Tonight I am quite upset and disillusioned.

Tonight I am quite upset and disillusioned. The woman who runs the rescue place where we got Timmy has been looking at my progress updates and not only disapproves of my training methods, it seems that I'm over training him. But worst of all is that she is also turning the words I wrote last night to make it look like I have been ill treating him so much so they are sending out a representative on Saturday to do something, I'm not really sure what. Anyway if anyone else thinks what I wrote last night means I beat or ill treat him you are absolutely wrong. I've never raised my hand, voice or anything else to him in anger and as for the training it's all fun and games to both of us. He loves the interaction and he's allowed to quit whenever he wants, usually though it's me that gets fed up first.

 

Tonight we did some sit and stay, the sitting part isn't really training anymore though as he is now the best sitter in our house. We also played the LEAVE IT game. This is where I drop or place a treat on the floor and if he ignores it he gets a treat from my hand then at the end he also gets the treat from the floor. Neither session lasted more than a couple of minutes.

 

Today in the garden we have been lifting and storing Dahlia tubers.

 

Lessons on road walking.

Today we had to plant some shrubs down the sides of the avenue which is outside the confines of the main garden. For a while I had Timmy fastened by a long lead to a tree next to where I was working but when the time came to go and fetch a wheel barrow full of compost I decided to see what he would do when I let him off the lead. He followed me to the compost area okay and was happy to sniff around so I took my eye off him for a minute and next thing you know he was rolling around in the pile of horse manure next to the compost pile. After a quick brush down he then followed me back to the planting site but instead of stopping he continued on so I called him back and he stopped but hesitated so I called again and he came back so far before diverting in to the old garden where we burn rubbish. I called him again but he was now deliberately ignoring  me and he knew it because when I caught up with him he started rolling around in the bonfire ash thinking he was going to be getting some sort of punishment. In actual fact I was more concerned about him rolling around in the ashes as I didn't want them all in his coat. To my mind his punishment was once again being confined to the lead, I didn't need to hit or shout as he already knew he did wrong and if I'd beaten him he would have been less likely to have come back to me next time he felt that he did something wrong. I'm thinking now that perhaps the second call I gave may have led him to think he was already in trouble which is why he diverted in to the old garden on the way back to me although I do know there are rabbits in there so I don't know for sure. I know my second call had a ring of desperation to it as he was about to disappear around the corner and out of sight.

 

These last few of mornings we have been coming back through the village purposely to give him some lessons on road walking. The first morning we both nearly end up in a heap on the floor when Timmy decided to do a figure of eight in and around my legs, it would seem that walking on the road at seven in the morning is very exciting. Since then things have gone very well so much so that this morning he did a proper walk by my side with very little correction for pulling. There is no footpath on the part where we walk but the cars don't bother him in the slightest.

Apparently previous owners have always provided him with a pillow on which to rest his weary head, or at least that's what he tells me so I thought I'd better do the same.

Sit & Stay.

Today we have been doing some sit and stay training. We tend to do stuff in small amounts rather than prolonged sessions on one subject. I'm not a trainer so don't know if this is the right approach, it just feels right. He is very good at sitting when asked, especially if there is a treat to be had, very often sitting without even being asked. He is not so eager to stay though.

We have also done more work in the car. Up until now most of the car work has involved the back seat, mainly because he really didn't like the tailgate entrance to the car and also I am able to get on to the back seat and so encourage him to do so. Anyway now that he seems to have got the back seat under control I thought why not now move on to the rear compartment which is where he will be travelling along with Tess when we go places. The back seat is okay but we really like to keep that area of the car clean for people to use. So at feeding time tonight I showed him his dinner bowl before putting it in the rear of the car and then tried to get him to jump in but he didn't want to so I remembered what Cesar Millan once said which was to keep them moving forward so I walked him away and then turned back to the car and walked towards it and as he got close told him UP and like magic he jumped straight in the car and eat his dinner. After he finished I asked him to leave which he did but as I turned to get his bowl he jumped straight back in again so that was the icing on the cake for that lesson.

Apart from the usual walks the rest of the day has been spent helping me in the garden. We have been moving plants from the unheated conservatory to the heated greenhouses. He likes to help me either watching or following me around.

 

Below is a sit and stay moment for the camera.

In He Jumped Just LikeThat.

