Sarah Fisher

Yesterday, we were so pleased to welcome Sarah Fisher at WTDT doing a TTouch Demo! And what a fantastic afternoon it was! Sarah was fab, a wonderful speaker and all the dogs and people there loved her!

Dylan and Troy had the pleasure of meeting her. Unfortunately I have no pictures of Dylan with Sarah, but have a few of Troy... (I forgot my camera in my bag when it was Dylan's turn...).

Dylan in the hall; it's a shame I don't have any pictures of him with Sarah as he pretty much fell asleep... He loved it.


And here we had Troy's turn... he absolutely loved it.

First session in Advance Agility

Today was Dylan's and my first advance agility session. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. It was great fun and we learnt quite a few things too! Dylan did so well, very enthusiastic and happy!

We've been promoted in agility

Three weeks ago I took Dylan to see Susan, the chiropractor. Dylan's pelvis was very twisted, hence probably him being uncomfortable. She sorted it all out, Dylan was uncomfortable for just over a week or so, and has been fine since.

Today was the first agility session in three weeks and Dylan did great (me less so...). In fact, we have been promoted to the Advanced Class and I am so proud of Dylan! It means unfortunately it is right in the middle of the day, but hey, we are really looking forward to it! It will be strange and probably slightly embarassing to be the novice amongst all the Advanced people.

Slightly funny

Dylan has been slightly funny for about three weeks... He was just not 100% happy. On Sunday at agility, he wasn't too keen either, in fact, didn't want to do the gate at all. I kept it light for him.
For the last few days however he has been absolutely fine. But I am still going to book him in with Susan, the chiropractor, to make sure that all is still in place after he fell of the seesaw three weeks ago.

Agility Training: Dylan fell of the see-saw

Today, at agility training, Dylan fell off the see-saw. He is still not particularly confident on it and suddenly sort of froze and fell off... We did it again a few times and he was very cautious on it, but he will get there again.

Agility Training: first full course

Yesterday, it was our about 8th session at agility training. And it was the first time we did a full course! I am so proud of Dylan, he is doing so well! The only time he went wrong was when I didn't get the cue in quickly enough (he is quite fast so I have to think fast too).

It is so nice to see him enjoy himself! He is getting very fast except for the dog walk and the sea-saw... both of which obstacles he is not a 100% confident yet, but we are getting there.

A fatty lump

I took Dylan and Troy to the vet, and luckily, on both counts, it is nothing to worry about.

Dylan's lump is a fatty lump. Again, nothing needs doing unless it becomes a problem.

Troy has Gingival Hyperplasia, which is a benign growth. Nothing needs to be done about it unless it starts bothering Troy.

I am so glad that both are fine and the lumps are nothing serious! The boys are just getting older... :-(

A lump

On Sunday morning, just before we went to agility training (where he is doing so well by the way), I noticed a lump on Dylan's chest. I am of course really worried, I don't like lumps. He is off to the vet's tomorrow morning together with Troy, who seems to have some kind of growth on his gums on one of the canine teeth.

Test results

We had the results back from Paul on Tuesday, though I wasn't able to talk to him until today.

The results are actually a bit better than at his last lab test in March, though still slightly elevated still compared to normal results. But Paul wasn't really worried about that.

After a lengthy discussion about possible causes and possible further tests (Paul was very patient in that respect...), I decided to change Dylan's diet to Royal Canin Medium Mature 25, which contains still good protein levels (25%), but has a third less phosphorus than Timberwolf at 0.6% compared to 0.9%. This should make life a bit easier for the kidneys without restricting the protein levels further.

I will also continue to watch Dylan for another couple of months, in particular also his behaviour (aggression). Should that get worse or should the drinking get worse (which - touch wood - has been fine over the last couple of days), then we will look further, starting with a thyroid test. Paul was talking about a more extensive test than the simple 3-panel test, but not the actual 6-panel test that I am after. We will have to discuss this further should it come to this.

For now, Dylan is happy as Larry, full of energy and doing great! God only knows what is going on with him... I just hope that it is me being too paranoid about things - particularly after he ended up on the drip last time! Only the future will tell!

Blood Test

Dylan went for his blood test this morning. We will get the results by the evening.

Drinking more again...

Dylan is drinking quite a lot again... so I will book him in for another blood test this week.

