Les Ellam :: Blog

At last - we are free!!! 

We have done the deed and taken our first walk outside of the back garden - and already the puppy pong is lessening!  The wonders of fresh air through puppy fur!

We have done the beach - not sure of the sea at first but all got our paws wet eventually.  They walked across the pebbles like they were born for it...no jessy style limping!  We have also done the Park and Racecourse - the latter was a wee bit scary as it is so huge...so we won't be back there for a while until they cope with the Park.

They haven't quite the hang of 'heel'...but they are still only puppies.  I think 'heel' in puppy speak means 'run as fast as you can'.   I must learn how to speak doggie.

We could have sold them a thousand times over when they were waiting for me with Chris outside Asda......loads of ooos and ahs.  Similarly in the Park everyone loves 'em...of course at that point they capitalise on their cuteness...no-one else knows how cute pups turn into bugeyed monsters within seconds!

Still...so far Mrs Two-Puppies-Can't-Be-Trained Lady seems to be very very wrong!! 

Two Firsts - the First Wash and the First Obedience Class

As the puppies had to stay indoors and we were having a heatwave outside - hottest July ever - the pups were getting a bit smelly.  So we decided a bath was in order.  They behaved quite well and seemed to enjoy getting wet.  We had 2 lovely soggy pups.  And two minutes later - we had two bright yellow soggy pups...they had discovered the small amount of sand we had left when we built the summer house and had dug it all up and rolled in it.  They thought that a hoot.....two wet dogs covered from head to paw in sand!!  Even more fun was them deciding that was the moment for their hyper-activity time and running through the house bring the sand with them!!!

Needless to say they got the watering can turned on them again....which they thought even more fun as they then were dragging wet sand everywhere!!  Took several hours to dry out the pups and clean the sand out of their fur - to get them back to the black and white colour they should have been.

Took them to their first obedience class last night.  Twenty other dogs of various sizes and breeds - but ours were the cutest (doesn't every proud dad say that?).  Some dogs seemed rather large to be classed as pups...one was the size of a rather large grizzly bear.  Another had a big fella of an owner who looked like a big burly truck driver - but had no control whatsoever over his bull terrier.  

We learnt how to sit, follow and walk on the lead.  All in 60 minutes!!  It was rather frantic.  The instructor wanted a demo-dog to show everyone how to do the walk on the lead game and chose our Sam.  He was a star - except he didn't like her treats...turned round for the ones we had brought (see - he even learns not to take sweets from strangers).  She asked us why we had brought him as he was already trained - made us feel dead smug!!!  At the end of the class she told me that our pups will be very easy to train and make very obedient dogs...my head was quite swollen!!!

So all we need do is homework.....but most importantly we have freedom on Saturday - we can all go out!  Yea!!!! 

Bringing up 2 pups

We recently became the proud dads of 2 pups - Sam & Sarah Border Collie / Springer Spaniel crosses.

A friend of mine recommended that I keep a journal of the trials and fun of bringing them up – so here it goes. 

Sam & Sarah came into our lives on 6^th July.  They were planned – ish.  Well we knew we were going to get 2 dogs…just not quite when.  But we went along to lovely Herstmonceux to ‘see them’ and came back with them.  Carpe Diem!  Driving back with them asleep in Chris’s lap and me driving like the car was made of glass…hey I had valuables in the car…was scary but felt right.  They didn’t fret or pine or anything.  Same when they got home….they walked around the house, they went into the garden, they fell asleep. 

Day One and the first trip to the Pet Supermarket and £160 later we had a car laden with beds, toys, more toys,  food and the wonderful invention of puppy pads….impregnated with goodness knows what but attracts puppy wee like pollen and bees. 

Training to ‘go’.  Newspapers are fine but puppy pads are better than sliced bread.  It took them about 3 days to stop having accidents around the house.  Now, one week along, they use the garden or pads…..unless they get excited!  But the second best invention…..anti puppy wee spray cleaner…amazing!!! 

Training for obedience.  All the web sites said never get 2 dogs at once – they will never bond with humans but just each other.  That is understandable and we knew what we were letting ourselves into.  Called 3 puppy obedience classes to get them signed up…just like school….and was thoroughly reprimanded by one lady who also sent me abusive emails telling me I ought to be put down for getting 2 at once.  They would be untrainable.  OK…Mrs Puppy Obedience Lady…we are now 1 week along and they already know Sit and Fetch and Hurry Up (don’t ask what that last one is – just imagine).  The secret….train them in separate rooms.  OK…they still play together, they still get into mischief together,  but they know who is boss….so far!

Feeding.  Puppies eat until they burst….roll them over after they have eaten and it looks like something out of Alien….huge bellies.  But 30 seconds later…’hurry up’ comes along!  Scary – so turn ‘em back over fast.  When we got them they hoovered their food and then attacked each others bowls….I guess they were all fed at one time when they were born and so scrabbled for food.  They now get fed in different rooms and feeding time is far more leisurely…no wolfing of food with subsequent hiccups…..puppy hiccups…adorable!

Play.  They play together a lot but the trick is there is certain play that only humans can do…so make it more fun.  Brother and sister pup can’t do Fetch.  can’t do belly rubs after they have been good.  Brother and sister pup can’t do ‘Good Boy’ or ‘Good Girl’ as well as we can and make so much fuss in praise. 

So…one week in and things are going OK.  Next set of injections this weekend and then they are ready to face the outside world and puppy obedience classes.  That’ll be the next instalment.