Niques

Apologies for the double post, but I have a little brag. The park was unexpectedly crowded when we turned up - a couple of families walking and children playing on the equipment. James was beautifully calm throughout! The butt wiggling got a bit too enthusiastic when some young children walked past (calling him a "cute puppy" - it'll go to his head, no doubt ;)) but he didn't break the sit. We practically stumbled on top of an off-leash Pointer who I didn't know was there and he still managed to keep a sit! She made it all the way over to us without a single lunge from the pup - that is most definitely a first! "Can't you tell I is a water retriever?!" The monster can seek out even the smallest of puddles to throw himself in Snorkling puppy.

Mmm, I was watching that thread unfold. Veeeery interesting, to say the least. I know! Part of the reason we only ever use the dog park when it's empty. Also because it's such a small space and if someone didn't want their dog to play with J, it would be hard keeping him away. Not to mention, my boofhead boy has nooo idea how to take the hint that other dogs don't want him around ;) Even being completely aware of the limitations of my own dog, it still boggles the mind that people kick first and ask questions later. We stop and step off the footpath when other dogs approach whilst we're out walking and there have been occasions when I would have completely understood if the other person had shied away a little or looked unhappy with James' carrying on (which can get really bad ) - I know he only wants to play but there are times when I definitely wouldn't blame the other party if they thought otherwise. But I have never been subjected to anything other than the knowing, amused smile and, "He's a(n) excitable/enthusiastic/playful pup!". Putting the rudeness a rushing dog aside for a moment, if labradors are meant to be the dunces of the dog social world, how come so many experienced dog owners and their dogs can't interpret what your average suburban dog-walker can? Anyway, moving on from that... I am very pleased to hear that the scare was just a false alarm, KTB. How very frightening Am laughing away at the thought of Genevieve being unable to unwrap her bone How frustrating. But, am nonetheless pleased to hear that I don't have the only dog who is yet to understand Christmas. Glad to hear you had a fun weekend after the report-writing stress, LS! How many of the litter did your sister and BIL keep? It must be lovely having Ruby's family close by for playdates - James' lab(ish) friend down the road was bred by the couple's son, so her Mum and sister get to come and play quite regularly. I'd really love for James to go and visit his Mum - two of his brothers have already been back. I can only imagine the pandemonium if you brought all 10 together again ;) Poor Kuma! Here's hoping it's only a minor problem! Do keep us updated.

Oh dear. Christmas casualty #1. I thought James was off somewhere having a nap and finally happened to notice that the door to the sitting room was open... Approached with great trepidation only to find a most pleased puppy waltzing around with a squeaky raccoon hanging out of his mouth Am most amused that, of all the presents, the only one he opened was one of his! I can't decide what to do with the raccoon now. It's all slobbery so I'm not sure how well rewrapping it will go. I had it up on the kitchen bench and James kept jumping up and looking for it. At least I know he likes it!

Aww, Astrid looks so very content there. Cane toads are a horror. James gets fed early so he's inside by 6:30pm at the very latest and then generally he's not allowed out again til morning. Poor guy. I haven't seen as many around as I normally do, which is a relief.

I first thought G's ears were inside out but still couldn't work out why there was blonde fur - very unexpected When on earth did Max get so big?! The lake looks like a brilliant place to take a dog. How is Kyojin with other dogs, Minxy? Is he a playful chap or a little reserved? Remind me never to become a weatherwoman. I once again tried to pick a gap in the rain this arvo so James could stretch his paws. We made it as far as the park before it started bucketing down. Really wasn't interested in sitting under the gazebo waiting for it to stop (good thing, too - we'd probably still be there!) so had ourselves a pleasant outing in the rain. And someone thought it would be hilarious to walk up the street with his head in the gutter, drinking the run-off from everyone's storm water drains

I had the same experience last night! James and I were watching the Lord Mayor's carols together and he was being so wonderfully quiet and lying at my feet. It felt like the early days when he'd conk out whenever you stopped playing with him. I sort of suspect he was so docile because I'd woken him up and dragged him upstairs to watch with me But I got my comeuppance - he turned into a lunatic after half an hour and then tried to eat a cane toad before bed (way to get my heart racing!! ). Genevieve looks so little again with her new haircut! Very tidy and cute! I do miss the little wispy bits, though. I have to ask as it's driving me insane, why is her right ear blonde in the first two photos? Very good news to hear that all is well with Wee Wizzle! How exciting to get to see the bub The Spitz calendar is gorgeous! KTB, what brilliant photos! Both in subject (exceedingly cute!!!) and general photography - there's a lovely soft light to them that makes the tree look terrific. I was picking out a few to specifically mention that I loved but kept finding another fantastic shot everytime I scrolled down! I love Astrid and the towel. She always looks so gentle and sweet in her photos that it's a surprise to see her in motion And attacking a towel, no less! Great news that she's found a food she likes! Can't wait to see the products of her photoshoot! Ziggy looks proud as punch to have his photo taken with Santa Thanks for the DwD breakdown, Cleo! It all sounds very interesting - I think I'll have to YouTube some videos. Christmas shopping complete, as of today! Am exhausted. Puppy has his gifts under the tree but has also been officially banned from entering the room until post-Christmas. He's developed a fondness for jumping up and filching things off the mantle. Cheeky bastard. I forsee great mess...