Muzzling

I have decided to muzzle Dylan and Flash for a while again... They are normally muzzled when I take them out at peak walking times or to places where I don't know the dogs. In the mornings when I know everyone and the dogs know everyone, I didn't muzzle.

However, on Friday, Dylan bullied a lab. He never liked him much since he was hassled by a lab a while ago that wouldn't take "no" for an answer until Dylan had to get quite nasty to get rid of him. Since then he has been a bit full-on with some labs, though never injured any (and I always made sure I'd call him back before he ran up to them). However, on Friday, said lab suddenly appeared from behind without me noticing it (with owners, so no-one's fault). Dylan charged over and - unlike all the other times - the lab ran off and Dylan chased and nipped him, which made the lab yelp. The owner then told me that he'd been attacked two weeks ago and is a bit more worried now! Fair enough... so Dylan is muzzled now until we gain a bit more control again and things have settled.

The same Friday morning, another lab appeared literally out of nowhere with no owner in sight... I did hear a faint voice of a woman calling presumably this lab... from about 200 yards away or so. Flash wasn't happy with him (the lab had a challenging body posture which Flash doesn't like) and nipped him too... again, no injuries, but he kept at it as the lab - yet again - wouldn't leave us alone (even after being nipped). It took minutes until we finally managed to get rid of him!
What worried me though was that Flash's teeth kept chattering even after the event and I didn't like that. I think it is because he got hold of meat/meat juices during the previous few days which my husband leaves out and doesn't bother to put away. Flash is allergic to animal protein and one of the symptoms is behaviour problems including lowering of the aggression threashold, less self-control and less bite inhibition! So apart from telling hubby off and get him to tidy up after himself, in particular meat food, I have also decided to muzzle Flash for a bit until things are under control again.

Dylan is 7!

How time flies. It seems only just yesterday that we picked Dylan up from Binfield Dog Rescue!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY SPECIAL BOY!

Dylan in puppy class

For the first time in months, I have brought Dylan into my puppy and beginners class this morning. Last time I did that, he had a go at almost every dog... This time he was an angel. He thoroughly enjoyed himself and only told dogs off when they were actually rude! He was brilliant! So good to have my easy-going chap back! Not had any problems on walks either at all.

Results and Agility

On Thursday, my vet finally found out that although they had sent the biopsy off, the lab had not received it. Of course we could have re-tested, but Dylan's lump has thankfully decreased in size from about a 50-pence piece to penny size... So I'll watch it for another couple of weeks and if it continues to dicreased, I won't worry about re-testing.

Today, we had our second agility session. It was great. We did two jumps in a row, the rigid tunnel and new also the soft tunnel! Dylan was first slightly reluctant, but in the end went through confidently without any help! He really does seem to enjoy himself! And I certainly do too.

Agility was fab

At 10 this morning, Dylan and I left for agility training at capable canines in Richmond. We were there about 3/4 hours early, so got to watch the previous class.

Then at 11.30, it was our turns. We did a jump, the tunnel, the a-frame and the weave. Dylan did all very well, was a little nervous on the a-frame though, but he will get more confident in time. He did do it though!

I really enjoyed training there. It was nice to just be able to go there and not worry about anything and it was fantastic to be able to just follow instructions without having to question them. They only use positive training and lots of treats, exactely the same as I do! It was so relaxing and enjoyable.

We can't wait until next week.

Agility

We haven't received Dylan's results yet re the lump, though I am quite sure that the lump is getting smaller again - I do hope that it's not just my imagination.

Tomorrow is our first agility session. I am really looking forward to it and I hope Dylan will enjoy it too.

In the afternoon then, we are off to college - Dylan, Flash and Jesse are coming with us.

Test being sent off today

The biopsy is being sent off today, so we should have the results back by Thursday or Friday (was bank holiday yesterday, so they couldn't do it any earlier). The lump hasn't changed in size or shape...

No change

I am of course checking Dylan's lump several times a day, but there has not been any change so far...

A lump

Dylan yet again is causing us a lot of worry...

When I came home from the classes today, I noticed a lump on his shoulder/neck... I took him straight to the vet. Obi thinks that it is just a reaction to injections, but he hasn't had any injections for about 4 weeks... I so hope it is though, or something else harmless.

