Beach Fun

 Hello everyone!

I really need to get better about updating Bramble's blog..I'll try to do it more often from now on!

Bramble had a fab week as our cousins were over from England. They don't get to go to the seaside that often, so when they are over they make the most of it and spend loads of time down on the beach. This meant Bramble got several trips to the beach, all of which were thoroughly enjoyed. We are lucky to be able to enjoy the beach all year round as we are quite local.

I mentioned in my last post about the issues I was having regarding Bramble's recall. She was becoming increasingly worse, and ignoring me calling her. I am glad to say that this is picking up now and it is coming on well. It's still a long way from perfect however! With no distractions, I reckon I have an 80% chance of her returning! This needs to turn into a 100% chance with distractions too. Currently we are walking through farmers fields (avoiding the fields containing livestock) so there is no risk of roads or dangers if she doesn't respond to me.

I never call her when she is sniffing or otherwise distracted - because there's no point. If I need her to come, I literally run off in the other direction. That makes her take notice and she will then follow me. I have been playing hide & seek and this means she is becoming more aware of checking where I am and turns it into a fun game. She LOVES trying to find me and gets lots of praise when she finds me. Ideally I should never get the chance to hide - because she will be watching me practically the whole time. Anyhow, I won't bore with that you anymore for now.

The other issue was leash walking. She was dragging me about whenever I attempted a fun walk on lead. I have put a lot of effort into this. (Note: Jacket Walking isn't affected by this) To be fair to her she's doing really well. At the start of the walk she will pull. (This is in a weaning process and she is pulling less & less) She quickly settles down though to a almost loose leash. By almost the end of the walk she's walking perfectly. You could hold the lead with one finger!! She will also respond to a sit & wait command, so this works well if she spots another dog she fancies meeting - I just get her to sit and wait whilst the other dog passes.

I have worked out what I thought was random spooking. Let me explain a little more!!

I noticed when walking through town, she would suddenly spook. Same when I walked through the supermarket. And I've figured out why!!

She HATES butchers. Weird, I know, for a Lab. But it's true!!

She freezes when she smells us approaching a butchers (or butchers area in Tesco for example) and will then totally zone out and focus on trying to get away. By pulling in the other direction. You can then get literally no sense out of her.

It's the only time she will actually ignore food. So to add to my list I am now working on her butchers fear.

I have a new bed in the hallway now and Bramble loves snoozing in it!!!

That's all for now I think.

She is being neutered tomorrow so it will be a little training break for a while.

She switches foster families in about two months time. The weeks are slipping away now!!

She is a lovely dog though and I am happy with her progress.

She has an amazing temperament, as you can see from the below photo of her enjoying some time with my younger brother.

Pupdate

Bramble had a trip to the beach yesterday, and totally loved it!! She did have a splash in the sea, but her favourite part was to play in the sand. She dug it up and then ran around and rolled about in it. She was truly a "sand monster"! We will have to take her there more often because she was a huge fan.

Right now she seems to be going through a "destroying" phase, so any items left on the floor are at risk of being chewed and ripped to shreds. So far, she has got hold of a few shoes, pieces of paper, children's toys and several others & as soon as she's been at them they're ruined!! Although if people leave stuff on the floor then it's not the dogs fault, after all! I think I'm going to get her some more chewy toys to take out the chewing on.

I have been doing regular grooming sessions with her to get her used to being brushed. She will sit nice & still and I think she actually enjoys it.

At the moment her recall is challenging. She will return but it's very much on her terms. So I have been trying to work on this, hoping to see an improvement soon. It's a matter of consistency really. I just have to pretend I am going home, then she turns around and follows me....

We are also playing hide and seek games, which should help with our recall training. Bramble LOVES playing hide & seek.


Her leash behavior is very much on and off. One moment, she's perfectly doing a loose leash to heel. Next she's dragging you. So that's another project right now!! She tends to be OK on "working" outings, it's the "fun walks" that she's worse at. I am doing the stopping and starting malarkey, and she's slowly getting the idea.

Meanwhile, we have a new (pet) addition to the family, in the shape of Wilson, a Cavalier puppy. Bramble is being pretty good with him (she is known for being a little too full on with small dogs)

Hopefully next update will be about how well her training's going...fingers crossed!!!

Bramble's News

Recently, it seems, Bramble has been very busy with lots of trips out & about! Especially "working" trips, too. Bramble's training is going well, I'm pleased with her.

So she went to Mahon Point, and was very good, walked around with us, and we met up with Skye. We also went to Mcdonalds for lunch where she settled calmly under the table.

She went to the dentist, she settled down when asked, and enjoyed all the attention she got. The other day someone said "look at that cute puppy" and now Bramble looks to see who said it, because they normally pet her!

Amongst many others, she has also been to the pet shop, supermarket, and IKEA. She behaves very calmly in jacket, and listens to you very well for such a young puppy. Although she's nearly six months old - where did that go!!