I'm so very sorry to hear about your father, KTB I love the doggy presents So very cute. I'm curious as to what they are! Under our tree is decidedly empty - it just occured to me that we're down to 9 days till Christmas Really need to get out and shop. Kit was a handsome fellow! I hope Astrid is less fussy for you soon. I was convinced that I had the only non-food motivated labrador in the world for the first two weeks after James came home. He picked up eventually and quickly became a guts. I suspect he really didn't take the separation from his siblings all that well - he was screaming before we'd even left the breeder's house Hopefully little Astrid will settle into her food And congratulations on the successful cat/puppy integration Wizzle, interesting cravings! Both savoury and sweet - covering all bases ;) James has learnt not to lick IN the cup of tea, rather he just sits there licking at the rim That's curious that Lady G has taken offence at the Christmas lights - it's amazing what innocent things set dogs off. Cleo, well done with the DWD progress! Is Shandy a corgi or am I thinking of someone else? It would be fascinating to watch some of the atypically shaped dogs (corgis, dachsunds, etc.) perform. Is there a lot of freedom in creating a "routine" or are there universal steps/moves that are taught? I am completely ignorant on the subject ;) KA, that's so sweet! If I lag behind when there are two of us walking the most I've ever gotten is a backwards glance before he happily trots off, leaving me in his dust We've just come out of a fairly impressive storm that's been raging on and off for nearly two hours now. James isn't bothered by close thunder in the slightest, but got rather excited by all the rushing about to close windows so he started stealing Christmas decorations off the mantle Still completely ignores the tree, which I'm impressed by. He earnt himself a Christmas teddy bear to chew on for his troubles. Until he was bored by that and thought he'd start chewing on cushions. He was booted outside to find a dry spot on the deck, which I thought he'd be most displeased about - I glanced out a few minutes ago and he was blissfully humping his blanket Not a care in the world. And I shall close with some photos from the weekend: There are so many pics of him in this awkward position. There's a particularly spectacular one of him from the rear where it looks like he's crapping out a plastic chicken - will have to dig it out for your viewing pleasure. "I CAN HAS CHEEZBURGER?!" ;) Edit: Oh dear, please forgive the overuse of emoticons...

They have to be cute when they're little so that we don't strangle them. When they get older they are more tolerable so they are allowed to lose some cuteness :confused: Did you want to tell James that? He still only scrapes by sometimes because of the fact that by the time I'm finished cleaning up whatever disaster he's caused, he's back to looking all bloody adorable again - cheeky sod I'm forever getting distracted from how cross I am with him - I end up on tangents thinking how wonderfully lucky I am to have, what is clearly, the cutest dog in the world Wuffles, could never have too many puppy Ava photos! Does she still have the white spots on her body? I don't remember ever seeing them. What a cutie Kitt was! Do you have any photos of him as an adult? Would love to see how he turned out. When it comes down to it, nutrients are nutrients and if ice-cream reduces your discomfort/stress at this point in the pregnancy, it's probably well worth it :D It's not poison. Astrid's first vet trip sounds like it went off without a hitch! She sounds like such a sweet-tempered thing! How are you finding toilet training? James has always regarded the vet's treats disparagingly. Not that that stops him eating them. But they usually just have dried liver and that soooo doesn't compare with the chicken or cheese he gets at home :D

James gets bones daily as his evening meal and recreational bones on the odd day when he's home alone for a considerable period. He's been having bones since the day he came home. In fact, the first thing he was given was a chicken wing (which he promptly vomited back up). At 4 months the wings were dropped and he's been on larger bones/frames since. He's not exactly supervised. The door is open so I can occasionally hear him crunch away and I check on him every 20 minutes or so to see if he's finished yet.

