Should I get my dog castrated?

There can be many reasons to consider castrating your male dog, as it can benefit both health and behaviour. The operation is a simple one, which dogs tend to recover very quickly from. Even so, many owners are unsure and often feel cruel for considering it, but honestly, removing 'his manhood' could be better for him in the long run, and here's why:

Behaviour:

• It can make behaviour calmer and more predictable.
  
  

• It will reduce or eliminate 'sexual behaviour' such as mounting other dogs, household objects, or your Mother in law's leg! Often this sort of behaviour around other dogs can elicit an aggressive response, so even if your dog is not aggressive in nature, his sexual pestering may still lead to fights.
  
  
• It reduces the likeliness that your dog will go missing (on the hunt for fertile girlfriends)
  .
  

• It reduces scent marking behaviour. We often have uncastrated males in the kennel, and notice that they tend to scent mark very often when in a kennel environment. I believe it's because they're surrounded by other dogs and so feel the urge more strongly. We often have to clean their kennels more often, and sometimes even have to wash their paws daily.
  
  

• We have noticed at the kennels, that some male dogs tend to not join in with the fun at playtimes. Rather than making friends or playing with toys, they prefer to spend their time sniffing around at the scent of the other dog's urine (even lapping at it!) and get caught up in a endless cycle of over-marking another dog's scent . It seems some dogs have a 'one track mind', to the point in which not even a room full of potential playmates can distract them.
  
  
  
• It can reduce frustration, and so help to eliminate destructive and restless behaviour.
  
  

Health Benefits:

• The behavioural benefits can have a knock on effect on the dog's health. Castrated males are less likely to be attacked or become involved in fights. They are also less likely to escape and become lost, or injured in a road traffic accident.
  
  
• Castration eliminates the possibility of testicular cancer (obviously!) and also can lessen the probability of other cancers such as prostate cancer.
  
  
• It may affect insurance costs (ie lowering them).
  
  

I have to add, lastly, that of course not ALL male dogs MUST be castrated. We do indeed get some uncastrated males that come to the kennels that show hardly any 'typical' behaviour at all, being generally placid and playful.

Sometimes, male dogs who are very nervous may not benefit from being castrated, as it may make them even more nervous. If you have a very nervous male dog, talk to your vet about castration and whether it is suitable.

The decision whether to castrate is personal to the owner and if your dog is perfectly balanced and happy how he is, then why do it at all? However, don't let guilt or sentimental feelings get in the way of making a decision that could be better for your dog's health and state of mind in the long run. 

Running a boarding kennels... It's more than just a job

Three years ago, Myself and Lee were given the opportunity to be part of something amazing.

We were asked to consider building up and running a boarding kennels in sunny Cheshire. We were always aware that it would not be an average sort of career, that it would take a phenomenal amount of commitment and sacrifice. We also knew that we could be a big part of something that we could really be proud of, achieve immense job satisfaction, and, most importantly, spend much more time together.

...So we went for it. We resigned from our jobs, Lee as a Chemistry teacher and myself as a self-employed Dog Walker/Pet sitter, and we packed up and moved house. We live on site at the kennels, just yards away from where the dogs stay.

It has been a learning experience for us both over the years, and recently has become more challenging, with the opening of the Doggie Daycare and also the arrival of our little boy George.

A typical day is as follows...

Lee wakes up at 5.45am and immediately goes outside to the kennels to check on the dogs and pull up the kennel hatches so that the dogs have access to their exercise runs and can go to the toilet. He also refreshes the water bowls and (of course) turns on Classic FM. Sometimes there will be a couple of dogs who haven't made it through the night without having an accident, perhaps elderly dogs or puppies, and so their kennels are then cleaned and soiled bedding removed. Lee says that he always opens the door and takes a cautious sniff, if it smells clean, you're off to a good start!

                                        

The aim is to get the kennels looking like this and smelling fresh. No easy task! 

Once the dogs have all been checked and let out to toilet, Lee will take himself back to the house and prepare the dog's breakfasts. We like to feed them early so as to reduce the risk of bloat (Bloat is a life threatening condition involving the torsion of the stomach/intestines and is often caused by exercising a dog too close to a meal).

