Walks with neigbours, recall progress & laughs

Due to Molly being poorly this week I've been walked by a couple of neighbours. They both enjoyed walking me & told Molly I was well behaved, but were surprised by how much I pulled, oops! They're not used to walking excitable puppies like me! And Molly's younger brother walked me yesterday. He said I was really good & told Molly that we didn't have any problems at all during the walk.

Molly did manage to take me out for a walk on Wed though. She took me to a little field where she planned to sit on the grass while I ran around to burn off some energy but instead I just sat down with her, hehe!

And here are a couple more photos from our walk

^ I just decided to stop & sit down here. Molly threw some food on the floor

to persuade me to walk a bit but then I promptly sat down again, hehe!

^ Trying to tell Molly I was tired by lying down on a random lawn we passed!

I forgot how to sit at kerbs that day so ran out into the road a few times. Apparently that's very dangerous but luckily the roads were all quiet & Molly soon started locking my lead much shorter as we approached the kerbs. Since then though I've remembered how to sit at kerbs so have impressed the neighbours with how I do that automatically. They thought they'd have to ask me to "sit"!

I really impressed Molly by successfully recalling away from other dogs on a couple of occasions. She couldn't remember me ever doing that before! Birds were another matter though, I just can't resist chasing them!

While we were out I tried to play with a bee & ignored Molly when she asked me to "leave it". Luckily I didn't get stung. When I found a dead fly on the kitchen floor I didn't know what to do with it. I tried hitting it with my paw a few times & then then it disappeared. Molly laughed at me looking for it, then I found it under my paw!

Molly got my special tug of war rope out for the first time in a while but I still remembered it & got very excited. We had a really good game but had to stop because I got overexcited & might have accidentally hurt Molly if we'd continued.

One afternoon a delivery man brought the weekly supermarket order. As usual I was shut behind the stair gates to stop me running out of the front door, so I made a lot of noise in protest. This week's delivery man told Molly he owned a schnauzer! But not a miniature one like me, it was a standard or giant, Molly can't remember which.

Me & Molly had to miss our last training class on Wednesday evening because Molly wasn't well. She hopes we'll be able to resume them in the future when her health is a bit more stable.

We've been doing lots of work on "stay" in the house & garden & now I can do it at a good distance we're working on slowly building up the duration. Most of the time I'm very good at it but sometimes I'm too bouncy & run to get my reward from Molly before she lets me out of the "stay". When that happens she won't give me the food & we have to start again. Humph!

Yesterday we did some simpler training so Molly could just sit on the floor & do it with me. I didn't mind though because it made it easier for me to earn the food! We practised "sit", "down" & "find it" & Molly encouraged me to go under & over her legs to get food. I did amuse her when she discovered I was happy to go under her bent legs in one direction to get the food but wouldn't do it in the other direction, I just went over instead!

The other day Molly tried to give me my worming tablets. I ate the first one & part of the second one but then decided I didn't like them so spat the last half out. I did eventually eat it though when Molly covered it in liver paste, yum yum! Molly is glad I only have to have them every 3 months, I'm much better at taking my monthly flea tablets.

I've been spending a lot of time in the garden recently because there's so much to explore & play with out there. On one occasion I spotted a pigeon on the roof of the greenhouse that I wanted to play with. I knew there was no way I could reach it but I still bounced up & down underneath it. Molly laughed, I'm good at making her laugh. I've also made her laugh a few times over the last couple of days by licking her toes when she's lying in bed!

Yesterday morning Molly's younger brother found one of her socks that had got in with his clothing by mistake. He gave it to me to give to Molly. What a silly idea, of course I didn't want to give it up!

Molly & her younger brother play a good game with me sometimes called "Where's...?" I understand both of their names so they use this to send me between them. For example, if I'm with Molly's younger brother he'll say "Where's Molly?" & I know that means I should go to her. I don't just amble between them though, I run to them at full speed, launch myself at them & then lick their faces in my excitement! It's good fun!

I'm usually quite independent but yesterday I was even more aloof than usual because of the heat. Molly spent most of the day in bed but it was been far too hot to cuddle & too hot in her bedroom for me to even comfortably lie on the floor so instead I spent most of the time downstairs or in the garden where it was been cooler. Molly set up a fan in her room in the afternoon so that helped a bit (although I'd prefer it if it didn't squeak!) & meant I was able doze on her floor.

Here's a photo of me looking cute (& scruffy!) one night.

And that morning I chose to sleep in the bathroom doorway!

Panda paw!

