Jesse is growing up fast... he had his third face trim on Sunday as well as another bath. I quite like the way he looks now, so I think I am slowly getting better at this grooming malarky... LOL
It also looks like his second fear stage has kicked in... we walked past a man reading a book on a bench in the park on Sunday and Jesse barked at him from quite a distance. I distracted Jesse and did a bit of training, which worked as when we walked back past them, he looked, but didn't bark.
Jesse is still very good off lead and his recall is excellent. He is getting a little more independent though and ventures 3 or 4 yards now and again instead of just walking right under my feet. That's good. He is also more than happy to play with toys in the park now and keeps bringing the ball back many times, he also still loves his clicker training - in the park as well as indoors and in training classes.
He now also runs up the stairs without problems (so often that I am thinking to put the stair gate up to stop him doing it too often), but I still have to rescue him because he can't come back down... LOL
Tuesday, 1 May 2007
Friday, 27 April 2007
Stairs and Staffies
This morning, I left Jesse downstairs for just a couple of minutes whilst I got something upstairs... and suddenly he stood next to me. So for the first time, he climbed the stairs on his own.
I am not encouraging it, however, I won't stop him as it is only a couple or three times a day that the dogs actually go upstairs (apart from Flash that sleeps upstairs a lot when he wants to get away from things). So he will be fine.
He can't go down the stairs yet though... just as well though!
In the evening, I took him to the little park around the corner as I often do. It was the first time that Jesse was quite confident, often wandering a couple of three yards away from me rather than being under my feet all the time. Recall remains excellent though.
We also met four staffies in the park today. Jesse was always a little worried about them as I guess he just wasn't used to bullbreeds. Today was the first time that he seemed more confident with them and even wanted to play. Excellent! I am well pleased with his progress.
I am not encouraging it, however, I won't stop him as it is only a couple or three times a day that the dogs actually go upstairs (apart from Flash that sleeps upstairs a lot when he wants to get away from things). So he will be fine.
He can't go down the stairs yet though... just as well though!
In the evening, I took him to the little park around the corner as I often do. It was the first time that Jesse was quite confident, often wandering a couple of three yards away from me rather than being under my feet all the time. Recall remains excellent though.
We also met four staffies in the park today. Jesse was always a little worried about them as I guess he just wasn't used to bullbreeds. Today was the first time that he seemed more confident with them and even wanted to play. Excellent! I am well pleased with his progress.
Thursday, 26 April 2007
4 months old today
Jesse is growing fast, and he is getting heavy too, which I notice when I carry him up and down the stairs... LOL
But no wonder... he is 4 MONTHS OLD TODAY! Congratulations to the 1/3rd year birthday of my not so little boy anymore!
Jesse is really being a good boy, there isn't anything to complain about at all. He is extremely well behaved (thanks to our dogs that are teaching him so much invaluable stuff!), can be taken anywhere without problems, he eats well, grows well, loves playing, his mouthing is incredibly gentle (again, thanks to our dogs), he doesn't snatch treats and is very gentle when taking them, he very rarely chews our shoes or furniture or anthying else he shouldn't, he loves his walks nver going far (NOT thanks to our other dogs... LOL) and his recall is excellent!
The only thing that needs improving (but we have of course plenty of time for that... he is after all just 4 months old) is housetraining (though he is pretty good, but not 100% yet) and keeping his voice down a bit at times (that's improving too... he doesn't have to bark through the whole meal preparation anymore now!).
Sometimes it is hard to remember that this little guy is only 4 months old, he is sometimes just too good to be true... and I keep waiting for the adolescence kicking in with a vengeance... LOL
Here's some pictures taken today
That's it, mum, I've had enough...
But no wonder... he is 4 MONTHS OLD TODAY! Congratulations to the 1/3rd year birthday of my not so little boy anymore!
Jesse is really being a good boy, there isn't anything to complain about at all. He is extremely well behaved (thanks to our dogs that are teaching him so much invaluable stuff!), can be taken anywhere without problems, he eats well, grows well, loves playing, his mouthing is incredibly gentle (again, thanks to our dogs), he doesn't snatch treats and is very gentle when taking them, he very rarely chews our shoes or furniture or anthying else he shouldn't, he loves his walks nver going far (NOT thanks to our other dogs... LOL) and his recall is excellent!
The only thing that needs improving (but we have of course plenty of time for that... he is after all just 4 months old) is housetraining (though he is pretty good, but not 100% yet) and keeping his voice down a bit at times (that's improving too... he doesn't have to bark through the whole meal preparation anymore now!).
