This is our new arrival.......Teddy

[Gwenoakes]

Things still going well with Teddy, he has completed his puppy training and even though he missed the first three lessons he has passed and got his certificate.

Clare has swapped the food treats for a toy and it is working really well and he still just lurvvvves balls of any description.

He was weighed today and is now 27.8kg. Not growing/putting on weight too quickly, not skinny/fat, just right, can feel his ribs and he has a nice waist. His coat is shiny and very soft and he doesnt as yet seem to moult very much, but time will tell.

He is still going to hydro and swimming well, did try to catch the ball in his mouth but got mouthful of water so decided to zonk ball with his front feet instead, hence everyone got soaked yet again. LOL

He is beginning to bark when someone comes to the door, that is different as Bella our Staffie has never barked to warn us someone is there. Hoping she picks up a few pointers, but maybe not. LOL

Dont know whether to say this or not, but he is not attempting to chew things he shouldnt, but he is still digging down to Australia on the grass in the courtyard.

[jemberelli]

He sounds adorable, such a character! Glad things are going well with him

[Gwenoakes]

Teddy had his first roll in fox poo yesterday!

Clare managed to stop him before it went any further than his head, but the smell.......yuk, yuk, yuk. Lexi used to do this regularly and it brought back so many memories of her.

He is being fed twice a day now and although not been weighed again, poss going tomorrow, he is growing steadily and turning out to be a lovely character, bless him.

[jemberelli]

Eeeeew smelly Teddy! Bless him, let's hope he doesn't do it again any time soon! Glad all is well with him, he sounds fabulous!

[wendy]

Don't you just love them

[Spreckly]

Someone once told me that tomato ketchup would get rid of the smell of fox poo. Never had to try it. Hope it works.

[wendy]

Well it does. But you have to use so much, the dog ends up sticky and I found the smell of tomato ketchup a bit much. In the end I bathed the dog !

[Gwenoakes]

Teddy was bathed, Spreckly, but not all of him. LOL He is a good boy for bathing, so not a prob, but would have been better if it had not been at a meal time!

I didnt know that tomato ketchup could be used for that either, but did know about it working on green hair after swimming in pool after being bleached. Think I have read somewhere that it can be used as a brass cleaner too, but not tried it.

Teddy weighs 29.5kg, put on a fair bit of weight over the last 2/3 weeks, but he is going upwards more now, in fact it wont be long before he is the height of Lexi when we look at piccies of them both sat near the kitchen units. One things for sure, he isnt small. LOL

[Gwenoakes]

Teddy now weighs 33.1kg and going through the long and gangly stage at the mo.

He is still going training and doing well, had a slight prob with the pulling on lead so trainer has let Clare borrow a harness that has a ring at the chest and also on the back. If he pulls then he is steered into Clare and it is working brilliantly. This type of harness doesnt pull on the neck, just gently at the chest and back.

We have the biting back again, the walking out the room and turning back is not too successful, so we are using the hold down, gently I might add, that seems to be working. Have tried to look at how dogs would deal with it and they hold down/get on top of naughty dog, so dont think it will do him any harm.

Clare is away on hols at the end of this month, so it will be down to moir to deal with him, just hoping he will understand because it will be a huge change in his life not to see her for a week.

Hope everyone elses animals are OK and thriving.

[Sara]

Completly missed this gwen!!!

he's gorgeous!!!

[wendy]

Oo Oo Oo does that mean holding him to the floor Gwen ?
Not the best way to deal with it and could make him get defensive and ultimately get worse.

[Gwenoakes]

LOL, no Wendy. Sorry didnt explain very well. I meant just holding him so that he is still and cannot continue with the biting and it seems to be working.........for now. LOL

We took him through a small town this morning and sat outside a cafe having a cuppa and he was just brilliant, met lots of kiddies, adults and behaved impeccably. He even sat next to one of those toys that you feed money into and kiddies ride on and had no qualms, bless him. He however did try to pinch a little girls soft cuddly toy that she was carrying........ooops.

He did get extremely spooked over an old can in a gutter when it moved in the wind and would not go back to look at it. LOL

He is sitting down before going across the road now too. Clare measured him and from the floor to his withers he is 27" and still only 7 months old!!! He is definitely going to be a biggie.

[wendy]

[Gwenoakes]

Well, Teddy has excelled himself this morning!!

Clare was out in the back garden feeding the duck, I was in the kitchen with Teddy. The next I knew he was up, yes I said up on the work surface looking out the window at Clare!!! He sent a vase of flowers skittling over along with other things.

If I had not been there to see it I wouldnt have believed it. He did a bunny hop from a standing on floor position!!

We gave him a paddling pool this weekend and he was splashing around in it which he loved. This morning we filled his bucket of drinking water up on the courtyard and he keeps splashing in it and emptying it. Obviously he thinks its to play with

Wendy if your reading how do I undo this, cause I havent a clue? Got a horrible feeling this is a lesson he will have learnt for life.

[wendy]

Prevention......not allowed in the kitchen when you are not there. Or cover the surface with cardboard boxes So he can't get up and unlearns.
Or leave a part he can jump up on and put a few empty cans along the edge. If he jumps up they fall to the floor. That way it is the environment biting back. Nothing to do with you. Don't say anything put them back. He should learn quickly.
You could go through training with a clicker if you use one and teach another behaviour. But the trouble with something that will go on when you are not there. Is as soon as you leave, it blows it out of the water.