Thankfully I’ve got the others to show her the ropes, which really helps.  As I type this, Arwen is snuggled up next to me trying to help by gently placing her nose on my left hand.  Makes the typing go a bit haywire!  And occasionally trying to nibble the laptop

So here’s a day by day account of some great snippets so far:

Day 2 – Thursday

Was stressed to the max today.  I had a new puppy who had whined all night in the crate.  Add that to the crying baby from the family next door and even with ear plugs I was sleep deprived.  I live in an old terraced house and the walls are only one brick thick so you can hear everything!  Added to that, Kylah my other lovely lurcher, was continuing to grump at her.  And Kylah was the reason for Arwen joining us in the first place.

So out on the sand dunes I called Robin and vented my concerns.  But just as I was doing that Kylah and Arwen struck up a running game and I knew things would be ok.  It was delightful watching them leap through the marram grass and kick up the sand.

Arwen was off the lead all the way through the walk and I never once worried about her leaving me.  In less than 24 hours she had identified me as ‘pack leader’ and was always watching for me.  That’s a great feeling.  Even meeting other dogs and people she still came when called.

Top tip – a great training aid is some sliced cooked chicken breast.  If you have that in your pocket you certainly have a dog’s full attention when you call it back!

Today Arwen learned her name and how to sit!  She sat instinctively anyway so I just capitalised on that.   Greyhounds by the way don’t tend to sit – their physical structure makes it awkward so they tend to lie or stand.  However Arwen is part collie so she has that trait in her already.

Toilet training is going extremely well.  She was clean in the crate over night and has had a couple of in-house mishaps, but has mostly done her business on command in the garden.  You just have to keep a close eye on a puppy and when it starts to sniff the floor and circle a lot, take it out immediately.  Give lots of praise for doing what you want where and when you want it.  And do lots of positive reinforcement – always and consistently.

Oh and we have now worked out how to get UP stairs, but not DOWN them yet!

Day 3 – Friday

Making GREAT progress with the toiletting.  Arwen has actually gone outside through the open back door on her own!!!!!  Amazing!

On the downside I had another terrible night’s sleep.  More crying and whining in the crate.  Reckon I am down about 6 hours over two days so far.  Aaaargh!

Arwen is however a complete delight.  I’ve a knack for choosing a great dog (well you’d hope so with this website!) and this lovely girl is no exception.  She is so well balanced.  Outgoing and friendly with all dogs and humans she meets, without being over-exciteable.  Her whole little body wags.

Walking with Arwen is also a delight.  She’s pretty good on the lead thanks to her breeder.  Vicki did some initial lead walking with Arwen before I collected her. 

Top tip – have your breeder do some early lead work and other training, especially if you are taking the puppy later than 3 months old.

Today she and Kylah had a proper play session.  It happened after I picked up my partner Robin from the station.  He weekends with me and stays in London for work during the week.  We took all the dogs to sit outside the Greyhound Pub at Grizebeck in Cumbria.  It was 6pm on a sunny Friday and we were ‘invaded’ by a dog loving little boy who took a real fancy to Blue, while the rest of us were getting tangled in dog leads!  Trying to drink diet coke with a puppy and two dogs in one hand is a bit of a juggling act!

Had a run on the dunes in the evening sun and then left the dogs snoozing while we went to the Castle Pub in Millom.  Arwen behaved impeccably.  No mess in the house while we were gone.  So we left the back door open over night.  And on Saturday – yes she’d toiletted in the garden.  Awesome!

Day 4 – Saturday

A lovely day.  Great walk round Milom Park Wood.  Lots of lurcher leapings and playing.  Arwen now comes to call and sits to receive her reward without being asked.  What a superstar!

Today I received her ‘temporary’ coats – a whippet sized rain mac, a sleeping/kennel coat and a warm waterproof.  She looks unbelievably cute in them. 

Where I live you’re almost never without the west wind – it whips off the ocean and right through you.  And we also get a nasty cold east wind here too.  Not very sheltered!  I work on the principle that if I need a coat, then the dogs do too.  They have so little body fat they can easily get hypothermia in the rain.  Did you know that an avergage adult male can get hypothermia in prolongued rain at 8 degrees centigrade?  So imagine how a dog feels!

Left them snoozing after the walk and went on a drive to Hawkshead followed by the Drunken Duck Inn at Barngates.  They have their own brewery – a good excuse for Robin to sample a few!

The evening was a run round the old ironworks followed by a slump in front of the TV – dogs and us!

Day 5 – Sunday

Not much to report puppy-wise.  Arwen’s a complete star.  Kylah enjoys her company.  Housetraining going well.  Great walks again.  She’s so bright and learns so fast!

Oh yes – we can now do UP and DOWN stairs and have learned that the human bed is a great place to be if you can sneak up there when no-one’s looking.  Cheeky!

I’ve been stressing about houses.  We’ve just sold both places down south and I’m in what was designed to be a holiday cottage.  4 dogs, a cat, and me, and Robin at weekends just doesn’t fit well.  But finding something suitable for all of us, 3 cars and 3 motorbikes at a price which doesn’t give me major panic attacks is proving a little difficult. 

Day 6 – Monday

Thought today was going to be wet but it fined up.  We had a lovely walk down to Hodbarrow Point, a local nature reserve.  Did some work on the lead with Arwen – the walk was chosen deliberately so we had to have some lead time. 

It’s really very important for dogs to be taught how to be on the lead.  They can damage themselves by pulling on their collar for a start.  Then there’s the arm-ache you get from being towed along by an unruly mutt.  If like me you have to walk long distances in sheep country on lead, you MUST have dogs which are a joy to lead walk, not a disaster.  Many people remark on how I can walk along with just a couple of fingers looped through 3 or 4 lead handles.  Everyone can manage this but they have to put the effort in.   I spend a lot of time on it, and it reaps rewards.  Kylah was awful on the lead for about 3 months.  But she is now a delight.

Also, dogs straining at the end of the lead can be very offputting to other dog owners, and non-dog owners who often don’t know whether the dog is pulling out of friendliness or aggression.

Dogs now happily snoozing and looking like they’ve been dropped from a great height – scattered all over the place.

Think Arwen might have a bit of a tummy upset.  Cant think why she would have but will keep this under review.  Bye for now!

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