After the dogs have eaten their breakfasts and had enough time to rest (usually at least an hour or so) any dogs who don't like other dogs are brought out to play alone before the daycare opens. Lee tries to give them a good hour of attention before putting them back. Then the dog-friendly sorts are then brought out for exercise in the Doggie Daycare building with the other Daycare dogs. Pete supervises the play and also has the joy of picking up after them all, as now is the time that we like to call 'Poo O'Clock'. The daycare gets messy rather quickly, as you can imagine containing around ten dogs at any one time, so it is cleaned down numerous times throughout the day, swilled down with the hose and squeegeed dry.

             The dogs come out to socialise and play.

As the dogs are out playing, the kennels are then given a thorough cleaning and disinfecting (walls, doors and floors), bedding is shook down and arranged neatly (or washed if needed) food bowls are removed and water bowls cleaned and replaced. The corridor is mopped and the drains swilled clean, and then we squeegee all the water away so that the floors dry quickly. This is done on both the inside and also over in the run side. 

Inside the house, as I am chasing round after and entertaining George, I will attempt to answer phone calls, and then wash and dry the bedding and the bowls. I also keep an eye on the Facebook page in case any worried owners need an update, and load the mornings playtime pictures up as soon as they come through. I'm also responsible for ordering in supplies such as food, bedding and disinfectant, writing the blog and occasionally writing for Kennel and Cattery Magazine. In addition, I keep on top of the filing and accounts, and am in charge of all of the bills and payments we need to make, not to mention making some sort of attempt to plant some flowers in the summer (I am getting better at keeping them alive!).

Once the kennel dogs are brought back in from their exercise (usually after around 2 hours) they are suitably tired and most settle down on their beds and chill out. The morning is also the time when we will be dealing with any new residents or returning dogs to their owners when they come to collect.

Most dogs are more than happy to chill out after their playtime

Our viewing hours are between 10am and 12pm in the week, 11am and 2pm at the weekends. At this time Lee or I make ourselves available for viewings, giving us plenty of time to show owners around and have a good chat about their needs. We'd like to have an open door policy, and really we do because we don't ever turn viewings away even if they are out of the allocated hours, however keeping most of the viewings to these hours works well as the dog's needs must come first. They must be fed, cleaned and exercised before anything else.

Of course the phone will be ringing most of the day.  It will ring approximately every 20 minutes (or less!)through out the day, and it's guaranteed to go off as soon as you try to sit down and enjoy a coffee. We've even had phone calls at dinner time on Christmas day! We can have calls any time from 6am in the morning, right up to 11pm at night. We both try to answer these calls as much as possible, although the answering machine picks up many of them (sometimes you just don't have a free hand) and then we ring back as soon as we get a spare moment.

          Lee doing some office work accompanied by Milo

Once viewing hours are over Lee will check the dogs once again, perhaps giving them a treat or a chew or a filled kong to break up the day, and then he will cover Pete's dinner hour. After this, We try to have an hour or two together as a family if possible.

Soon enough the afternoon is here. The dogs are checked again and any especially lively sorts may be brought out into the daycare again for playtime. There are often incoming dogs and departures to deal with, along with more telephone calls. The dogs are fed again at around 4pm. This gives them plenty of time to eat and toilet before we close up for the night.

Once the last daycare dog leaves us for the night at around 6.30pm, the daycare building is rinsed down and disinfected thoroughly. The kennel dogs are checked once again, kennels cleaned if needed, food bowls removed, water bowls topped up, bedding checked etc. We lock the kennels and the office but at this point the dogs still have the lights on and access to their runs. We don't like to lock them up too early (unless it's really cold) as we feel it's unfair to expect even the best trained dog to cross their legs for that long!

So now we have an hour or so to ourselves again. We bath George and get him ready for bed, have our showers and eat our dinner. Lee goes out again to check the dogs are well and settled at around 8pm. He gives out cuddles and treats and makes sure they are all happy for the night before closing the hatches down, turning off the lights and locking them up securely.

