Grrrrr

slimcilla · Old Hand

Grrrrr

Teresa · Enlightened One

Crikey, my thoughts are with you. Never mind Speedy's elbow - he's high on painkillers - I particularly sympathise with your trauma of opening wine bottles one-handed, this would cause me severe anxiety, if not full-blown hysteria!!!! Have you a kindly neighbour who will open a weeks' worth of bottles for you?

Get well soon, both of you

Amanda · Master

Easy forget a bottle of wine and get 1 of the boxes of wine. Much easier than dealing with a cork.

Hope you are both back to normal soon.

A

Mike N · Old Hand

Claire you should get bottles of wine that are capped rather than corked.

-- Edited by Mike N at 19:09, 2006-11-23

slimcilla · Old Hand

Problem solved! Screw caps are the greatest!!!!

Off to feed cats and Speedy one-handed - should make more mess than Speedy does eating!!!

CC x

moptop · Master

Claire, what a time your are having. As regards to the opening of the wine for medicinal purposes of course, remember the old saying, where there's a will, there's a way!!! I think I could open a bottle with my teeth If I had to! not that I am an alcoholic or anything!!

Marian.

Isla · Enlightened One

Am all in favour of the box solution. I always keep one in the fridge and an "emergency spare" in the, well fridge actually!

max · Enlightened One

Hope you managed the wine problem, sorry to hear that you and Speedy have been through the wars, hope you you are both feeling better soon. See you Sunday.

Nora

tootsmazza · Enlightened One

Poor you, sorry to hear about you and Speedy...I'd stay away from the Buckfast tho, you'll only end up hurting your other arm!!

Fiona · Master

I'll pop over and open your wine for you - and I might have to stay to help you pour it!

Gail · Big Cheese

Hi Claire, hope you and speedy are on the mend and the wine helped!!

slimcilla · Old Hand

Many thanks for all your support!! The wine has positively helped and I have made a point of buying wine with screw caps (but not Buckfast thank you Mike N!) Wine in boxes just encourages me to be "alcohol dependent" so is not a good idea really.. I have discovered that my attitude of "give me 3 days and I will take this stupid OAP splint thing off" will not work and so I am stuck with the sodding thing for another week at least.. Being a self employed DIY Queen - this has severely affected my earning capacity.. Grrrr...

The good news is that I seem to be able to drive somehow (stay away from me if you see me in a car) so am hoping to get to the Christmas Fair in the morning.. I hope to see many of you there - just look for the silly girl wearing a stupid OAP splint thing on her right arm with a Brindle Speedy bouncing around and thats me! I am rotten with names so please tell me who you are.. I am really looking forward to putting faces to names..

The wretched charity shop has decided that the homeless people of Edinburgh are more in need of "dog blankets" than greyhounds so all my sucking up to them with donations of books and videos etc has fallen foul... Not impressed! Ach well.. Grrr..

Speedy's elbow seems much better and so we have been practicing "sit." It's all a bit hit and miss so it all depends on how he is feeling as to whether he will do it or not.. Sometimes he ignores me, sometimes he obeys and sometimes his bum hits the ground for 2 seconds and no more.. Such is life! grrr...

Off to bed, the washing machine is whirring and I have yet to hang the damn stuff up...Speedy has given up on me and is flat out on my bed with Dotty (mad cat) - I am going to have to push at least one of them aside.. Grrr...

Night Night

Claire

Isla · Enlightened One

Hi Claire

We're not long home from the Christmas Fayre and it was really good to see you there and meet you. I think Speedy is a sweetheart and was very impressed with him. Especially when you told him "down" and he did it! I despair of Tigger ever managing that!

Glad you made it and hope your arm and Speedy's elbow are all recovered soon. Look forward to meeting you both at future events.

Karen, Wills, Millie n Tigger

slimcilla · Old Hand

Thanks for posting the pictures Karen! It was a really good day and I have just got in.

Speedy has already crashed out....

I am utterly shattered too, so I'm off to fall asleep in front on the box.....

Claire 'n Speedy

Isla · Enlightened One

Hi Claire

How's your wrist doing - you back at work yet? I was thinking of you the other day and wondering how you two invalids were doing. How's your boy's elbow doing (and his chest) - on the mend I hope.

Keep smiling!

Christine Young · GAL Newsletter Editor

Hope you and Speedy are healing well, Claire. It must be really difficult for you to do the simplest of tasks!

Christine

slimcilla · Old Hand

Hi

I have just logged on for the first time in ages and am quite supprised to hear from you..Thank you for your concern. This is a quick report in as I have been avoiding typing for a bit..

