Meg's Diary–weeks 16 & 17

anneethompson

January 29

16 Weeks

We took Meg to Camber Sands. She was sick in the car (she is always sick in the car). It was really windy, and walking to the beach involved lots of sand being blown into eyes, which she wasn't keen on. When we finally made it to the beach, she just stopped—all four paws firmly planted—and stared at everything.

We started to walk, and she was very good—interested in everything but not frightened, even when other dogs approached her wanting to play. We kept her on the lead, because if she decided to run off we would never catch her, and I don't trust her with other animals.

She hates having wet feet, and tried to go backwards when we walked on the wet sand! Totally unimpressed by the sea, much too wet.

We only walked for about 30 minutes (I am still protecting her joints) but she was exhausted afterwards. It's the first time I have seen her properly tired. She slept all the way home.

We also left her for a night. My daughter and son-in-law kindly agreed to have her, so we took Meg and her playpen, toys and food to Coulsdon. She was completely unfussed by being left. Daughter said she was mostly very good, though she did check with Daughter whenever son-in-law told her something, to see whether she needed to obey or not! They found a water-squirter was a good deterrent for going on the sofa, so I will copy that.

The worst thing about Meg is her insistence on chasing cars. It's very dangerous as she gets stronger, because she fixates on them, and then lurches with all her strength. She is also terrible on the lead, and pulls very hard. It's a lot like being behind a dog-sleigh, but without the sleigh. Daughter said they tried all sorts of treats, but nothing really distracted her from the cars, even though they were further away than when she encounters them in the lane. It's a problem we need to fix.

17 Weeks

Meg is mostly very good now, though her energy exhausts me. She has also become very disobedient about coming when called, but as she's bigger, I don't worry about leaving her in the garden for a little while, so I just shut her out (which she hates, and tries to squeeze through the cat flap!)

I bought a 'halti' lead. It has a nose muzzle-thing, and the lead attaches to this, so if she pulls it turns her head. We practiced wearing it for short periods in the house, and then used it to walk on the field. Meg hates it, and tries to remove it, but it stops her pulling and lurching at cars. I am hoping it will break the cycle of strong pulling, so we can stop using it after a while. I am also taking her into the garden regularly, with treats and no distractions, to practice walking to heel. She is good until she loses concentration (about 4 minutes). After that, it's not worth trying.

She has got very tall and thin. I am increasing her food, and adding meat to the kibble. I assume it's just a lanky growing phase. She moved out of her little crate for sleeping this week, as we decided it's now too small. She mainly seems to sleep on her back, with all four legs stretched out. She snores like a trooper! Not very elegant (nor is it very scary-police-dog!) She still sleeps on folded towels. At some point I will buy her a bed, but she would eat it currently. I also cannot leave her with a bowl of water, because after drinking she flings it round the room. I have to give her drinks, and then remove the bowl. She managed to get her lead, which was a mistake...

Not so useful.

The breeder puts regular videos on Facebook of her training her own puppies. I try to copy some of the exercises with Meg. She's good unless there's a distraction. What I really need to find is a competition for grabbing a sock out of the tumble-dryer and racing up the garden with it—we would win that for certain! I do feel that she's trying to fit in though. When we load the dishwasher, she collects her chew and dumps it in, like she's trying to help, which is very sweet. She's also a happy little thing, and loves to join in when I dance to the radio, running circles round me with her toy. She's very friendly when we meet people, and greets all the gardeners (at face-height) with wagging tail and licks—which is not exactly 'calm' but at least she's confident and friendly. Hopefully this will last—but in a calmer manner.

Hope you are making progress with your latest project. I must say, writing my dissertation is MUCH easier than puppy training.
Thanks for reading.
Take care.
Love, Anne x