For a few days now after taking Timothy - Michael for a walk I have fed him part of his daily feed in his bowl on the back seat of the car. Up until this morning I have gone in first and then encouraged him to follow me which he has done quite willingly. This morning however I put the bowl of food in the car and on returning from the walk I opened the door and encouraged him to go get his dinner while I remained outside and in he jumped just like that. I was really pleased and let him know it once he had finished, and the best part was that I had to ask him to leave the car as he was quite happy to just sniff around. A few minutes later with the help of Vicki we also managed to get him to jump in through the tailgate of the car which he has a particular dislike too and again he seemed quite happy to stay there a while. So as things were going so well I got Vicki to drive us a couple of miles down the road and drop us off so that we could walk back across the fields which of course he enjoyed immensely. He wasn't settled in the car while travelling but he wasn't going frantic so hopefully he hasn't been put off by the sudden leap forward.

 

Timmy on the walk back home.

 

Has anyone seen Timothy - Michael?

We haven't had time to post anything for a couple of days due to being busy keeping grandma and granddad rounded up.

Can anyone spot Timothy - Michael, I don't know where he is.

We have been learning 'LEAVE IT', which he seems to have got the hang of while I'm around to say the words but when I'm not around everything is fair game to him. For instance last night I left him in the care of my wife Vicki while I took my parents home which is a round trip of about three hours. On returning home I discovered that he had raided a bag of stocking fillers and eaten a whole packet of biscuits and torn to pieces a large tub of Smarties. The thing I found interesting is that he ripped the cardboard tube to bits but didn't appear to have touched the Smaties which were scattered around the floor.

We had the tractor out on Thursday so Tess came to help in the garden also as she loves a ride in the trailer.

We have also been continuing the car lessons which have progressed well. With a little coxing he will now get on the back seat for treats and his food although I would go so far as to say he is happy about it beyond filling his stomach but it's certainly good progress for a week. I notice too that he no longer avoids passing the car and even sniffs around he doors when he is given the chance. When we first started he didn't want to leave the garden if he could see the car parked outside.

Timmy met his grandma and granddad.

We have had a pretty quiet day today although that's not to say that we achieved nothing. For a while now I have been conscious of the amount of time that I have been spending with Timothy - Michael and worry that it might bring about problems when it comes to having to leave him at home when such times arise, especially after surfing the worktops and what have you. He seems quite happy to be left in the garden but that's not ideal at this time of year. Anyway this morning I had no choice but to leave him so I did what I could to make the table and worktops Timmy proof, put on the radio and left Tess with him. I was away for ninety minutes and returned to maybe find chaos but not a bit of it, everything was as I had left it, not even a wee, so I am very pleased about that.

After lunch he met the boss and was very well behaved - Timmy was good too! I've always had permission to take my dog to work, I wouldn't have applied to rescue a dog otherwise. However things move on and times change so I thought it best to reaffirm the permission now that I had a new dog and thankfully he was more than happy to allow him to help me in the gardens. He even gave him permission to play with the posh dogs if I wanted so that was good.

Playing with his new football.

I found two footballs this morning, one a bit tatty and the other quite new so he now has two at home and one at work.

We have spent most of the day in and around the potting shed, mostly tidying up and putting things away for the winter. After a play with his new football he was happy just to lie around watching me, I found him an old coat to lie on rather than the concrete - I'm probably being too soft now.

Are you comfortable sir?

Tonight Timmy met his grandma and granddad, It wasn't the best introduction because before granddad even got through the front door he went and dropped his walking stick on Timmy's head, where upon Timmy backed off and gave him a very disapproving look. Granddad being mortified by his actions tried to make amends by offering a treat but Timmy wasn't going to be won over  by a treat given by this stranger who had just walked in and hit him over the head with a stick so I stepped in and suggested that everyone just go about their business and leave Timmy to come to them when he had forgiven them which he soon did. He has taken very much to his new grandma.

The smell of ham was too tempting.

Today Timothy-Michael has decided to have a naughty day. By 9am I had caught him on the kitchen table looking through the window at me and then he went and stole Vicki’s lunch out of her bag. I guess the smell of ham was too tempting.

Timmy has done quite a lot of playing again today. When at work he has a little ball that he throws around the place and at home he has the football and without intruding too much I managed to kick the football a few times and he actually chased after it, so I see that as another step forward.

Timmy playing ball by himself.

Today we had another first experience. I was sat at home having my tea break when I heard a scratching on the door so I turned round thinking it was Tess wanting to be let out but I got a nice surprise, it was Timmy standing there. So I quickly jumped up and praised him all the way in to the garden where he immediately took care of business.

