Max the Collie Dog

I know when people go out with babies and klittle kids they take all sorts of parafinaylia (spelling not inc.) with them on their trip. I never knew how much stuff you would take for your dog.

Doggie Essentials -
Nappy Sacks / Poo bags - for the obvious
Water Bottle with optional bowl
Lead - light weight, easy to carry
Mobile - to call for help when you get lost, stuck on the salt marsh or the dog goes wandering off... seriously useful & essential
Treats (Optional but very handy)
A Ball, lots of dogs prefer tennis balls - be warned you willl need a supply as dogs loose balls :)!
Digital Camera - for those moments when the cannine is being a cutie, it does happen promise!
Map - for those weekend walks and finding somewhere to park / where you are going
(not that men use these things or so they say...)
A bag to put it all in :) I use a little pull string ruck sack, but be warned water and mobiles do not mix... from experience.

Things for humans -
Walking Shoes / Trainers - twisted ankle / wet feet can be painfull / annoying
Lightweigh Jacket - for the wetter days of summer
Sunglasses - look cool and no squinting
Water - use the dog's water unless you are a bit squemish
Mobile - (as above)
Cash - enough for a lolly or a pint or 2 in a friendly pub, plus parking if req'd

Comparing the list, we carry a lot of stuff for our pampered pouches on days out. Do kids need more or less stuff in quantity?

Vx

Labels: Days out, Doggie, Essentials, nappy sacks, poo bags, walkies, Walks

When we got Max all those months ago we had no idea he would get us involved in agillity, learning tricks, doing house checks for Many Tears (www.manytears.co.uk) or even what it would be like to have a cannine family member.

Agillity for the uninitiated is where a dog runs a course of jumps, tunnels, frames, sesaw and sometimes through a tyre.

This sounds straightforward, but it is not as easy as those clever canines on tv make it seem. It is also very addictive, some of our friends are at training 4 times a week and do trials and competitions every weekend from April to October.

We have limited ourselves to 1 class a week with Dianna & Rhyss, that Marcus does with Max. Then a training session with Dianna and Rhys, as well as Anna & Rufus. The difference from when we started in May to now is stunning. He is so much more responsive and the understanding we have of how he thinks is brilliant.

When you run a dog like Max you are thinking 2 obsticles following the 1 he is doing, so you will say 'over' a jump as he leaves a tunnel and then as he jumps 'over' the next jump.

The things that beat Max is he is sooo fast. He loves agillity and whines when he watches the other dogs doing their agillity rounds. He speeds upto the A frame or the dog walk and misses the target pint. These are the areas that are painted a contrasting colour. The dog must touch these with I belive all 4 paws on entering and exiting the frame or dog walk or the sesaw. Max is so long legged he jumps all of them, we have to lead him by his collar over the obstacle and he can still decide to jump off.

The funniest thing is to see him on the sesaw, he jumps and uses the motion of the obstacle tipping to jump over the other side.... it made the trainer laugh out loud when he did it the 1st time.

Vx

Labels: A frame, agillity, dog walk, Dogs, energy, fast, focus, learning, Rhys, round, Rufus, trainer, Training

Hows this for an awakening... you are quietly dosing, well to be honest snoring :) in bed when you here something and feel something land on the bed. Next second you get a whiff of really off fish. You then open your eyes to find a collie in the process of licking your nose who smells worse than a fish restaurant's bins after an extremely hot day.

This is what I had this morning, Max had found a large amount of something fidhy left in the park and decided he had to roll in it.... what a stink!!!

Max avoided the bathroom with great skill hiding behind me, the bedroom door, making a short lived run for the stairs then in he went. Marcus man handled him in to the bath and he got washed off.

This is pretty good timing as he has started his summer malt. He must have lost a good 2 handfulls of hair and after his shamppo smelt a lot better.

He did get his revenge by shaking off the remains of the water over the clean towels on the landing, but then went outside to sulk for all of a minute, coming in to see what was going on in the kitchen and see if it involved his food.