But of course this is a 24 hour a day job - just because the dogs have been shut in for the night does not mean that work is over for the day. Sometimes a dog may bark or howl at night, and so Lee will have to get up to go and see to them and settle them back down. When we had George we made a deal that I would wake up for the baby, and he would wake up for the dogs. As it turns out we both get up at night quite regularly!

Often a spanner may be thrown into the works. Perhaps a dog is taken ill, meaning an unforeseen vets visit. Or a flight is delayed and so a kennel becomes double booked. Perhaps a staff member will be ill and we'll need to cover. These things can make life a little difficult, although the dogs never notice. Their care remains the same and they always come first even if that means me having to show visitors round with George tucked under my arm, or coming back in at night to an answering machine with twenty messages on it waiting to be called back.

           Lee answering calls holding a newborn George

There are no days off, and no sick days for me or Lee. Even when I went into hospital to give birth, George was born at 3.59am, and Lee was back at the kennels for 6am! Lee has literally dragged himself out there, his face green with sickness, to care for the dogs (I am certain that the dogs knew he was really ill this particular time, they didn't play at all that morning, preferring to cuddle up on top of Lee as he lay groaning on the sofa!).

The kennels must always be manned by at least one person. This ultimately means that we very rarely go out together as a family. Hospital and dental appointments can be difficult to arrange 

It is often difficult to see family and friends when you work every day of the year. To be fair, we are both fairly antisocial anyway! We enjoy our own company and don't pine for social gatherings. Even so, it is easy to go long periods without seeing family and friends, and so recently we have spent some time and money decorating one of our rooms so that it is beautiful and new, to entice family members to come and stay with us as much as possible.

The kennels life is normality for George, and one day he'll be able to help us out and earn his pocket money!

And so there you have it. Kennel life, and I say life rather than job, because a job has an ending point at some time of the day, and the kennels does not. 

But although we miss out on many things, we never miss out on each other. Most families spend hours and hours apart each day, but not us, and I feel that's worth more than any holiday. It is also rewarding and heartwarming to care for dogs as a living, they are such amazing animals. Clever and sweet and oh so funny. It warms your heart to gain their confidence, help them settle and feel comfortable away from home, and watch them play together happily and enjoy themselves. It's wonderful to provide such a service to their caring owners, who put such enormous trust and faith in us, and it's amazing to be one of the first kennels to start changing what it actually means to be a kennel. Gone are the days when bars and concrete, endless barking and zero exercise is acceptable. Customers want more than that for their dogs these days. Perhaps, when more kennel owners start viewing this career as a life, rather than a job, we will see more and more kennels improve their standards. We have shown that a kennels can be different, it can be a home away from home, where a dog can be appreciated and loved by genuine 'dog people'. That's how it should be.

Dogs - They'll never know how important they are to us

My little boy had his second birthday this month. I'd like to say I have happy memories of his birthday, but I don't.

After a complicated and stressful pregnancy, we suffered a traumatic birth, which left George with a seriously damaged arm. He then went on to develop meningitis, and once discharged from hospital was found to have a condition called silent reflux (this is essentially acid reflux, which is very painful for the baby and means that they cry almost constantly). All in all, pregnancy, birth, and early motherhood was a very tough time for me, as it is for many mothers. I often think about how I got through this time without breaking down or having to turn to antidepressants, and I think that my animals played a huge part.

I had a horse called Belle, who needed caring for each day. Grooming, feeding, mucking out. These daily duties were not a choice, they needed doing each and every day, screaming baby or not.  I also had Amber, our dog. At the time, Amber, our wonderful and clever Collie cross, had recently been diagnosed with lymphoma. She was undergoing chemotherapy but still only had a prognosis of 6 - 12 months to live. I promised myself that she would get a good walk every single day, no excuses, and I lived up to that promise.

I know a lot of mother's with reflux babies avoid going out in public, because of the stress and the embarrassment of having a baby that cries all the time. However, I had to go out and care for my animals. I would strap George to my back, whether he was crying or not, and like this I would carry him around the stables, mucking out and caring for Belle as I always did. Belle always had a calming influence on me, and it seemed that she did on George too. He would be quite fascinated with her, reaching out to touch her and enjoying all the sights and sounds (and smells!) of the farm. 

