The Missing Slipper and Midnight Cravings

I got very excited just now when I found my missing slipper.  Trouble is, where did I hide the one that I had?  Or have I just found that one having forgotten where I put it?  I can't blame River for running off with it - Talulah has long since been a thief of things like that - but it was last seen being tugged between them.  However, River IS responsible for the missing hair gel - I last saw the little tub in her mouth and that was about 2 weeks ago.  So now I am sitting here looking a dreadful mess with one cosy foot and one cold one.  And more and more things are being put away in ever higher places out of reach including my knitting.  Still, good old Tussock is under the desk so I can tuck my unslippered foot underneath her.

This is the last time I saw my slipper alive.  Note that the girls are learning to knit.....

We've had a busy few days this week.  More excitingly, we have had a couple of days of nice weather.  We actually saw the sun.  We spent one whole day outside, building a new log store.  It was a day of learning for River -

The first job for me was to dismantle my pile of reclaimed wood whilst Talulah taught River how to hunt for the mice that were obviously living in there - they didn't catch any.  Then she learned that you can't chase the saw when it is moving backwards and forwards.  Once she had heard the word "no" several times, she sat back to watch, but downwind of the sawdust - she ended up a delicate shade of sneezing beige before she realised if she moved slightly, it wouldn't go up her nose.  Then there was the bang, bang, bang of me hammering in the nails - that should have help with the fireworks, especially as I added the occasional "whoooooooeee" when I hit my fingers......

Sadly I took no photos of the day's activities - having limited resources, limited skill, limited time and only two hands meant that the camera was somewhat forgotten.

Another lesson she learned was that bird feeders usually have dropped food underneath them, and she remembered this lesson at 3.00 this morning......  I got up to go to the loo, and she followed me downstairs.  I let her out so she could go too.  Normally she comes straight back in, but not this time.  I called.  No response.  Called a little louder (not wanting to shout due to the time) and still no answer.  So there was I in t-shirt and wellies wandering round the garden with the torch.  I was just beginning to get worried when I caught movement in the torchlight - she was digging in the pot of carrots underneath the bird feeder for the dropped morsels.  I think her love of food might even exceed that of Sisko.  One day I might tell you the tale of his midnight raid on my parents' compost heap.....

The other day, after working in the morning, we managed a walk up to see the horses in the sunshine, and spent a bit longer up there than we have done of late.  The dogs spent quite some time playing in a little stream - this game got wilder and wilder until Talulah could no longer resist a swim and leaped into a deeper part - closely followed by River who had no idea what she was letting herself in for.  She got out again pretty quickly, looking at and licking herself as if not really understanding what had just happened and what was this wet stuff!

Come here! I can't reach you when you are in there!

Note the wild eyes.

Spladoosh!

You can do it!

Yeay!

I'm wet.....

The other thing that always makes me laugh is the way she goes head over heels.  She watches Talulah bounding and bouncing through the dead bracken and the rushes, and tries to do the same - I don't know if any of you have watched Total Wipeout with the huge red bouncy balls that contestants have to negotiate.  They generally make the first one, just manage the second, then they totally mess up the third and in the water they go.  River bounces the first step, stumbles on the second bound, then total looses it on the third, splatting down on the ground and somersaulting with the momentum.  She obviously isn't hurt, nor embarrassed, as she goes off and does the same again!

Now, that raises a question - do dogs get embarrassed?  Or am I being anthropomorphic?  I remember years ago my Dad refused to believe that dogs got embarrassed, until Leroy stumbled going up some steps and jabbed his nose.  My dad laughed at him telling him to be more careful, and when they got in the car, Leroy turned his back on my Dad and refused to look at him whilst ever my Dad was laughing.  I do believe that dogs have a sense of humour, too.  I know many will disagree with me, but......

She has developed a healthy respect for the horses, especially as they are jostling around at bucket time.  Their normal placid characters are replaced by mean, nasty and greedy ones.  No one is happy with the bucket they are given - the ponies always believe that the bigger ones have much nicer stuff in their buckets - actually, they're right!!  It doesn't help that they are still all sorting themselves out into some kind of hierarchy, although even when that is sorted, they'll still be unruly at feed time.  Jinty is probably the worst offender.  Toffee seems to be able to raid anyone's bucket on account of she does it so subtly.  She kind of eases her way in without seeming to even move.

Jinty heading off to be mean to Ullises

Just look at that body language.

Ulli now thinking about standing up for himself

And doing just that.