One of those days where I wish I had a camera on hand 24/7. James thought he'd have a splash in his clamshell this morning. It's been full of fairly grungy rainwater and leaves for a few days now as I've not been bothered to empty it just yet. All was well until something touched his paw. My brave little boy freaked and leapt out ;) I thought maybe he'd found a lizard, but nope, on closer inspection it was... a leaf. He investigated and worked out what it was so tentatively climbed back in. Until, heaven forbid, another leaf got him He shall henceforth be known as, James the Cowardly Lion. I've also been giving him balloons filled with water all afternoon. Not for his enjoyment, rather, for mine. Cracks me up watching him prance around the balloons until they split ;) Raven, what an awful woman Not to mention incredibly stupid - whoever would have thought that the best way of maintaining new customers was NOT insulting their puppies :p Astrid is such a sweet thing. With some big paws to grow into! I just love floppy dobe ears - too damn cute!! I'm glad you're liking puppy school! Bad experiences at preschool seem to be rife if you're to believe DOL (and just look at the new tangent Hugo's thread has taken!). I like to ignore my wisdom teeth. I have a small jaw so I just know that they'll cause problems. I haven't had x-rays done for a few years, but they were just visible back then - I figure since they haven't come through since then I have licence to forget that they exist When is the big day, Wuffles? Congratulations on the shoe find. I hate it when you have something particular in mind and just can't it anywhere! My big task for this week is to find a dress to wear to my brother's wedding next month - not a fan of dress shopping Wizzle, I find I need to vacuum the washing machine and dryer after a "James" load Otherwise there are little black hairs stuck on EVERYTHING in the next load. Miss G is such a dainty, elegant looking pup. I love the wispy fur around her paws and ears - do they get trimmed at all when she's groomed? I took James for a walk around the local cemetery yesterday but neglected to remember that the Pony Club uses the adjacent field on weekends. I had some idea that he was tolerant of horses as his puppy preschool was outdoors and had a horse or two peering over the fence each week. Much to my chagrin he stood there and barked at one poor beast as it was tied to the fence - very mortifying

James, I fear, will be suffering the terrible fate of those with birthdays so close to Christmas and will only be getting one lot of gifts - poor sod. He's getting a stuffed toy or two, a new name tag (if I get around to deciding on one I like) and will find him something nummy to eat.

Lovely to see Miss Genevieve! Hope you are well, Wizzle! Poor Hoover - it's a bit dismaying to see them when they're not themselves. Here's hoping he'll wake up refreshed and back to normal in the morning! Absolutely adorable photo of Max. He's ridiculously cute and quite clearly knows it! ;) Completely useless vet visit today. Her best guess is that he's reached maturity and simply doesn't want/need as much food. Despite my insistence that he actually is quite hungry - I think I can recognise when my boy wants food. Not to mention that the whole idea of him being fully grown right now is a bit disturbing - I know I harp on about it but he is so short! The only other hypothesis was a (very) minor bout of pancreatitis. But I think you'd be hard pressed to make that fit his pattern of behaviour. So we have a couple of things to test out to try and get him eating dry again, but really, are no wiser as to the cause. On the upside, however, apparently he has wonderfully healthy teeth And the pup has officially been booted back into the garage. It would seem that the bedroom is far too hot (and I sympathise - I found it very hard to sleep last night) as he fidgets and pants for aaaages before sleeping. And then wakes up and starts all over. I suspect the enclosed crate doesn't help. So he's back in his pen with his beloved concrete floor Sleeping like a baby.

Aww, she sounds lovely! And is very beautiful! I know it's awful that people have such perceptions but I can't help but laugh whenever I read things like that I just picture Kuma nonchalantly snacking on KumaAkita Jr and it's a ridiculous image. Raven, we had a Dobermann join our class at obedience one week and she was a charming pup. James was most taken with her and the two were inseparable at every break in the class. I think the ear cropping in the past hasn't helped their "aggressive" reputation - with normal ears they look extremely docile and sweet.

Walk. With bone in mouth

That's so sweet! I can just picture all the dogs standing in line with eager faces He's eating most things except the dry which is why the vet wasn't a priority (combined with the fact that he's still his chirpy self, pooing regularly, etc.) and we thought puzzle it out ourselves. He's basically been living off meaty bones (and sardines and treats) for the past week - not nutritionally ideal He isn't, however, eating "recreational" bones - the ones with just scraps of meat. And has also only been eating the meat of his lamb shanks and not touching the bone. Both of which support the hurt mouth idea. I'm very sorry to hear about Papa Koala's troubles this week Hope all goes well with Hoover tomorrow! I know what you mean about the guilt - James isn't even being done for a while yet and I've been feeling bad about it for months already

Where are our puppy photos/stories, Ravenau? Love the cat photo, by the way - it's a fantastic shot and beautiful kitty. Congratulations to little Kyojin on his graduation! Off to the vet tomorrow to sort out why James isn't eating. He is otherwise perfectly normal so we've been testing out a few hypotheses this week in the meantime and nothing's working. Had another vomit last night which I suspect was a hunger vomit - was trying to test if he was simply being picky and holding out for meat, so he was only offered dry food for dinner and, surprise surprise, didn't eat it. So I ended up with a bedroom reeking of vomit - no matter how much I scrubbed his crate out the smell would not leave. Made for a pleasant night's sleep So, he's earnt himself a vet visit. I'm of the theory that perhaps he's damaged his mouth and the dry is too rough on it and his vet nurse could only come up with that as well. It's really bizarre Poor bugger.

