Puppy playgroup

Last Friday was our first visit to the local puppy playgroup. We were a bit critical as we had heard that some groups are everything else as a help to the young dogs. Where the puppies are left to themselves and the owners gather in groups and discuss whatever the latest gossip has to offer.
This group was however quite different. As the period began there was approximately 20 young dogs aged from 11 weeks to 6 months, waiting with there masters and family for the action to begin. The instructor started by separating the dogs into two groups, the "old veterans"  and the babies,into which Bess was placed.
The first half a hour was simply a period where the pups could play and get to know each other. This was basically a free for all, which was however carefully monitored by Mrs Heßling,who prevented any pup from being mobbed by any rowdy companion.This was followed by 15 minutes theory and useful tips  for those who had bought a dog for the first time. The hour was was then concluded with a few agility tests which gave the puppies the chance to show off. This was of course without any pressure, all the dogs got there treats afterwards.

One day leads to another

I have nothing special to mention in this post. Bess is getting better each day. Better as in ,being more obedient and I can safely say that she is now house trained.Only on the odd occasion, when one of us comes home or when we come down first thing in the morning,is it possible that she will due to her excitement pee on the floor. However we humans are also quick to learn ! We now ensure that Bess is not on a carpet or rug when we bend down to greet her.This lesson was needless to say,learnt very quickly. She is without a doubt a enrichment to our lives and I find it quite frankly, amazing how quickly an animal accepts you and trusts you 100%, without any catches or "small print". All he wants is your protection and love,throw in some playtime and a regular meal and you have a real friend for life.

Puppy playgroup

In order to cement the new found "friendship" between Bess and Dimmalimm we decided to pay a visit to the stables yesterday and invite Bess brother Ben to come along. My sister-in-law Manuela had at long last, fulfilled a long awaiting wish to own a dog and had grabbed the opportunity, when we mentioned that we were getting Bess and picked out one of the male dogs from the pack.Hence Ben. After a short telephone call we agreed to meet at three o'clock and let the siblings play together. Manuela brought her son Max with, so we had more then enough two-legged creatures to keep an eye on and to keep the puppies occupied. Needless to say the afternoon was a great success while the siblings were unstoppable. It´s amazing how much energy a small puppy has when he´s given the opportunity. Here are a few photos of the afternoon.

Ups and downs

Saturday the 06.08.2011
The day started very badly for us and Bess. After the early morning wake-up call from Bess, Sabine got up and went to bring Bess downstairs.We had decided that the initial few days with us would be easier for Bess, if she slept with us in the bedroom, with her blanket, on the floor.However it obviously didn't go quickly enough for Bess, as she promptly started to pee all over our laminate flooring.Sabine rushed downstairs with Bess, where she proceeded with her "watering plan",and I started clearing up the mess upstairs. Meanwhile Sabine was downstairs trying to come to terms with the flooding.Needless to say after a few frantic minutes we managed to clear everything up and were then able to feed Bess and have breakfast.
Later that afternoon Sabine brought our daughter Samantha back to her flat in Sendenhorst a town which lies approximately 20km south-east of Münster. I decided that this would be the ideal opportunity to train Bess and see how she copes with being alone for a short period. This also gave me the chance to cut the grass. As our garden is quite small,approx.100qm, I thought that this time period (10-15 minutes) in which it took to mow the lawn would be acceptable. A pack of wolves wouldn't have been able to overtone our puppy, "but she has to learn to be alone" were the words which came to mind as i stopped myself from going to her, whenever her howling was heard over the engine noise of our mower. When I was finished I went indoors to congratulate Bess on her first successful "solitary confinement",only to find Sabine back from Sendenhorst, containing the next flooding and Bess tail wagging running to greet me. 
This was going to be a day full of experiments. This should be the first night where Bess would spend downstairs in her basket. To this end I had "rescued" a panel of wood from our local dump and adapted it so that,when placed on the steps of our staircase,our Bess couldn't push or pull it in either direction. The time arrived to go to bed, and Sabine I went upstairs leaving a perplexed puppy downstairs alone. To cut a long story short, we and Bess had a peaceful night, but only after a short howling with the wolves concert, which was cut short through my very loud "QUITE".
Good night ! 

Bess and Dimmalimm

My wife would also like to be able to ride out with her Island pony and Bess in the future.
Therefore we both agreed that Bess should be introduced bit by bit to Dimmalimm and the other Island ponies at the stables where Sabine keeps her horse.
 

Our first visit was very short, as Bess was very shocked at the huge "Dogs" she saw there. However this was her first experience with horses and as we wanted to finish this first encounter positivity, we carried her to the herd and let them get to know each other from the same level. After a few minutes of sniffing each other, we left and decided that this was enough for one way. As soon as we got home Bess confirmed this by falling asleep witin a few minutes.
Two days later we thought we visit the herd again and see how Bess would react this time. As we arrived Dimmalimm and the other mares were on the pasture. Great news as this also gave Bess space enough to watch from a distance.

However with a lot of patience and time spent on the pasture allowing Bess to build up her confidance, we
were able to enjoy and take a picture of the "joining up". It was a really great moment and proved that if you give animals' the chance and try to understand their body language, that they know when and how to get together.

Bess and a new start. Friday the 10th of August

I started this Blog back in 2009, with a long meaningful title.The name is now irrelevant,as I managed only 3 posts in the last 3 years.Not bad going, 1 post per year.
The reason I have now changed the title and intend to post more regularly, is because Lotte my dog ,friend and family member had to be put down on the 12.07.2011. I had always loved my dog, and had a lot of fun and experiences with him over the last 13 and a half years, but I was not prepared for the deep feeling of loss and pain on that Tuesday. Following nearly 2 weeks of emptiness-No more walkies no more greetings when one came home , my wife and I decided that we must have a another dog.
This new member of our family could not and should not replace "Lotte", but would be treated as a personality of her own. After 3-4 days of intensive searching in the Internet,we(my Wife) found "Bess".The following day we drove the 120 km to where Bess lived and decided very quickly that this jumping,quivering, licking package should be our new family member.

As our 25th wedding anniversary was being celebrated that weekend in the form of a large garden party ( I remembered),we quickly decided that this was not the best time to bring Bess home to us, and arranged to pick her up the following Monday.
Needless to say the entire family could hardly wait until Monday morning, but it finally arrived.
We drove the 120km on Monday morning and arrived around 10 o'clock, where the final formalities were quickly finalised (payment and handing over the vaccine book). We drove home after many goodbyes and promises to keep in touch with emails and photos.
The journey was uneventful, Bess was only sick once and didn't whine at all.

I would like to post about my daily experiences with Bess, regardless of the nature. I expect a lot of funny episodes and perhaps some middle ranking disasters, varying from chewed shoes to destroyed furniture. Should anyone decide to read my posts, please bear in mind that I am no "Hemingway", and any grammatical errors are part and parcel. I would of course welcome any response, be it critic, advice or simply interest.

Lotte