Wednesday 27 February 2013

Social Expectations

There has been a lot of discussion recently on social media regarding the Yellow Ribbon campaign for DINOS.  This stands for Dogs In Need Of Space.  If you hadn't heard of this, then you have now.  Basically, if you see a dog with a yellow ribbon on its lead, collar, coat, etc, then the request is please to give that dog a bit more space than you might normally do.  They may be fearful of other dogs, elderly, ill, fear aggressive, over protective - any number of things.  But the ribbon asks you to get your own dogs under control and not allow them to harass the oncoming dog. 

I really don't have a problem with that - at all!  There is the small problem that you might not see the yellow ribbon until you are very close.  But what is really bothering me is a nagging concern as to how my dogs behave and how they (and me) are perceived by other owners!  Having read and listened to various people who have fearful or nervous dogs I have questioned my own attitudes and responsibilities as well as the behaviour of my dogs. 

I have nearly always been lucky enough to live in places that have given me space and freedom to allow me and my dogs to run free.  None of the dogs I have had have been urban in any way whatsoever.  Now, very rural people need a few different life skills to people who live in the city and vice versa.  Also some behaviours are acceptable in one environment but not the other - for instance, you don't duck behind a bush in the middle of town to have a wee!

Manners, however, should be universal - as people, we should all be able to say hello politely, and to behave in a manner that is not offensive to others.  Once we know another person, then we may be able to change our behaviour in a way that is acceptable to both parties.  So what about dogs?  Yes, I think their manners should be universal too - though obviously canine manners are a bit different to human ones and it is up to us as owners to enable our dogs to learn these manners through socialisation and training.  But everybody's idea of what constitutes good manners is different.  Things that I wouldn't dream of doing or saying to somebody (not intentionally anyway) seem to be completely acceptable to others.  And things that I might be sensitive to in other people's words and actions slide like water off a duck's back on other people.  Those differences can and do spill over into the the manners and behaviour of our dogs.

And then there is the ability to communicate with others - some folks find it hard enough to communicate with others of their own species, let alone another!  And as dog owners, we really do need to be able to understand the canine language sufficiently to enable beneficial socialising and training as well as interpret what is going on.  We don't need to be able to sit down and have a detailed conversation with a dog or understand their every "word" but I guess we need to understand the basics to enable us to get by.

So, having given this some thought, what are my conclusions about my dogs?  Well, I think they are doing mostly okay, but I do need to up my game a bit. 

River is still very much a puppy - she sees all other dogs as playmates, other than Talulah who is there for her to beat up.....  However, she does approach other dogs more quickly than I would like, although she doesn't go right up to them and shove her nose up their butt.  She goes within a few metres, wagging her tail, ears up and alert, and a smile on her face.  Any sign of invitation and she is in play bow mode and then they can have fun fun fun.  She hasn't yet met a dog that has been nasty - very fortunate for me and her, and so I hope she takes this wonderful playfulness into adulthood.


This 5 month collie had a nasty experience the day before this photo when  black lab was rather "un-nice" to him.  When he saw my three big black dogs, he was very unsure.  I put two back in the car, but kept River out as I knew she would play!


And off we go!

Hopefully leaving with a better memory.


Tussock was extremely well socialised as a pup - living in a hotel, it was essential.  I love to watch her body language.  She will go down to the ground for a few moments whilst she watches another dog from a distance before moving slowly towards them.  She doesn't often play with another dog, but does like to say hello.  She does not, however, tolerate bad manners in another dog, and these bad manners are not always apparent to the owners.  She doesn't appreciate noses up her bum, or too close a contact with too forward a stance - she will politely tell them to back off.  If they persist, then the politeness gradually gives way to a firmer voice and more defensive behaviour without making contact - she can and does make lots of noise!  If another dog appears nervous she will look away and move away - she doesn't push the issue.  One behaviour that does puzzle me, however, is that she doesn't like it when other dogs insist on running around especially before meet and greet has been concluded - she will try to rein them in, and if they don't comply, then she will roll them, flatten them, and give them a shouting - lots of noise, lots of teeth showing, but never, ever, any harm done.  Now, I know she is not hurting them - but other owners see big black dog on top of their dog and think that my dog is the aggressive one.  She isn't aggressive - but I do need to learn more of what is going on here.


