Alvin and Olive: November 2008

Since having a puppy, Al and I have been taking serious note of anything doggy! That includes TV programmes and books and all sorts.
We've been taking Olive to puppy training. She is such a small puppy, even the vet said she is going to be a small labrador. When she is in her class, she is the smallest dog there despite there being various small breed puppies, and so she sits there good as gold, watching with interest whilst all the other dogs run circles round their owners and play with each other and bark and go crazy.
She's got a little more adventurous. The first time we took her she was terrified and sat behind our legs whilst the rest of the room was erupting.
Last week was the third class and she did go up to a few select puppies, sniffing them and that excited her. That was as far as she took it.
All the trainers think she is wonderful and cute and well-behaved, and she is! In the classroom!

When we get her home she can be quite another story! She plays really nicely but then gets really excited and just starts to bite. She has drawn blood with all of our guests and visiters, not badly at all, but I think any blood is bad enough. We do searches online everyday practically and try new techniques to stop it.

We think that she may finally getting the picture now. It's pretty rough going for us though as we've found the best thing to do is to let her bite us, and then if she bites extra hard, to squeal. Most people say to squeal and walk away, but there is no way we can prise our hands out, and by the time we do, the moment has passed.
Anyway, she is beginning to take note of our puppy cries and has now started to bite a lot more gently.

As for everything else, we have started recording every episode of the previously-unwatched Dog Whisperer and going on the Cesar Millan site. He is brilliant. He has such dominance and pack-leader qualities. His dogs are amazing and we wish Olive could be like that.

We know she is just being a puppy, and actually she is very well-behaved, but one of our friends came round recently and said 'gosh she's just like Marley (of Marley and Me fame!)' and we thought, we just cannot have a Marley dog, no way.
Since then that same friend has excitedly agreed to look after Olive for us at the weekend so she can't have been that bad, but watch this space for an update perhaps on Monday!!

Anyway since then and with Cesar's advice, we have now got Olive walking on a loose lead, by our sides, and hopefully not jumping up on us or our guests. She now also hardly ever attacks our ankles although I still put socks on first thing in the morning just in case!

We have also learnt that we were at fault a lot and that we mustn't do the din-din dance! We loved mealtimes when we would just mention the word 'din'dins' (a word I proudly taught her) and then watch as Olive excitedly wiggled from living room to kitchen and around us and back again, shaking her little bum behind her. She was silent as she did it but it was a definite little wiggle. We would encourage it by repeating 'din-dins' more and more excitedly whilst hopping and dancing and jumping and skipping, so that in the end, the three of us were circling the kitchen happily in preparation for the forthcoming meal.

Then we would feed her, and it was in our best interest to stay away as she would growl the second we came within a foot of her.
What Cesar taught us was that we were getting her way too excited and only very calm dogs should be fed. We are hugely disappointed. Mealtime is huge for dogs and I wanted to share in her enthusiasm.

Anyway, since watching Cesar and serving dinner in a very boring and calm way, we have a very calm dog. We go into the kitchen together and she sits very patiently and silently by our feet whilst we dish it all up. Then we tell her to remain sitting and if she sits still, we put the food on the floor and she is allowed to tuck in.
I should be grateful for a good puppy, but I miss the din-din dance!

The best thing about having a dog, apart from the wonderful companionship and the neverending entertainment, is undoubtedly the lovely walks.

After being patient for a couple of weeks, my husband and I could take it no longer. It was a gorgeous autumn day and we live just round the corner from one of the most beautiful parks in England, so we decided it was time for Olive to see the big, wide world and get muddy!

The leaves had all turned golden and rusty and gorgeous, making the park look even more beautiful. I'd never seen it like that, having only lived here for 4 months.

Olive loved the leaves and I noticed that where she could, she would go out of her way to walk where they were deepest!

Puppy's first stick!!! I suddenly saw her running at us with a stick (a twig really) in her mouth and I just realised 'yes, dogs love sticks!' I wonder why?! It's not like she's ever seen another dog with a stick to take influence from!

After proving that she is the fastest, most energetic puppy in the world, Olive did prove that some things are just too big for even her to get over.
I'm afraid that rather than help her, I just had to get the camera out!

We headed back as it started raining, our muddy, shattered pup, still bravely trying to squeeze out her last bit of energy, still attempting to investigate each smell and each blade of grass.

She got into the boot and looked like the most satisfied pup in the world.

There's nothing like falling asleep in front of the fire after a long autumnal walk.....