Then, still using the trusty baby carrier, Me, George and Amber would all go walking. Sometimes I would get strange looks from other walkers, perhaps thinking me a neglectful parent for walking along ignoring my crying baby. Other times, I would walk past people and they would give me a look and a smile that said 'I know what you're going through', or sometimes they would come and chat and tell me about their own children who used to cry a lot. That was rare, but lovely and reassuring when it did happen. 

The fresh air, the exercise, the fact that, mostly, George would be distracted enough to stop screaming for a little while, it all made me feel better. It also made me feel like I was making some sort of an effort to be a good mother. I'm sure I ruined many a peaceful walk for other walkers, but tough luck! -They got to walk away and I didn't! Just because George was grumpy, it didn't mean that he deserved to be shut up in the house all day. He deserved to see the great outdoors just as much as the next baby. 

Above all, Belle and Amber gave me a reason to get out of the house. I couldn't lose my sanity (although some days it felt like it was hanging from a very fine thread!), because there was no one else to care for them. It had to be me. Having this duty helped to get me through, no doubt about it.

This is something that dogs (and other animals) give to people every day. They do these things for us and they don't even know how important they are. I wonder how many dogs have 'saved' their owners - just by being there?

Life can throw at us many challenges, which can push us close to the edge and make us want to give up. But having a dog to care for, that needs feeding and walking and loving, is sometimes all it takes to get us to keep going and get through it.

...And this is just what you're average dog can give, no special training, it just comes naturally to them.

Imagine what a disabled person's life would be like without the help of their assistance dog...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWvvpUfWGNM

Or an elderly person, living alone. What would their life be like without their little Westie sitting at their feet and cocking their head listening to chatter?..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXBqbkT1Wrs

Dogs can work wonders with disabled and autistic children too, giving them confidence, relaxing them when they are scared, giving them something to focus on, being their friend without any expectation or pressure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7lAN1zno0w

And what do they ask in return? 

Not much, a walk every day, a warm bed and food, care when they're sick, and a pat on the head every so often.

How very humbling.

Rest in peace Amber and Bella. They'll never know how much they did for me. 

Some Important Kennel News and Announcements

Hi there! 

Hope you have all had a lovely Christmas and New Year. 

Apologies for a rather boring blog post this time! Just needed to get some important news and advice posted this time. (Incidentally if anyone can suggest blog topics or have any questions for us then please feel free to send me a message via Facebook - Sometimes I struggle to come up with interesting topics!) 

Summer holidays? Book them now! 

I'm sure many of you are now thinking about booking holidays for the spring and summer. 

If you have never used kennels before, be sure to go and view any prospective ones before booking. Make sure the kennels are clean and that the dogs look happy and well cared for, have a chat with the staff too about your dog's needs. It can be difficult to find a kennels that you like, so it's best to start the search early. 

We are already becoming booked up for February and the summer holiday months, so if you want to check us out or book a stay be sure to do it soon to avoid disappointment. 

Our usual viewing times are weekdays between 10am and 12pm, and weekends between 11am and 2pm. However these times aren't set in stone - if they aren't convenient for you then just give us a ring and we can arrange another time. 

Doggie Daycare Customers

Our little Doggie Daycare is now becoming quite busy! This means that it's important to book or at least check spaces before coming, particularly on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. We only have a licence for 15 dogs in the daycare and we'd hate to turn anyone away. 

IMPORTANT - Kennels closed 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th Jan. 

Apologies for any inconvenience! 

We are closing the kennels to do some maintenance work on the kennel run floors as they are looking a bit tatty. This is not something that we can do with any dogs on the premises due to the fumes. It will be finished, dry and safe by the Monday, and looking a lot neater too! 

This means that there will be no one available on these dates to take people for kennel viewings. Again so sorry for the inconvenience. We will try our best to accommodate urgent viewings once we are home. 

The doggie daycare will be open as usual on the Friday and the Monday, it's just the kennels that is closed. 