Meeting dogs they know, but still Tussock is still slow to approach.


Now, Talulah is my "problem" dog.  Somehow she has fallen through my net.  Perhaps because she was not bought as "my" dog, perhaps because I didn't want to interfere with her early training as she was not "my" dog, perhaps an element of "oh she is a flat coated retriever - they are always friendly" - I don't know.  I do feel as though I have failed her somewhat though. 

I have been so busy watching Tussock's behaviour, that I haven't really noticed Talulah's development - especially since River arrived on the scene.  This is the key part of this.  Prior to River, Talulah was indeed friendly and playful, but, this has gradually and subtly changed.  She is the one I need to watch as she is very protective of River and is likely to rush up to another dog and say "Just watch it you, don't hurt my baby, or I will have you"  then runs away again.  And because Tussock hears this tone of voice, she then goes on alert which is why I watch her.  But the "trouble maker" is Talulah, and, coupled with an alarmingly rubbish recall, she is something of a time bomb.
 
So, now it's a case of leaving complacency at home and taking lots of treats with me and doing some on the hoof revision! 

Like I said to begin with, there has been lots of discussion about this, many trainers are talking about it.  I have read lots of stuff but not "read" it.  Finally one article really made me sit up and think.  Having read so much about this dog, I rather feel I have got to know her a bit.  I have never met her and probably never will, but all the stuff I have previously read suddenly meant a bit more and I suddenly questioned which category of owner I fitted into.

Self examination like this is always a good thing - providing we act on what we find......



Friday 15 February 2013

A Hairy Situation

Dog hair.....
Gets everywhere
Down the hall
And up the Stair

In your socks
And round your toes
In your mouth
And up your nose

It covers the furniture
And carpets the floor
You vacuum it up
But there's always some more

It gets in the saucepans
And ends up being stewed
Then flosses your teeth
As you're eating your food

It lurks in your undies
Making you itch
Tickles your eyes
And causes a twitch

Your bed is a haven
For discarded hair
Resembling the look
Of a wolf mother's lair

It sits on your pillow
Making you sneeze
Tickling your nostrils
As it waves in the breeze

It creeps into cupboards
And under the stairs
You go in for dusters
And come out with hairs

But don't think your car
Is free of this fluff
It's gathering there
To make sure you've enough!

You open a book
And look at the words
And lurking there
Are hairs in their herds

It sneaks under couches
Like tumbling weed
If you collect it all up
You could weave your own Tweed

Yes.....

Dog hair
gets everywhere
But we love our dogs
And we just don't care



Wednesday 13 February 2013

The Love for a Dog

Whilst looking up the full name of River's father last night, I came across an older entry from a friend's blog.  The final line of this page said that he was so proud of his dog that sometimes it hurts.  That got me thinking today.

I know that I love my dogs so much that it hurts at times.  A non-doggy person might think I am mad, stupid, pathetic, or even all three.  But what is wrong with loving a dog, or a cat, or a horse, that much?  I do not have children so I cannot and do not know what the love for a child is like - I can imagine it, and appreciate it.  But is the love for an animal any less?  Different, yes, and in many ways.  But like kids, dogs and other companion animals are our responsibility to raise and train in a way to make them acceptable to society.  And the love for and from children and dogs is totally unconditional.  It is heart-achingly pure.

Family life generally revolves around the needs of the children - that includes shopping, holidays, household expenses, choice of car, leisure time - the list is endless.  I hold my hands up and admit that my life revolves round my dogs!  But I don't think that is bad - it means I accept my responsibilities and all they entail.  I very rarely go out anywhere without the dogs.  This does have a downside which is that I often cannot do something or go somewhere because I am not prepared to leave the dogs for long hours.  When I was younger, I confess that I did - though circumstances were different - and I promised myself I wouldn't do that again.

For many people their animals are their sole companions and in many cases, their helpers too.  And I think a lot of people very much live for their dogs - without them, they feel they would have no purpose in life.  Living alone as I do, my dogs are a constant source of companionship, comfort, laughter, interaction, and tactile comfort.  On a cold evening, they take it in turns to be a hot water bottle beside me.  The house would be very empty without them.  My life would also be much poorer.