Obi has taken a needly biopsy and will send the cells off on Tuesday. We should have the results back on Thursday or Friday.

Since what happened to Sunny, I am terrified when I find lumps...

Dylan's last obedience show

Dylan, Jesse and I went to Culverstone Obedience Show today.

Jesse was a little star and got 2nd in Pre-Beginners. What a result for his very first ever obedience round!

Dylan did Pre-Beginners and Beginners and didn't do too bad, though the turns in the heelwork were wide and slow as ever eventhough I have worked so hard on them over the last few months... He also broke the sit stay, something he has never done before.

But I didn't mind... Dylan had a good time, loved being around all the dogs at the show (and not a grumble or anything out of him). But if the agility is going to go allright from June, this will have been Dylan's last show, and we'll concentrate on agility instead. I think he will enjoy that a lot more than obedience - though doing obedience with him was a fantastic and really useful and valuable experience for me! Something that Jesse is now benefitting from!

Dylan fine now and today's walk

Dylan's urine is finally back to normal. I am very relieved about that!

He also seems less reactive, particularly also on the lead. He seems to just walk past dogs now without a fuss! Even walked past our neighbour's dogs yesterday and although he was interested, there was no barking or lunging.

Today, I wanted to see how he was off-lead with other dogs as I have kept him away from them really. I muzzled him (and Flash) just to be on the safe side. All went great, we met some dogs and no problems at all... until a Golden Retriever approached. Whether that was how Dylan would have reacted anyway or whether it was me tensing up because Dylan has had problem with them in the past, I don't know. I held on to Dylan, and when the dog came up to him, Dylan went for him (still muzzled though). So I am not sure... Also, what didn't help was a labrador yesterday that kept coming over to us whilst Dylan and Flash were on lead and going mad - and the owner didn't get the dog and let him run back to us at least three times...

But overall I am pretty happy with Dylan. Perhaps some socialisation walks would be good - now that it's light a bit longer in the evening, I could do it either Wednesday or Friday evenings...

Check-up

Today, we went to see Mark for a check-up as suggested by Ian on Sunday. Dylan's temperature is back to normal, his chest sounds fine too. The only thing left now is that the urine is still dark yellow (not red or brown though!); the same colour it was on Sunday when he came home. Mark suggested to bring Dylan back for more tests if this has not changed by Monday. So we will keep an eye on it.

The test results haven't come back yet and Mark is chasing them up for us!

Dylan is eating ok - but only Troy's food... For some reason, he will not eat his own food anymore, though he does when I mix it with Troy's food. I wonder whether it is one of the antibiotics that give it a bad taste... Who knows. I have also noticed that he has started drinking a bit more again in the last couple of days; I will keep an eye on that too.

For now, we are very happy with Dylan. I took him for a walk yesterday. He was fine, though slowed down a bit in the second half of the walk, so still gets tired quickly (possibly due to the antibiotics too). Other than that, he is happy and bouncy indoors and is playing a lot again! I think he is as happy that the ordeal is over as we are.

Dylan's been playing

For the first time in days, Dylan's felt well enough to play last night. He had a bit of a tug-of-war with me... and the same again this morning. He is definitely feeling a lot better, which makes me so happy.
However, he didn't eat all of his breakfast this morning, which is very unusual. But perhaps I have added too much water (as his urine is still darkish yellow)... We'll see how he eats tonight.

Dylan's home!

I was so happy to get the phone call from Ian to pick Dylan up at 3 pm today. Dylan is finally back home after spending the whole week-end at the vet's on a drip. After abdomen and chest x-rays and blood tests we are still none the wiser as to what is going on (though he doesn't cough much anymore now luckily). His urine is now back to yellow - still darker than should be, but not red anymor.

He is on three different antibiotic tablets and metacam.

A urine sample was sent off to the lab to do all imaginable tests on it hopefully shedding some light on all this... If things get worse again, he will need an ultrasound scan.

Dylan is feeling a lot better, he is brighter and looks comfortable. He even managed to "con" two breakfasts out of the vet and the nurse this morning apparently... (The vet gave him one and the nurse, who didn't know that, gave him another by mistake and Dylan of course didn't complain...). That's my boy...

The strange thing about all this is that his kidney parameters that were elevated a few weeks ago, are all back to normal... we are not sure why and how as kidney disease is meant to be irreversable... I don't know whether it's the diet that has done this or whether it would have happened anyway!