Bramble's "house" behavior is improving a lot in the last few weeks. She is beginning to settle down on her bed, rather than go crazy. The only time I have to put her in the crate is when we eat our dinner - otherwise her Labrador tummy gets the better of her!

She is getting good on the lead now - she was starting to pull quite a bit, but I have worked on it and there is a huge improvement now.

We are working on "stays" this week, she is catching on the concept of it now and making good progress!

Trip to Town........

Bramble's had a very successful trip to town today. We were minding Chester, so he came along too. We took them into the pet shop (and luckily they did not try to steal any of the bones off the low shelves!) Then we walked past a busy road, to a shopping centre. We walked around inside and went into a food shop. Good behavior from both puppies! So I was pleased.

It was a hot day today so I think they appreciated the cool breeze in the chilled section of the supermarket! Bramble does get hot in the heat quickly, probably because she has such a thick black coat. They spent most of the time playing in the garden in the shade. And splashed in the paddling pool, so came in soaked! Bramble loves to play in the water!

Bramble is really beginning to show her cheeky side now. Her recall is 100% perfect when you have food. Without it it's a totally different matter! I also have to make sure she is never left in the kitchen when there's food around because she'd try her luck at food stealing. So far she hasn't ever managed to get rewarded. Lets hope I can keep it that way!!

I think she's starting to loose her puppy coat now, I gave her a groom the other day and got lots of fur out. She's getting the fluffy Newfie ears now too!

Another trip out planned tomorrow. Bramble has a hectic schedule!!

Meeting Skye Again!

Play time 

Yesterday Skye, the Flat Coated Retriever we puppy walked last year, popped over to our house for a visit, with Monty, the chocolate Labrador she's training with. It was lovely to see Skye again! Bramble had a great afternoon running around with Skye, Monty, Chester and Hannah! We had an overlap this time, so in the last few weeks we had Skye, Bramble came so Bramble has actually met Skye before.

So after that busy afternoon for Bramble she slept like a log! I'm having to make sure she doesn't go to bed with any toys that make a sound in her crate, otherwise in the middle of the night she wakes the house up with her squeaky toys!

I have begun to walk Bramble as she now has lots of energy. I give her a mix of on leash road walking (so she gets used to traffic etc) and free running (where she can really let off steam) Her recall is very good if you have treats - she's a total foodie - has the Labrador tummy!

It seems her "splashing in the water bowl" trick she's up to at the moment is a Newfoundland trait. She thinks its a great game as she splashes her paw in it, tips her water all over the floor, dunks her head in etc...... She has great fun when on sunny days we fill up the paddling pool and drop some treats in for her to find!

A weekend with Chester

A photo collage of Chester

Sorry I haven't posted for a few days. It's been busy with not one, but two, puppies to mind (and make sure they don't get up to any mischief)!! I'm sure you can imagine......

Do I deserve a treat now....?!

We have done a few "Town Trips" with both Bramble and Chester together. Luckily my sister, Beth, took Chester, and we took them to lots of different shops and they got lots of attention from people stopping to meet them. As Chester is a Chocolate puppy, everyone always pets him, and then Bramble gets very jealous! She pushes forward and tries to get them to pet her instead, or even better, give her a tummy rub. She is a truly people loving pup.

We took them to a Pet Shop, where they met a friendly little Spaniel, Tia. Bramble is the first dog I have ever taken into a Pet Shop who hasn't been super inquisitive with the small fluffies! She looks at them, then looks at me (for a treat as she knows she'll get one if she's nice and calm around them) Next up we popped into Supervalu, where all the food didn't seem to distract her (although she just tries to say hello to everyone she meets!!) The only slight hitch was that Chester did a poop in the shop right beside the security cameras - opps! Luckily we had some bags with us. These things happen with puppies!!! And finally Woodies, where they settled down whilst we tried to decide what colour paint we wanted. 

In between all their trips (and walks which were enjoyed to the full!) they have played and played. Running around the garden, rolling around and just having a super great time. And then after all that activity, they slept (and snored!)

Searching for Puppy Walkers......

Chester's back and he's staying for the weekend, much to Bramble's utter delight!

However, Chester is currently looking for a foster family. Someone who can take him into their home for a year, socialise and do basic training with him (which means taking him anywhere you can - shops, café's, cinemas etc) but ideally a cat-free home! If you are interested you can find more details @ www.aadi.ie. Any questions on what puppy fostering is like - just ask me!

Chester is a total cutie, one adorable little Chocolate Labrador puppy! He is very chilled out and loves his food! Chester is doing well in his housebreaking and sleeps through the night. He gets on well with our other dogs, and even likes the pygmy goats!!

We are in for a busy but fun weekend ahead....!!!

Could you be my puppy walker?