Closing the gates

I hate to pester, but just wanted to remind customers to leave the gates as they find them. (ie it's OK to leave them open if they are already open, but if they are closed please close them again behind you after you drive in). This is to ensure the safety of the dogs especially as we are situated on the A54 which is a very busy road. 

Dogs and children

In the light of the recent horrific tragedy involving little Lexi Branson and her adopted rescue dog I thought it was fitting to write this blog post about how dogs and children can both be kept safe in each others company.(I also say keeping the dog safe, because lets face it, one mistake, one nip is all it takes for a death sentence to be issued on the poor creature. It is not only in the child's interest to be kept safe, but the dog's also). 

As you may know, we have a toddler, George, and we also have a young Border Collie bitch, Mila, who is eight months old. We actually decided to buy a puppy, simply because I believe that you can never fully vouch for the behaviour of a rescue dog. You don't know their history, you don't know who has trained them and using what methods, or what experiences they have had. Rescue dogs may be just fine with older (better trained!) children, but with babies and toddlers I personally wouldn't recommend it. We chose to buy a puppy, simply so that she could grow up with him and get to think of all the noise and excitement of our house as 'the norm'. It is obvious the rescue dog that attacked Lexi was unsuitable for family life with young children, but also, I think it's naive to assume that just because a dog has been brought up with children, that you have no need to take precautions or be careful. 

Lets face it. Children are an awful lot to cope with. They're noisy - they cry and shout and scream and squeal. They have little to no empathy and the attention span of a gnat. Even their toys are noisy and irritating! They're unpredictable and rough, and have tempestuous emotions. Children can, unfortunately, be a big stress causer for any pets in the home. 

Obviously, the first rule in child/dog safety is to not allow your child to approach strange dogs without specific permission from the owners. And even then the child must be made to approach quietly and calmly. But actually, statistics show that children are much more likely to be bitten by their own family dog than they are by a strange dog that they don't know. 

I personally believe that family dogs are expected to put up with too much. Often they are expected to take all the noise and the ear pulling and the teasing, without any protest at all. This is simply not fair to the dog. 

Any report I've ever heard about children being attacked by dogs always seems to indicate that the dog attacked 'without warning'. I simply don't see how this could be the case. The warning may have been subtle, but it will have been there. A little growl, raised hackles, lip licking, yawning, freezing, the dog could try running away from the child, or the dog taking too much interest in the child,  these are all warning signs. 

How can we keep our children and dogs safe? 

1.) Always supervise. A simple rule, but an important one. If your child is playing with your dog, then you must be around to supervise. Don't leave them in the same room together and walk off. George and Mila LOVE to play with each other, running around the house causing chaos, but often need reminding to not pull at fur, or to not jump up, or to stop running you'll fall! / knock him over! If you are there you can stop any disasters before they happen. 

2.) Allow the dog to have a 'safe place', where they can go and the child cannot follow. This is easier when you have a baby, as they can't move much or walk. Amber used to jump up on the settee when she'd had enough of George, but now he can walk, Mila doesn't have this luxury. She does have a doggie door to the garden, and so she can always shoot through this if she needs to. But mostly we keep them apart unless one of us is there. If I feel Mila is getting a bit fed up, I put her in another room to have a break. 

3.) Don't let dogs and children eat around each other. There was another fatal dog attack involving a child some years ago, it was a Pitbull, but I don't feel that was the issue (I don't thing breed specific legislation solves anything). The story went that the Nana of the child gave both the dog and the child a bag of crisps. She then left the room, and came running back once she heard the child screaming. I can actually picture what may have happened. The dog eats his crisps first, then goes for the child's. The child will not of wanted to give up their food, maybe the dog received a smack on the nose, and unfortunately we all know the rest.  The same sort of scenario could occur with toys instead of food. 

4.) If you have an old dog, or a poorly dog, then take caution when children are around. Children can be rough, and although they don't mean it, they may cause pain and end up being bitten. They may also surprise older dogs whose hearing and eyesight may not be so sharp, and in such instances the dog may react on instinct and snap. Also take care when a dog is sleeping, for the same reason. 