So Dylan is back home, we (dogs and hoomans) are happy again after a very stressful week-end... I am shattered though. Dylan is due to go back to the vet on about Thursday for a check up to see how things are going with him!

Dylan had to stay at the vet's...

I took Dylan to see the vet this afternoon. It was Ian we saw. Ian was shocked to see how dark his urine was when he extracted some from his bladder. He kept Dylan in to do some x-rays on his abdoment and chest, as well as blood tests and flush his kidneys through.

At around 4 pm, Ian called me. All the tests came back clear... very strangely even the kidney parameters, which were previously a concern, were fine. The x-rays showed nothing.

He now wants to do a biopsy and a scan on Monday. Dylan is still at the vet's now and is on a drip. Unfortunately we could not take him home tonight.

To take my mind off things, Karen, David and I took our dogs for a lovely walk on Purley Way. It was really nice for me, Flash and Jesse and all the dogs enjoyed themselves. We then had a cup of tea afterwards.

I will hear back from Ian in the morning around 10 am; I miss Dylan so much and don't find this easy to cope.

Blood

Dylan seemed a bit brighter this morning after a good night's sleep with me on the sofa next to him. He got up to go toilet and did a big wee... great I thought, but immediately realised that it was dark red, almost black. I wasn't quick enough to get a container to get some, but I used a tissue afterwards to soak some up to show the vet... Why is there so much blood in his urine? I am of course taking him back to the vet's this afternoon when they open...this really has me worried.

Dylan at the emergency vets

On Thursday night, Dylan's breathing got really bad and he couldn't settle, he was so uncomfortable. We got so worried that we took him to the Streatham Emergency Clinic. The vet there said that he could hear a heart murmur... that really worried me. Dylan got an anti-inflamatory injection as well as further antibiotics. Dylan also had a very high temperature. The vet suggested to have him x-rayed and having a scan down of his chest.
We got back at 2 am and stayed up with Dylan until almost 5 am. Then I made myself a bed up on the sofa and got up again at 7 am ready for the morning vet appointment.

On Friday morning, I took Dylan with me to Jesse's appointment at 8am. Paul listened to Dylan's chest and said that he couldn't hear a heart murmur. Dylan's temperature had come down a bit, but was still high. Paul suggested to wait with an x-ray and scan and only do it if he is still no better after the week-end. I agreed with him, particularly also as anaesthetics are now an issue due to Dylan's kidney disease.

Dylan has been ok today, certainly not comfortable and still pretty lethargic, but he has eaten well and is alert. His breathing got a bit heavier again tonight, but he is comfortable. Jacqui came round to do some TTouch on all the dogs, and she also agrees with me that his chest is bloated/extended.

I have provisionally booked an appointment on Monday, but will keep it to do another check up on Dylan.

Karen and I were supposed to go to college this week-end, but of course there is no way I could leave Dylan; so we didn't go.

Not much better

Dylan is not feeling much better yet. He felt much better after Tuesday, I think it was the anti-inflamatory injection. But now, he is feeling very sorry for himself again. But I guess it takes some time to get over the infection, there are still quite a few days of antibiotics left to go through!

Dylan has bronchitis

Last week, Dylan started coughing. I thought it was kennel cough and just kept him away from other dogs. None of the other dogs were coughing. It was strange though that he didn't cough when exercising, but mainly when laying down...

Yesterday morning, when I got up, Dylan got up too and stood there a bit hunched and shivering. But he still wanted to come for his walk... He seemed better after that. In the evening, he seemed in pain, again hunched up and a little reluctant to leave. I decided that I would watch him over night and see how he was in the morning... Same again this morning, so off we went to see Mark. He diagnosed bronchitis. So it wasn't kennel cough at all... Dylan is now on antibiotics and also got an anti-inflamatory injection (which hurt him a bit, very unusual as he normally has no problem with injection... so his skin/muscles seem a bit sensitive too). Hopefully this will sort him out quickly.

Our holiday in Wales 12th - 19th April

We drove to West Wales on Saturday, 19th April. It was a smooth ride, the dogs were fine and we arrived at around 3.30 pm.