It's been lovely to have something other than rain this last few days - today, I even managed to come home with clean and dry dogs - that is definitely unusual.  Sadly, the winds we have had seem to have stripped many of the leaves off the tress without giving us the autumnal colour schemes.  I had hoped to have some lovely photographs of colourful trees, but there are none!  This is my best offering:

Well, another day goes by and I still haven't finished this post - back to rain this morning, sadly, but a good opportunity for a rest day for little one.  She's had a few busy days so it will do her good to just sleep.  Oh! She did a brief session as a Therapy Pet yesterday - we called on some neighbours.  He would like a dog, she is scared of them, though she wants to not be scared!  The innocence of a puppy, plus the eyes, the soft coat, the nurturing instinct in brings out in so many of us, plus her endearing way of laying on her back with her legs in the air - well, it all helped to get this particular lady along on her journey!

And finally - the promised video of River coming down the stairs.  Now that she is getting bigger, she wants to go up and down, but I am trying to limit the journeys to one up and one down per day.  Trouble is, they find they can do things, they get more adventurous, then they go hurt themselves! Anyway, the video isn't that great, but..... it's also on it's side as I forgot to rotate the original and I'm too technologically challenged to work out how to do that now I have loaded it.

And definitely finally, here's a video of Talulah and River playing - I apologise for the wind which was a bit brisk on that particular day, but I like this particular video which shows River ambushing from the safety of a clump of rushes!

And no, the slipper still hasn't turned up.....

Descent of the Wooden Hill

Hmmm - where did the last week go?  Well, in some ways it's been very busy, and in others a bit lazy.  The weather hasn't helped in any way.  Rain, rain, more rain and to add insult to injury, even more rain.  Yes, we do live on the west coast of Scotland, but for October this is just crazy.  And there is snow down to 1000ft on the mountains, so it is getting colder, too.

River continues to grow and her character is showing more and more.  She is very affectionate and quite gentle even in her puppy ways - at least with humans.  Playing with Talulah she is quite a ruffian, and it's good that she has the outlet for a bit of rough and tumble.  I always thought that Talulah would have been a rubbish mother as she is so dippy and as mad as a hatter, but she is proving to be a fantastic nanny. 

I'llllllll get ya!

Leapfrog

One thing I have realised, though, is that I haven't really played with River enough - for play she goes to Talulah.  She sees me as a source of affection and FOOD!  Yes, food is definitely first on her list of likes.  And interestingly, when she wants to go to sleep, she comes to me and lies close by.  Tussock has always slept under the desk whilst I work, and now River seems to be copying her.

Taking up Hovawart position

 Talulah seems a more complex dog than I ever gave her credit for - she is showing me more about her own character in her interactions with River - teaching her how to play in different ways, teaching bite inhibition - for the latter, I think I can honestly say that River hasn't yet nipped me, which for a puppy is pretty good going.    And yesterday, she was teaching River how to dig......just as long as they don't do it in this garden!!  But she is also quite jealous - if the little one goes off to speak to Sisko or plays a little with Tussock she gets quite uppity.  And it seems that to play with her myself, I must first exclude Talulah from the room.

Now, you do it like this.....

Now you try.....

That's it - you've got it!

 We had a lovely walk in the sunshine yesterday (a brief appearance!).  We went to take buckets to the ponies, and stood for ages waiting for them to come down off the hill.  In that time Sisko sunbathed, and the others played around.  River took a cue from Talulah and did a mad run round - except she hit a bump in the ground and went rolling down the hill. 

Who are you watching?

Ah, you want entertainment?!

She hides in the rushes and likes to ambush the others when she thinks they aren't watching.

Waiting for a victim

Ambush!

Another curious behaviour of Talulah's is her diving onto the ground. She learned long ago that it is easier to dive and roll when Tussock comes in for a body slam, and she is already doing that with River - rather like a playful parent "falling to the ground" after an attack from a toddler.

You bump into me........

............and I'll pretend to fall over.........

..........and roll right over...........

Ha ha ha - wasn't that fun?!

The stairs are something that have made me chuckle - I have been carrying her up and down every morning and night to protect her joints, and also just because they are quite steep and she was so small.  However, I can now give her a shove up - hand under her bum and push whilst she runs with her front legs - she looks like one of those wind up toys!  Coming down is even funnier.  The first time she stood at the top of the stairs she backed off barking at them - she was frightened of the wooden hill - and quite rightly, they are steep enough to make me hold on to the banister when I go down!  She would wait until I picked her up, but now she has discovered she can get down on her own - in a fashion.  You know those barking toy dogs that jump up and down on all four legs?  She's like one of them - she bounces her way down with a bark of defiance at each and every step.  I'll have to see if I can catch it on video to put up for you.

