Walking through the ravine

Walking through the ravine has become part of our daily exercise. There are several paths leading off so we can vary the walk.

Sit

Today we had a long walk in the ravine. Shula really enjoyed it running backwards and forwards. We met a man with a very nice dog who played with Shula for a while, she is still a bit timid with other dogs so I am a bit careful as I would hate to meet an aggressive dog that might put her off being friendly.

We did some sit training which looks pretty good when we get it right, but it is still a bit hit and miss. I find if I hold her collar under the chin this stops her jumping up. Usually as soon as she has had her treat she is up again but this time she stayed long enough for the photo.

BQQ in the rain

Shula's Brother Patch

We had a very nice weekend although it rained all day on Saturday. Ken and I went to a BBQ in the evening although we did have to eat inside. Shula was good while we were away, we left her with a chewy treat and a Kong toy and a ball filled with treats, all was quiet when we arrived home.

Sunday we had friends to lunch and she was very good not pestering at the table, she just came up once or twice but went and lay down when she was told. Laying down when she is told is not a problem but getting her to sit is not so easy. Normally I would just hold a treat slightly over the dogs head then as it sat to take the treat I would say 'sit' and give it the treat. With Shula this does not work as she tries to jump up and if you push her backside down she just folds up and lays down. I will have to rethink the technique but there is no rush, it is early days yet and she is doing very well.

What have you got?

Why is it that whatever toys you buy dogs they always prefer some old stick they find in the garden.

A Rare Rainy Day In Spain

Shula doesn't seem to mind the rain as long as you are out with her.

Great Walk

Penny

I took Shula to the ravine today and we had a great walk. She was a lot more confident off the lead and really enjoyed it. We met a friend of mine with her dog Bobby and had a walk with them. The two dogs got on well, I was pleased as I really want to socialize her with other dogs. Ken came to meet us on the way back.

Some friends came round and Shula was very friendly, and good. I think they thought I had exaggerated how nervous she was, but she really is a different dog to the one I picked up two weeks ago. The only time she gets really frightened now is when we are somewhere she hasn't been before and even that is getting better.

The house training is going well. We have a place in the garden where I take her morning and evening and a few times during the day. I just say 'do wee' and she does. I am still watching her in the house but it is a week since she had an accident so we are making progress.

I checked the F A M A website today and found that Shula's sister Penny has been adopted.

Digging the Garden

Shula is certainly feeling her feet and has to be watched in the garden as she likes to dig. I am certain she knows it is wrong because she rushes off as soon as she sees you coming. It is hard to be cross but I think I will have to find a way to deter her if I want to keep my garden looking reasonable.

This evening she came in with muddy feet, which in a way was lucky because we discovered a leaking pipe which would not have been noticed until tomorrow. I think she thought digging muddy ground was fun but getting her feet and face washed was not so good.

Out in the car

Yesterday Ken and I took Shula out in the car. I needed to register my mobile phone which is now a requirement in Spain and has to be done before November. This has to be done at a phone shop and the nearest shop dealing with my supplier is in Fuengirola which is about a 15 minute drive. Shula was reasonably calm driving there, although I did sit in the back of the car with her. While I was in the shop Ken walked her round the car park, he kept the lead attached to her harness rather than her collar which she has a tendency to slip if she panics. He said she was good for the first walk round but got a bit agitated when cars went past. He was just walking back to the car when she saw me and was so excited she forgot all her nerves. The journey back was much better and she finally lay down just before we reached home.

Ham Bone

Ken and I went to a party last night, it was the longest we have left Shula since we got her. I bought her a ham bone from the pet shop attached to the local vets. On one hand it was a big success and on the other a huge mistake. I gave her the bone ten minutes or so before we went out and she took it immediately to her bed to chew it. When we left she was so occupied she didn't even come to the door. When we got home all was quiet and she had chewed quite a lot of the bone away. As soon as we got in she went to her water dish which was empty so we gave her a drink and had to refill the bowl as she drank it all. She was fine during the night but kept drinking water as soon as she got up. The bone was obviously salty which made her want to drink. During the morning she had a couple of accidents in the house, the first I didn't catch her but did the second time and she was told off. This really subdued her, since then I have taken extra care to watch her and take her out round the garden. Ham bones are definitely off the menu, I will have to find some other sort of chew for when we leave her in future.

Lunch time we took her to our local club which was her first outing in the car since she came home from the kennels. I have sat a couple of times in the car with her to get her used to it. She was a bit nervous but quite good. At the club she lay quietly at my feet, everyone was very impressed. I am not sure if it was just luck or the fact that she was overwhelmed on her first real outing, whatever I hope she continues to be so good.

One Week

We have had Shula a whole week now and she has come on in leaps and bounds. Around the house and garden she has lots of confidence, it is only when she is out on the lead that she seems nervous, but that is getting better. I am really pleased because she walks quite nicely and doesn't pull.

We had visitors yesterday and she was very friendly, but not too pushy. I really don't want her to get into the habit of jumping on people when they come in, but it is hard to stop her when they encourage her. I think I am going to have to ask people not to make a fuss of her when they first arrive.

The house training is also going well, we have only had one accident so far and as we didn't actually see her in the act there was nothing we could do. I take her out in the garden first thing in the morning and last thing at night, and regularly throughout the day. I take her to the same spot and encourage her and make a huge fuss when she does what I ask. I then take her straight back in and give her a treat. Quite often we come back out and play but I want to get her into a routine of knowing why she is out.