First of all a few pictures of the cottage Swallow's Dance, where we stayed

The front of the cottage

The back of the cottage

The huge garden which we all loved

The living area downstairs

The sitting area downstairs looking out into the garden


Saturday, 12th April - ARRIVAL

On the day of arrival, we just settled in and relaxed. The dogs had a good inspection of the house and garden and then started to play and run around in the lovely garden.

Dylan, Flash and Jesse playing


Yay, I can run here... Dylan going mad!

Troy patrolling the perimeter

I like it here, mummy!

Troy's favourite spot just outside the back door from where he could see all of the garden and observe the house too

What? - say Flash and Jesse

Wow, that's worth a shake...


Sunday, 13th April - WISEMAN'S BRIDGE BEACH

All of them together observing things first thing on our second day

Dylan having a walk around

King of the Castle... sorry, Cottage...




Monday, 14th April - NEWBALD BEACH



Tuesday, 15th April - FRESHWATER WEST BEACH



Wednesday, 16th April - PEMBROKE CASTLE and FRESHWATER WEST BEACH



Thursday, 17th April - A DAY OFF TO RELAX



Friday, 18th April - TENBY



Saturday, 19th April - TIME TO GO HOME

Things are looking up

On Friday, I got Dylan's new food on Friday. It is Timberwolf Ocean Blue. He really likes it, so no problems there.

Gradually, Dylan's general energy levels and mood seem to have improved - and this morning, he was so full of happy energy, it was great. He seems to feel a lot better again, he is not walking wide on his back legs anymore and he is much perkier. he also didn't slow down anymore in the second half of the walk either...

I don't know whether this is already the diet working, but I am so happy to have my happy go lucky boy back!

Talked to Mark

When I took Troy and Jesse in today to have their vaccinations, I talked to Mark regarding Dylan's blood results. Mark said that the results were stable (even slightly lower) and it is therefore only a mild form of kidney disease at the moment. He advised me to put him on a lower protein diet which I will do as 42% he is currently on, is quite a lot. Lower protein will reduce urea levels in the blood which could make him feel nausius etc if not kept as low as possible. I have also sourced a diet with lower phosphorus as well, which is apparently important too. It is Timberwolf Ocean Blue. It costs a bomb, but if it helps Dylan to remain healthy longer, then that'll do me. It also contains Salmon Oil, which is supposed to be good for kidney function too.

Mark wants to monitor him of course, but he won't need another blood test until in six months time.

Second Blood Test

I took Dylan and Flash to the vet first thing this morning. Dylan had bloods taken to yet again test. Hopefully the values have not changed which will mean that all is fine. I will know the results later tonight.

Paul also checked Dylan's back end and all seems just fine. He couldn't see or feel any problems and Dylan didn't seem to be in pain in any form or shape. So a trip to Sue it is for a chiro session.

Something still not right...

I am glad that Dylan is going back next week to have the blood tests again... He was actually drinking from a puddle yesterday on our walk... I can't remember ever seeing him doing that! And he has been drinking from the bucket indoors occasionally too!

I also still find that he is very energetic and cheerful, but towards the end of the walk stops running and just looks a bit uncomfortable, though I can't put my finger on it. I do think though it is in his back end... Will get Paul to check that out next Friday too and will take him to Sue to see whether there is anything she can spot if Paul doesn't.

I am really worried about Dylan. Something isn't right!

Happy, energetic... then quiet

This morning, I took the dogs for a slightly longer walk with a really good run/play at the end of it (I had to go to the doctor's, so had a bit more time on my hands). Dylan loved it, ran loads, was very energetic... But towards the end, he slowed right down, seemed slightly uncomfortable about something and was quite slow on the way back. I am also not 100% whether he might have walked funny too...

So I think Sue (chiro) is going to see him very soon, just need to work out when I can book him in and take time off work to do it.

TTouch

I asked Jacqui to come round yesterday to do some TTouch on Dylan and Flash in the hope she could help shed some light on what is going on with them. She found Dylan to have a problem in his back end... which isn't surprising really. Some more TTouch and probably a trip to Sue, our chiropractor, will hopefully help sort things out in this respect.

Here's some picture I took









Here's Dylan, Flash and Jesse all competing for attention

And all TTouched out...

Blood Results back

Mark called me this morning. Dylan's urea levels in the blood are slightly elevated. They are not a major problem (yet) and could possibly be normal for Dylan, but they are higher than would generally be expected.