Anyway, it'll soon be time to climb that same wooden hill and she will go through her latest routine -take up residence on Sisko's bed, be turfed off so Sisko can go in, get back on there with him, then when the lights go out, come and settle down on the bed next to my bed.  She has elected to sleep there now, rather than on the bed - for the most part anyway.

Sisko makes a good hot water bottle

But mummy tucks me in!

Water, water, water.

Looking around me at 8.30 on a wet Wednesday morning - another wet day! - I see that the house looks as though an 18 wheel articulated lorry has been through.  There are toys, socks, a sheep horn, dog blankets, bits of cardboard, torn up old envelopes from the recycling box on the floor.  Then there are all the things that normally reside at a lower level cluttering up the higher levels.  The fleeces waiting to be spun are stuffed in the bookcase, the candles from the fireplace are up by the telly, and anything she has shown an interest in pulling at, chewing, or running off with are tucked out of reach.  And that's just the living room. 

The kitchen floor has dollops of water all over it - the only tidy drinker in this house is Tussock who never dribbles.  Sisko just moves away from the bowl and forgets to shut his mouth, Talulah is just in too much of a hurry to swallow that last mouthful or is it her version of a takeaway?  And River?  I'm not sure what she does exactly, but I suspect she either paddles in it, or blows bubbles!  Whatever she does, she seems to get water everywhere!

She even likes to sleep by the water bowl

She certainly not averse to water - perhaps River is a good name for her - and is so far unfazed by mud, puddles, the sea, buckets of water, or rain.  I guess she is taking her cue from Talulah.  Tussock wasn't and isn't particularly bothered by the sea or other large bodies of water, and is quite happy going for a swim if she wants to chase something or cool down.  But if it is raining, she will stand in the doorway, look at me, and quite plainly say "You want me to go out in THAT?"  And if I appear with the hose, or the watering can - well, you never saw anything quite so pathetic!  I don't believe she is frightened - more likely she is indignant!  It doesn't help that I laugh at her - she doesn't like that.  Talulah, on the other hand, loves you to laugh at her, and will do ever more silly things to make you laugh more.  More than a few times we have ended up on the floor rolling around, me laughing, and her doing her own version.  And Tussock barking at us telling us to be more sensible.

Yes, it's a mad house.  I think Sisko is perhaps the only sane one - the elder statesman.

River discovered that toads don't taste too good the other evening.  I put her out for her last wee, and just as I was about to go find her she appeared on the doorstep with his head sticking out of her mouth, with a bag leg hanging out either side!  I so wish I had a camera permanently attached for occasions such as this.  When I took it off her, she did the dog equivalent of spitting out the taste.  I doubt it will stop her bringing me another one sometime.

Afternoon

She's had a busy time today.  We went up to find the ponies on the hill, taking them up some tasty morsels.  We want to train them to come to the whistle so that we don't have to spend long hours tramping round hundreds of acres to find them in the wind and rain.  The ponies won't take long to twig that whistle means food!  But in finding them, she plowtered through the mud and wet, ran after Talulah and Tussock, and generally had a whale of a time.

Recent heavy rain has given us plenty of water to paddle in.

Where we going now?!

Oooh - what's in here?

Take off!

Running off with her prize - a lump of sheep wool

Trying to eat it

The joy of being out

Talulah asking Tussock to play

And she got her wish

While River watches on

The ponies enjoying a snack

Just look at those muddy paws

She is always keen to go back in the car as I normally put a tasty morsel into her crate.

After that we went down to see the big horses and she charged around Buffy's house with Minnie.  I eventually put her back in her crate in the car as I could see she wasn't going to stop of her own accord.  In fact, she has this very minutes finally settled down to sleep - in amongst her midden of paper, cardboard and other debris.

Life is Just Play, Play, Play.

Gosh, it's hard to believe Riversong has been with me for nearly two weeks already.  And yet in some ways I feel as though she has been here forever.  So, what have we achieved.... well, we know the words for weewees, poos, we can sit and are now learning down, we've eaten a cardboard file, a sock, pulled the threads out of one of the kitchen mats, learned to run off with my slippers (learned that from Talulah), undone my knitting, emptied the stones out of my wee dish by the fireplace, eaten a neighbour's letter which was delivered here in error, we can come when we are called, although we don't always do so in true hovie style, we have several new friends, we've only done three wees in the house and two poos - all of which were my fault.  I could go on and on, but in true new mum style - I am in wonder at all of it, but probably bore the pants off everyone else in telling them!!

