A scent hound!!

• TG is officially a fully fledged scent hound now. He carefully followed the scent of another dog round four sides of the field to end up back with me as I chatted with the other dog's owner. What a clever boy.
• Taking him into the surrounding woods can be a bit of trial as his special 'scenting skill' takes him far, far away. Sometimes it's a long wait until he comes back.
• TG went on his holidays again last week. He disgraced himself a bit by stealing a yoghurt off his 'carers' worktop. Probably my fault as I give him my empty yoghurt pot to lick out every morning.Oooops!!
• YGd(Youngest Granddaughter) has discovered TG's weak spot that can send him into his crate jolly quick smart. YGd just blows a raspberry at him and he melts away. Clever her I think.
• AF has purchased a new, larger, halti for TG. Now we have less of a struggle to get it on his nose for his walk.
• TG is not a fan of the brush and comb. An expensive solution was to buy a new vacum cleaner to pick up the dirt and spare hair left on the carpet. 
• TG has the unfortunate attribute of spreading 'dog gob' up the walls when he shakes his head, beard and ears. Not good!!!
• TG still doesn't understand why getting muddy on the fields deserves a hosing down in the garden when he gets back home.
• TG finds 'big dogs' (horses) quite intimidating soTG and AF often take an unexpected detour when TG prefers to flee from, rather than pass by, the big, brown beasties.

One year old!!!

Recently a friend asked if we would have taken on TG if we had known how big he was going to get. Who can tell? When you buy a dog as a puppy you're not quite sure how big their going to become but you have the opportunity to train them in your ways from the start. On the other hand when buying a dog from a Rescue Centre size is less unpredictable but behaviour is very uncertain.

We knew that TG was going to be bigger than breed standard and had some idea of his potential size. He is bigger than any dog we've had before but we have had the opportunity to train him from the start. His training has gone OK, he is great fun, really good and we wouldn't change him or anything about him. He is the happy, fun-loving, amusing, thoroughly nice dog that it said on the tin.

There are inevitably hiccoughs. Recently we have lost him four times up in the hills near the house. He just sneaks off, then you see the deer running across the field, then you see TG following in hot pursuit. No amount of whistling or calling can break his concentration - it's his nature as a scent hound to follow the scent of large game. I have left him behind, come home, then walked back to meet him coming down the hill when he has either lost the scent or the deer has gone to ground. We have had the telephone call. "We have your dog. He's in the front garden looking lost." and have gone to collect him. 

The dog is quite unrepentant however so we have stopped taking him on that particular walk at the moment until the deer go higher up into the hills. 

He loves to cuddle and despite his size will climb onto a convenient lap given half a chance.

Sometimes his habit of eating the junk mail can be useful but recently he ate one side of a Christmas Lunch menu that a colleague had ordered. It was really embarrassing for PL to have to ring the person and explain the situation - made even worse as the person had forgotten what he had ordered!!!

TG also ate the 'don't want it' side from a Boden order causing the use of lots of sellotape. The Boden staff must have had a laugh at the explanation for the state of the returned form.
We hope that TG's mum would be as proud of him as he is of her with her exceptional winning ways in the show ring that we read about. TG has a lot to live up to and, one year on, he is doing very nicely thank you.

Full of Testosterone.

Let me tell you the tale as PL told it to me.

"I (PL) was walking on the usual round and let TG off at the top of the hill. TG ran on ahead but disappeared behind the lake. I went looking for TG but he crossed the stream at the back of the lake and went into the garden of M.&L. I (PL) ran round into the garden of M.&L. only to see TG leave said garden, cross the stream, go round the lake to 'visit' with some doggy buddies. I caught up with them but TG ran off again before I could collar him."

Pause for breath.

"TG ran into the field adjacent to the one I (PL) and TG were aiming for. I called and whistled TG but when TG came back he couldn't get through the gate. I (PL) had to put down the umbrella and lead so that I could climb the gate. I caught TG and threw him back over, fortunately TG waited so we (PL and TG) went straight back home."

They (PL & TG) arrived back home soaked to the skin. PL dried himself and TG, who was  banished to the kitchen. TG and PL both then had their evening meal. 

The next day TG and PL went to the Town Centre to undertake various 'errands'. At the Post Office PL tied TG up to a sturdy, wooden bench. After a couple of minutes waiting in the queue a man rushed in to the PO.

 "Is that your dog outside?" "He's pulled the bench across the road!!!"

TG had single-handedly (or quad-pawdly) dragged the bench across the road, fortunately without causing an accident. It took the collective strength of PL and another man to carry the bench back. The story is reaching legend proportions in the town already.

 TG is having a lot of fun at the moment which means not a lot of fun for AF and PL. AF had to leave him on the hill alone again. TG decided that as he had had such fun before he would disappear at the same spot again. AF once again whistled and called him for 10 - 15 minutes but to no avail. PL once again went up the field to rescue him and bring him home!! Since then TG has not disappeared again but watch this space.

At the moment he is sick and bad again after eating 'goodness knows what' on the field. TG decided that a little piece of cooked chicken and rice would be just about right for his tummy.

Note to self. Make a vet's appointment for TG to be .....................



Disappearing dog.



Back for a treat.

Having good days and bad days.