We will do another blood test on him in a month time to see whether there are any changes. Until then, there is nothing that needs to be done.

I am glad that it is not devastating news, but of course, it is still a bit worrying that Dylan's kidneys may not be functioning normally. We'll know more in one month after the other test.

Dylan at vet's today

I took Dylan with me today to have a check up as he is drinking more than usual. Although over the last four days or so, I didn't notice him drinking from the bucket/bowl until last night...

I took a urine sample this morning, but it tested clear for diabetes which is good.

Mark has taken some blood also to test for some other bits and pieces... We'll have the results back tomorrow.

Dylan booked into the vet's

Dylan has given me some headaches over the last three months or so. As I have described, he has become more reactive on walks, which I have put down to two bad experiences with other dogs.

Just recently, I have also just had a feeling with him not being quite right, though I can't put my finger on it... sometimes he is more lively than I would expect him to be (as in not settling) and other times he seems deep in thoughts as if slightly uncomfortable about something.
The other day, he had a quick go (bark) at Cornel when Cornel rested his foot on Dylan lying on the floor. Fine, he could have caught him and hurt him by accident, but it still seemed weird (Cornel wasn't rough or clumsy in any way).

But what really worries me now is that Dylan is drinking water from the bowl. For the last six years, Dylan has not really been drinking any water. The only time I have ever seen him drink water from a bowl was when he was really hot after a summer's walk or at training class. His urine was in fact so concentrated, that I started adding lots of water to his dry food which I have done for years now. This way I knew he would get enough liquid.
But over the last two weeks or so, I noticed Dylan drinking more and more often from the bowl... and fairly frequently throughout the day. (And hence going to toilet more often too).

So, I have booked him in next Tuesday to come along when Jesse needs to have his stitches out anyway. I am going to try to get a urine sample too to I guess test for diabetes... and will ask Mark to do a blood test for kidney function etc.

I hope it is nothing serious! Dylan is almost 7 now, so not a youngster anymore! And I am worried.

Nice walk

I have started to muzzle Dylan and Flash when I take them out during the day in the park when I expect dogs I don't know (mornings are fine as I know the dogs). This seems to have improved things greatly, probably because I am a lot calmer and confident, because I know that nothing can happen.

There was one incident on Friday when Dylan went up to a dog (collie), sniffed it as usual, then had a quick pop and just walked off... Not sure what that was about, but it felt like he was just telling the dog off "just in case"... Of course, this is not acceptable, so I am working on this.

Today's walk was great. Dylan responded great, stayed with me when approaching other dogs and was generally calm and relaxed.

I have started mixing a new food into their old one. The new food is called Orijen and they love it. It also seeems to give them a bit more energy. I am thinking of moving them over from the CSJ as Dylan has a little bit of dandruff...

Stitches out and all is well

I totally forgot to update this. On Friday, 8th February, I took the stitches out and all was well. It has healed nicely and the scar can't even be seen.

From 11th to 14th February, we were at college. Dylan, Flash and Jesse came with us and they were all great. They enjoyed staying in the Travelodge (which was the first time as we had always used Arras Farmhouse up to now...). Dylan and Flash were particularly happy about seeing all the wild bunnies running around the service station when we went out for toiletting at night. It was amazing.

Dylan is still a bit unpredictable on walks. Just on Sunday, he sniffed a dog we met (whilst I was holding on to his harness without any pressure), seemed fine, then suddenly snapped without me being able to pick up on a warning... Also, Dylan seems to be just a touch too quiet and still too reactive. In fact, I have started muzzling both Dylan and Flash now when we walk at times when I expect a lot of dogs around (e.g. Sundays). This gives me piece of mind and I can study Dylan's behaviour a bit more without having to worry about him. But I don't like the fact that he is still very reactive, particularly also on lead - which isn't great fun as he sets the other two off too!

This week-end, I am having off (as Jesse is going to be neutered), so I will do some 1-2-1's with the doglets, in particular with Dylan!

If things don't improve fairly soon or if I continue to feel that something is wrong with him, I will have a full vet check up done on him... He is going to be 7 this summer, so not a youngster anymore (though you would never know when you watch him on walks or when at home playing or training) so things could start going wrong in his body...