She's settling in now, and her nature is beginning to show through.  She has a twinkle in her eye and a wicked sense of humour.  I had a client here for a Bowen treatment a few days ago who arrived in full motorcycle gear which he left draped on a chair.  I came back in to find her with her head in a boot, pulling out his waterproof sock and running off with it gleefully.  She loves to chew, so we've bought a few new toys for her.  Most of the existing toys have been destroyed by Talulah and we need some sturdy teethers instead of the bed legs, the settee, the sewing machine, the radiator caps, the chair legs and whatever-else-she-can-easily-get-at.  Trouble is, any new toy that comes into the house Talulah believes it is just for her.  River also loves her food - with a passion.  She is never content with what I give her and always feels she should have more.  I have seen her throwing herself at the kitchen cupboards in an attempt to get at the counter where the dirty plates sit, squealing as she does so.  Tantrums!!  I haven't found anything she doesn't like yet.  What have we tried?  Hmmmmmm  chicken wing, venison, cooked chicken, veggies of all descriptions, prunes, figs, apples, pear, banana, yoghurt, humous, egg, Fish4Dogs fishy treats, baked beans .... thinks that's about it.  Certainly a diet with variety.  I thought Tussock might have caught her a rabbit today, but she missed it by about two inches. 

Waiting for supper.  They don't normally all sit together - they each have their own position.

It's easy to see just how people end up with out of control dogs.  When I am having my own tea, she is right there trying to climb up me to get at the food.  Oh, it would be so easy to give her little titbits thinking how cute she is - NO WAY LITTLE ONE!  Not in this house.  Having 30kg of full grown dog trying to climb up you to take your food is no fun.  Preventing or discouraging or better still, diverting unwanted behaviour at this stage is far better than having to correct it later.  Hmmm - so how come I have 30kg of hovie climbing up me when I come home - I'll get back to you on that one!!

There are so many theories and practices out there regarding training, behaviour, feeding, and so on, that it's a bit of a minefield for new dog owners.  It can be so easy to be swayed by seeing a seemingly quick fix of a problem dog on a tv programme, that people then try to train their young dogs with those "corrective" methods.  It doesn't work - and you can end up with more problems than you started with.  No puppy is bad, they just need to learn what it is that we expect from them.  Nothing can beat love, consistency, time, patience, positive experiences and socialisation.  And the occasional redirection from something you don't want them to do/eat/play with to something you do.  But, hey, I'm no expert, and I'm definitely not perfect!!!  Many would criticise me and my dogs because they feel their way, or their dog, are better.  I just do what I do and I seem to have dogs that I can live with happily and comfortably and vice versa.

River also has a temper!  She does NOT like being put behind bars.  At bedtime, I put her, with Tussock and Sisko, up in the bedroom and put up the baby gate so she can't tumble down the stairs, or get to anything she can hurt herself with.  Then I go down to brush my teeth and so on.  Last night, she screamed, hollered, rattled the bars, shouted, stomped and generally made a commotion that would make passers-by think someone was being murdered.  Then all went quiet............ suddenly thinking she had strangled herself, I shot out of the bathroom, only to find her sitting happily at the foot of the stairs watching me.

Today I took the big dogs out for a decent walk - well, the girls anyway.  It was pouring rain and Sisko looked so comfy on the bed, I left him to it.  We shut River up in the crate, and went out to the sound of her shouting abuse as we left.  I knew she would fall asleep though as she had just had a play session.

Tussock is still not over enamoured with the new arrival.  Whilst her initial reaction was as I expected, I thought she would have been more accommodating - I guess my pride in knowing my dogs was a little premature!  But that all said, she is taking more interest - even offering to play, albeit a half heartedly

I'll play if I must...

Talulah, however, has become a first class nanny.  She is amazing with the little one - gentle, patient, playful.  The games are getting a bit more raucous - I love the way River stalks Talulah who is lying on the couch, then leaps at her - except she can't reach yet!

A gentle rolling game...

A not so gentle standing on and biting game...

And trampling...

And running away before retaliation...

And running back to get another swift attack in...

Being observed by a very aloof Tussie...

Exploring the new soft crate...

And my oh my, has she grown!!!  Her legs have stretched to half their length again.  And today has been a growing day - a lot of sleeping .......

And so to bed....

The sleep of the innocent.

Night, night.