Mini groom

My biggest adventure since my last update was having a mini groom. Molly was quite nervous after I previously had a bad experience so she wanted to make sure I had a good experience this time. A friend recommended a groomer which was a bit further away than she would usually have considered but she decided we'd give it a try. They can't fit me in for a full groom until September (although we're on their cancellations list) but invited us to visit this week so I could see what it was like, have my nails clipped & the hair around my eyes trimmed - so I could see again! Our visit couldn't have gone any better than it did! The groomer had a standard poodle so I had a great time playing with her despite the significant size difference. And when it was time for me to be groomed I behaved really well - I was very relaxed & happy (which I showed by sticking my tongue in the groomer's ear!) & was much more tolerant of being groomed than I usually am when Molly tries (& I didn't even need bribing with food!). But now Molly knows I'm not scared of being groomed she's going to be a bit firmer with me because I tend to play up & mess around.

After that Molly & her dad took me for a walk to a countryside site we'd never visited before. It was great! I was on my long lead so had plenty of freedom but Molly was still able to stop me running off to greet other dogs. We did have a not so pleasant experience though when I discovered a human poo (!!!) & tried to eat it! Oops! Anyway, back to nicer things, here are some photos:

I had a nice, relaxed walk round the village today with Molly. We didn't see any other dogs (& I wasn't bothered when a couple barked at me from behind fences) but I did try to chase some birds. Down one road I kept stopping & refusing to move & Molly couldn't work out why but food got me moving again, hehe! The rest of my walks since my last update have been with Molly's dad because Molly hasn't had much energy.

Unfortunately we had to miss dog training on Wednesday but the trainer has said that rather than paying for & committing to a 4 week block of sessions at a time (which Molly can't do due to her fluctuating health) we can just turn up when Molly is well enough & pay for each individual session we attend. Hopefully we'll be able to make it next week.

We do bits of training on walks & at home. Molly discovered that I have enough self restraint to leave pieces of kibble she puts on my paws until she tells me I can "take it". She was very impressed when I did this brilliantly every time - until we tried to show her dad - and then I ate it immediately! Another way I impressed Molly was when I was playing in the garden & she put her head out of her bedroom window & called me - & I came. Sometimes when Molly is in bed we do a bit of training alternating basic commands, such as "down" & "sit" which I know & "up" & "off" which I'm learning. Last time we did this I decided that because Molly was in bed & my food rewards were with her, when she said "down" & I was on the floor, rather than just lying down there (which is apparently what I'm supposed to do), I'd jump up onto her bed & then lie down!

I'm not always obedient though, I like to cause lots of mischief too. When Molly's dad had a bath one day he kindly left his slippers lying on the bedroom floor for me to play with. When he got out the bath there was only one slipper left! He foolishly (he really should know better now!) did the same this evening while Molly was helping me type this up so of course I had to move one of his slippers downstairs again! I also like running off with & chewing Molly's younger brother's socks.

One morning I stole a cuddly toy hedgehog from Molly's bedroom & took it outside into the garden to play with. When Molly's dad (who'd just woken up) spotted me he thought I'd got a real hedgehog so rushed out to rescue it, hehe! Apparently that hedgehog isn't my toy (humph) but clever Molly did find 'Lion' which had been missing for weeks.

I uprooted a plant from a big plastic plant pot in the garden & had lots of fun playing with the plant (including bringing roots into the house to chew) & leaping around the garden with the pot. I couldn't get it though the dog flap into the house though. Molly & her mum found it very funny when I kept trying because it was about the same size as my head!

I didn't cause any mischief when I was home alone for a few hours on Tuesday, in fact I was very well behaved. Being given a pizzle helped stop me getting bored or lonely. Food is the answer to everything!

I ate my tea from my Kong Wobbler in the garden this evening which was a nice change & it took me longer than it does when it's on the slippery kitchen floor.

One morning I needed feeding earlier than usual (so I'd have enough time to digest my breakfast & then go for a walk before my appt at the groomers) so Molly's mum fed me so Molly could have a lie-in. Or at least that was the plan. But once I'd eaten I had to wake Molly up & let her know! To wake Molly up in the mornings I jump on her bed, stand on her chest & lick her face. This morning I did it with muddy paws, oops!

Me & Molly play a fun game together where she lies on the floor & I lick her face & jump all over her. I tried doing it with Rhino in my mouth which was ok because Rhino is just a small fluffy toy, but Molly wasn't too happy when I did it with Giraffe in my mouth because Giraffe has a ball in his nose which hit Molly in the face - oops!

We also had fun playing tug of war with Giraffe & then Molly got my best tug of war rope (which we only play with together & not very often) out of the cupboard which was very exciting!

Molly brushed my teeth this morning & despite my attempts to chew the brush & eat the yummy toothpaste she thinks she did a better job than she ever has before. I still smell though - apparently I'm going to have a bath this weekend if Molly is well enough - eek!

Molly has ordered me two new collars so we'll post up photos of them when they arrive. It might be a few weeks though because they're being specially made for me!