I'm watching you.

We also had another little go in the car and I implemented some of the suggestions received from various people. I opened the far door before getting in and then I went round and got in at the other side, he came to the door so I passed him a treat which he took so I placed the next one on the edge of the seat and moved away and he took that so I then place a line of treats along the seat and climbed out of the far door. I could tell he wanted to get them but was hesitating so I put a little pressure on the lead and that was enough. He slowly climbed in and moved along the seat picking up the treats and when he had the last one I told him he was a good boy and asked him to leave the car before he had chance to think it might be scary. I then shut the doors and gave him a big fuss and left it at that for today.

New toys.

Someone suggested buying him some rope toys for the house so I got a pack of three which will stay in his room. I gave Tess one but she showed no interest in them.

This is an addition after I posted the above. As we were getting ready to go up to bed Vicki was playing with Timmy which was fine until she started to play with his feet. She was rubbing each one in turn when he suddenly went for her biting both her hand and leg.

We have a footballer in the making.

Today we have had another busy day. Apart from the usual morning and evening walks plus a day in the garden Timothy - Michael Spent a few minutes in the house alone and he seemed fine when I got back.

 

We also had a go at playing Frisbee with a bucket lid but he wasn't impressed so we soon gave up on that idea. He has had a little chat with the posh doggies in the front garden, they get on okay, in fact Willow seems very keen to come and play.

 

In the afternoon we brought Tess to the garden with us. She wasn't too keen preferring instead to lounge around on the sofa but I wanted to see them play together and how they reacted and after watching them I think Timmy is using Tess as a pretend sheep. There was the odd skirmish but I told him NO and he backed off. After a little chat and a cuddle he seemed to tone things down a little and I didn't sense any real nastiness.

 

At lunch break we spent some time in the back seat of the car, well I did, Timmy sat just outside and we practised reaching in for treats, he was a very brave little man.

 

The best thing of all though was when we discovered an old football in the bushes. At first he wasn't sure what to make of it and just sat there trying to pull bits off it but then he decided it was loads more fun to toss it around the garden and then pounce on it. There was one time tonight when he flung it the height of the bedroom window. I think we have a footballer in the making.

 

 

He has spent the night lying around so I think he must be a bit tired.

Car Sensitive Timmy Vid.01

Today we had a good day, three separate walkies amounting to between 5 and 6 miles. Also with a little coxing Timothy - Michael volunteered to put his front paws into the back of the car at which point we called it quits for the day. It might not seem a big deal but he did it all himself on a completely slack lead. Tonight on the TV there were some sheep and this freaked him out so much we had to turn off the TV. He turned instantly into a completely different dog to the one we have had for the past week. Even with the TV on a different channel it took him over half an hour to return to something like his new self. Someone should be locked up for what they have done to this dog.

Timmy playing.

This is our 7th day of having Timothy- Michael stay with us.

This is our 7th day of having Timothy- Michael stay with us. In the main he is fitting in very well and although there have been set backs the general progress is going forward at quite a pace. So far there are 3 main problems we need to work together on and they are possession of toys, and maybe other things. Twice now he has attacked Tess after attention was switched from him to her and it's quite upsetting when that happens.

Timmy with his work ball.

Spending more time alone. He can be with me alot of the time at work but not all the time. He'd been fine by himself for an hour or so but on Thursday afternoon he took to the work tops in the kitchen and broke a couple of vases and was quite upset when I got home. I had introduced a crate in to the area in the morning, not to shut him in but to make him a doggy cave like the one Tess has so whether that spooked him or whether he just loves being with me so much in the garden I don't know as I haven't forced the issue since thinking it best to let the memories of the other day fade away.

The other problem is the car. He is quite afraid of it but needs to lose his fear or he will miss out on holidays, days out on the hills and getting spoilt rotten by grandma and grandad. I know I could just get hold of him and throw him in but I would rather he chose to go in of his own accord.

On the plus side he has stopped marking both indoors and out. He has a place in the garden to go and a couple of places on our walks where he is encouraged to go and he seems happy with that. I do often remind him when indoors but mostly when we sit down he also does the same, no more pacing.

He is happy to follow me around when working only wandering off now and again and he usually comes when I call him although I don't feel confident in letting him off on walks yet as he sometimes shows an interest in pheasants.

Timmy playing with his ball on a rope.

