what happened?

the funny thing about growth and progress is that they're very often unremarkable, seeming to taking place at night or when you're not looking. this could explain how Sam could sneakily turn into quite a Good Dog without us noticing.

i mean... a while ago, it was with great trepidation i released him on a dog-free green. amazingly, nothing bad happened. i quickly put the leash back on to ensure this state of affairs.

on the next trip, i dared to let him run for a bit longer. and the next. now Sam regularly runs free on our walks -- still when no other dogs are around, as i'm not totally sure i can get him back if he decides he wants to play, but apart from that with a pretty good recall. yay!

the other things we only realise when we stop to think: he's okay to be left alone. he is calm in the bath. he doesn't eat our stuff (but things which are yet unclaimed, such as mail and new purchases, are still fair game). we're even on the way to play a proper game of Fetch!

recall & recoil

i shed my chicken-hood today and let sam off the lead for the first time in a long while, he rewarded me with a perfect recall, even from quite a distance, when he'd found a nice scent leading into the bushes. very pleased am i! sam, too, was ecstatic about being able to run around in circles, jump and crawl without being hindered by a leash. we kept the session short for now, however (to the protest of my daughter, who loves seeing him run wildly), as i didn't want to push my luck. a lot of practice is still needed to proof the recall.

i don't know if sam has become more jumpy lately or if i simply take him walking when and where there are jumpyfying things, but he has had a few frights recently. in addition to the terrifying groups of children, there was a model plane that was circling him exactly like an eagle. luckily i had him on a lead, or he'd have run right into a busy road to escape from it. later, while he was still jiterry, an ice cream van that emitted LOUD NOISES. actually, that one made me jump as well. maybe if i use it a couple of times to buy him ice cream he'll grow to like it...

warm welcomes

we had to leave Sam in a kennel again for a week's vacation. the house we rented didn't allow pets and, um, the Great Leader felt like a break from being Great. the kennel we'd used last time didn't have any room, so we went with another one which we'd really liked the look of on our first search. we couldn't quite remember why, but we were getting desperate (we'd left the arrangements a bit late). as the date and hour approached for the pick-up from the kennels, we hesitated and fretted. we hadn't even visited, the way we did last time. we didn't know if they'd be right for Sam, or if he'd bowl them over -- literally -- or not.

then the kennel owner arrived, and all doubts were forgotten. Sam, who's often scared of strange men, cozied up to his legs like an oversized cat. he then strained to follow the chap (as well as Great Leader, carrying his food) to his car, and jumped into the travelling crate. amazing! we suddenly remembered why we'd picked that kennel -- they really seemed to like dogs there. these things often work in reverse as well.

we enjoyed our holiday, hoping Sam did his -- and, suprise, he did. he came back looking sleek and fit -- they exercise dogs on enclosed grassy land there, meaning they can run free even if they're as lousy returners as Sam -- and smelling of shampoo. yup, that's right. not poo at all. as i walked him, i noticed he seemed to have become even more keen to roll in smelly stuff than before. i think they must have had a reason for shampooing him.

on naughtiness

things are going quite well with sam, so there isn't as much interesting stuff that i must write about. he'll trot fairly nicely along on our walks, only occasionally snapping up some forbidden goodie from the pavement. he'll leave most of our stuff alone, only now and then chewing up our mail. fortunately, he does remind us that he's a naughty dog sometimes by suddenly taking off, running in circles like a lunatic, and making me drop everything, such as a gingerly carried poo bag.

today, however, sam was not the naughty one. my daughter was. we were camped next to a back street when a nice and timid little dog came up. sam started wagging to it, wanting to make friends. and my daughter ran straight at it, arms out, probably looking like a viking berserker. that dog got away, but its older, slower companion was treated to daughter's enthusiastic greeting, which seemed to consist mostly of pummels. i apologized to the owners and explained sternly to my daughter that, you know, you can't just hit dogs like that.

