-closing door. on several occasions, he has gone in there, gotten hold of something, and exterminated it. so the great leader and i decided to be pro-active -- whenever the dog goes upstairs, we keep our ears perked up, and if we hear the tell-tale thump of an opened door hitting the wall, we run upstairs.

sam does seem to have gotten the idea, that he's not supposed to go into the room even when we're not around, but it's hard for him to remember against the lure of "the other room". yesterday, he had a relapse. i heard the door open, ran upstairs screaming, and sam crawled off to the landing like a BAD DOG. then i closed the door and looked at the cowering creature. then, since he was no longer doing forbidden stuff, i praised him. the transformation was instantaneous! he leapt up, overjoyed, bounced around the hallway and proceeded to bound up and down the stairs for a few minutes.

today, the door has remained closed. [...time passes...] until, that is, i'd posted this. then i found sam with a pillow cover out on the landing, and the bedroom door open. that dog! after i took the cover away and closed the door, i praised him, and the whole rigamarole started again. i really hope i haven't taught him a new game...

Friday 13 February 2009

havoc!

i tied up sam and went to town today, rather upset because he'd destroyed his second cushion in two days, so he didn't get any nice toys or treats. this turned out to be a mistake.

when we returned home, sam had gotten himself loose by breaking the chaining mechanism. he had been on the table and transported the margarine to the hallway, where he'd also pulled down two coats and a backpack, breaking two hooks in the process, and thereafter gnawed up the backpack. he'd jumped into the bay window in the living room, toppled several plants there and broken a flower pot. he'd managed to open the door into the garden and been out and in, as evidenced from the paw marks on the floor.

still, he hadn't gone into the kitchen with all its temptations. he hadn't touched anything in his usual haunt, "the other bedroom". we thought he'd managed to stay out of the forbidden master bedroom as well, but discovered dirty pawmarks on the bed -- our reconstruction involves him running in from the garden, looking for us everywhere, then suddenly realising he was in a not allowed bed and scampering out.

it was a bit of a shock to find such mess when we came home, but as we tidied and brushed away earth we realised it wasn't quite as bad as it could have been. furniture, clothes and most importantly, toys have been left intact. and we have taught him to stay out of the kitchen. now the only remaining tasks are the bedrooms, the window sill, the coats and the table...

Wednesday 11 February 2009

crashlanding

we created a little drama during the weekend. i don't like it when these troublesome things happen, i'd like everything to be easy, light and fluffy at all times.

after a walk along the river where i'd kept him tightly reined, i'd decided to give sam some free running time at the big field. he ran off ecstatically. however, it was a weekend, and people were walking their dogs. a cute little springer entered the field. first, sam lay down in his usual nervous way. then he suddenly fell for the cuteness of the springer, and bounded towards her. i stupidly let him -- acutely aware that i wasn't sure recall would work or not.

since the other dog found sam way too boisterous, i tried catching him -- impossible -- and then chasing him away from her. luckily, he did come once both of us had calmed down a little. meanwhile, my daughter, who had found the whole thing hilarious, was trying to ride the poor little dog. i mumbled my sorrys to the owner, and went off with a leashed dog, a lashed finger and a bruised self-image as a dog trainer.

later that day i didn't even want to walk sam, as i felt i'd lost control of him. luckily, all that was over the next day. although i still felt sorry we scared the other dog, i was ready to practice again. and this time, in the other field which is slightly more secure and deserted, sam bounced off again, and then came back to me when called.

Thursday 5 February 2009

cotton might fly


and so, we know that even a cute ball of fluff like a coton de tulear might take off at any moment. just like sam, even though the closest he gets to a ball of fluff is on the brush when i brush him.

he has been able to indulge a little in his love of flying lately, though. since his recall is becoming trustworthy -- not fully so, but enough that i can let him loose and not immediately go into a panic -- he can take off like a bullet across the wide open field. and he does.

sam's other type of flying is his playful jumping, which is awesome, if a little overwhelming. he knocked me in the gum with his teeth today. amazing, and a bit of a pain.

Funday afternoon by Rex Hammock released as Creative Commons attribution non-commercial.

Monday 2 February 2009

prefect...

after being such a good dog yesterday, and most of today i might add, the cosmic balance must have demanded that sam do something bad. so he set about to ensure the continuation of the universe, and gnawed up the Great Leader's slipper. all that was left was a sole and some grey fleece. i found him lying on top of the other slipper, which i assume he was saving for later.

dear sammy boy... couldn't you have been content with eating the snow, and the plastic bags you'd found previously?

Sunday 1 February 2009

perfect!

sam! the perfect dog with the perfect recall! not once, but thrice did he come back to me as i called him away from the interesting trees and river banks at the other big field. i thought the previous episode was merely good luck. but today, there was no mistake: sam really did the happy running towards the caller that he's supposed to do.

later, he of course ruined everything by lying down to sleep in the forbidden other bedroom. the sheet is full of dirty paw marks, but strangely enough, i found him lying on the floor next to the bed. maybe he rolled off in his sleep?

we're awaiting rescue from a doorman -- a joiner, that is, who'll get us new doors that are dog proof.