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Snow snow snow snow snow snowsnowsnowSNOWWWW!!!!
Just come from romping with the dogs in the park, where, for the first time EVER, they didn't get in each other's faces at all. The problem I always had before was that Spike is crap at sharing and crap at not constantly being the centre of attention, and Squish has the instincts of a gundog and the attention span of a developmentally challenged goldfish - so either Spike would put on his afterburners and shark the ball out from under Squish's nose, after which Squish would be too scared to attempt any more ball chasing, or else Squish would forget what we were doing in the time it took me to give Spike a throw and wander off hedgehunting.
It wasn't a biggie when I lived at Mum's - I'd just take each dog out one by one - but since I've lived here with no cat and no other humans, neither of them is prepared to stay in the flat alone while the other goes off with me to have fun. Spike has a VERY BIG BARK for his size, and Squish has a piercing shrill one that grates on the nerves like a baby crying, and I have downstairs neighbours who fire off angry letters to the Council every time one of them barks for longer than three seconds - so even after I got the dog crates, that was a non-starter. So I tried something different today - each dog has a turn at playing with me while the other is tied to the goalpost in the park, where he can watch the other dog's turn but not interfere or wander off.
It worked brilliantly. I can't think why it took me so long to come up with it. I are stooopid sometimes - but I get there in the end. Phew!
Also, Squish came every time I called him today. I need to find somewhere fenced - the playing field at Winton Rec, maybe - so I can give him a trial without his long line. I have a feeling his selective deafness may be wearing off as his teenage years draw to a close. Being able to trust the little speckled bugger offleash would save an awful lot of hassle.
Just come from romping with the dogs in the park, where, for the first time EVER, they didn't get in each other's faces at all. The problem I always had before was that Spike is crap at sharing and crap at not constantly being the centre of attention, and Squish has the instincts of a gundog and the attention span of a developmentally challenged goldfish - so either Spike would put on his afterburners and shark the ball out from under Squish's nose, after which Squish would be too scared to attempt any more ball chasing, or else Squish would forget what we were doing in the time it took me to give Spike a throw and wander off hedgehunting.
It wasn't a biggie when I lived at Mum's - I'd just take each dog out one by one - but since I've lived here with no cat and no other humans, neither of them is prepared to stay in the flat alone while the other goes off with me to have fun. Spike has a VERY BIG BARK for his size, and Squish has a piercing shrill one that grates on the nerves like a baby crying, and I have downstairs neighbours who fire off angry letters to the Council every time one of them barks for longer than three seconds - so even after I got the dog crates, that was a non-starter. So I tried something different today - each dog has a turn at playing with me while the other is tied to the goalpost in the park, where he can watch the other dog's turn but not interfere or wander off.
It worked brilliantly. I can't think why it took me so long to come up with it. I are stooopid sometimes - but I get there in the end. Phew!
Also, Squish came every time I called him today. I need to find somewhere fenced - the playing field at Winton Rec, maybe - so I can give him a trial without his long line. I have a feeling his selective deafness may be wearing off as his teenage years draw to a close. Being able to trust the little speckled bugger offleash would save an awful lot of hassle.