He is also showing more and more interest in playing with toys, in particular balls. He likes to push them around with his nose and feet and throw them in the air which is quite a joy to see. I try to throw the ball for him but for some reason that frightens him, he backs off and walks away. He seems to have a strong instinct for owning things so maybe he sees me as claiming it as mine and so moves away.

Cheeky Boy.

Timothy-Michael back at work after his visit to the hairdressers yesterday. He surprised me yesterday when I discovered him walking round the garden with one of Tesses tennis balls in his mouth. Up until then he had shown no interest in balls. This morning I left him alone for an hour while I did some chores and came back to find he had been playing with my old shoes so I'm going to find him some stuff to play with. It's good to see him slowly coming out and showing his real character. He's a very cheeky boy who already has me trained to open the treats cupboard door.

Timothy - Michael.

Here are a few pictures of Michael, who has been re-named Timmy. I had nothing against the name Michael but all our dogs have had a name beginning with T so we thought it would be good to keep up the tradition.

As you will see from the pictures he has started to make himself at home in the garden, he enjoys coming to work with me whenever he can which has been most of the time this week. It's nice to see him settle down and be quite content just to listen and look around. Tess has never been able to do this, if I don't keep her occupied with a ball she either goes and sits by the gate waiting to go home or she is off doing things which is okay as she never does any harm but it's not much company for me. So I find it nice to have company and reminds me very much of Tommy in this respect.

We knew before we took to Timmy that there would be things to overcome and this has turned out to be true. The least desirable of his habits was his desire to mark with wee. I noticed this when walking him at the rescue but it also continued indoors when we got him home. He left his mark several times on the Sunday evening and many more times on the Monday so I looked up some information on it and decided to watch him every second that he was on his feet and every time he took an interest in something tell him, 'No wee wee'. I don't suppose at this stage he understands the words but I think he knows what I mean because the last two days have been completely wee free indoors. It might seem a strange thing to do but I try not to allow him to wee when out on a walk. Because he is confined by the lead for the time being his wee wee place for the time being is anywhere in the garden so I give him time to go before I put the lead on and leave the garden. After that there are to be no wee's. I allow him to sniff but move him on before he gets chance to mark and then say, 'good boy'. I don't know if this is having any affect or whether he has marked everything he wants to in the house but since I started there have been no more accidents indoors.

The other problem I need to sort out is his reluctance to get in the car. I'm wondering if he associates this with being moved to various different places and left there. If so hopefully as he travels to more places and doesn't get left there he will become okay with it. He is a bit stressed when travelling but so far has not made any mess which is worth a great deal.

Collecting Michael.

Yesterday we went over to Wiccaweys to take a look at Michael and as everything went alright we ended up bringing him home. Everything is at sixes and sevens at the moment but he is a good natured boy so I'm sure things will turn out fine in time. The worst problem he has at the moment is his desire to mark what he thinks should belong to him so that is the first thing that I need to work on.

Daughter Fallon, me and Vicki with Tess and Michael taken at the rescue place.

 

 

New Things For A New Start.

All being well this time tomorrow we will have a new member of the family and in preparation for this I have bought him/her a new bed, collar and lead. We already have plenty of everything but I thought that it would be nice for it to start of with new things of it's own.

Below is the bed, the cover is removable and washable and cost £30 from Amazon.

Below is the matching collar and lead. Again from Amazon costing £13.

 

A Home Inspection From A Wiccaweys Representative.

Yesterday morning we had the home inspection carried out by Andy a Wiccaweys representative. We had a good chat with him and learnt more about the adoption process. We also had to fill in an extensive questionnaire so that the adoption people can better gauge our experience and therefore hopefully match a dog to our needs. We did apply for one named Michael originally but maybe there is someone else better suited to us. Also Michael is the sort of dog that can be easily homed so maybe it would be more worthwhile if we could use our experience to provide a home to a dog that is not so desirable for whatever reason.

So the next step is to give the a few days to look through everything and decide what might suit us and we can give them a call and arrange a visit to the adoption home and get to see our new family member. They like all members plus any dogs to attend so that they can make sure the dogs and people are all in harmony so I am hoping that will happen next weekend.

Home Inspection Arranged.

We've just had some good news. The home inspection with regard to dog adoption has been arranged for Saturday morning at 10am. This is quite a relief because we had become disheartened due to not having heard anything from the adoption people. Both Vicki and I had made phone calls but neither had been replied too so we were sort of giving up and looking elsewhere. I'm probably not going to be able to sleep now!