Vx

Labels: Dogs, fishy smell, malt, Max, roll, shampoo, smelly dog, wet dog

Max as you are probably are aware has learnt to swim. He loves clambering in... no jumping in as yet and swimming for his stick or even more importantly his ball.
Jayne, Moose, Max & I ventured out for a walk and after doing a walk through our little park, then through past one of the pubs (no stopping for a drink this time), we headed up one of the many paths in Bursledon to the salt marshes. This is a big area of smelly mud that floods at high tide floods to some degree or other.
We went down there at high tide and after a gentle stroll across to the sea edge we started to throw sticks in to the water. Both the boys had a go at getting the sticks, then they both realised they could mug the other 1 for the stick and gain that stick... saving a swim.... very cute to watch.
Max continued to go for the sticks and Moose over saw this and saved his energy. Max soon got wise and took verious routes up on to the bank and ensured the stick was dropped at our feet to be thrown again. After a while of doing this we headed back along the dry bit of the marshes and up the path.
At this point Max & Moose were doing their locomotive train special hurtling around the path and surrounding marshes and down to the dirtiest smelliest water. A few times the boys hurtled back up to the path and we stood aside to watch them dash past.
Then....Max chasing Moose they hurtled down towards the smelliest water, I stupidly commented "I hope they don't fall in!" Guess what, next splosh and Max stops to panic as his mate disappears over thedge in to the smelly green water. Moose rose from the stench and came hurtling back with Max to continue his game, with a quick stop to show Mum how wet he was and to let us have 1st wiff of the his new perfume.
We carried on up the path and Max and Moose trotted on ahead, venturing off to smell and to try out new paths.... we came to the end of the path and the 2 dogs stood to have their leads put on. The smell from Mo was quite strong and pungent, Max had a more salty taint to his smell.
We walked back up the path and Marcus met us at the end of the road we use to get to the marshes. He saw how wet Max was and stepped out the way of a Max hug ( 2 paws plonked on his torso and a lick). Then saw Moose and we told him about the adventure. He said he knew we would be at the marshes and was sure Mo liked his new after shave... lol Moose did not look so sure. :)
We wandered home, the boys walking next to each other where ever possible and enjoyed a natter and a laugh about the gentle aroma of salt and marshes. Moose tail and bum waggling. Max's tail going and enjoying the company.
Max now loves water, Moose is one of Max's best mates. If Max goes up to the park he looks for Moose and if he sees Mo the other side of the park he hurtles off to see his mate and they meet in the middle of the park tails wagging.
By the time we got home Max was pretty dry, we wiped off his paws and dried his tail. I think Moose was going to be sponged down to remove some of the smell.
A good walk was had by all, maybe next time we will try to keep the boys on the path when the tide is high on the marshes. :)

Labels: Marshes, Max, Salt, Sea, Swimming, Walks

Max is a collie and as such he is very quick and a bit too intelligent for his own good. LOL
He is known by the neighbours as a previous regular visitor. Jumping through 1 side just after we leave to raid their garden and say hello to Elaine, then back over to our other neighbours to eat the bread left out for the birds and say hello to anyone in the house by popping up to the patio doors and having a quick look in. ;D
He is now confined to his own garden by our new 6 ft close board fence and is quite content to open all the doors in the house, then snooze with the cat on our bed. They now have their own duvet with an old cover on it that we put on the bed when we go out.
As oe of the trainers pointed out on Dog's Borstal collies are very intelligent and when you live with one you see how intelligent and quick they are.
Great dogs to have, with such a responsive gentle nature and a dog that as far as I have found is always thinking about something.
Collies are not dogs that need hours of walking and acres of space. All they need is to be walked twice a day... we try to do 30 mins in the morning and an hour in the evening and longer at weekends. They need a secure garden, a place to snooze and lots of input in the form of training. I would also recommend investment in some boredom toys for any dogs left for a few hours at a time. Fill the toy with dry kibble (their breakfast or tea) and leave them to work out how to get it out of the bone, cube, ball or molecule.

Before I got a dog I thought that a dog was like a duck... they found water jumped in and swam. This is not the case. Many dogs are scared of water, most dogs need to be carefully introduced to the experience of swimming or even paddling.
Max was one of the dogs that for him swimming and paddling took a lot of thought and forsaking all our gentle attempts he would only waide in to kneck deep to retrieve his ball.
I must say thank you to friends' dogs and one lady in particular we met at Queen Victoria Country Park (Netley). Her 2 dogs saved us loosing yet another ball to the will of the tide... thank you :)
Anyway, on with the story.
We went out with Tina, Nigel and Levi (the dog) for a walk and headed down to a lovely stretch of river where Levi proceeding to head straight in to the water with Max running along the river bank... wanting to go in but not knowing how to take the first steps.
After kajolling from all of us and a gentle encouraging push or 2 as well. Max did not want to go out of his depth. Levi was doing an admirable job collecting the sticks before they headed down stream and crunching them, bringing some back to be rethrown. :)
Eventually after a few tentative gos at getting in the water the boys decided that they would try getting in the water and waiding with the dogs. So, Nigel & Marcus entered the water with Levi ad after a bit of a think Max joined them.
Max went after sticks and ran through the water, he even swam a little.
Now, this does not sound a lot, but to dog owners who live on the South coast a dog scared of water and who you are not sure can swim is a niggling concern. We are concerned no more.
Thanks to Tina, Nigel & Levi we now have a dog getting more an more happy to dive in and out of the water. This means we can walk by water without worry and also that we can have fun throwing balls and sticks in to the water for Max to chase and hopefully retrieve.
So in a year Max is now happy to walk on a lead, go in cars, sleep on a bed (preferrably ours), be left for a few hours on his own and enter water to chase sticks.
Yippee!!

They say dogs need to be socialised and to know how to behave. Whether this be their own kind, with kids, with all humans and with the world around them.

When Max arrived all was new to him from the car he came home in, to the lead he was attached to, to the house, the front door, the carpets and the tv. Just imagine you went from your Mum to somewhere nasty, to a noisy pound full of very scared canine, to a rescue with amany slightly happior canines to 2 seemingly nice humans picking you up and a thing that makes lots of noise and lots of things whizzing past the window to a place that is in your mind like no other..... No wander Max sat in the back garden for the 1st afternoon surveying all the comings and goings. So many new things.

These days he does not bat an eyelid at new things except he does not like the washing machine on spin or the hoover, but who does!!! He follows me round with his tail down watching the hoover and comes for a cuddle once it has stopped it's horrible noise. We are both relieved when that is over :)!

We are going on lots of walks at the moment with lots of dogs. Max has a great time with his doggie friends and I have a great natter ith their human's. I have found it really interesting in finding out their experiences and lots of dogs have things they are scared of, but with time and work these are becoming less.

Many dogs, like humans, are scared of different things. From cars and lorries that go past, to new dogs on leads to water or maybe of the thing that hurt them.... a rolled up paper or a foot. Many rescue dogs have a fear of something in their past, but this does not stop them loving new things if introduced gently in their future.

I have a friend who is scared of water and she is working towards going on a ferry. It takes time for her to get over each thing that worries her and as she does she is a little closer to that holiday in France. Another friend was scared of flying and with hypnotherapy she flew to Disneyland Paris and did fine on the way there and back.

Dogs are the same, they may not talk, but you can work with them to help them get over their foyballs and phobias. It is all worth it in the end, you ask any dog owner, not just those that have rehomed a rescue dog.

Socialisation is not just for the dogs, it is great to go out and chat to people who want to know about your dog, who have dogs that you meet or have had a dog like yours. Socialisation of the humans is I am sure what many dogs think they are doing at the park or on a walk..... :)!

V

Labels: Dogs, Phobias, Rewarding, Training, Walks

So, when you take on a dog and the trainer on the tv says... 'I would never have a dog more intelligent than me, that's why I would never have a collie', you start to think.

When your collie can open doors, knows the routine of the day, knows how to find his ball even in the pitch black when you throw it for him on his evening walk, sees his mum across a field in the dark when she is parking the car. He can learn tricks with in an evening and also does them better and with more panash every time you try them out..... all of these make you think how clever are collies.

Max may have the attention span of a nat and seemingly the memory of a gold fish when you ask him to do things. But, you set a treat down or his food and ask him to wait he will wait.

If you want a dog that is going to be kind, responsive, quick to learn, easy to look after, rough and tumble at play, but cuddly as well a collie is the dog for you. We are so glad that we got Max and to know that when you arrive home a waggy tail and some more dirty paw prints are waiting for you is great. :)

Many Tears have lots of collies for rehoming and lots of dogs that other mean hearted so and sos have dumped. Have a think before you buy a puppy, they will change your world and you need to be able to put them first, because they will. I know Max does with us.

Vx

Labels: collies, Many Tears, Max, rehoming

A new boy in the Houghton clan.

Kelly & Andy have recently brought home a staffy pup.

A gorgeous bundle of fun, who will be the 3rd dog in the family. Max is no longer the baby and I bet will enjoy playing with Dodge and of course Lennox.

Welcome to the family Dodg and hope to meet you very soon.

V :)

Max and Marcus have been busy over the last few weeks. Max finding new holes to escape through to both our neighbours and Marcus blocking up holes as they appear.

Max has even broken a barracade to get to some bread that our neighbour had left out, only a matter of pulling a piece of wood at the way, but still you would think we necer feed the thug! (If Max had his way he would have his dinner, Barney's and ours with a can of something cold to wash it down!)

Apart from this we have got back to doing training with Max, he is still not really grasping roll over, but his sits, downs and even his stays are getting better.

We bought a new duvet with my Nan's Christmas money. Max and Barney love this, esp. with the old duvet on top to protect the bed. When Marcus pops home after a morning at work both of them charge down the staris from there to see him.

We have fencers and tree surgeons in in February to remove our leylandi trees and put up a 6 foot fence. This will make the garden secure and easior to manage, as well as I hope seeming a little bigger. Lets just hope Max does not see this as a challenge and learns to jump 6 foot.

Max is a much more settled dog now. He is pretty good in new situations, very happy to see us when we come home and loves his cuddles and walks.

The scared dog we picked up from Somerset is long gone, he has his moments when new men meet him in new environments and he sometimes gets a bit scared, but he is now able to understand people are nice on the whole.

Max is even being used as a 'nice dog' by our trainers. He is going out on short walks with Moose the chocolate lab. Mo mo (Moose) can be a little bothered by meeting strange dogs on leads and Max is working with Jayne (Mo mo's owner) and Marcus to get Mo to understand that new dogs are friends and new things are good. Last week they managed to do lots of close passes and Maz and Mo met for the first time. Sounds like a little thing, but to have that happen is a big thing for Jayne and Mo.

Max is also going to do some work with some other dogs next week who are learning about lead work and socialisation. Everytime we hear of dogs that are havingf problems or see the doggie programmes on the telly we know how lucky we are. But, the real training is for us the owners, our dogs learn off us and are so happy to try.

Roll on the summer and the new challenge of agillity. Max actually having to jump over things he is supposed to jump over and not things he is not. Also an excitable collie doing all the other bits of agillity like the sesaw, should be interesting.

V x