Sometimes it is hard to remember that this little guy is only 4 months old, he is sometimes just too good to be true... and I keep waiting for the adolescence kicking in with a vengeance... LOL
Here's some pictures taken today
That's it, mum, I've had enough...
Wednesday, 25 April 2007
First new teeth
As the baby teeth fall out, the new ones come through. Yesterday, 24th April, I spotted the first new teeth in his bottom and top jaw!
Monday, 23 April 2007
First teeth falling out, first bath here and college
On Thursday, 19th, I noticed the first little baby tooth in the front has fallen out... So the countdown for his (less painful) adult teeth has finally started!
On Wednesday, he also got his first bath here. He wasn't too impressed, but we got it all over and done with without problems. He didn't like the hair dryer much either, but we got through it and he ended up looking all soft and smelling sweet (until he rolled in fox poo during the week-end... eeekkk...).
On Friday, 20th, Dylan, Flash, Jesse and myself went off to college together with Karen and Willis. The plan was originally to let Jesse travel at my feet in the front, but I ended up putting him into the crate with Dylan and Flash. Though it was a bit of a squash, they all travelled very well and there was no problem at all. Jesse was certainly over the moon being with his big brothers.
It was a long trip and took (including a long break) 6 1/2 hours. The dogs were let out a couple of times for a toilet break, other than that, they pretty much slept throughout the journey.
We arrived at our usual B&B at 11.30 pm. The dogs went to toilet quickly, we brought all our stuff up into our room, including Jesse's crate... and at about midnight, we all went to bed. Jesse went into his crate without problems and all the dogs (and myself) went to sleep straight away.
At 6 am, Flash woke me up because he wanted to go out. So all the dogs got saddled... oh sorry, put the leads and harnesses on... and off we went for a quick morning walk around the farms grounds; and then it was back to bed for another hour.
As usual during (the lovely) breakfast, the dogs stayed in the car. Just after nine, we arrived at the college, checked the dogs into the kennels where they stay during the day when we are not training. Again, I took Jesse's crate as I did not want to risk leaving him with the other two without supervision in an unknown environment. There was a lot of barking and whining everytime I left the kennels, but it very quickly calmed down and I didn't hear them anymore after that! Dylan and Flash too have finally got used to the kennels and don't bark and howl anymore for hours when left there.
During the breaks between outside training and class room, I took Jesse around the college, which is a huge working farm. So he met horses, cows, sheep, chickens, ducks and lots of people and dogs. He barked at cows and horses at first, but he soon got used to them and just walked past them or sat down to watch them; he was particularly fascinated by the cows, but then that's no wonder as they would come up to the fence and stare at us... LOL
By the second day (Sunday) he was moving around the college grounds like a pro and nothing seemed to phase him, though he sat down and watched a cockerel walking about... His face is so cute when he does that.
Saturday evening, Karen and I took the mob for a walk in a field in Market Weighton. It was a bit difficult as Dylan and Flash as well as Willis can only be let off if we can see what's going on around us, no dogs too near and plenty of space. However, they all got a good run in the end, and Jesse loved it anyway as he was off lead all the time (he doesn't go far and has pretty good recall)and could just plod around wherever he wanted to.
On Sunday morning, I took Jesse into a training class and he did very well there too. Everyone in our group loved him and gave him lots of cuddles, which Jesse enjoyed very much.
In the afternoon, I did a little more training with Dylan (as it is Dylan that I do the tests with in the summer), which went extremely well. In fact, I am over the moon with Dylan's progress. He always knew his exercises, but his attitude wasn't very good (partly my fault and partly breed related) and he would normally just stand there like a lemon and make a fool out of myself. So since last February I did not much else but play with him; a training session would be 90% playing and 10% training... and it did the trick. Dylan's attitude was so much better, he enjoyed doing stuff (as long as I didn't overdo it...) and it was quite easy to get him to play. He had good fun, and so did I!
At 2.30 pm, we embarked on the journey back home. With a couple of short breaks, we arrived back home at around 9 pm. Dylan, Flash and Jesse loved seeing Troy again and I think Troy was happy too to have them back. They were all tired and weren't any trouble all evening.
It was a great week-end, Karen and Willis also had a good time and my lot certainly did... though Flash was a bit worried as they had bird scare guns going off every so often, which Flash didn't like at all; but he coped ok with it. I didn't do too much training with Flash though as he wasn't too interested due to the shots. (The same gun shots were of course excellent socialisation for Jesse!).