Bandage off

On Sunday, I took Dylan's bandage off to check the wound. It all looks great and is healing nicely. I put a nice bright orange bandage back on.

On Sunday, I also took Dylan out for a walk for the first time since Wednesday. He stayed on the lead of course, but kept bouncing when the other two played with the dogs.

As we are at college next week, this actually works out quite well as he needs to stay on lead there anyway. By the time we get back, he should be fine and he should be able to go off lead again.

Dylan with his shoe on when going out for walks





And with his new bright orange bandage

Dylan much better

Dylan is doing much better and does not seem to be in any discomfort anymore.

I didn't take any of the dogs out this morning as I didn't want Dylan to feel so disappointed like he did yesterday. So I will probably take him out for the first time on Sunday morning, but tomorrow afternoon I will take Flash and Jesse out on their own.

Tomorrow I will also take the bandage off as advised by the vet to check that all is fine with the wound/stitches.

Dylan's recovery

I picked Dylan up from the vet's at 3 pm. He was walking alright, but still dozy and limpy as he has a big bandage on his foot. The stitching all went well.

Dylan was a bit whiny last night, I think he was a little in pain and he was also hungry as he hadn't had any breakfast. I gave him some metacam last night which helped. In the evening, he got a mug of food for dinner. After that he was settled and slept well through the night.

He was very disappointed this morning when I took Flash and Jesse for a walk without him. He couldn't understand why. But I won't walk him until the week-end, and then it will only be walks on lead for another week.

Dylan sporting his bandage.

Dylan in the wars again... big cut on foot

I took Dylan, Flash and Jesse to the park this morning, nice and early. It was great, really enjoyed the walk, all the dogs - including Dylan - were fab and there were no problems.

When I got home, I saw Dylan lick his front paw and saw some blood. I assumed that he had injured his stopper pad again as he sometimes does. But when I checked it, I found that he had an almost 2" gash underneath the stopper pad. I washed it and took him off to the vet.

So Dylan's at the vet's now, having the wound stitched! He walked off with Mark no problem, but when I left the surgery, I already heard him whine... LOL

So yet, again, Dylan will be on on-lead walks for a few days... I have never known a dog to be so accident prone.

Dylan is a retired stooge dog now

I decided yesterday to retire Dylan from stooge dog work. I am not prepared to put his welfare at risk. He has done a fab job over the last three years and deserves to leave stooge dog work behind now.

I will also try to get him and Flash to some fun lurcher racing events. The Sussex Longdog Society holds events regularly, so will become a member and give Dylan and Flash some "lurcher work" to do.

Oh, and he took off again to the play field today. I now walk him on lead when we got near it, but I let him off lead too early as he turned again and went to the field. So he will unfortunately have to be on lead even more now...

Better today

This morning, I kept Dylan and Flash on the lead until we got to the playing field. I checked that there was no bread and let them off lead. I recalled Dylan about three times before we got to the spot where the bread normally is. He responded ok, though still very keen to go over to the spot. When we got really close, he went off again, but came back after a few calls.

I just take their toys with me from now on so I can provide a good reward for coming back. The Wubba is the best toy for them, especially Dylan absolutely loves it.

Dylan was then fine for the rest of the walk, though I made sure that I recalled him and the others frequently! He responded quite nicely almost 100% of the time.

The only time he and Flash took off at speed is when they spotted a fox cross the path, but that's fair enough and I have no problem with that (I have never taught them not to do that, so can't expect anything else from them). However, as soon as the fox disappeared into the undergrowth/bushes, they both returned immediately!

When we started walking towards the direction of the playing field again at the end of our walk (but still around 200 yards away), Dylan started to walk faster again and was thinking about taking off... but he came back when I called him and I put him on the lead after giving him some treats.

So all in all, the walk was fine... though more recall work is necessary to get him to respond regardless of what food is lying around...



We also did some nice training last night with Dylan being very keen! I taught him to walk around a cone! He loved it and did very well.

And again...

Dylan took off yet again today thinking that bread was spread on the field again (there wasn't). Then he proceeded to run away even further...

I have no idea what has gotten into this dog all of a sudden. He is more reactive to the trams, he is now looking for something to chase rather than just do it when he catches sight of a fox for example... and he now takes off at every opportunity to the playing field to look for the flipping bread.

Well, he ended up being on the lead for the whole of the walk. I cannot risk him to take off like that and then suddenly disappear onto the tram track or the road...