And in some cases, the owner of the dog is the dog's helper as in the case of Cliff - a very heart warming story about a very special dog, with special needs, and special people!


Evening relaxation
This close companionship doesn't come without its downsides, however, in case anyone is thinking I am wearing dog-shaped, rose coloured spectacles.  Whilst we don't have toddler sticky finger prints, and bits of lego, we do have mud splashes, dog hair and half chewed bits of firewood.  We don't have toddler or teenage tantrums but there are still moments when the household is not quite in harmony.  I am not woken by a baby or toddler crying, but am occasionally woken by the urgh urgh urgh urgh of a dog about to be sick!  Trying to put the light on, dash down the stairs to open the front door before the reappearance of food is quite a challenge when you are 90% asleep.  And you don't always make it in time which is when you feel cheated and wished you hadn't bothered to get up as now you are wide awake!! 


Occasional teasing and squabbles
Meal times are accompanied by pools of drool on the kitchen floor, sometimes things mysteriously disappear from the kitchen tops and you are never quite sure if it has been stolen, you already ate it, or didn't put it there in the first place.


Drooling for supper
Dog towel washing in winter is comparable to washing for a small family, whilst the time taken to clean and dry wet and muddy dogs after a walk is akin to bathing kids at the end of the day.  I don't know what my neighbours think, but my washing line is regularly full of old and fraying towels.  For every two loads of my own washing, I probably do three for the dogs.

Muddy Towel Land
Sticky fingerprints on the windows?  No, we don't have those, but we do have dog snot art on the house and car windows.  Bags of baby food and nappies in the car for every journey?  No - piles of old towels, leads and treats in my car - along with mud, wood, hay, and missing bits of car interior which have been chewed by Miss River.

And my bed is not just mine - no, all four of us sleep there.  Some may feel that is totally unacceptable or unhygienic, but I have slept with at least one dog on the bed for the last 30 years and I am disgustingly healthy!  There are the usual fights over the covers, and someone encroaching on my space, or there might be a snarl in the middle of the night when somebody stands on Tussock.  On the whole, though, we all sleep remarkably well.

Come on Tussock, let me in!
In these cold winter months, River has acted as a body length hot water bottle laying back to back with me, and I love waking up to see Tussock's head beside mine.  No, I don't get to lie in bed with a cup of tea, but then I have never liked to do that anyway!

God forbid, however, that I ever meet a man who turns my head!!!  It will take a special one to cope with my canine (and equine!) baggage, and goodness knows where he might sleep......

Saturday 9 February 2013

Spot the Horse!!

Today I took an extra dog on our walk - except she isn't a dog, she's a horse, but she goes out for walks with the dogs quite the thing.  It was a gorgeous day, sun shining, still a bit cold, but as I listened, the birds were singing the verse about spring being just round the corner - something just a bit more joyful in their voices, a bit more life, a bit more hope.  I always find this time of year quite hard - I'm fed up of feeling cold, of wading through varying degrees of mud, getting wet, having wet dogs to dry every time we go out, muddy garden - the list is endless.  But all of a sudden, just that subtle change in the bird song is enough to lift the spirits and move stagnated thoughts on to brighter days and sun induced positivity.

Sunshine!
Mooi seemed glad to go out, too - I have done precious little with her over the winter and it is time we got back to work!  I bought her when she was just a year old - after a life time of longing for a horse of my own.  Somehow the journey I had planned with her went a bit off course, and we haven't really got back on track yet nor moved forward very far!  But then, I take her out, and realise that actually, we have come a long way from those early days when neither of us knew much about the other.  Perhaps we aren't quite riding out yet, but she is maturing into a steady mare, albeit she can indeed be mareish!  She has probably taught me more than I have taught her - she has taught me to try something different if a particular method isn't working in any part of life - just a shame I don't always remember the lesson!!!  She also taught me that small steps in the right direction are still important, and that sometimes losing sight of the bigger picture is not a bad thing.

Come on Mum - let's get back on the track!
She stepped out down the road going away from the rest of the herd with only a couple of looks behind her and even when we turned off the road and onto a track she has never been on, she didn't balk.  The dogs were charging around her, jumping out of the dead bracken, chasing each other and playing - she just took it all in her stride. 
 
 
Everything around her, though, was part of the natural world - the river which we had to wade through, the sheep on the hill, trees swaying in the wind, boggy ground, a fallen tree, boulders, virtually nothing man made.  Going past people's gardens she is a little less settled - she sees zombies and spooks everywhere.  And a plastic bag fluttering?  No way! 

She has a point though - the natural world exists with balance and harmony.  The man made world is full of conflict and greed.  Perhaps I am looking too deeply at her behaviour, but as she has already taught me so much, I try to remain open to the next lesson.

My very best riding teacher, Mary, opened my eyes to the ways of the horse.  I suppose I had them in my mind as very big dogs but they are anything but.  They are prey animals and as such they live in constant awareness of their surroundings, on the lookout for anything that might want to eat them.  That she was so relaxed with me today, with the equivalent of three wolves running around her, I take that as a compliment and statement of trust.  But the deal is that when I am with her, I give her and our surroundings my attention.  If she is prepared to trust and go with me, then I have to be worthy of that trust and make sure I also keep my eyes open for tigers in the trees!

Did you see that tiger in the tree?
There are two major benefits of staying in the moment with her - one is that I notice more around me.  The other is that it gives my brain a rest.  I am constantly guilty of mulling over past events, dreaming up future plans, conjuring up all sorts of problems that only exist in my mind, and then worrying over them. 

I think perhaps I should spend more time with Mooi......

Tuesday 5 February 2013

The Raw Side of Life

Not all of you reading this will be aware that I feed my dogs a raw diet.  For more information about this, you might like to read Hovawarts on a Raw Diet and whilst you are over there, you may well find yourself reading a lot more!  Kenzo has been writing much longer than me and about more stuff than I ever will.  Well worth a visit or two - or three.

Anyway, most of the time raw feeding is pretty simple, especially when you get into a routine of keeping the freezer stocked and remembering to take stuff out in time to defrost.  Feeding raw is very rewarding in that the dogs are full of vitality, have super coats, clean teeth, sweet breath, they don't smell (unless they have rolled in their chosen perfume) and they really, really enjoy their food.

Tussock showing newcomer River how to eat her chicken

Tussock as a puppy herself, in blissful enjoyment of her food
Sometimes, however, things go a little wrong, and before you read any further I have to give you a WARNING – This may make you feel queasy if you have just eaten, or may put you off your food. 

This story begins on a later summer’s afternoon last year.  I was planning a short break to join my brother and his family on the Isle of Eigg in October and needed to take several days’s food for the dogs.  I would not have fridge or freezer space on getting there, and everything I took had to be carried on my person or on my bicycle.  The cottage we were staying in was several miles up the island - I would cycle and the dogs would run.  

I found a chiller rucksack on the internet and thought that would do the job – easy to carry on the bike, and it could live in the cold room at the cottage where we were staying.  It worked just fine - we had a great holiday, and the food stayed cool enough not to go off.

A week or so after coming home I ordered more food via the butcher and as usual had too much to fit into the freezer.  I had a lightbulb moment and thought of the rucksack – if I changed the chiller block every day, it would keep in there for up to a week.  Great idea!
However, a week or few later, I detected an odour in the shed – of the wrinkly nose variety.  I had a quick look around for the cause but found nothing, so assumed I had dropped a bit of chicken carcass behind the freezer.  Me being a lazy sod elected to let the mice eat it as it would make a change to their usual raids on the horse feed bins and bird food.  But it seemed as though it was in a place that even the mice couldn’t get at as the smell wasn’t going away and, in fact, it was causing pre-emptive nose wrinkling before entering the shed.  I kept thinking I should have a clear out, but …………… it never got done, and quite frankly I lived with it in the knowledge it would go away - one day.

At Christmas I visited my family and on returning home I had two turkeys that needed to go in the freezer - I had done the last minute turkey run to Tesco and these enormous birds cost me just £7 each.  I donned my head torch to go out in the dark, and after depositing the birds in the freezer I swung round to exit the shed.  The light of the torch caught on something – ah, my little green chiller sack that I had been looking for to take with me over Christmas.  Silly me leaving it out there.  No wonder I couldn't find it.  I will take it inside and put it away properly.
It was heavy.  Oh shit.  The smell.  Oh god. 

Most folks would have just chucked the sack and its contents in the bin.  But having bought it and only used it once, that seemed such a waste.  And so, with a virtual clothes peg on my nose, I tried to open the zip.  No chance.  Got the pliers – success.  From within the bag, this green brown aroma arose and hit me full force as I tipped the liquefied contents in the bin and covered them with ash from the fire.  Now what?  At arms length I took the sack to one of the water butts and filled it with water to tip down the drain and get rid of the worst of the gunk and slime.  Then I slung it in the washing machine to give it a wash.
When the wash had finished, I opened the door of the machine only to be accosted by this familiar smell once again.  I promptly threw it back in and washed it again.  Then a third wash along with some muddy dog towels.  The washing machine stopped smelling at this point, but the rucksack still was a bit odorous.  I hung it up in the conservatory convinced that time would deal with the smell through the colder months.

I am haunted by this smell.  I know its every contour, every mood, and every colour. 
I had intended going back out to the shed to clean up the area ……………………………. But I forgot.  Until today and that is when I found the maggots.  I made a rapid exit from the shed to regain my composure.  I have always thought I had no phobias, but now I realise that, due to a incident about 30 years ago, maggots en masse are my phobia.
I learnt a lesson from this - and now have a second freezer to take the overflow!

Saturday 2 February 2013

Working Like a Dog

If I were a dog, I would probably think I had the best job in the whole wide world.  I am sure my dogs think I do.

Today, whilst spring cleaning in one of the cottages I look after, I happened to look out of the kitchen window to see River sitting just watching the world go by.  Then suddenly, she jumped up, did a zoomie around the grass and then went and sat back down again. 



I wonder how many of us do an equivalent zoomie when we are just happy and contented.  I sometimes take a cue from my dogs and do one, and then surreptitiously look around to make sure nobody saw me!  We are supposed to be a bit more in control of ourselves.

I see their gleeful and enthusiastic play, and wonder where we left our glee and enthusiasm.  Which job or responsibility or relationship battered it out of us?  Or did we just "grow up" like our parents told us to?  I don't know, but I will try very hard to take a cue from my dogs more often - it's actually good fun!

But I digress.  Why do my dogs think I have the best job in the world?  Well, they come with me and "help".  If I am inside they have the run of the garden outside, although walls and fences mean absolutely nothing to River and she spends much of her time beyond the garden.  The cottage we were at today is right on the sea, so a dream venue for any dog.  In the summer months they can bask in the sunshine, take a dip in the sea, play, or sometimes I take them some tasty bones to enjoy.  The colder weather is a bit more challenging but unless it is pouring with rain, I leave the back of the car open so they can hop in and out as they like.  Sometimes they come and curl up in the entrance porch and just wait for me to finish.

One house has a lovely stream just outside, and River and Talulah love to dip in and out of its pools.  The same house also has a muddy ditch behind - and Talulah the swamp monster is happy to play in there.....

The smallest cottage is up in the trees and the steep banking goes down to the river - they tire themselves out running down for a swim and then running back up again to play on the lawn.

But I will talk about the other houses another time.  Craiguillean, where we were today, is their favourite.  I always seem to end up cleaning the kitchen as nobody else wants to, but in some ways I like that because I can watch the dogs out of the window. 

I have watched them playing like kids walking on the top of the wall - just for the sake of it.  Almost as if they are having a competition to see who can stay on longest.  I haven't seen anyone fall off yet, but there have been a few close calls.



And then the day I looked out on the water to see an otter swimming.  Oh wow, I thought, and got the binoculars.  It wasn't an otter, it was Talulah - about 20 metres out just pottering about in the water enjoying herself.  She swam up and down for about 20 minutes before coming out and drying in the sun.  I do wonder if she did it to get away from River.



Another day they might just run up and down the shore, in and out of the water, chasing each other round - sometimes a stick is the prize, sometimes it is a ball, sometimes there is no prize.



Sometimes, like today, Talulah might find a mouse, and she will carry it around like a trophy tormenting the girls I work with when they go outside for a cigarette.  All I could hear were squeals and "Talulah - no!"



And if I am on a gardening session - they try to help by pushing balls and sticks at me, or running off with my pile of weeds or prunings.  Or curling up to sleep in the shrubbery.



Whoever coined the phrase "working like a dog" didn't have on of my dogs!