Jesse was a star throughout! Four months old and already so well behaved that he can be taken into a B&B hotel room, no trouble in kennels, got used to all the big animals without problems and loved being around lots of crowd and people.
There was some trouble for us though on Sunday evening... as our car got broken into and everything in it stolen... Cornel noticed at around 10 pm when he took Troy out for a walk! What a nightmare and what hassle to get it all sorted out!
It also means that the chiropractor appointment that I booked for all four dogs for this Friday (Troy treatment and the rest just check up) needed to be cancelled and it is only Troy now going in my small car...
On Wednesday, he also got his first bath here. He wasn't too impressed, but we got it all over and done with without problems. He didn't like the hair dryer much either, but we got through it and he ended up looking all soft and smelling sweet (until he rolled in fox poo during the week-end... eeekkk...).
On Friday, 20th, Dylan, Flash, Jesse and myself went off to college together with Karen and Willis. The plan was originally to let Jesse travel at my feet in the front, but I ended up putting him into the crate with Dylan and Flash. Though it was a bit of a squash, they all travelled very well and there was no problem at all. Jesse was certainly over the moon being with his big brothers.
It was a long trip and took (including a long break) 6 1/2 hours. The dogs were let out a couple of times for a toilet break, other than that, they pretty much slept throughout the journey.
We arrived at our usual B&B at 11.30 pm. The dogs went to toilet quickly, we brought all our stuff up into our room, including Jesse's crate... and at about midnight, we all went to bed. Jesse went into his crate without problems and all the dogs (and myself) went to sleep straight away.
At 6 am, Flash woke me up because he wanted to go out. So all the dogs got saddled... oh sorry, put the leads and harnesses on... and off we went for a quick morning walk around the farms grounds; and then it was back to bed for another hour.
As usual during (the lovely) breakfast, the dogs stayed in the car. Just after nine, we arrived at the college, checked the dogs into the kennels where they stay during the day when we are not training. Again, I took Jesse's crate as I did not want to risk leaving him with the other two without supervision in an unknown environment. There was a lot of barking and whining everytime I left the kennels, but it very quickly calmed down and I didn't hear them anymore after that! Dylan and Flash too have finally got used to the kennels and don't bark and howl anymore for hours when left there.
During the breaks between outside training and class room, I took Jesse around the college, which is a huge working farm. So he met horses, cows, sheep, chickens, ducks and lots of people and dogs. He barked at cows and horses at first, but he soon got used to them and just walked past them or sat down to watch them; he was particularly fascinated by the cows, but then that's no wonder as they would come up to the fence and stare at us... LOL
By the second day (Sunday) he was moving around the college grounds like a pro and nothing seemed to phase him, though he sat down and watched a cockerel walking about... His face is so cute when he does that.
Saturday evening, Karen and I took the mob for a walk in a field in Market Weighton. It was a bit difficult as Dylan and Flash as well as Willis can only be let off if we can see what's going on around us, no dogs too near and plenty of space. However, they all got a good run in the end, and Jesse loved it anyway as he was off lead all the time (he doesn't go far and has pretty good recall)and could just plod around wherever he wanted to.
On Sunday morning, I took Jesse into a training class and he did very well there too. Everyone in our group loved him and gave him lots of cuddles, which Jesse enjoyed very much.
In the afternoon, I did a little more training with Dylan (as it is Dylan that I do the tests with in the summer), which went extremely well. In fact, I am over the moon with Dylan's progress. He always knew his exercises, but his attitude wasn't very good (partly my fault and partly breed related) and he would normally just stand there like a lemon and make a fool out of myself. So since last February I did not much else but play with him; a training session would be 90% playing and 10% training... and it did the trick. Dylan's attitude was so much better, he enjoyed doing stuff (as long as I didn't overdo it...) and it was quite easy to get him to play. He had good fun, and so did I!
At 2.30 pm, we embarked on the journey back home. With a couple of short breaks, we arrived back home at around 9 pm. Dylan, Flash and Jesse loved seeing Troy again and I think Troy was happy too to have them back. They were all tired and weren't any trouble all evening.
It was a great week-end, Karen and Willis also had a good time and my lot certainly did... though Flash was a bit worried as they had bird scare guns going off every so often, which Flash didn't like at all; but he coped ok with it. I didn't do too much training with Flash though as he wasn't too interested due to the shots. (The same gun shots were of course excellent socialisation for Jesse!).