5.) Be aware that the squeaky little noises babies make can sound similar to prey. In some dogs this may trigger a predatory reaction. Let the dog smell and be near the baby, but as said before, never leave them unattended. Another dog attack comes to mind here, a Jack Russel Terrier that attacked a newborn baby. Terriers are excellent ratters, they are geared up to take a great interest in anything small and squeaky. 

Also, with older children when they run around, it could also trigger this sort of predatory response. The dog may chase them and nip, acting on instinct. 

6.) Teach them both well! A dog that responds to commands and knows their place will do better with one that has no rules or discipline in their life. Mila is only young but she knows that when I say 'Oi!', she has done something displeasing and she will stop dead in her tracks. Similarly, I will praise her when she does something I like. This is how she will learn how to behave around George, she will eventually know what's good behaviour, and what's not. 

And the same goes for George. He will be reprimanded for any fur pulling or roughness, and praised when he pets her gently. When he's a little older I will make sure he knows exactly how to behave around dogs, calmly and sensibly, not to put his face close to theirs, and not to shout etc. It is a learning process for both of them, but neither is exempt!

Dogs and children are made for each other. I think they can enrich each others lives and bring a lot of joy and happiness to each other. A few simple precautions and remembering to never be complacent can protect them both from harm, and ensure that their relationship is one that's based on mutual respect and love. 

GEORGE AND MILA - IN TRAINING! 

George and Mila meet for the first time! Here she is ragging on George's trousers, I'm pretty sure he probably gave her a whack just after this shot. Time for some serious training! 

                                                              Get off my slide puppy!!

What are you pair up to?!     

Here is Mila 'putting up' with George -  Her face says it all!  He is ramming his wheel barrow into her. Cue a telling off for George and a pat for Mila for being so tolerant. 

Double trouble! 

Mila looks at the balls but doesn't touch - Good girl! 

My dog has been attacked and now he's scared of other dogs...

A common story unfortunately. We usually hear about such stories when we show new owners around the kennels. A concerned expression will appear on their faces as we tell them about how we let the friendly dogs exercise together.

''Oh he's ever so scared of other dogs. He was attacked as a puppy by an alsatian/rottweiler/staffy/ (insert large and scary breed here!)''.

What do we do when boarding these nervous dogs?

Well, first of all, we may only work on the dog's confidence with the owner's consent. If the prospect of group play upsets the owner and makes them nervous, or if the dog has become aggressive as a result of the attack, then of course we will exercise alone.

However, a lot of the time owners express to us how much they would love their dog to enjoy playing with other dogs again, and allow us to introduce their dog to others during their stay and aim to build their confidence back up. After all, here we have access to lots of dogs which we know very well and that we know are friendly and safe, this is something you can never be sure of when meeting dogs whilst out walking.

It's a simple process, but can take a variable amount of time, and not every stage can be reached. We let the dog work through the stages at their own pace and only move on when we see their behaviour change to show that they are more comfortable.

The first stage is to build up a trusting relationship with the dog ourselves. This can be instantaneous with some dogs, and take a long time with others. We get their simply by spending time with the dog, talking to them as we feed them and clean the kennels, by giving them a treat or two or a pampering. We make friends.

The second stage is where we introduce the dog to either our own dog, or a kennel/daycare dog who we know very well and are certain is a calm and quiet character. The nervous dog will obviously find this a little stressful at first, they may run away from the other dog or show overly submissive behaviour, but with a little time and repetition, they learn that nothing bad has happened. They may come out of their shell a little, and take more interest in the other dog, perhaps even showing signs of playfullness.

Dogs may show submissive behaviour at first, but they soon learn to not be afraid

The dog may start to show signs of interest in the other dogs

They learn that it is nice to have company.

The third stage is where we gradually push the dog out of their comfort zone, little by little. We do this by adding more challenging characters to their playtimes (and when I say challenging, I mean more playful, or more barky, we never ever put aggressive dogs in group play - everyone is thoroughly temperament assessed before being allowed in group play). This third stage is where we find what the dog's real character is, now they have gained confidence and lost the fear they once had. You would be surprised how many of these nervous dogs end up being put in the boisterous play group after a week!

