Saturday 14 January 2012

A busy saturday resulting in a tired puppy

We didn't go to bed until after midnight and Rodders was out in the garden for a good ten minutes before bed. He didn't wake up until 8.30am!

After a quick snuggle he was happy to go out in to the garden for a while as I made a cuppa. We then had a quick snuggle on the sofa and he ate some breakfast before going upstairs for me to get washed and dressed. Rodders was happy to lie on the bed while I pottered about the bedroom getting my clothes ready and get dressed, in fact he didn't want to get off there once I was dressed!

He had no choice as I wanted to do a circuit of the rugby field early to see if I could find his lead, otherwise we would have to go to the Pet Shop for another one before puppy school.

Once he was down on the floor he didn't want to come downstairs to start with and then when he did he wanted to go out in to the garden which was fine, it gives me a chance to put my coat on and grab what I need before he starts leaping all over me!

Just before I was ready to put on my wellies I called him in.  He hesitated for a moment, until he spotted that I had my coat on, and then he came flying in. As I was putting on my wellies he was jumping all over them and making it very difficult as usual. Once the door is open and he is told to sit and wait he does calm down but we do need to sort out his behaviour while we are getting ready to go out, being excited is fine but he needs to stop trying to attack my wellies as this just slows us down.

Again we have had a heavy frost and it was very crisp underfoot. We got to the rugby field without him me falling over to be greeted with white grass and trees, it was really pretty. We started to retrace our steps from yesterday and got about of a third of the way down the first side when I spotted the lead hanging from a branch of a tree. Thank you so much to the dog walker that put it up there for me to find! It was frozen solid and wouldn't bend to start with! We carried on around the field taking our time now that we knew we didn't have to go shopping. We met two people stood together with Westies. Jackie who we have met before just barked at Rodders but the other one was happy to say hello and a bit if a play. After a few minutes we carried on our way and Jackie followed not far behind. Rodders kept looking back and trying to go to him so it was a bit of a nightmare trying to get him off the field but we did it eventually. My feet were freezing by the time I got home. While I unlocked the door I made Rodders sit and then dropped the lead, luckily he didn't run off! I haven't let him loose at all yet and this was just an experiment to see how we did.

I managed a cuppa and found my ski socks for extra insulation before it was time to go to Puppy School, there is lots to say about that so I will leave it for a separate post.

When we got back I swapped out of my wellies in to my boots and swapped coats before putting Rodders in his bed with some treats and a chew. I went and treated myself to a Windmill Breakfast, washed down with a cuppa, before going off in search of Freesia's for tomorrow. I eventually found them in the third shop I visited and got them to wrap me up four lots of three stems for tomorrow with an extra set for me.

Back home Rodders wanted to go in the garden after a quick fuss and then came back in to eat his lunch. He is quite happy eating now that I am soaking his kibble again.

After a bit of a rest and a bit of television for me, while Rodders had a play, we headed out for a walk up the Nicky Line and down towards Keen Fields. Rodders was really good until we bumped in to a lady with four children and they seemed to unsettle him a bit. After that he kept sitting and waiting for me to call him. The light was beginning to go by the time we got to Keen Fields so, after a quick run around where Rodders found a stray ball, we headed back towards home. He did keep sitting but he was happy to run and chase the ball if I threw it in front of me. We usually carry on up the Nicky Line and come home via the rugby field but Rodders sat at the bottom of the steps by the church and refused to go any further so I swapped leads and we came back the way we came.

Once home I stood on the doorstep and went to get the key out but it wasn't there. I then checked all of my pockets and still couldn't find it. Damn, looks like we will be walking the Nicky Line again early tomorrow to see if we can find it. It must have come out of my pocket when I got a poo bag out. It really is becoming a habit for me to lose something on a walk but this is a bit more serious than a lead. Luckily Bob and Pat next door have spares and, even better, they were home.

I was quite chilly by the time we got back so I decided to have a bath. I haven't done this on my own in the house since Rodders got here so I put some liver treats in his dental Kong and then we headed upstairs. He was a little star as I ran the bath and got undressed. His Kong kept him amused and quiet for about 15-20 minutes before he got bored. He stood at the door and was barking as he wanted out of the bathroom but I asked him to sit and wait. He did sit but carried on making a noise, almost talking to me, until I got out of the bath. Not a bad first attempt.

Since we came downstairs he has been asleep on his bed pad. Obviously two walks and puppy school is too much for one day!

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