Settling in

Cooper (left) Betty and Polly

In just four months since his arrival, Cooper, now aged 10 months, has made a huge amount progress. Our three dogs now accept one another fully, take turns, respect food bowls, sleep and play nicely together. They also walk pretty well on leads as a group and Cooper has just about mastered a loose lead.. (unless he is very excited, in which case he pulls like a tram but those times are becoming fewer thankfully.) I use head harnesses on our group walks, which when used properly, are a tremendous help.  In fact, we can't be doing too badly because one of my neighbours stopped us a couple of weeks ago and asked to take the photo below as she said the dogs looked fabulous! 

Lead walks

We also started 'Real Life' dog training classes recently, so hopefully, they will help me continue to refine Cooper's lead manners and he will enjoy meeting a range of other dogs, in interesting environments.

Real Life training

When we first rehomed Coops, I don't mind admitting it was impossible to walk all three dogs together because Cooper's pulling on the lead was so extreme but after battling on (using head harness and starting with tiny group lead walks, then building up time and distance gradually), we are now able to enjoy daily local walks as a family. Walking three dogs together has been a steep learning curve for me too! Coop's recall is progressing well, although like most goldens, he is super sociable so off lead recall from dog distraction can be a challenge but the best thing is, he now enjoys off lead fun every day and knows to come back to me when I whistle. 

Free running

At home Coops is a big character and loves his cuddles. He understands much of what I say and learns fast. He responds very well to positive redirection and as he still likes to steal stuff (lingerie, slippers, knitting!) and to chance his luck sometimes with counter surfing etc, plenty of redirection is still necessary! After a shaky start, Cooper and Stan (cat) have recently become friends and seem to enjoy hanging out together. Cooper is learning to restrain his exhuberance with Stan and Stan is very grateful for that! Naturally, I still keep them under close supervision.

Making friends with Stan

Introducing a lively young golden has been far from easy... but four months of hard work, patience and determination have paid off. Our lad Coops is a fab fun dog and has settled in with us beautifully. We feel as though he has always been part of our family and despite the chaos, we love him to bits!

Happy 10th Birthday Polly!

 

Polly, aged 10

It hardly seems possible that I have been writing this blog for ten years now! 

I first put virtual pen to keyboard, when we brought Polly home from the breeder, at seven weeks of age, a chunky bundle of palest golden fur, a puppy girl eager to explore her new world... our home. I wanted to record her progress and order my thoughts relating to what was to become our training journey and to share that journey with other new owners. It had been many years since I last adopted a puppy, so it was important to me to learn how to give Polly the opportunity to become her best doggy self and for me to become a good dog handler. In truth, I knew very little about dog training when Polly first came to us, but I was determined to learn.  I joined a training class when she was about six months old, read a stack of books... and so began our lifelong partnership.

I have often written about my 'bossy big bird' and so she is, a big Golden, with a beautiful dense coat. She is a proud showgirl, a head turner, a sturdy girl, who always makes me feel protected on walks. Now that she is ten years old, Polly is content to plod gently through the fields with me, less compelled than she once was, to run at Ferrari speed, like her namesake Dad, Xanthos Ferrari. Polly is settled, solid, comfortable and confident. She is a fabulous girl and at ten, still young at heart, playing daily with young Cooper and enjoying her crazy zoomies, like a puppy herself. She loves having the inside of her ears gently stroked and cheese... she really loves cheese!

Over the years, Polly has often led me a merry dance on walks but has also taught me so much. She has been the best dog training teacher I could ever have hoped for, never failing to show me clearly what works for her and what doesn't. She is a clever, loyal, determined girl, the matriach of my doggy family. Those Polly accepts and respects, will be her best friends for life, she knows who she is and expects others to understand that too. I love her sense of self, her sturdy countenance and her heart of pure gold, I loved her puppy daftness and if possible, I love her golden maturity even more. Yes, she barks, yes, she occasionally dislikes other dogs, but Polly is quite simply, my pride and my joy. She really is the best friend a girl could ever have.

Ten is an age to celebrate, a decade shared together, each and every single day. A decade of learning about one another and a decade of enjoying time with one another. Ten is also a benchmark age, a transition between taking each day for granted and a growing awareness that old age may not be as far away as once it was... 

Polly and I plan to continue playing, eating cheese, enjoying our walks and sharing our friendship well into the future and if our walks gradually become a little shorter as the years pass, well that's okay. Life is for living and living in the here and now, whatever the pace.

Happy 10th Birthday to my Big Bossy Bird, 

I love you so very much Polls. xxx