Posts filed under ‘Phoenix’
How to get Your Dog to Do Whatever You Want.
All of these except the chive flavoured one.
Who knew that Primula Cheese contained a secret ingredient that initially captures your dog’s attention and then cunningly hypnotises it into doing whatever you want. One squeeze of the tube and your animal companion is your cheesy chopped love slave forever more… Hurrah!
Mmmm! Cheesy Goodness.
In perhaps not an unrelated link, we weighed Phoenix today and she comes in at 14.1 kilos which is quite a lot for her breed and her age. She’s gonna be a big gal (as nearly everyone who meets her says after glimpsing the size of her paws.)
Trip to the Sea.
Digging at the Beach.
Collecting Shells.
We are blessed here in North Devon to be located very near to several of the countries best beaches, and we figured that at 14 weeks old, it was about time that Phoenix was introduced to the joys of the sea and sand. With this in mind we headed to Saunton Sands on an unseasonably warm and sunny Winter’s afternoon (alongside half the working population of North Devon who had also bunked off work at the first hint of sunshine).
Striding on with Fred and Ad on an "overcrowded" beach.
Phoenix met lots of dogs (including a 12 week old Weimaraner boy, the world’s largest Labradoodle and an even larger and exceedingly bouncy, playful Bernese Mountain Dog) alongside many human admirers.
Into the Sea.
She enjoyed digging in the sand and hunting for shells, although she was a little more dubious about the icy cold Atlantic Ocean. Tim, Freddie and Phoenix all suffered chilly toe syndrome which took some time to recover from. Chips helped to chivvy along the cure…
Water Baby.
Fishing Lesson.
It’s come to our attention that Phoenix (and doubtless other Hungarian Wirehaired Vizslas too) is at least part dolphin. Be it the river, the pond or the stream, Phoenix is rarely happier than when swimming, wading, paddling in or barking at various forms of water around the garden.
The Pack Expands.
With Fred at the River.
Although they met when Phoenix was six weeks old, Freddie (who is Tim’s son) had not spent some “quality time” with Phoenix since she arrived here, due to his pressing international engagement schedule and general jet set lifestyle. The two were reunited today and much play ensued gilded with yaps, barks, nips and squeals from all parties.
Puppysitting for Dummies.
Tim went to collect Fred, leaving Adam alone with Phoenix all day. Adam went into a panic, unsure what he was supposed to do if the dog vomitted, howled or freaked out. He knew that unlike with babies you can’t slip the pup some brandy (damn those animal welfare laws) or chocolate (because this would lead to death). So in the great British tradition, a leaflet was prepared and all was well in the land of mutt:
Instructions for Adam 1.
Instructions for Adam 2.
Trading up homes.
Trying Out the New Crate.
New crate arrived today, bigger, more cushion-ier and with a better view of the pack outside. Phoenix hopped in immediately and the net result was a better night’s sleep for all concerned.
What Could Have Been…
Y’know we could easily have made this blog a document consisting of every meal, trip to the toilet and snooze that Phoenix has had since day 1. That’s because it’s all been documented on daily report sheets. Then in years to come if anyone was wondering what time Phoenix went for her morning walk on say, today, they could simply access our database and get all the info they ever wanted. Luckily for everyone we are not that sad. Nearly, but not quite:
There's more where this came from!
Much more.
A.D.D. hits Show Ring Horror.
Ringcraft pre-stack positioning.
First proper ringcraft session for Phoenix under Judge Glenys Sykes of Daraquist English Setters. Phoenix was typically excited and indeed excitable in the midst of twenty-odd other dogs. She was highly praised for her spirit (!), although a little more control would certainly have made the evening less like a wrestling match and more like a dream walk in the ring…
…still, everyone was extremely complimentary (at least to our faces) and hopefully Tim’s handling skills will slowly improve alongside Phoenix’s concentration.
Ringcraft examination.
There were lots of really nice people at the session and we met some of the heavy hitters in the gundog show world .
Phoenix’s status as an only dog at home seem to mark her out as being notably more “animated” than any other puppies present, all of whom came from multi-dog households. Once again, all we can do is persist with her canine socialisation programme, and hope that we can get her as focused in the ring as she is at home.
Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow.
Rewarded for Sitting for Tim.
Sticking her tongue out at The Man.
Belatarr Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla. 