Speedy has made a full recovery - Thank goodness!! He is now allowed off lead in the park as he responds (almost mostly) to a firm/growly NO! or LEAVE IT! where other dogs are concerned.. This means he can burn off energy and howls less when I go out..

My arm still hurts and now I have cold.. No comment!

I am off to bed as I feel like hell and don't wanna whinge.. Speedy has been out for his last wonder around the block and now I have to fight him for pole position on MY bed.. Love him tho..

Night night

Claire and Speedy

Isla · Enlightened One

Ah well, 50% success rate then! Glad Speedy's elbow has sorted itself out. How'd you manage the recall thing? Tigger was still a nightmare the last time I tried! Guess I'll just have to work harder with her.

Sorry to hear your arm is still troubling you. There's nothing worse! Last thing you needed was a cold. I quite enjoy fighting with Tigger for bed space - not as weird as it sounds, I promise. She makes a good hot water bottle on these chilly nights!

Hot Toddy for the cold - that's my suggestion! Hope you shake off your cold and are back to your usual self soon.

slimcilla · Old Hand

Hi there Karen

Finally feeling a bit more human today and supposed to be going and finishing a job but had to have a look at the computer as a delaying method..

I could talk for Britain about dog training at the moment.... Speedy and I have been doing training classes and I recently found Jan Fennells book about Dog Listening - it's facinating! Its all about being Pack Leader yourself and not letting your dog/s think they are Pack Leader. It may sound cruel but in order for your dog to respect you, it makes total sense. Combined with the dog training classes he is coming along really well.

As for recall - this is my method, it's a combination of dog training classes, my ideas and Jan Fennell...

I started doing recall in the house when Speedy was in a different room saying "Speedy Come" and giving him a treat and lots of praise when he did - I still do it lots now.
Then we moved on to a 3 metre lead in the park with me walking backwards, away from Speedy with a treat in my hand saying "Speedy Come, Speedy Come, Speedy Come." For the frist 2 weeks he was allowed off lead he was muzzled but as he was so good (and he always tried to remove it and got a very sore nose in the process) he doesn't wear it now. He does sometimes ignore me but if I run away from him flapping my arms calling "Speedy Come" he comes - fast! He always gets masses of praise for coming even if he takes a bit too long. He is sooo pleased when he gets to me and knows he has been very good as he bounces and dances around.

I use the same tone of voice every time - even if he is ignoring me and I sound stupid, my "Speedy Come" tone is a girly, excited voice. ("No" is a gruff manly tone and "Leave it" is a very deep growl tone.) He still gets a treat for coming but I am slowly weaning him off that by giving lots of praise instead.

The main thing seems to be that you must be consistant - always have a treat ready in the early stages. Praise him for coming even if the dog takes ages and runs around with another dog first. Yesterday Speedy was off lead and we came round a corner in the park to be confronted by a tiny tiny dog but an immediate "No" and "Leave it" and he was as good as gold - the tiny dogs owner looked amazed which made me feel on top of the world! I try not to take risks though - when there are too many dogs around I often don't let him off or try and find a quiet corner.

I am no expert and it may not work for you but Speedy seems to respond well. For the first month or so we coundn't walk past any dog without the most horrendous fuss but now he ignores most of them... We go to a dog-friendy pub as well as the training classes and the park so he now knows that dogs do come in lots of different shapes and sizes!

The other thing to note is that Speedy wouldn't chase and he doesn't touch the cats so perhaps he isn't your typical racing hound... He does sometimes "stare" at and stalk other dogs but now stops on a "No" or "Leave it" and then he gets praise.

Some delaying tactic - I must go and do some work......

Good Luck! Tell me how you get on...

CC x

max · Enlightened One

Glad to hear you and Speedy are both doing well. The Jan Fennel book is amazing and I used the methods when we first got Cas and it improved her behaviour very quickly.

Great to hear that Speedy is just getting better every day with his training, he is a very intelligent dog and obviously adores you, it is like you were made for each other.

Take care and hope to see you again soon. Nora

Isla · Enlightened One

Hi Claire

Glad you're on the mend!

Will keep persevering with Tigger as I feel quite sorry for her when the other two are charging about like loonies.

I've tried the arm flapping and squawk technique but she just stares at me as though she thinks I'm on some mind-bending drug and trys to pretend she's not with me! I've also carried pocket loads of ham strips, hot dogs and various other treats as bribes but they only work as long as she hasn't taken interest in something else.

Ach, I'll just keep plugging away - only time she's been really good was just after we came back from a weeks holiday and she didn't want us out of sight. Maybe we should just holiday more!!!

slimcilla · Old Hand

Karen

It sounds like Tigger wasn't used to her surroundings when she was on holiday which may be something to bear in mind when you go off lead.. Go somewhere she doesn't know.

