Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
That’s a pity it didn’t work out but we’re very much more than happy to have the nice doggy with us till he finds his perfect home. I can’t say enough what a pupstar he is, it’s been an absolute privilege watching him transform from a dog who was very well behaved all the time because he was clearly very nervous to a little gentleman who’s well behaved because he’s settled in & chilled out. He’s clearly had a bit of a tough start to his life and he deserves to land on his paws somewhere
IMG_20150405_195735.jpgAnother weekend of this guy being the perfect little houseguest. He’s had a bath, which he clearly hated but behaved himself like a little trooper right the way through, worn himself out chasing tennis balls, discovered a deep love of a Kong filled with peanut butter (highly recommend this, VERY amusing watching him try get all the peanut butter off his tongue), discovered why you don’t go too close to a swan and had a (very, very, very rare. We don’t let him have one often!) treat of an icecream. He’s a babe.
<- so elegant!!
Oh, and one other thing. We’re working with him on this and he’s only every been off the lead in enclosed dog parks but his recall is a bit, well, bottom of the class. Not saying that he can’t be trained to come back when called but at the moment, if he’s having fun or is distracted by a new person/dog he’s in love with, he most surely is not coming back to you unless he can’t avoid it
He’s smart as though, so no reason he couldn’t learn!One thing we are working on with him on and is probably important to know at the moment is that he’s nipping a bit when he gets excited. if you’re running with him he’ll try bite the leash or nip at your arm a bit & he’ll occasionally nip at your arm if you’re petting him, giving him a hug etc. It’s in no way aggressive and I’m saying ‘nip’ rather than bite because it’s like he’s a giant puppy who’s learning not to mouth you when he gets worked up. So, to that end I’d be pretty careful having him around kids who might accidentally get him excited, I wouldn’t leave him to play unattended with any small kids. Just anyone you couldn’t explain to that there’s certain ways they shouldn’t play with the dog.
Apart from that though, it’s just learning the things that worry him (we’re currently at drunks, men in high viz, men in flat caps and occasionally people on bikes) and helping him learn that all is a-ok or helping him avoid shouty drunks. We’re big fans of avoiding those ourselves so it all works out grand
The more he comes out of his shell the more of his slightly cheeky personality we’re seeing, it’s fab! We would have initially said he had a tiny appetite and was a bit timid. Haha, hahahahaha. He was just waiting to get used to us before he let his personality & his huge love of eating all the things, especially slightly gross things he finds on the ground, shine out.
If there’s anything you’d specifically like to know about him just let me know!
He is an absolutely fantastic dog
Because we’re in a position at the moment where one or the other of us is at home all the time he’s never spent a lot of time on his own, a max of 2 hours at the mo. Because we are nuts we keep an eye on him on a webcam and he’s upset a bit at the beginning and then he just sleeps. We plan on leaving him by himself for a longer spell on Friday and then again early next week, I’ll report back on how he gets on!I will say though, I don’t think he’d love spending a huge amount of time on his own.
It’s been nearly 2 weeks since this nice dog came to stay and we have learned quite a few things about him…
He loves ‘his’ people and the best thing in the world for him is to be around all his people at once. If you leave the room he wants to come with you.
He wants to be everyone’s friend, he’s all about getting to know every single dog & person he meets.
He’s a bit of a lapdog and the more he gets to know you the more he wants to be right up as close to you as possible.
He’s all about tennis balls and tug of war.
He’s not a fighter, he’s a bit of a softie
Walks please, all the walks. And as much running as he can get in.
He’s so, so gentle. He takes things from your hand like they were made of porcelain, so careful not to hurt you.
He’s very clean & nondestructive in the house. No accidents, at all, and he can be left alone in a room and will not touch a thing that he shouldn’t. Unless you are silly and leave a piece of cake lying about in which case, all bets are off.
He’s quiet as a mouse. Very rarely barks and the only noise you regularly hear from him is a big huffy sigh when he lies down
Unfortunately (and I say ‘unfortunately’ because I can only imagine why he’s like this) he is horribly scared of drunk people and men wearing flat caps. He’s not very fond of passing by pubs with people drinking outside them. If he comes across someone who is drunk & shouting he will need his person to help him get away as quickly as possible because he is desperately afraid. We’re working with him to help him feel better about this stuff but I can’t emphasise enough how scared he is of people who are drunk and shouting.
He’s a little hoover when out and about and will eat any gross bit of floor food he can find, so you need to keep a bit of an eye on him.
He LOVES older women & 18/19 year old students. If he spots someone with a trolley and a nice white set curl he badly wants to be their friend.
He’s wonderful. A very special dog & a pleasure to be around.
The difference one day makes…
Sagan is flying after his operation. He’d like the cone off right now, please, but he’s dying to get out and run and is back to being an affectionate happy little chappie after a day of feeling pretty sorry for himself.
This fella is a ridiculous sweetheart and a shameless flirt, he loves people and he wants to be friends with all the other dogs. Luckily people love him too! He gets loads of attention and smiles wherever we go. We’ve been talking to more people around here since he started walking with Sagan than we have since we moved in…
We had a busy weekend so Sagan has been all over the shop with us and he’s been perfectly well behaved everywhere he’s gone. Yesterday he was in Dublin city centre running some errands with us and today we hit the beach and the dog park. He’s very eager to chat to other dogs and he’d love to be off lead on the beach but he’s so well behaved that apart from a bit of wistful staring at the other dogs running around he is happy to continue on his way. We just keep reminding him that once he’s learned who he is and that he has to come back every time he’s called he can play on the beach off leash too! He was great in the off leash dog park, a little unsure of how to behave with the other dogs but he played loads and ran around loads.
Sagan has loads of energy and is bouncy like a big puppy. He’s pretty strong on the lead, he wouldn’t pull you over (cos he’s way too much of a gentleman to do that) but he needs a firm hand and he needs loads of walks. He’s conked on the carpet at the minute but he’ll be wide awake later this evening and he’ll be looking for Walkies – Round II. When he’s ready for a walk he gets very pace-y.
He has a few things he’s a bit afraid of, he doesn’t love getting in the car (but absolutely fine once he’s in) and he is sometimes a bit wary of strange men who want to pat him, especially if they smell a little boozy and are smoking (ahhh, Patrick’s weekend in Dublin) but in general he loves everyone and everything.
He’s been around a few kids in the park and doesn’t take a huge interest in them, apart from if they have an ice cream he’d like to eat, but he doesn’t seem scared of them. Just a little disinterested.
He’s still not entirely settled in here but he likes to be around ‘his’ people and he likes to know where you are and what you’re doing, the longer he’s here and the more sure he is that we’re not going to disappear when we go outside the more relaxed & happy he’s getting.
He’s as smart too. Bit of selective deafness when you’re out and about and there’s loads of interesting things going on but he sits, gives paw and seems to know a few other commands, even if he’d like to pretend otherwise at times… We think he’s a pure dote, 5 stars for doggy awesomeness.
IMG_20150405_195735.jpg
<- so elegant!!