the next dog we met, a little terrier, was only treated to a bear hug. we were treated to a little dance as sam and the terrier both tried to snif each other's bums without letting the other one do so, and when that didn't work, started to jump. when the terrier started to sing in addition to all that, it was decided to cut the meeting short.

then we saw a cute white puppy. sam was still in jumping mode, so i held him back. but my daughter was too fast for me, running over to it and assaulting the poor thing. this time it was her walk that was cut short... and i remembered why i i'd stopped taking both dog and daughter on long walks together. one of them i can handle, two i can't.

pummeled by a lummox!

sam was inconsolable after Little Cub and i packed our swag bag and went off to meet foreign family. despite both Great Leader and Leader's Friend staying at home to look after him, his reaction to our departure led to our neighbour asking if he'd been left alone at home that night. oops.

after a week of long walks, big meals and friendly training, however, both dog and dudes seemed to be having a much better time. there were only a few scattered whimpers now and then -- mostly from the dog, although when he pulled the Great Leader over to escape from a very scary loose dog, there may have been some manly whimpers on account of a sprained ankle as well.

yesterday, Little Cub and i returned. knowing sam's strength i left her, Great Leader and the luggage outside and entered alone. to say i got a warm welcome wouldn't cover it. i was licked, pounced at, clawed at, and surrounded by a leaping, running, ecstatic dog, who was so wild he wouldn't even run in and out into the garden like he usually does when we return from shorter absences.

this was nothing compared with how he wanted to welcome Little Cub, but we thought she wouldn't like it so let him calm down a bit before they got to meet. sam went to sleep a very happy dog that night, lying guard outside her bedroom.

halloween early for dogs

sam got the fright of his life on the day when his beloved Mum and Pup (that's me and my daughter) left him not once, but twice, to be alone at home with the Great Leader. as if that wasn't enough, a strange man carrying a large and scary toolbox came in to have a look at our washing machine. no wonder this sorely tested dog had to run upstairs with a tail curling the other way.

after such an eventful day, i thought he'd get some slightly happier happenin' as well. we went to a big green field where we ran and played. sam found an abandoned dummy which he tossed, chased and gnawed on to his heart's delight.

after this little workout we went back rather slowly. we were almost home when sam quick as a duck bent down his head and picked up... another dummy! he'd really hit jackpot after surviving the day's scariness.

upping the ante

in a bid to make sam a calmer, happier dog when left alone, i've started going on short trips away from him along with my daughter. this has the advantage of amusing her and giving us some time on our twosome, as well as not bringing the disaster that mad, uncontrollable dog paired with mad, uncontrollable toddler does. yesterday, she and i went on a bike ride to the nearest village and back. sam stayed in the corridor and was silent and calm when we returned. success!

today, we went on a longer expedition, taking the bus to a more distant village, toddling about there for a while, and then returning partly by bus, partly by feet, as the poor little thing became bus sick. with waiting and walking and all, we ended up spending a bit more time than i'd anticipated. oops.

as soon as i reached the door i realised this was the opposite of success. the upset plants in the bay window screamed of disaster. meaning sam must have gotten into the lving room. as i turned the key, i could hear the dog howling intently in the distance. great.

once inside, things were not quite as bad as i feared. the bay window was a mess, but not a single pot had been broken, and my beloved plants seemed fine. the bike i had removed from the corridor had been overturned, and the dragon we use to keep our hat and scarf paraphernalia in (everyone has one, right?) had been taken down and gnawed on. i also found a lot of funny things had happened to the computer -- it was supposed to play him soothing radio -- but nothing a dozen "cancels" couldn't fix.

signs your dog has used the computer: bookmarks have been turned on and F7 has been pressed 19 times.


apart from that, nothing else had been touched -- the toast on the table, the folded laundry, the sofa -- all was fine. i guess he must have spent a lot of time howling. as soon as he'd been assured we were actually there, and jumped around a bit and licked us lots, sam plopped down on his rug and went to sleep. he really must have spent a lot of time and effort howling.