Does she come to you when you call her in the house? That is a really good starting point. Once Speedy had that cracked we moved onto a really long lead in the park.. As I say he isn't perfect but if I stay alert I can keep him under control. It doesn't stop me having 3 heart attacks a day but I force myself not to flap or panic or he will sense it and be utterly bonkers!

I am desperate for Speedy to have a romp in the park as our garden is utter pants - all laid with slabs. As I share it with next door there's not much I can do about that. I have promised myself that the next house will have a super Speedy garden!

He is snuffling round my bedroom at the moment - I have never heard a dog snuffling, coughing and honking as much as Speedy does. I am sure he is going to drop dead some mornings! Ah well! They drive you nuts but I still love him!

CC x

moptop · Master

Regards to Jan Fennels 'The Dog Listener' book. I was not allowed to rehome Jack from Greyhound Rescue Scotland until I had read it. It is Fantastic!!!!! Everybody should read it.

I am so glad they insist everyone reads it before rehoming. I fortunately, have not needed to use any of it at all. Jack is the most perfect dog, apart from chewing remote controls!!

I wish I had the knowledge of this book years ago, when I had some naughty dogs!!

I have lent it out to many doggie friends and they have been amazed by the terrific results.

Marian.

slimcilla · Old Hand

Marian

I am amazed at how many people I meet around the park who have not read it! It makes total sense! I think a lot of people get put off by the title of "Dog Listener" - It's not mumble jumble - it's common sense! 21st century dog learning made easy!

For anyone who reads this thread - read the book!! You can get it cheaply on Amazon or in your local charity shop book section. It will transform you and your dog's life! You and your dog will be happier, more well balanced and a joy to live together!

Please excuse the !!! of my thread - I've drunk a bit and need to take Speedy out for a walk..The book is good though!!!!!!

All for now..

CC x

Teresa · Enlightened One

i've just got the Jan Fennell book for my birthday and spent all day reading it. it really is fascinating and makes complete sense. as soon as Neil opened the front door tonite I said to him "ignore the dogs"..... Tom usually bounces around like a nutter but, being ignored, he stopped almost immediately. all three calmed down within a minute - it was amazing to see.

all we need to do now is conqueror Tom's need for breakfast at 2,3 or 4am perhaps the bit about us eating first will help. i can see me eating a biscuit at 2am (any excuse !!!!!)

it didn't give me any clues about Daisy peeing indoors so will persevere with her, using Jan's leadership tips.

-- Edited by Teresa at 18:35, 2006-12-14

Gail · Big Cheese

Teresa, there is also a second book called "the practical dog listener" you might want to have a look at. I've read the first one but not the second so don't know if it is any good, maybe someone else will have read it and can let you know though. Good luck with the early breakfast's..

slimcilla · Old Hand

Hi there

Having got the first book I had to get the second.. Theres nothing specifically about peeing but it does mention that you should use a non-bio cleaner as otherwise the smell remains and encourages the dog to wee there again.... It also stresses the need for routine. Speedy's routine is not great as I am self employed but he goes out 3 times a day. We had quite a few mistakes to begin with but touch wood haven't had any for a while now..

Now, if someone can tell me how to get Speedy to read the books and allow me to leave the house without howling - that would be great! Right now I am working next door and he is driving me nuts! I come in every half hour, ignore him, call him, praise him, and leave again and he still howls the place down!

In all other areas mentioned in the books he is making a massive improvement, but being left alone, with the radio on, a kong and me coming back in every half hour the result is still nightmare howling! I am trying to find a crate to borrow to see if that works. Right now I can't afford to buy one and risk it being a waste of dosh.
Good luck!

Still love him tho..

CC x

Siouxsie · Enlightened One

slimcilla wrote:

Hi there

Having got the first book I had to get the second.. Theres nothing specifically about peeing but it does mention that you should use a non-bio cleaner as otherwise the smell remains and encourages the dog to wee there again....

Vinegar and Water solution eradicates the smell of the urine for human and hound. Your house may smell of vinegar for a short time but it does vanish.

Gail · Big Cheese

I can vouch for the vinegar and water, Siouxsie advised me to try it ages ago and it worked and discouraged the habit of going back to the same place. A cheap solution to settling in accidents.

Dave · Enlightened One

Hi Folks, just caught up with this thread, I'm a bit reluctant to express any opinion here so I'm not going to, all I'll say is there's a number of other effective training methods available for your hounds which 100% differ (and at times conflict) with the Jan Fennel 'pack' approach and I'd urge all dog owners interested in the behavioural aspect of their dogs to investigate these other avenues and see what best fits you and your dog.