Jesse was a star throughout! Four months old and already so well behaved that he can be taken into a B&B hotel room, no trouble in kennels, got used to all the big animals without problems and loved being around lots of crowd and people.
There was some trouble for us though on Sunday evening... as our car got broken into and everything in it stolen... Cornel noticed at around 10 pm when he took Troy out for a walk! What a nightmare and what hassle to get it all sorted out!
It also means that the chiropractor appointment that I booked for all four dogs for this Friday (Troy treatment and the rest just check up) needed to be cancelled and it is only Troy now going in my small car...
Monday, 16 April 2007
First ice cream
I weighed Jesse yesterday morning (being just 2 days short of 16 weeks old) and he is now a wopping 7.2 kg! He has more than doubled his weight from when we got him!
Yesterday, little Jesse also had his first ice cream. We don't give our dogs any sweets or other unhealthy treats at all, but 3 or 4 times a year (during the summer) they do get ice cream from the ice cream van, which they absolutely love. Jesse thought it was the best thing since sliced bread... he really got stuck into it alongside the big boys. He ended up with ice cream all over his nose and muzzle... LOL. Shame I didn't have a camera ready! It would have been a hilarious picture!
In the evening, we went to Happy Valley in Coulsdon again with all four of them. It was lovely. It is great to walk the whole pack and see them run. It is nice to know though that Jesse doesn't venture far and can be recalled easily... unlike the two long legged ones... LOL
They all loved it, Jesse did a lot of running and was accordingly tired when we got back home.
Yesterday, little Jesse also had his first ice cream. We don't give our dogs any sweets or other unhealthy treats at all, but 3 or 4 times a year (during the summer) they do get ice cream from the ice cream van, which they absolutely love. Jesse thought it was the best thing since sliced bread... he really got stuck into it alongside the big boys. He ended up with ice cream all over his nose and muzzle... LOL. Shame I didn't have a camera ready! It would have been a hilarious picture!
In the evening, we went to Happy Valley in Coulsdon again with all four of them. It was lovely. It is great to walk the whole pack and see them run. It is nice to know though that Jesse doesn't venture far and can be recalled easily... unlike the two long legged ones... LOL
They all loved it, Jesse did a lot of running and was accordingly tired when we got back home.
Sunday, 8 April 2007
First Family Outing
Cornel wanted to go out today taking all four dogs with us... I was reluctant at first, but it turned out to be lovely. We went to a park about 20 minutes away from us where we knew there wouldn't be too many dogs in the later afternoon.
We didn't walk far and always making sure Jesse was ok, but all the dogs love it and Jesse also ran quite a bit, though he figured out very quickly that he couldn't keep up with Dylan and Flash... LOL
It was strange for me to look out for three dogs (Cornel having Troy on the lead), but I will get used to it with a bit more practice... it was quite tiring from that point of view, though luckily Jesse doesn't stray far at all...
Here some of the lovely pictures taken today:
All four boys with Cornel
And all four boys with me
Flash and Jesse
The crew
And here's one of Dylan followed by Jesse that's very blurry, but I love it
And our boy Flash
We didn't walk far and always making sure Jesse was ok, but all the dogs love it and Jesse also ran quite a bit, though he figured out very quickly that he couldn't keep up with Dylan and Flash... LOL
It was strange for me to look out for three dogs (Cornel having Troy on the lead), but I will get used to it with a bit more practice... it was quite tiring from that point of view, though luckily Jesse doesn't stray far at all...
Here some of the lovely pictures taken today:
All four boys with Cornel
And all four boys with me
Flash and Jesse
The crew
And here's one of Dylan followed by Jesse that's very blurry, but I love it
And our boy Flash
Saturday, 7 April 2007
First encounter with young children
Having the day off yesterday due to Good Friday, I took little Jesse to the park again. It was deserted to start off with, though we mananged to watch some football game from the distance.
Eventually, two young girls came over and asked whether they could say hello to Jesse. I agreed of course as it was an ideal opportunity for Jesse to have a good experience with children. Luckily, they were very sensible kids and did exactely as I told them. Jesse first backed away from them as he was worried. I gave the children some treats to give to Jesse... he took them and got braver by the minute. Eventually he went up to the children to sniff them and they were able to stroke him.
After a good few minutes, we started walking back. Just before we left the park, the children came up to us again and this time Jesse went straight up to them with a wagging tail... Success!
We also met a couple of dogs, which was good for Jesse. One of them was a bulldog, which Jesse wasn't too comfortable with. I think it is their squashed faces that worry him... Hopefully we will meet a few more squashy faced breeds for him to get to know.