Good Days.

Consistently coming back to AF when the whistle is blown.

Not jumping up on people.
Just being a dog.
Playing with other dogs but coming back to AF when called.

Bad Days.
Disappearing into the woods and not returning when whistle blown.
Throwing new plants and earth all over the garden.

Digging huge holes in the garden.

A 'sort of' sorry TG drying off in his crate.

Today is a really bad day. AF has had to come home without him.

TG was being very good. He was chasing various scents, as is his wont, but always coming back for a treat. Coming down the hill TG decided to follow a particularly delicious scent and he just vanished. AF stood for 10 minutes calling and whistling but of TG there was no sign.

It's a difficult decision to leave a dog behind but there was no choice so here I am, at home, without TG. Oh Dear!!

PL has gone to look for him and it's raining!!

TG is now back home only a little bit chastened after waiting at the top of the hill for someone to rescue him!!!

Earlier in the week TG was sick, diarrhea-y and feeling bad. A visit to the vet and £50 later he had perked up and was back to normal. How do dogs manage to do that?

Going on long walks!!!

I have been quite impressed at TG's behaviour this week. Twice he has managed to ignore a group of cows in a field leaving them alone to peacefully graze. (Pity he didn't do the same with a group of sheep that he did investigate a little bit - but as he wasn't with AF it doesn't count?)

AND THEN

as AF and TG went through another field that had two big, round, pink pigs in I did anticipate a bit of trouble - they are rather attractive to an innocent puppy. However, to TG's credit, he only showed a mild interest by dancing in front of them both and running round in circles for a little while before prancing off with a nonchalant air. (AF was jumping up and down whistling, at the end of the field, at the time!). So good dog!!!

By the end of the week however, he had had enough of being good and naughtiness took him over.

Part of the reason was the late hour that he gets his walk at the weekend. PL takes him at 11 am  rather than 9 am, so the devil makes work for idle (doggy) hands (paws) whilst TG is waiting.

As usual AF was multi-tasking so as well as gardening on Saturday she was also knitting an upside-down Cinderella Doll for the Youngest Granddaughter (YGdd). TG was out and about - doing a bit of gardening - in and out of the house - minding his own business - you get the picture?? After a while PL came into the garden to say to AF "When you have tidied up out here I suggest you go inside and sort out your knitting."

Shock, shock horror. TG had had a wonderful time tossing balls of wool about, weaving multi-coloured spiders' webs all around the house and unravelling the precious knitting. Needless to say AF was not happy and spent the rest of the day sorting it all out and rewinding wool.

The wool and knitting is now 'up high'.

What a bad dog? What a careless AF? 

AF was not really paying him back but she did skim the fur on his bottom a bit close with the shears tonight. It was very matted (!) and he wouldn't let me brush or comb it (!) so I attacked it a bit with the doggy grooming kit. Ooops!

TG won't come anywhere near AF at the moment so lots of bribing is going on to persuade TG to like AF again!!!

Catching up.

TG is convinced that he needs to catch up with all the dirty, messy, exciting 'stuff' that he would have done if he hadn't been enjoying himself on his holidays.

AF took him to the beach on Friday. Whilst my back was turned clearing up poo TG took off. He was out of sight. No amount of whistling and/or calling his name brought him back. AF eventually spied him down on the beach. TG, however, was not to be caught. So a bit of a chase ensued in which AF got close enough to call TG so TG ran further down the path. He was having a great time and was uncatchable until we met another dog. I know, I know that  the doggy books tell you not to chase as it becomes a game and it did, for 15 minutes, after which time he settled down and became an examplary dog. Coming when called, chasing a stick, running from the waves, digging in the pebbles, eating seaweed and whatever else dogs do on the beach.

At the weekend PL walks TG and he also had a lot of fun playing chase for a while until TG decided that he had had enough and was ready to be a good dog. It's very tiresome and time consuming. Hope he stops doing it soon.

He's back!!

The Dog (TG) has been on 4 weeks holiday. We took him to a Pets at Home establishment where the dogs, up to four, live with the people and play with the other dogs all the time. He has had a large paddock and garden to run in and has come home exhausted.

The Pets at Home family thought he was lovely and every one who visited or dropped off their dog asked the inevitable question "What is he?"

Anyway back home with his boring owners he decided to liven things up a bit. Unfortunately for TG he doesn't cover his tracks very well so the chewed slipper on the grass, the hole dug in the flower bed and the chewed and empty sand filled door stop do rather give the game away. It was definitely a 'getting his own back' day.

PL took him out for a walk as usual. TG decided that as someone had picked up their dog's poo in a bag but had left it hanging, like a christmas bauble, in the hedge that he would do the honours and clear it up. Unfortunately this meant TG running round the field with it in his mouth with PL in hot pursuit. What's new??

TG had not forgotten about rolling in cowpats either so he came back dirty and smelly - just like old times - for a hose down and bath - just like old times!! It's as though we've/he's never been away.

At the moment TG is in the garden doing his 'meet and greet' routine. He sticks his through the fence and all his doggy buddies come and have a chat. He's a funny dog!!!

AF met a neighbour this morning and we discussed the merits of TG. He's a 'nice chap' said E. and I think that about sums TG up. He's a 'nice chap'.