Molly hasn't been very well over the last couple of days so I've missed our walks together :( Yesterday her mum took me out round the village when she did some errands & we came home via the playing fields. A couple of friends of Molly & her mum also called round so I enjoyed them fussing me. And in the evening I was especially cuddly with Molly & her mum when they watched a film. I watched a bit of it too.

This afternoon I enjoyed 'helping' Molly's mum out in the garden while Molly went to a hospital appt.

Despite that I still got really overexcited when Molly returned & rather than my usual jumping at her when she crouched down to greet me, I launched myself at her, all feet off the floor, hehe! Molly's mum was a bit disappointed that I wasn't happy with just her company. I do love her a lot but it's just not the same. And when Molly leaves I worry she might not come back (after her long hospital stay a couple of months ago). I also did well at being on my own for a little while this morning while Molly's mum took Molly to another hospital appt.

This evening I really impressed Molly when I did a pefect "stay" while she walked the whole length of the garden away from me!

I had lots of fun playing with a panda paw I found!

^ "No Molly's mum, you can't have my treasure!"

Cuddles & water

In our last blog post we forgot to tell you about how I woke Molly up on Friday morning. It was about 7.15am & she heard me barking & crying at the front door. She suspected her dad had just left for work but I don't usually make a fuss like that. She had to come down & get me so I didn't wake her mum up. Molly later discovered that her dad had popped back to put the bin out but hadn't come into the house. So I'd seen him outside & got upset that he didn't come in to see me! After that Molly tried to get back to sleep but I started barking in the garden. It wasn't my fault though, I heard another dog barking first so of course I had to reply!

On Friday I helped Molly's mum in the garden by chewing up some plastic plant pots amongst other things. Molly's mum also helped me show Molly how I like to drink from the hosepipe - Molly said she really doesn't understand my complicated relationship with water! I did a fantastic "leave it" with a dead bee I found, Molly was impressed! And we did some more "stay" practise in the house & garden as Molly had some chicken to use up, yum yum!

That evening Molly's dad took me out for a walk to the playing fields. I'm usually too independent for cuddles but I knew Molly needed some that night so I snuggled up to her in bed which she said made her feel loved <3

Yesterday morning Molly's older brother called round. I'd not seen him for weeks so got a bit too excited & silly so had to be shut out of the living room til I calmed down. Humph!

Me & Molly had a great local walk early that afternoon. I did a few things that made Molly proud of me - I didn't bark at or try to get to another dog we saw while Molly distracted me with food, I completely ignored three adult cyclists (although I did want to play with some children we saw on bicycles), I did some great "stay"s in a new location & when I came across a horse I only looked - I didn't bark or try to get to it.

When we walked past a house belonging to a friend of Molly's I kept stopping because I remembered & wanted to visit her. That made Molly laugh.

Molly said I'm doing really well but we still need to work on some things - my recalls were hit & miss, she had to drag me away from a couple of dead things I found ("leave it" doesn't work with any kind of meat - it's too valuable) & I refused to get onto the grass verge when a car came along the road because the grass was wet! You can't blame me for that! We set out in light rain but about half way through our walk it got really heavy. I don't like rain, it's too wet! Then to make things worse, just after I'd dried off at home, Molly & her younger brother insisted on washing me so I got wet again! I'm not allowed in the new bath in case I scratch it so they washed me in the old bath in the garden! I was much calmer though & didn't object too much. After that Molly groomed me (& brushed my teeth) so I'm all fluffy now & apparently I smell much better. I disagree though & intend to find some poo to roll in as soon as I can!

My beard is also completely knot free for the first time in a while thanks to detangler, a special brush, scissors, lots of patience from Molly & lots of food to bribe me! Molly says she's going to try to brush it more frequently now to stop it getting so matted again.

Molly bought a bulk order of liver paste a few days ago because I responded so well to it in training. I changed my mind yesterday though & don't really like it any more. Molly isn't very happy, oops! She's hoping I might change my mind again because she's got 12 tubes of it! We'll see...

Molly's cousin left yesterday afternoon, I think I'm going to miss her.

Today I spent most of the day with some of Molly's friends while her & her Mum went out. I was well behaved & had lots of fun playing with the children & another dog. I've been exhausted since I got back but did find a little bit of energy to welcome Molly home.

Happy photos

I'm usually fearless when I encounter new things but got worried when Molly's cousin brought a long white plastic pipe into the house. She was at one end of the pipe but her voice came out the other! So I ran away & wouldn't go near it.

On Wednesday some of Molly's friends came round to see me because apparently they're going to look after me on Sunday when Molly goes out. That'll be exciting! I will report back afterwards.

