The Dog Diary

I can’t really remember how the first night went with Conan. A friend of mine stayed over and we had some fun playing with the dogs until they were exhausted. As a result of that, I think my new puppy slept for most of the night. The peaceful nights were, however, to be short lived!

The following day, I was due to take Dexter to his agility class and I was determined that my boy would not be neglected just because there was a new dog in town! I was a little concerned about leaving Conan alone so soon after bringing him back to his new home, but Paul Connolly of Wolfspeak had told me to be brave, leave him in his dog crate, and come to training class. He assured me that a good way to conquer separation anxiety before it even started was to get the dog used to being alone for short periods of time from day one.

So, I made sure the pup was fed, watered and had been outside to do his business, then I locked him in his crate and left for training class.

A few hours later I returned, fully expecting to see a sleeping puppy, but the sight that greeted me was somewhat different! There he was, my 8 week old pup, asleep on top on my slippers which I had placed on top of the shoe bench by the front door. Have you ever looked at something and done a double-take? I was convinced I’d left him in his steel dog crate, locked and bolted. Was I going mad? On closer inspection, I discovered that the little cannonball had broken out of the crate. How he did this is still a mystery to this day, but yes, he had obviously gotten himself into such a state of separation anxiety, that he had broken right out from behind his metal bars. I knew from that point forward I was going to have trouble with this one. And Dexter had been such a great puppy. What on earth had I let myself in for?

A Picture of Innocence?

Around the beginning of 2007 I decided I’d like a second dog as company for Dexter. I also figured that I had learnt a huge amount about dogs over these last 3 years or so, was still learning, was really interested in dog psychology and behaviour and I was ready for a new challenge.

I researched various breeds with the help of Paul Connolly of Wolfspeak over a period of a few months as again, I was determined to get a breed that was conducive to my lifestyle. I wanted a different breed this time, not that I was at all unhappy with my Schnauzer, but I guess I fancied a bigger dog and a dog I could perhaps take on more dog activities with.

After much discussion and research online and talking to various breeders, owners and breed organisations, I decided upon a Northern Inuit.

There were various reasons for this choice. Firstly, it was a much bigger dog and would make me feel safer when walking alone, even though they were known to be non-aggressive dogs and probably wouldn’t hurt a fly. This was a good thing in my book, as I didn’t want a dog that I was likely to have dominance issues or aggression problems with. They were also classed as ‘wolf lookalike’ dogs and came in various colours with varying markings and were stunning looking dogs.

I had discovered that they were generally very friendly dogs too, good with kids and other animals, so Dexter and the cats would be safe and that the German Shepherd element in the breed gave them trainability, which was welcome. The only issue they seemed to have was that they could suffer from separation anxiety but I was sure I could overcome that with the knowledge I had and with Paul’s assistance.

I found a good breeder, saw some gorgeous puppies, chose mine and waited for him to be old enough to take home. The waiting time was spent preparing for his arrival by organising the dog space in the house and buying him things he would need such as a good complete puppy food, collar and leash, bed and organising his Pet Insurance.

I also chose a name for him, Conan, which is Gaelic for ‘Little Wolf’ which I thought suited him down to the ground. Little did I know at that point that the words ‘Conan the Destroyer’ and ‘Conan the Barbarian’ would probably be more appropriate, at least for a while!

I collected him from the breeder on a sunny Saturday afternoon when he was just 8 weeks old and took him home to meet Dexter.

It was a little tense at first as Dexter isn’t too good with puppies. I think he sees puppies as being rude and ‘in his face’ so he tends to put them in their place until they learn some manners. Conan was never going to be too fast at learning these manners… Dexter was a little put out too, as I was ‘his human’ and I don’t think he thought he should be sharing me with anyone else.

That evening, when things were a little more harmonious, I spent some time playing with Conan to begin my bonding process with him. He was sitting on the floor beside me and, without warning, hurled himself at me with the force akin to a small cannonball. He was no small puppy and, at only 8 weeks old, was actually a similar size to the fully grown Dexter, so it did hurt a little! Remembering my past experiences with Dexter and determined to establish myself as Pack Leader from the word go, I put him right back on the floor again. It made no difference. He hurled himself at me again, so I did exactly the same, putting him back on the floor in his original position. No, again he threw himself at me, and again, and again! Eventually, he tired himself out, as well as me, but I felt that I had been the victor!

I went to bed, a little bemused and totally exhausted, as well as totally unaware of the ‘interesting’ times that were ahead of me over the next few months.

6 Weeks Old...Not In His New Home Yet

Exhausted After Spending A Few Hours Being A Cannonball

I want to talk about how I came to have Dexter, my Miniature Schnauzer, now 4 years old.

Back in September 2004, life and work had changed for me somewhat. I had changed employers and now, instead of working in an office with lots of colleagues, I was largely working from home, which did have it’s advantages, but got lonely now and then. A friend of mine, who had gotten herself a puppy fairly recently, suggested I got myself a dog.

I had always adored dogs and we’d had dogs in the family but for me, being single, career minded, and taking on the responsibility of owning a dog, was huge. I already had 2 cats, but owning a dog was a different ball game altogether! Anyway, I gave it some careful thought, and decided it was a good idea.

Within a week, I had researched costs, equipment required, my working hours and how they would affect a dog, particularly in it’s early puppyhood, and I’d trawled the internet for available puppies, but not before looking at what breeds might be suitable for me first.

This is the mistake people make. Owning a dog may be a good idea, but different dog breeds suit different lifestyles. That said, ALL dogs need TIME from their owners, and I would never in a million years have decided upon dog ownership if I wasn’t working from home a lot of the time.

So, I’d decided I wanted a small dog, but not too tiny. I wanted to own a dog with spirit and character. I wanted a breed that was a little bit different too! A dog that didn’t suffer from separation anxiety was necessary, although I knew the most I’d have to leave it would be 4 or 5 hours at a time.

After doing hours and hours of research, mostly on the internet, trawling the dog adverts, and making many phone calls to reputable breeders to ask about their dogs, their temperaments, their personalities and their needs, I settled on my Miniature Schnauzer, who I discovered when he was 6 weeks old. He was with a breeder in London, one of a litter of 5, all of whom had been sold but his prospective owner had changed their mind about owning a dog at that point in their life.

I drove over 100 miles from Bristol to see him at 6 weeks, fell in love with him (as anyone does when faced with a puppy!)and spent the next 2 weeks preparing for his arrival and making plans and itinerarys for what he would need and when he would need it, such as his innoculations, training classes, sleeping area, food, collar and lead, toys, etc!

It was a dark, rainy Thursday night in October that I made the journey once more to collect him, complete with cat box for him to sleep in while he was in the car. I had my puppy!

We got home after 10pm, exhausted. The poor dog was terrified and obviously very unsure of his new home, so I left him in the box until he was ready to come out. It took a while and some scrambled eggs, but out he came eventually, introduced himself to my cats, and my journey of dog ownership began!

The 8 week old Dexter

Saying Hi to Floyd