James love blueberries. As well as apple, banana, mango, strawberry, etc. Blueberries are the clear favourite though. And tissues. He will quite happily filch tissues off tables and eat them.

Aww, she is so adorable, Ravenau! Remember to take lots of photos in the early days when she first comes home! I really regret not having all that many of James. Ruby is such a deceptively sweet looking puppy You wouldn't think from looking at her that she was capable of pulling toys apart the way she does James has been scarily good with our tree. It's up in a room that isn't used aside for the piano, so he doesn't spend much time in there as it is, but he barged in just after the decorating was finished and he really didn't care about the tree One of the stockings, on the other hand, he loved. It was pinned up quite high and he thought it a brilliant game to jump up and down trying to grab it (which he eventually did) Elbie's Kelpie stalk is very impressive! It is very amusing stopping to think how weird we sound/look when interacting with dogs. I, what with all his weaving, inevitably end up kicking James in the heels a few times when we walk and I instinctively apologise to him - I'm sure I sound insane. Not to mention all the other talking I do to him as we walk. Congratulations! That's a terrific achievement :rolleyes: How often will you be visiting the hospital? Anyone else's dog have a favourite breed? James has a thing for dogs his size or larger - little dogs don't interest him that much. But labradors seem to be his favourite. Not to mention they're the only dogs that consistently tolerate his particular brand of insanity Others seem to get fed up with his antics after the introductory bum sniffing. We were sitting in the park this morning after our walk to help desensitise him to other dogs. He was fairly excited but easily calmed when the little terrier type dogs went past. And then suddenly a black labrador caught his eye and he started screaming like he was being murdered I was pleased though - after the initial, "Pleeeeeeeease let me go play!!" pulling and tail wagging and whining, he settled down to the most relaxed I've ever seen him around other dogs. He was even interested in the treat I offered. Progress

I love his expression when you first start talking to him. "You have got to be kidding me!" He deals with his apple so calmly. Drops it and picks it right on up again. James would've been chasing it across the floor by the 30 second mark

I could take a similar photo every. single. morning. His ability to search out underwear (and socks) is unbelievable. I used to just think it mildly amusing until he chewed the strap off a bra a week or two ago Not impressed, Lord James. Papa Koala says that to me all the time. + sigh. Seconded. Within minutes of meeting James for the first time my father dished out the, "I thought he was going to training - doesn't look like it." How is the flooded courtyard going? We've only been getting bits and pieces of rain up here. Am hoping it will hold off until later tomorrow - James desperately needs to get out for a good run at the dog park. He's been a wee bit glum due to being shut outside more than usual, what with guests in the house and all. And just as I type that it starts raining again. Love the Hooker Bear Brings back memories of those ads.

I think we'll give the adult food a try - was planning on starting the transition at the end of the month but I think it's worth sorting out this issue ASAP. Thanks, again

That's very scary, Ravenau. That's great news that everyone was evacuated safely What a terrible shame about the other little pup - so unnecessary Can't wait for updates on the state of your house, Wuffles James earnt himself the silent treatment this morning. For all of about 30 minutes - he's too damn cute to keep ignoring He went off his nut on our walk this morning at a little fluffy dog who had escaped from somewhere. It's the first time I've ever seen him show any form of dislike towards another dog. He's had dogs bare their teeth at him and he still wants to play. But this poor little dog had him barking rather ferociously. Was unspeakably mad at him by the time we got home. It actually would've been quite a funny scenario if it weren't so scarily bad. I think we'd interrupted the dog just as he was finishing a poo so he whirled around with the most adorable, "Who, me?" expression when the barking started. Poor thing was so confused. I would kill to know what set James off - our neighbour has an elderly SWF who he's quite content to just watch over the fence and he'd been trying to play with a Cav we'd passed not 30 minutes earlier so it can't be the size of the other dog. I'm at a loss As an aside, does anyone else's dog start behaving differently when they know you're cross with them? I was portioning out his bones for the week and he didn't dare jump up to the kitchen bench once - instead sat quietly outside the kitchen trying to look appeasing ;)

So I gave him only half his usual breakfast with sardines this morning and he happily ate it all. I'm wondering if maybe his dry food has gone a bit stale given his willingness to eat everything else. We're hitting the very bottom of a 15kg bag so it's been open for a while... Will be monitoring closely for any further vomitting, etc, in the meantime.

Thanks for the advice, all Shall chat with the vet about it tomorrow if he's still showing no interest.

He usually gets 3/4 of a cup and for the past few days he's only been eating about half that. I don't monitor his weight but he's fairly lean. The vomit was purely liquid, if that makes a difference. It's been a couple of days since he started showing less interest in the dry and this morning's the first time he's vomitted since, which is why I was thinking it's unrelated.