This morning we left her to go shopping and were out for over an hour. I gave her the Kong toy but we could hear her crying when we left. It was all quiet when we got back and we stayed outside listening for a few minutes. She was so excited when we opened the door, we made lots of fuss of her. There are not many places we go that we can't take her but she has to learn to stay alone for the odd occasion when she has to be left.

Jaunty Little Dog

Yesterday Ken and I took Shula out for a walk to a place we could let her off the lead. She was very nervous but followed us and didn't stray too far. She certainly was not the jaunty little dog she is in the garden but everything is new to her and it will take time.

I was a bit nervous because we had to walk in a road which is just round the corner to us and is quite busy with through traffic. The drivers here in Spain are crazy and this reflects in the car insurance which costs three times the price it is in the UK, that tells you how many accidents there are. Drivers rarely stop at crossings. There doesn't seem to be a law requiring them to stop, they just must not hit you so they tend to go round, not the best thing when you are walking a nervous dog.

This morning she got a bit to close to the cat and the cat chased her. Poor Shula hid under a chair, still she has to learn the cats must be left alone.

Wednesday

I continued today with Shula's lead training and she is walking quite well, she is a lot more confident in the garden but getting better in the street.


At the moment it seems like a full time job watching her as she does have a tendency to chew. I bought her a Kong toy which keeps her attention for a while and we play with her a lot. She seems to have bursts of energy where she dashes round, then flakes out and sleeps.

First Walk

Today I have taken Shula out on her lead twice, only to the end of the road and back but I think she enjoyed it. She is still very nervous with new things so it is important to keep encouraging her. We are very fortunate that we live in a small one way street with not much through traffic, but I did stop and hold her when a car past as there is no pavement.

Settling Down

Pippa

Shula seems to have settled in quite well. She is very friendly and follows us around everywhere. She does understand no, which is fortunate as this seems to be our favourite word at the moment.

Yesterday I started training her to walk on a lead, just keeping her attention and with treats and encouragement I managed to get her to walk by the side of me. Each time I just walked once round the garden and then let her off the lead. We had about half a dozen sessions and she got better every time. This morning we had another few lessons and varied it by walking up and down. I can't say she enjoys it but I expect that will come when we actually start to take her out.

She seems to have gotten over her fascination with the cats as yesterday she ran up to Pippa and Pippa took a swipe at her. I don't know if the cat caught her but she yelped and has not been near it since.

The travel kennel has not been a big success, because it is a bit too small, she seems to like to curl up for a while then stretch out. Anyway, last night we got her settled in her basket and she alternated between it and stretching out on a rug, so that is her night quarters sorted.

I think we may have a bit of a problem leaving her alone as she is not happy being on her own. Anyway it is just another problem to overcome, and it is early days yet.

First Day

Ken and I went to collect Shula this morning. The kennel girl let her out into the paddock with her brother and sister so we could make a fuss of her and get her settled down before we put her collar and lead on. I sat in the back of the car on the way home with her on my knee. She was very frightened and before we had gone too far she wet all over my jeans. Poor little dog I could feel her heart pounding, probably that was only about the second time she had been in a vehicle. The drive back seemed longer than on the way there and Shula was sick just before we got home, fortunately I had covered the back seat with an old blanket.

As soon as we got home I took her straight out into the garden, she was very nervous and curled up on the terrace. She slept for the next four hours, half the time under a table and the other half in her basket.

When she eventually woke up I encouraged her to walk round the garden and she gradually gained courage. She loves to be stroked and rolls on her back as soon as she is approached. I think training her to walk with a collar and lead will take a bit of time and patience.

After a while she discovered one of the cats and kept going up to it and barked a couple of times. She seems to understand the word no and she will not be allowed to upset the cats, but so far so good, the cat is sat on the terrace and the dog is in her basket at the moment. I think the next couple of weeks will be quite hard work training her but lots of fun, she is a delightful dog.

Preparation

This morning Ken and I went out to buy Shula a collar and lead and also a harness. The reason for the harness is because on Wednesday when we went to see her, as the girl tried to put her on a lead to bring her out of the kennel, she got in a panic and slipped her collar. The harness, hopefully, is only a tempory measure as extra security until she is used to walking with a collar and lead. I already have a basket which is very old as I had it for my first dog when I was nine, but it is still serviceable. We also bought 20 metres of fencing for the bottom of the hedge along one side of our garden. Fortunately the rest has a wall round it.

My friend Carmen has loaned me a travel kennel which I am hoping will be big enough for Shula , because I would like to contain her at night, at least until she is used to us, and the house.

Shula

Today I went to see my new dog.

This all started a few weeks ago when I went to a lunch given by my friend who is into animal rescue. I met a lady who runs a small dog rescue centre and she told me they had a little black and white collie type cross looking for a home.

Ken and I went to see her this morning. She is around eight months old and was found with her brother and sister running wild on a golf course when they were a few months old. Nothing is known about their background, whether they were dumped, or just born to a wild dog, but all of them were extremely nervous.

I think it will take a lot of time and patience because although she wants to be friendly and loves to be stroked she is very, very timid. Since she has been living in kennels she has not been house trained or taught to walk on a lead so they will be priorities when we get her home, which will be Saturday as we need a few days to prepare for her.

We have decided to call her Shula.