Molly wasn't very well that afternoon & evening so we weren't able to go to training class. Molly's dad took me out on a walk to the playing fields instead though. We also called in at the bowls' club where I got lots of fuss. After that I discovered how comfortable Molly's parents' bed was but I wasn't allowed to stay on it. Hmph!

Molly got a shock at 3am on Thursday morning when I woke her up with a couple of really impressive howls! She was worried but I was sound asleep (on her sofa in her bedroom), so she thinks I must have been dreaming.

Yesterday we had a really good walk in the woods. We were there for about an hour & a quarter and did lots of training while we were out because Molly felt bad that we'd missed the class the previous day. Molly took lots of photos.

While we were out I found some poo to rub my face in! I did stop as soon as Molly said "leave it" but she was too late (& I then went back to the poo & did it again!) so I had to have my beard washed when we got home, yuk! Molly had just washed my beard & rinsed it when I saw her dad shovelling fertiliser so I had to go & try to burrow/dive in the pile of that. Hehe!

This morning I weighed 8.6kg which is a little bit less than last week but Molly isn't worried.

I got up to lots of mischief earlier today when I found a roll of paper towels! It was quickly taken away from me but then I found another! So I had lots of fun shredding that.

And then I found a box of tissues to shred too!

Molly wasn't very well again earlier so I'm now keeping a very close eye on her.

Cake, water & squirrels!

It doesn't seem like much has happened since the last update but we thought we ought to write another blog post before we get too much to say! I'm sure we'll update again soon because we've got training class this eve.

The chaos has continued as the bathroom is still being done. We've had plasterers in yesterday & today as well as Molly's cousin. There has been plaster & dust everywhere so Molly said I'm going to have to have a bath when they've finished. The plasterers aren't very good at closing doors so I've had to be shut out of the way downstairs for most of the time. This makes me very frustrated because I just want to be involved, so this morning especially I've been barking & crying. When the plasterers had a tea break in the garden I was allowed to see them & one gave me a big bit of cake! Molly wasn't happy but I was!

I had fun trying my Kong Wobbler in the garden for the first time the other day. It didn't move nearly as freely as it does on the kitchen floor so it took me ages to eat all my tea from it.

Molly knows I don't like water but the extent of this made her laugh at the weekend. My Kong Wobbler (containing my meal) ended up near my water bowl so I wouldn't approach it in case I got wet. Very sensible I thought but Molly just stood there laughing at me rather than rescuing my Kong Wobbler!

On Sunday Molly caught me with one of her younger brother's socks on 3 separate occassions. She had no idea where I kept getting them from! I'm much better with stealing/chewing things I shouldn't now but still can't resist shoes, slippers, socks & anything knitted.

On Sunday afternoon we walked to the fields on the edge of the village & came back via the playing fields.

I pulled more than usual & had a terrible recall so Molly said she was very glad I was on my lead! I did impress her though when I automatically sat at the kerb without her even turning or stopping because I remembered we'd crossed the road at that spot on a previous day!

I didn't get a walk on Monday because Molly had a busy morning & wasn't well enough to take me out in the evening. I had an exciting day helping Molly's cousin out though so used plenty of energy up that way.

Yesterday Molly insisted on taking me to the vets to have my nails clipped but the vet nurse said they didn't need clipping! Yay! I did get treats while I was there though. Molly said I behaved really well in the waiting room - until I saw other dogs. And then I barked & cried because I wasn't allowed to play with them. I wasn't scared of the vet this time & managed the weighing scales better than I ever had before (I usually slide everywhere & try to get off them). I had to have my monthly flea treatment tablet with my breakfast yesterday morning & it made Molly very grateful that I like eating so much - I just gobbled it up.

After the vet trip Molly took me to a country park where I had a really good explore in the woods. I enjoyed jumping over lots of logs too.

^ Taking everything in

 

^ Posing

^ Action shot!

Molly got frustrated at another owner who had their dog off lead but they were nowhere to be seen. I got frustrated too because I just wanted to play with this dog that was running around.

^  Pulling on the end of the lead to try to follow another dog

I discovered the excitement of chasing squirrels for the first time! I haven't caught any yet but I'm going to keep trying. Molly now realises that improving my recall is going to be even more of a challenge than she thought - if I hadn't been on my lead yesterday then I would have disappeared after those squirrels.

^ Molly said she's sorry this photo isn't focused. Apparently it was very hard to hold

the camera steady while the lens was zoomed out & I was pulling on the lead.

Upheaval

Everything has been a bit chaotic here since my last update because Molly's cousin is redoing the bathroom. She's my new favourite person!