When we got back onto the field half an hour later, and there was yet bread out again. So I think I will take them out at 6 am instead of 7 am hoping that this stupid person doesn't go out as early as that to spread the flipping bread around.

I need to keep the dogs busier in general too I think... and Dylan might just go on a long line for a while until he is back to normal.

If this gets worse, I am going to have Dylan checked out by the vet... I am wondering whether there is something wrong for him to totally ignore me like that. He hasn't done this since he was about 2 years old...

I am also giving him a rest from stooge dogging, I am wondering whether that is contributing to his reactivity! We have worked with a very aggressive GSD a few months ago, though Dylan didn't seem affected by that at all... But he really wasn't happy when he got nearly bitten by the GSD we met when doing a home check. I wonder whether that's tipped him over the edge.

And I myself have to make sure that I stay calm and in control... I have been too stressy with him as I was so annoyed about it all.

Naughty Dylan

Dylan has been quite naughty over the last couple of weeks or so when out on walks and I am not sure whether it is just me not giving them enough to do on walks... or whether it is Dylan going through some sort of phase.

On Sunday (20th January), I took all three boys for a walk in the Country Park as always. We came across a couple of dogs. Flash and Jesse went to say hello, I called Dylan back and held onto him to pass them. The other owners then put their dogs on the lead.

As I went past, Dylan was interested, so I led him up to the nearest dog (a black lab type)and Dylan had a sniff... then snapped. I told him off, but then Jesse - who was fine with the dogs up to then - had a go at the younger dog too... just to follow suit... And being Jesse, he didn't stop immediately eventhough I grabbed him very quickly. He kept growling and barking for another few seconds.

I was quite shocked as Dylan very rarely snaps like that, and only if dogs are rude... this dog was not rude, he was well under control! I am now wondering whether that GSD that went for him when we did a home check (the first time ever Dylan showed his teeth to a dog) had more of an impact on him than I realised.

I think I will give Dylan a rest from stooge dogging for a while...

This morning, Dylan earned himself yet another telling off... We walked along happily when Dylan suddenly took off. I thought he was going off after a fox, which is not uncommon during the early morning walks. But when he didn't come back after a couple of minutes, I went to look for him and he just came off the field where someone had obviously spread bread out again and Dylan ate it all (he was licking his lips). Now eating food we come across is one thing (and I can understand that), but taking off and run about 100 or 150 yards away to do that, is not something that I can accept! So I am afraid he got told off again...

A few minutes later, he took off into a field yet again, this time after some animal... but he didn't come back at all when called. He got put on the lead for the rest of the walk as I just couldn't risk him going off again.

I am not sure why he has suddenly started doing this... it's not the first time, it seems to happen increasingly more often over the last maybe couple of months!

Well, I guess, it is back to basic training and making the walks a bit more entertaining again... Maybe Dylan is just getting bored... I don't know! Lots of stuff has happened over the last couple of months, so although they have always been walked and trained, I have not had so much energy to play with them and do lots of training with them on walks! And I haven't had time to walk them separately occasionally either. I guess, that's my new task from now on... otherwise Dylan will have to stay on lead for a while as I can't have dogs buggering off whenever they feel like and having a go at other dogs for no reason... PARTICULARLY if this rubs off on Jesse, which it does, because he copies immediately.

So not a happy bunny today, but perhaps a wake up call to change things a bit on walks! I guess with Dylan having been so good for years (getting told off happens very, very rarely with any of our dogs - I guess that's why it is stressing me out so much), I sort of took the boy for granted...

On a better note, Dylan is doing very well in our Tuesday training sessions. He loves it and likes learning new tricks. Last week, I started teaching him the send away to a mat. He picked it up fairly quickly and we go thim to the point where he walked to the mat and stood on it. Next step is to get him to lay down on it.



1ST JANUARY 2008 - NEW YEAR'S DAY

I took the three boys for a lovely walk. It was a bit muddy (ok then, VERY muddy...), but hey ho. Here's some pictures.






26TH DECEMBER 2007 - BOXING DAY

On Boxing Day, I took the boys for a nice walk... It was lovely!



And at home in the warmth




25TH DECEMBER 2007 - CHRISTMAS!

All the dogs loved their presents. Here's some pictures: