The Hills are Calling

This entry has little to do with dogs, so leave now if you are not interested!

 

We had a trip to the east coast recently which gave us all a change of scenery.  The main reason for going was to attend the spreading of the ashes of an old friend who died recently. She was a girl I spent many, many hours with in the mountains.  I don't know how many hills we climbed together, or how many trips we took, but she was one of those people who was just totally and utterly herself.  No pretence, no posturing, just herself.  On most outings we took together, I had my dog Leroy with me, and it didn't seem right to go without a dog on this occasion.  I chose to take Tussock as she is the steadiest of the three, and probably the one most like Leroy but in female form.  Knowing I was going to be seeing people I haven't seen for quite a number of years, I didn't want to be having to keep such a keen eye out for a reprobate! 

It turned out that nobody else knew I was going other than the friend I travelled with and it was lovely to see the surprise on their faces as recognition came, and for me, it was like closing the circle around 20 years of my life.  We picked up where we left off, and despite so much water under so many bridges, it was like we had seen one another last week.

We chose a place we knew Fiona would love - a corrie up in the mountains - a flat area by a stream which would be host to wild flowers in summer and with a view of the hills.  We each took a turn to scatter some ashes, and then one of our party read a poem which, to all extents and purposes, could have been written by Fiona herself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dust if you must.
But wouldn’t it be better,
To paint a picture, or write a letter,
Bake a cake, or plant a seed?
Ponder the difference between want and need.

Dust if you must.
But there is not much time
With rivers to swim and mountains to climb!
Music to hear, and books to read,
Friends to cherish and life to lead.

Dust if you must.
But the world’s out there
With the sun in your eyes,
the wind in your hair,
A flutter of snow, a shower of rain.
This day will not come round again.

Dust if you must.
But bear in mind,
Old age will come and it’s not kind.
And when you go, and go you must,
You, yourself, will make more dust.

- – - written by Mrs. Rose Milligan

The photographs below were all taken between 1988 and 1990

At the Smiddy at Dundonell

At the end of a two day walk up the Lairig Ghru and back down the Lairig an Laoigh

Blaeberry picking

More blaeberries - blue tongues and blue fingers!

Fiona and myself somewhere on Skye

Mr Snowman

An often seen pose

A favourite pastime - bumsliding - not always with a dog in hot pursuit!

Fiona wasn't THAT fond of Leroy, but even less when he was after her biscuits!

Fiona.  May you roam the hills for eternity.

 

 

A Breath of Fresh Air

It seems a long time since I wrote anything here - a few busy weeks at work have rather swallowed my energy and done away with any creative notions!  The dogs have not been neglected as such, but their walks have tended to be a part of the working day rather than a special part of our day.  I put that to rights today, however, by electing to walk the four miles back to base from the remote house at work.  We had been doing the turnover for the next visitors - it was a gorgeous day, and so Tracey took the pick-up back home leaving me to walk.

Heading out to Degnish on a gorgeous morning.

 

The dogs' playground for the morning!

Heading for home and Tussock coming back to see why I have stopped.

And I am glad I did - the dogs were raring to go, and seemed to understand that this was a special walk.  We heard the woodpeckers in the woods, the first skylarks of the season, saw the first Ardmaddy lambs, and as we have just had the first rain in some eight or nine weeks, we could listen to the grass growing!

It also gave me chance to observe each of the dogs, and as always, this was both entertaining and interesting.

River was most interested in the sheep - she runs along with a collie-style crouch, low to the ground.  She is fascinated by them, and in the past has got a bit too close for my comfort, which is not a good thing when you live and work amongst farmers and landowners!   However, her recall is much better now, though not bombproof, but as long as I keep my eye on her, we are okay.  It is interesting that she shows so much herding instinct proving just what an all-purpose dog the hovawarts is.

The track lies ahead, the sheep are up on the left, the water to the right!  Notice River is wearing a collar - it makes for easy holding on to her if we get in amongst too many sheep.

It's lambing season - always a wonderful part of the year.

With River sheep-watching, this allowed Talulah time to relax away from River's less than gentle attentions.  She is totally disinterested in sheep so I don't worry about her - she trotted off ahead happily sniffing, rolling, paddling in the streams, and just generally enjoying herself.

Talulah digging in the mud!

Tussock stayed with me!  At seven, I am starting to see her slowing just a little bit - not that she is incapable of a turn of speed if she wants/needs to, because she can still turn on the thrusters and produce a bit of afterburn!  But she is happy to walk just a few steps ahead of me checking for dangers and anything that might need investigating.  She is also happy to stay close to the pocket with the treats!

We did stop to sit by a couple of streams to let River and Talulah play in the water, dig in the mud, run through the culverts or under the bridges - a favourite game.  Sitting down also allowed me to listen to the birds, watch the lambs up on the hillside, and just enjoy the sunshine - all of which I haven't taken the time to do this last few weeks.

 

Talulah emerging from the culvert.

 

River's turn to go throught the culvert.

 

All too soon we were back at base and the car.  But the walk did the trick for all of us - my mind has been diverted from the topic of work, the girls are happily tired, and they have a bit more of their mum back!  The reality is, if I didn't have the dogs, I wouldn't take these walks....... they are a reason and an excuse to do so.

Talulah sleeping off the walk.

 

Tussock

Dogfight at Midnight

In the small hours of this morning I awoke to a conversation of an unpleasant nature going on on my bed.  It seems Talulah had come up to bed after her statutory bout of peace and solitude downstairs and she must have trodden on Tussock and all hell let loose for a few seconds.  One loud yell of "Oi!!!!" from me and they all settled down again, although I was aware of Talulah standing very still in the aftermath, before slowly backing off.

I put the light on at this stage to make sure everyone was okay and to see why this should have caused such an unusual outburst.  River was on the floor out of the way, Tussock had her head on the pillow next to me, and by now Talulah was settling down at the bottom of the bed looking somewhat chastised.

The position that Tussock held at that moment is the top spot  (after mine) and normally Talulah wouldn't venture into that space if Tussock is already occupying it.  Perhaps this time she thought there was enough room for her as well as only Tussock's head was actually on the pillow.  But this was just one of a few unusual incidents this last week.....

I have been pondering on why Tussock should be so reactive at the moment and I confess I am a little concerned.  A few days back, she had a go at an elderly terrier, two days later she was chasing off a very large German Shepherd - both were dogs.  Today she bitched at another young bitch whom she would normally just ignore.  It suddenly seems as though nobody is allowed in her space, and anyone that does so is going to get their head bitten off. 

A few weeks ago I agreed to look after a friend's bitch who was in season - they have an elderly and ailing dog, and they didn't want his stress levels going up.  My gut instinct said no and in hindsight - oh, how I wish I had listened to that inner voice!!!  My two older girls are not that long since having a season, but having this other one around appeared to swing them back into a hormonal state.  This is all past now, but it seems the aftermath is still with us.

I didn't see the first incident start - I was getting stuff out of the car - but I suspect that little Slioch sniffed her bum.  I did hear the first warning, but he perhaps did not heed it or perhaps couldn't move quickly enough away and by the time I had backed out of the car, she was on top of him shouting and bawling at him.  I ended up hauling her off using handfuls of loose skin on her back.  Slioch went back in his car, shaken, but unharmed.

The GSD incident was one I could observe - she didn't want him near her, and yet the last time they met everything was civil.  That said, last time we took them all onto neutral territory.  Every time Fhinn came near her - boy, did she chase him off.  I wanted to observe her behaviour, but I did put her inside the house for a break.



I see you.....



....and you are too close......



.......so move away please.......



Properly away!!!



Keep going.....



....until.....

 

.....I say so!!!!



I see you coming up behind me.....



and what part of "go away" don't you understand?!

 And then today - she had a go at the little labrador bitch, and I suddenly realised I will have to be quicker on the mark at getting her inside the car or on the lead than I ever normally am - this is just so unlike her.

Another thing that is adding to Tussock's mood is that she has sore and itchy ears (getting better now).  I regularly check all their ears, and hers have always been clean, but somehow she has picked up some mites and I haven't noticed.  When I discovered her ears were hot and itchy and had a look, she really did not want me to clean them out etc - to the point of a small grumble, pushing my hand away and sticking her head under the bed.  Tussock grumble at me?????  Never before!  I guess she just wants to be left alone by everyone. 

I guess I am going to be keeping an eye on her, and make her life as calm as possible and not put her into situations where she will be upset.  Suddenly, I am seeing what it is to live with a reactive dog, having written about it not long ago.

We all have bad days, but somehow we accept it in humans but condemn dogs for such moods and behaviour.  After all, pre-menstrual women have been excused for murder because of their hormones!

So here's hoping all these hormones will settle down again soon.  I certainly won't look after another bitch in season!  Been there, done that, wearing the t-shirt.

Almost forgot though - she isn't too miserable to play with her new ball!!

 

The Crufts Experience

Once again, Crufts has come and gone leaving its legacy of tired dogs and humans, happy owners, disappointed owners, empty wallets, businesses desperately trying to supply all the orders and the eternal question of why do we do it?  Because we love it!

My one day visit to Crufts was a five day affair.  Leaving home on Friday afternoon to spend a night at my parents' so that I was in easy reach of the friend I was travelling down with.  Saturday was spent on the motorway, Sunday in Crufts, Monday on the motorway and back to my parents and finally Tuesday morning to get back home.

My own dogs were being looked after at home - I keep saying I am going to start showing them, but that's another tale.  The friend I travelled with was Min Inches who was the first importer of the hovawart to Britain.  She fell in love with the breed whilst living in The Netherlands in 1979 and has had them ever since.  Tussock was one of her pups and is still remembered fondly in the household!  Due to bouts of ill health, and then injury, Min is currently unable to run with her dogs, so my job was to be the legs in the show ring.  Last year we got a first with young Silkie; in fact we came home with several placings, so I was hopeful for this year!

We were meeting up with another friend, Anne Stewart, who was coming from Ireland - Anne is also Silkie's breeder.  Anne got Best of Breed at Crufts a few years ago with her home bred boy, Fasskoleys Sallins Solo, and Min has had BoB several times over the years, the last one being with Houwaerts Jiska, sadly now passed away.

That first night we slept in the vans - the good old British weather had reverted back to winter just in time for Crufts, and it was something of a cold night.  That and the bright lights around the service station car park, and the birds that sing all night because of the lights, the endless traffic on the motorway close by all contribute to a rubbish sleep, and with the inevitable early start as your body dictates it is time to get up NOW! you arrive in the NEC already tired!

On a personal level, it was a very successful trip - I wanted to meet up with some Facebook friends - in particular, the admin team from our raw feeding group on Facebook.  We have shared many words, but never met.  That was rectified by an all-too-brief meeting at the Natural Instinct stand who very kindly supplied some bubbly and nibbles for all us raw feeders.  Also at their stand were Haatchi and Owen who you may very well have seen as the winners of the Friends for Life competition.  They were also on my list of people to meet, and so thank you to Natural Instinct for their part in bringing us all together.

 

Crufts is a fantastic shopping opportunity with everything you want and need and everything you don't want or need for your dog - leads, collars, coats, books, food, treats, toys, pictures, training aids - you name it, you will get it at Crufts.  I didn't get much time to shop, but did come home with three new toys, my new Mary Ray treat bag, a couple of clickers and a book on dog anatomy.  Oh, and my usual stock of Fish4Dogs dried salmon skin treats. 

As you wander round, your eyes goggle at everything - from the colourful toys, to the diamante collars and leads and from the grooming brushes to the paw washers.  There are so many dogs wandering round with their owners, too - from large dogs that look like walking rag rugs, to the tiniest of toy breeds.  Some of the smaller ones are pushed around in pushchairs, some are held in arms, and some just walk on their own - I constantly worry that I might stand on one, such is the melee of people, dogs, electric buggies, pushchairs, children, dogs etc.

On the doggy side of things, it didn't quite go according to plan, and it was certainly a learning experience.

It is always a long walk into Crufts from the car parks, and this year we had the added complication of Min using an electric buggy to enable her to do distances.  She has been working with each of the dogs to get them to walk alongside this buggy.  I took young Silkie with me and the pull along trolley which had all the crates, food, water and other paraphernalia, and Min took the other two.  In hindsight, we wondered if I should have taken Larney instead.  Poor Silkie was so stressed by the time we got in to the benches, and got ourselves set up, that we were a little concerned about her. 

Hovawarts are very loyal to their owners, and in many cases won't work well for anyone else, and I was well aware that I wouldn't get the best out of Chief as he really is a mummy's boy, and this certainly proved to be the case.  He spent his whole time in the ring looking over to where Min was, to the extent that she moved out of sight - but he could still hear her voice. 

Compare this year with me to.......

...........last year with Min.

However, I did expect to do a better job with the two girls, Larney and Silkie.  But they were as distracted and unhappy as Chief had been.  I had to work very hard to keep their concentration, and Silkie was a shadow of the girl I had run round the ring last year!  Larney was the last one to show, and whilst she certainly gave a great run round for me, she was also looking for Min.

So what had changed?  We talked at length about this on the way home, and concluded that there was no one answer, but more a collection of them.  Dog shows are no longer an opportunity for them to work with Min, getting one to one time with her - they have been handed over to whoever has been available and willing to handle them in the ring, and so some of the fun has gone for them.  Add to that the fact they have seen their mum go from walking to hobbling somewhat, and then resorting to the buggy - we wondered if Silkie was stressed because she had been taught to walk beside the buggy, and I was not allowing her to do so on the way into the NEC.  And we missed a very important clue first thing in the morning - Silkie didn't clean up her food as she normally does - indicating stress before we even set off on the walk in.

I felt very disappointed not to bring any ribbons home, but Min had not expected any, and besides, the competition was tough!  Some beautiful dogs, and a very worthy winner of Best of Breed.  This handsome dog spent as much time on his back getting tummy rubs as he did standing!

Darcius - known as Darcy.

It has made me think about the whole concept of showing dogs.  Min's dogs are all old hands at it - they know more of what they are doing than I do!  But I wonder how many of the dogs in the show were genuinely happy?  Some dogs certainly seem to enjoy the attention and the occasion, but I do wonder if my own dogs will be suited to such an occasion.  I think perhaps it might be unfair to ask Tussock to do it now, but, like Chief, she would probably be fine providing she was with me. 

We finally left the NEC at about 6.15 and made our weary way back to the vans - we only travelled for an hour or so before stopping and taking a motel room for the night for the three of us, and resumed our journey on Monday.  The journey home seemed to take forever - and we went from blue skies to snow several times over.

When we finally got home, Chief, Larney and Silkie were so pleased to be back!  And even better was the greeting I got from my own girls when I eventually got home.

 

So, that's it until next year.  And we will do it all again.

The Difference a Sausage Makes.

Today was a major breakthrough - and all because of a sausage......

After my recent wake up call and my decision to climb out of my ditch of complacency, I have been doing a bit more walking with my dogs as opposed to just walking the dogs.  For too long I have disappeared into my own little world on walks - a bad habit started in childhood.

One of the "issues" that I have had with Talulah is her reluctance to give anything up - be it a ball, a bone, a toy.  The one thing that is virtually impossible to get her to release is a tennis ball - she gets it so far down her long mouth, you can't even get a hold of it.

Playing fetch is a game between three of us.  I throw, Tussock gets it and then gives it to Talulah - then it is a battle to get the ball back for the next throw.  I have tried forcefully taking it off her, shouting at her, bribing her with another ball or toy, bribing with treats, but to no avail - she does not want to give up the ball.  As a result, games of fetch become pretty tiresome and the ball goes back in my pocket.



Tussock goes to get the ball........

 

.......Talulah runs to meet her......

 

......and takes the ball from Tussock.

 

Until today.

I was given some out of date sausages made by my local butcher and I decide to dry them in the dehydrator which up until now has only been used for drying herbs for the horses.  On our walk today, I took a pocketful of the usual treats, and a little bag of dried sausage pieces.

When offered the piece of sausage in return for the ball, I could feel the dilemma going on in Talulah's brain.  What to do, what to do.  At first she was trying to take the treat whilst retaining the ball but she couldn't do that, so then she put the ball down, but tucked it down to her chest before taking the treat.  I gently took the ball whilst she ate and then threw the ball again so that she recognised that she got more game if she cooperated this way.  By the end of the walk, she was much quicker to release the ball and not tucking it away as before.  Result!!!

The ball is given up without force!

But, a result in more ways than one - Tussock was happier as there was more play.  Talulah was happier as there was more play, and, because Talulah was hanging about with me, River didn't get the usual opportunities to beat up Talulah.  The additional bonus was that whilst the two were chasing the ball, I was doing little bits with River - and rewarding her with dried sausage.  And suddenly I had more of her attention, too.

All for a bit of dried sausage.

I guess it was just a case of finding the right treat for the job!

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......

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