Been a while since I was last here so thought I'd say a hello to those who were around when I was posting regularly and give a bit of an update
At Christmas it'll be 3 years since I lost Rupert Bear. Hard to believe it's been that long already, it seems to have gone so quickly and yet at the same time it seems to have been forever. Spencer will have been here 3 years at the beginning of February. Hell of a change in him Gone is the obnoxious thug who used to scream and spin and lunge when he saw another dog and wasn't able to dance on its head. These days he's usually quite polite with other dogs, still highly sociable and I still have to keep him on leash if I can't see other dogs before they're quite close, but he's now able to meet and greet politely, play appropriately if the other dog wants to and willing to move on when I ask him to. Our leash walking is still a work in progress but all other training has gone really well He's clicker trained and loves shaping, doesn't do at all well being lured, he follows the food without any thought whatsoever. Hoping to be able to get into some sort of scent work with him when we're back in the UK, he is a nose on legs! Never really been interested in it before but have played some hunt the catnip scented toy with him and it's fascinating. Not to mention he seems to really love it.
Spen is pretty much everything I want in a dog. He's friendly, loves training, throws himself whole heartedly into anything I ask him to do, has tons of confidence and next to no prey drive. He's an absolute joy to walk and work with for the most part. I think he'd have made someone a fantastic assistance dog, he does the laundry, unpacks shopping bags, helps tidy the house and picks up anything I drop. Not because I need him to but because he loves to do it. He looks absolutely distraught if I go do the laundry by myself (washing machine is in the cellar) and waits with such an eager expression while I remove things from shopping bags that I don't want his mouth around that it's hard to say no lol. He's just such a happy, fun loving dog who seems to sail through life without a care in the world
We're currently in the process of looking for somewhere to live in the UK as my hubby is being medically discharged from the army. Spen has been a huge worry with it but we've been told we're eligible for a 1 bedroom place with a housing association and top priority for it and they have a lot available that accept one dog so weight off my mind really Bit of a nightmare doing it all from Germany though.
Hope everyone else is well and here's a few of pics of Spendog.
Him when we first got him
Him now.
Believe it or not he weighs exactly the same in both pics, 33kg.
It's been a while...
Moderators: emmabeth, BoardHost
Re: It's been a while...
Hi Sarah, I was just thinking about you the other day and wondering how you were getting on! Sorry it's OH's health that have brought you home though.
Spencer is looking wonderful and very fit
Spencer is looking wonderful and very fit
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
Re: It's been a while...
Woooo hello! Great to see you here and Spen looks fab!
West Midlands based 1-2-1 Training & Behaviour Canine Consultant
Re: It's been a while...
What a terrific job you have done with that dog!
Sorry to hear about hubby.
Goodvibes for finding a dog-friendly home somewhere nice. Keep in touch!
Sorry to hear about hubby.
Goodvibes for finding a dog-friendly home somewhere nice. Keep in touch!
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog
SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS
SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS
Re: It's been a while...
Thanks I keep getting asked what breed he is. Then when I say Lab I get "but what's he crossed with?" or told he's not full Lab.
And the number of people who've told me Labs are stupid, untrainable/born fully trained (seems to be two distinct factions there), don't need much exercise, sex mad and various other things boggles the mind!
Hubby is absolutely fine really. He has sleep apnoea though and while it's controlled it means he's no longer deployable therefore the army don't want him any more.
And the number of people who've told me Labs are stupid, untrainable/born fully trained (seems to be two distinct factions there), don't need much exercise, sex mad and various other things boggles the mind!
Hubby is absolutely fine really. He has sleep apnoea though and while it's controlled it means he's no longer deployable therefore the army don't want him any more.
Re: It's been a while...
Love me some Spendog He really does look amazing and shows what a lab should look like He'll be able to confuse all the British dogs with his fluent German
Operant conditioning rocks but classical conditioning rules
Re: It's been a while...
WufWuf wrote:He'll be able to confuse all the British dogs with his fluent German
I actually had someone tell me that a certain litter of pups was untrainable because their mother had been imported from Germany while pregnant and so the pups only spoke German.
Sometimes you wonder why the amoeba bothered to split.
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog
SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS
SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS
Re: It's been a while...
Nettle wrote:I actually had someone tell me that a certain litter of pups was untrainable because their mother had been imported from Germany while pregnant and so the pups only spoke German.
Sometimes you wonder why the amoeba bothered to split.
Actually I'm not even sure why that surprised me when you consider some of the cr@p you here about dogs .
Butcher just told me that I should boil the bones he gave me for Honey as giving them raw "will turn her vicious" I managed not to sneer in his face as well I really like their meat and they give me lovely lamb bones for free
Operant conditioning rocks but classical conditioning rules
Re: It's been a while...
So nice hearing from you! Spencer looks fantastic! I wish you all the best in your move back to the UK!
My avatar is Piper, my sweet Pembroke Corgi. b. 5/11/11
Re: It's been a while...
Well I'm in trouble then, Spencer is German born and bred!Nettle wrote:WufWuf wrote:He'll be able to confuse all the British dogs with his fluent German
I actually had someone tell me that a certain litter of pups was untrainable because their mother had been imported from Germany while pregnant and so the pups only spoke German.
Sometimes you wonder why the amoeba bothered to split.
Thankfully he's smarter than I am and has mastered English perfectly I've seen several on forums and facebook groups asking how they should train a Romanian/Spanish/Greek dog when they can't speak that language though.
Re: It's been a while...
good to hear from you Sarah, glad Spencer is doing so well.