Some dogs even get too boisterous for the quiet group, and have to be move up into the crazy group! 

We have had many owners say how pleased they are to have a happy and confident dog back when they return from their holidays. Sometimes they and their dog have been carrying the fear of attack around for years, which is a real shame as it is such a joy to watch dogs play together. Also, it can play a part in preventing any future attacks, as the dog will learn how to properly interact with others, they will have a more confident posture and disposition, and this alone can play a big part in not becoming a victim again.

We are by no means dog trainers, but running the doggie daycare means that all the staff are excellent at reading dog body language and supervising the group play to ensure that the right dogs are grouped together, and that everyone has a good time. It is the best part of the job, especially when you can see their confidence and happiness change in front of your eyes.

This is what it's all about - the smiling faces! 

Life with a new pup...

As you all know, at Easter time we lost our beloved Amber, and not long after (wanting a distraction from the pain) we welcomed little Mila (pronounced Mee-la) into our lives.

I felt a little guilty at buying a puppy, as I've always felt re-homing is the best thing to do, especially if you are experienced with dogs as we are. However now that we have George, our little boy, I felt it was unfair to both the rescue dog (who would probably have enough issues to start with, without having to learn to cope with a noisy toddler) and to George, who above all needs to be kept safe. The last thing I wanted to do was adopt a dog only to end up letting it down, or putting George in danger.

We decided that this one time, a puppy was what we needed. So that it could grow up with George and the sound of tantrums and musical toys would just be background noise - the norm. She will probably be our one and only puppy in our lifetimes. We spotted an advert in the local free paper, so off we went to the farm, and there she was. Small and oh so fluffy, with one bright blue eye like a sparkling jewel. The decision took all of ten seconds!

Small and oh so fluffy, with one blue eye like a sparkling jewel. 

 I won't lie, it was hard at first, though it was no fault of Mila's. I found it very very hard adjusting to life without my old friend Amber. It's quite a shock to the system to go from having a well trained, sensible old dog who you know inside and out, to having a fluffy ball of trouble tearing round the house chewing shoes and pooing and weeing all over the show! I pined for my old girl, missed her so much that it hurt.

Always up to something!

However, of course, Mila grew on me. and after 6 months I can honestly say that she is just what we need at this point in our lives. She is the perfect mixture of laid back and intelligent, she has funny little ways that make us laugh (like sticking her tongue out all the time!) and she behaves perfectly with George.

I'm ashamed to say that I have spent very little time training her. With an active toddler and a busy business to run, it leaves little time to spare. However despite this, she still seems to be learning the right things, such is the joy of Collies. They soak up knowledge like sponges. 

She has taught herself to go through the doggie door, and since discovering it, goes outside to toilet now without fail. She comes to call, knows 'sit', 'down' and 'out'. If she does something I want her to stop, I just have to say 'Aa! - Aa!' and she immediately stops. She is very responsive to voice commands which is useful as I always seem to have my hands full! Although not perfect on the lead yet, she is not far off.

We are just starting to let her off her lead on our walks, she's very good at her recall - except when she sees another dog. This is because she goes in the daycare everyday to play with her friends, and now she thinks every dog wants to wrestle with her! So I'm trying to take her out to more popular dog walking routes so that she sees lots of dogs and learns to greet calmly, and I know eventually this will come, I see an improvement every time we go out.

http://youtu.be/9lhXgLcQWlk

When I allow her to play with George, she knows that she is not to jump up, not to take toys from him, and if George wants her toy she is to give it to him. I also train George at the same time! No fur pulling or climbing all over allowed. I want them to have a good relationship where they can have lots of fun together but also respect each other.

I think it's funny sometimes how dogs seem to find their owners. Mila seemed to be waiting for us, the last pup left in the litter because of her blue eye and small size (other people thought her eye may be defective in some way, and of course no one wants the runt). Just as Amber was waiting for us at the rescue kennels years ago. 

So here's to making lots of new memories, learning lots of new lessons, and welcoming another dog into the family. She's going to be a good one :)