So there's lots going on & much to my annoyance sometimes various doors & stairgates are shut to keep me out of the way (or as Molly says to stop me running out the front door, eating unsuitable things, falling through the floor, stealing tools etc).

Sometimes though I'm allowed wherever I like. I'm not fazed at all by any of the strange noises, I just like investigating them & watching the work going on. Apparently I'm not too much of a nuisance.

On Thursday my Kong Wobbler was still in the dishwasher when it was time for my breakfast so I had it in a couple (it didn't all fit in one) of different interactive toys instead.

I also ate an egg shell I found in the garden. Molly wasn't concerned about it doing me any harm because it was an unusually soft one but she didn't realise it would give me such bad wind, haha!

That afternoon we went on a walk round the fields on the edge of the village but we both struggled a bit with the heat. I kept sitting or lying down because I was tired & hot. We had a nice rest in the shade about half way through & Molly made sure I had access to water to drink. We also did some "stay" practise in a new environment & Molly took lots of photos of me.

^ Molly thought this pose was very funny! I was tired!

Molly's mum very kindly picked us up in the car when we got back to the road because neither of us felt up to walking home. Molly is now considering buying me a cooling coat for summer walks & is going to try to take me out at cooler times of the day if she can.

I slept well after that walk but woke up when Springwatch was on TV because I was intrigued by the cuckoos' calls. I also had fun playing with Molly's younger brother who came home unexpectedly in the evening & did a brilliant "leave it" when Molly wanted me to give up a pencil I'd found.

That evening Molly got a bit stressed trying to sort out car insurance so I helped her by just being cute. Apologies for these photos being dark & for my scruffiness, I don't like being brushed.

On Friday Molly took me out earlier than usual to avoid the midday heat. We called in at someone's house to drop some books off & I was very patient, just a bit noisy, while they talked. I had to stay on my extendable lead at the playing fields because someone was mowing the grass & Molly knew I'd want to go & say "hello". I did some good recalls away from birds & surprised Molly by just sitting down to watch one, rather than chasing it. Molly carries a bottle of water with her on walks for us both to use but I spoiled that plan by trying to drink from it as Molly poured the water into my bowl.

When we got home I spent some time in the garden while everyone else had lunch outside.

That afternoon I sneaked out of the front door when Molly's mum & cousin went outside. They didn't realise until Molly's mum heard me barking & thought "That dog sounds like Toto!" I'd gone next door to say "hello" to some workmen but refused to return to Molly's mum when she called me so she had to come & get me because I was trying to follow them into the house, hehe!

Yesterday I had a very exciting start to the morning when the postman knocked on the door at 7.45am & woke me & Molly up. I went downstairs with her & was delighted to see the postman at the door. He made a big fuss of me & gave me a biscuit!

Molly spent a lot of time trying to get some matts out of my beard yesterday. She insisted on brushing my teeth, washing, rinsing & drying my beard & then using a brush, comb & her fingers to try to get the tangles out. She didn't make much progress. I don't like it when she does that because it's uncomfortable but she says she has to. She asked for some advice from other schnauzer owners & has now bought some supplies to make it a bit easier in future.

Yesterday afternoon we walked to collect Molly's mum from work & walked round the playing fields & village pond on the way home. We didn't do any long lead practise this time though because there were people playing cricket & I wanted to join in.

I had some very excitable moments in the evening. When Molly's dad vacuumed I wanted to play with the vacuum cleaner, I ran around the house with my bed in my mouth, I jumped all over & licked Molly's dad's head when he lay on the floor & I had some extreme zoomies! Molly's dad took me on a walk to the park to expend some of my energy & he said I was very well behaved.

I surprised Molly by actually choosing to sleep in my bed downstairs. I usually sleep next to it or just rest my head on it but I was in in properly for a while yesterday. And I wasn't fazed at all by some noisy fireworks outside.

I made Molly laugh last night when I claimed her pillow. She wondered where she was supposed to sleep!

I slept on Molly's bed (but further down) for part of the night & enjoyed being close to her until she kicked me off because she needed more room. I think she should get a bigger bed so we can both fit on it comfortably. When Molly got up to close the curtains more fully during the night she fell over my water bowl on the floor, oops!

So far today I've been doing lots of investigating around the house & garden & have got lots of bits of sawdust & other things stuck in my beard in the process. I've also had fun chewing up bits of cardboard & trying to 'help' Molly's cousin.

P.S. On Thursday morning I weighed 8.9kg so I've put on a little bit of weight this week. Molly thinks that's probably due to the chicken she's been giving me for training - yum yum! She said she might have to cut my meals down a bit if it continues. I don't like the sound of that!