The first day of spring

The first day of spring and the first dandelion- we are most definitely on our way to spring now!

We had not been for proper walks for a while as I had some knee problems, but I have got myself some new stout walking boots

and pills and heat treatment and it seems to be OK more or less  at the moment so out we went.

There are always loads of things to sniff in the field- I wish I had a sense of smell like a dog!   

                         

Or maybe better not !!

There are still a few pheasants hiding away in the undergrowth..

On the way back we came across this nest- it probably was too early for eggs !!

Just imagine having to have your little chicks in there - it looks so cold and bleak..

 

On the way back, Millie and Maud loves to play fight- and Millie especially likes to bite Maud in the back leg-

 

Which usually after loads of chasing and a nice meal, leaves them completely pooped- so then I finally have some time to do their blog!

Cosy evenings in

It's luckily getting lighter and lighter in the evenings so we can start nice evening walks again.

But I think however,what the pups love most of all, is, after the walk and the dinner,is the cosy evening in, on the sofa in the study.

There is a lot of playing, throwing of balls that need to be caught, cuddling and trying to cuddle up to the cats going on. If only I wasn't on the computer.A reproachful eye is shot at me.

Although it can be used to catch up on some needed sleep..

But overall, the opinion of the pups is: less blogging, and more playing.

It just makes Maud sad to think of all the time that could be spent playing.
I think their favourite game is our morning "sock game".
I try to put on my socks, and they try to eat the socks.

That's pretty good- and I still win but I guess one day I won't and will have to buy new socks.
But it's worthwhile seeing little doggies smile so what will be will be!

A walk in the field

It was such a glorious country side here in the South West of the United Kingdom, so even though the day was overcast we headed out to strech our legs for a bit.We live right on the edge of a village and can turn left straight into fields and bridle-ways, so the possibilities for walks are endless.

Today we went in the two neighbouring fields.

Here is Millie in full flight.She is developing into a really cheerful little girl, much more extrovert than two monhts ago, when she just arrived.See what a cheerful face !

 All the trees are still bare...

Or at least that is what we thought till we came to the second field..

 Then we saw the witch hazel! Wonderful golden hanging trusses.There are apparently quite a lot of uses for witch hazel which you can read about here.

We checked it out and then on we went.

 There was a lot of running and laughing doggie faces.Here is Maud, with a smiling face.

And here is Millie running and laughing.

Work hard, play hard !

So now - a good rest!

Just a perfect day

It was such a perfect day today that we decided to walk on the common nearby.
It has glorious views and in summer,black cows roam freely even though there is a road right through it.
They amble leisurely across to the other side of the common  or walk along the road and it feels a bit like going on a not-so-wild  safari when they are around .
But as it is still early in the year, the cows are still indoors , and it is doggie and dogwalkers heaven.

We had some pretty happy doggies running around..

And we certainly enjoyed it too.

We explored a bit of a walk away from the common which gave us some wonderful views across the countryside here, and the weather was just fabulous .

It's so nice not to have to walk in the rain for a change!No mud- just sun!

On the way back onto the common we came across some lovely drifts of snowdrops..gorgeous...

 With all the runnng around they were pretty pooped once they were in the car.But they kept an eye on proceeding and did a good job " defending " the car against passers-by when we had to make a quick stop in the village nearby .Maud is keeping a beady eye on anything untoward!

And here's Millie- she was dashing around.

All in all a lovely day- no, - a perfect day for two pups.
So time tonight for a good old snooze.

Acrobatics

Maud an Millie are doing very well- enclosed a picture of Maud laughing.
Millie thinks she is a cat like the rest of the pets and has already managed, just like the cats, to jump from the bench in the kitchen right on the table. It was the first time I found a little dog in the middle of my kitchen table, hahaha!!
And yesterday she managed to climb on a chair and then on the sideboard in the hall.
She had managed to walk past this....

 and then past this..

then had managed to stick her head in the lillies and had got the yellow dye form the stamen on the lillies on the whole of the right hand side of her  head and on her back..

No wonder Maud is laughing.......hahaha

Shiny happy doggies laughing

Well, here above the first picture of Maud smiling.We now have had our pups for a bit more than a month and they are really settling in.
The cage-training has gone splendidly well. No more accidents in the house.What a triumph.I still can't believe what a fantastic help my neighbour has been with her advice and the lending of the cage.
I spend a lot of time with Maud an Millie this week and took them on quite a few walks but their favourite walk seems to be -The Ridge.A fantastic view by the way.

It must be the rabbits holes that they love so much.

and the moles...and that you can run forever..

All in all, it always leaves them pretty pooped.

but very very happy....

Traning day and a walk on the bridle way

This week has been house-training week for Milly and Maud.
The moving from house->  to dog's home -> to new house,  has either unsettled them completely, or no-one had really taken the trouble to go through the effort of house training them in the first place, but the amount of floors we have cleaned and throws we had to wash was becoming  really silly.
As you can read here, on " house-breaking the older dog , to adopt an older dog from a  shelter, ( Maud and Millie are already a year old  and not puppies)- a new doggie companion will probably find the new experiences of moving to a new owner and new house, very stressful. The new home is unfamiliar - they initially do not know where they are or even where the doors are that lead outside. They may or may not have been housetrained previously.

The kind neighbour who popped in to see them when I was away, gave me an invaluable tool and very useful advice.She had a huge crate from the time her dogs were puppies and she lent it to me, and adviced crate-training as the solution.
I can never thank her enough.
I took the subject of house-training up with my vet.
My vet- a horsey woman with a heart of gold who sent me a condolence card when my cat died,  and usually kindness itself , gave me short shrift : " Looks like you inherited someone else' s problem. Either you keep them in a kennel outside the house or you cage-train them. That is your only chance."
I looked up " cage-training" and followed the advice and the schedule for this training by a chap called Eamon Patrick Riley  who is a certified Master Trainer  and associated with the Dog Man Training Company, and who is also member of the Association of Canine Behavior Counselor .I followed his schedule to the letter.
His website you can find here , it's a dog's website full of  sensible advice.

It is absolutely true that dogs see this cage , if you handle it properly, and make it into a place of safety with soft toys,and treats and without forcing them into it , as a safe place.
Both Millie and Maud retreat there to eat their chewies and treats.
The cats are very envious of the cage and especially Thomasina tries to go into it or climb on it so during the time Millie and Maud are supposed to be in the cage, I keep the cats away.

Here are Millie and Maud on one of their "toilet-breaks"." If the puppy attempts to engage you in play, stand still with your arms folded across your chest" so says Eamon Patrick Riley .The objective really is to re-inforce that outside is for going to the loo, and inside certainly is not. Playing can only be done when the pup has comleted the " task in hand " as Mr Riley so delicately puts it.
So far, so good.The " accidents" have dwindled to a minimum.
Next week is the period where we are going to try to train with more time outside the cage.
The weather remains cold and frosty which is a Godsend in certain respects, as some walks would have been very muddy, but have now become very firm and frosted over.
The bridle way near is is a lovely long stretch of a walk which my old dogs, Harris and Sophie used to adore.

It has a huge field where Harris and Sophie used to race around excitedly in huge circles.It was planted with oyung cabbage it seemed so we had a look but thought of the farmer and gave it a miss... and just kept on the path.

Training day allows Maud and Millie to have a few hours " of" from 5.00 pm. till 8.00 pm.
So that is spent contendly on the sofa- play-fighting and snoozing...

So overall it was a good week...