Here are some pictures taken today in the park:
Aren't I beautiful
Jesse loves clicker training and pinches the clicker at every opportunity...
Some nice portraits here
And last but not least, some action shots
And I loooooooooove this one!
Eventually, two young girls came over and asked whether they could say hello to Jesse. I agreed of course as it was an ideal opportunity for Jesse to have a good experience with children. Luckily, they were very sensible kids and did exactely as I told them. Jesse first backed away from them as he was worried. I gave the children some treats to give to Jesse... he took them and got braver by the minute. Eventually he went up to the children to sniff them and they were able to stroke him.
After a good few minutes, we started walking back. Just before we left the park, the children came up to us again and this time Jesse went straight up to them with a wagging tail... Success!
We also met a couple of dogs, which was good for Jesse. One of them was a bulldog, which Jesse wasn't too comfortable with. I think it is their squashed faces that worry him... Hopefully we will meet a few more squashy faced breeds for him to get to know.
Here are some pictures taken today in the park:
Aren't I beautiful
Jesse loves clicker training and pinches the clicker at every opportunity...
Some nice portraits here
And last but not least, some action shots
And I loooooooooove this one!
Tuesday, 3 April 2007
Microchipping
Well, today the last trip to the vet (hopefully) was scheduled: microchipping. Jesse was perfectly at ease at the vet's which was great to see. He went to say hello to everyone, including the vet (one which he hadn't seen before). The treats during the first two visits obviously worked very well. Again, I took my treats out when he was on the table and he was chewing the liver tablets whilst having the chip injected. Jesse didn't react at all, not even the slightest flinch... If he felt something, he certainly didn't make a fuss about it! What a brave boy he is! I think as with the injections, the treats were helping LOL.
So, our little boy is now sorted out and all he has to do now is grow, grow and grow...!
So, our little boy is now sorted out and all he has to do now is grow, grow and grow...!
Sunday, 1 April 2007
Grooming Session Number 2
Here's a few piccies taken on Saturday, 31st March... Aren't these two (Jesse and Flash) just beautiful together.
And playing with daddy
And today, I had the second attempt at grooming. Having bought a proper grooming table now, things were a lot easier. This time round, I also did the head and ears on top of just the face. It is a little too short (daddy doesn't like it... he says it doesn't look cute anymore... :-( ), so I will use the longer setting of the blades next time round and I will also leave the eye brows and the crown/top knot longer again as well next time round. Just as well his hair grows so quickly... so he'll look cute again in no time. We still need lots and lots more practise, but Jesse was already much calmer and more relaxed and keeping still much better than last time. In fact, he is doing much better with this grooming malarky than I am... LOL
Here's the result:
And some more
Are we done now?
In the afternoon, I took Jesse to a close by park. We met a group of English Cocker Spaniels there. First a little bit shy, Jesse then wanted to play with one of them. Parks are still a little alien to him as we only do road walking during the week, so this was only the second time he was in a park. But he got braver all the time and he will be fine in no time.
Today is also the first time ever that I saw Jesse going in his crate for a nap voluntarily, which is good. So he has finally accepted it as a resting place (he is crated when we are out and when we can't supervise him... and he is fine with that).
Oh, and love is... sharing the sofa
And playing with daddy
And today, I had the second attempt at grooming. Having bought a proper grooming table now, things were a lot easier. This time round, I also did the head and ears on top of just the face. It is a little too short (daddy doesn't like it... he says it doesn't look cute anymore... :-( ), so I will use the longer setting of the blades next time round and I will also leave the eye brows and the crown/top knot longer again as well next time round. Just as well his hair grows so quickly... so he'll look cute again in no time. We still need lots and lots more practise, but Jesse was already much calmer and more relaxed and keeping still much better than last time. In fact, he is doing much better with this grooming malarky than I am... LOL
Here's the result:
And some more
Are we done now?
In the afternoon, I took Jesse to a close by park. We met a group of English Cocker Spaniels there. First a little bit shy, Jesse then wanted to play with one of them. Parks are still a little alien to him as we only do road walking during the week, so this was only the second time he was in a park. But he got braver all the time and he will be fine in no time.
Today is also the first time ever that I saw Jesse going in his crate for a nap voluntarily, which is good. So he has finally accepted it as a resting place (he is crated when we are out and when we can't supervise him... and he is fine with that).
Oh, and love is... sharing the sofa
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