give the dog a bone!

i have to confess that, until i got my dog, i had no idea what "paddywhack" meant. i never even thought it existed as an object, only as a funny word in the old song. but i saw it in the pet shop, was amazed and puzzled, and took it home just for the heck of it. now i know that it's a piece of neck and that the dog likes it.

"liking" is too weak a term when it comes to describing his relation to a real bone, however. "going crazy about" would be closer, but sam goes crazy a lot, like when anyone in the household re-enters the house, or when his lord and master calls him a good dog. "deeply devoted to" might be better, as the bone remained glued to his mouth for several hours after we gave the dog his bone.

now, all that remains to be seen is if the old man will be rolling home. he went out to taste some whisky with a scotsman, so i wouldn't consider it entirely out of the question...

long walk, short steps

we worked on sam's recall today -- the hubby and i took turns calling him from upstairs and downstairs, giving treats as rewards. sam got it quickly, and scampered up and down the stairs between us. he got it a little too quickly, perhaps, because after a while, when one of us said "done" so that the other could call him, he would run to the other for his next treat without even being called...

the whole pack of us walked into the city centre, which was also packed. this became rather tricky, as sam was alternately scared and curious and wanted to go any odd where. so we're keeping him away from the city, at least until the christmas rush is over. still, we managed without incident, except for all the people who wanted to know What He Was. oh, and some poo. luckily, we had 3x3 bags with us.

shit happens

(don't read if eating.

please.)


"big chief, no shit" used to be the hubby's refrain when he walked the dog. this he sings no more, instead having to use three plastic bags to pick up piles of wet poo. as responsible for the evening walk, i, for my part, can only add "big chief, much shit". we're wondering a bit about the dog, but he seems otherwise healthy, so we're not worrying yet.

shit happened, too, when sam was left alone at home for three hours the other day. apart from that, he hadn't destroyed anything, so i considered myself lucky with just a neat pile to wipe off the floor. then my daughter stepped in it on her way to the bathroom. sheeeet...

dogs might fly...

...if they have the right equipment.

original picture from upsidedowndogs
capshunned with icanhascheezburger

barking mad

sam has a little problem. he has a big problem about being left alone, and will whimper, howl and bark until he's panting. occasionally, he'll make a mess on the floor. if not securely tied up, which is somewhat difficult to do in a small english house, he'll grab clothes, gnaw on shoes or jump into the window sill in his anxiety. when tied up outside shops, he'll raise fear and pity in passers-by, sometimes attracting kind strangers who wonder if he's been abandoned. well, he has, but only for a short shopping trip.

we tried following the dog book's tip of leaving him alone for progressively longer periods. unfortunately, i misread "20 1-minute sessions" as 20 minute sessions to begin with, which means our training has only served to make him more anxious. we are now back to basics, with me leaving the house or hiding behind a car, only to reappear as soon as he stops yammering. i don't know if this will work yet, and we don't have time to progress slowly. today i have to leave him behind for over two hours, taking my daughter to playgroup. someone's going to be trasked...

we have takeoff

i let sam off the lead today. it was a risk, because i'm not 100% sure he'll come back to me when called, but i felt i could trust him enough to take that chance. he zoomed off like a grey bullet, frisking and jumping like a calf after christmas. then i called him, and he turned, zoomed right back to me, and beyond, for another wild chase.

i let him run in huge circles around me as i slowly walked across the stray (yorkshire for "big green field"), then calmly put his lead on as he was lying down to chew on a bit of wood. we walked a bit more, but then i thought, he enjoyed it so much, i'm sure there's a lot of bounce left in him. so i let him off again. this time he went for the hedge at the edge of the stray, which borders on a row of houses. the hedge apparently has lots of interesting smells and such. this time, he did not immediately come back when i called. i turned and walked away, and luckily, he did come then. another lie-down, and the lead was on. perhaps it was too big a risk to take...

poo sticks

as sam was starting to smell a bit too much like a cowshed, i decided to face my dogmons and hose him down a little. it was easier than i thought to get him into the tub, although i did have to give the great lummox a little help. he was okay in the tub, but initially, not with the shower. you haven't lived if you haven't seen a big dog perched uneasily on the edge of a tub. fortunately, sam is a good_dog(tm), calmed down and came back down again. i got him very nice and clean with no more fuss.

the next day, we went for a walk along the river side, and he found a pile of poo to coat his neck, head and ear. time for another bath, sammy-boy...