Another day of firsts!

Yesterday was a. Monumental day for little Merlin who was left on his own at home while Mummy and Daddy went shopping for some climbing stuff. It was the first time he'd been left for more than a couple of hours and when we returned home we thought Merlin's tail might fall off from how vigorously he was wagging it... Delighted that we'd returned.

As he'd been soo good, we decided to take him out for a walk and sniff about on The Rye, the local park.
We took the flexi lead with us so that he could explore and sniff without being right by our side. He really loved it, sniffing the air and running to catch up before stopping to sniff again. At one point, a gust of wind came head on and made his ears flip back. Merlin was so caught unaware that he reared up on his back legs and fell over.

We walked over to the waterfalls and Merlin jumped straight in the shallows without looking where hevwas going... He crashed into a rock and ran straight back out again into thick mud... So much for the grooming session earlier in the week!

When we got back to the car, I cleaned his paw with my own invention "the dip paw wash" before toweling him dry before placing him in his crate.

Dan wanted to go for a beer and fortunately knew of a "dog friendly" pub in a village close to home. We arrived and I carried Merlin into the bar where we ordered some drinks. On the bar was a jar labelled "Dog Treats 20p" so we bought one of those too. The Royal Standard of England is one of the oldest registered pubs in England and has alot of character with its low beam ceilings and eclectic decor but was lovely and warm with the presence of 3 log fires. We found a table right by the fire in the far corner and plonked ourselves down on the old comfy leather sofa. Merlin was pleased with his new surroundings and especially his Bonio treat. He made quite a mess but 20 mins or so later had snuffled up all the crumbs. He enjoyed nice cuddles with us in the bar before having a snooze beside the fire.

The pub food looked and smelt delicious and there is a lovely outdoor area for when the weather is nice so we will definitely be back again soon. Dan picked up a leaflet which detailed a few country walks starting and ending at the pub so they are on our to-do list as well.

Posh boy

Yesterday Merlin and I went to have lunch at Nanny Linda's and met Julie (who has 2 black Labradors and around Collie). Julie and Merlin got on likes house on fire and all the excitement lead to Merlin having a little accident on Nannys carpet... But this was quickly cleaned up.

After lunch I took Merlin to Jolley's pet shop to treat him to a new chew toy... For some reason he is no longer interested in his Kong chews after he's cleared the treats from them. But after much deliberation I purchased a natural rope baton and some puppy marrow chew bones which have chicken and cheese paste running through the middle of them.

I also looked at harnesses as Merlin seems to want to chew his lead as it's attached to his collar on his neck. The issue we have is that, they aren't cheap and he's still growing so in another couple of weeks and we'd need to buy another so the jury is still out on that one.

When we got back to the car, I gave him the rope toy and drive home.
Once at home and after a brief nap, Merlin began to mouth and chew everything in site including my socks and jogging bottoms so I tried giving him one of the marrow bones... What a result!  He and the bone were inseparable for a good hour or so and it clearly helped relieve the pain from his back teeth as he's teething. It seems that I have (for the time being) found a way to distract Merlin from chewing things he shouldn't.

At 6pm, we made our way to The Groom Room for his first Puppy Clip since he arrived at Chez Bass. As soon as we arrived the girls were fighting over who was going to have cuddles with him first... Merlin lapped up all the attention ;-)
He was very well behaved throughout and only mouthed when the girls were trimming the fur between his pads. I was worried about how he'd be when having his nails trimmed after the last time I trimmed one too short and it bled but he was such a good boy and didn't flinch one little bit.

He now looks a lot more like a Schnauzer with his trimmed beard and eye brows! All in all it was a good experience for Merlin so we are confident that he will be happy being groomed as he gets older.

End of an era - puppy socialisation classes

Last night was the last puppy socialisation class and we were hoping for big things... But Basil the Springer Spaniel was back with avengence which meant that Merlin was less than enthusiastic when it was time to play. He was definitely happier with the human fussing or playing on his own than with the other puppies.

They did take us off to the vet consultation room for Merlin to sniff around but he's never had a problem with Vets so took this all in his stride.

Our shy little pup, once home walked nicely round the block and then wanted to play fetch with us in the hall.

Whilst it would have been nice for him to have made some puppy friends, it's not the end of the world because he gets on well with adult dogs which to us is more important.

So as this chapter closes, another one opens as we'll soon be off to obedience school! This will be lots of fun... That's for sure
:-)

Crazy carrot capers

Hello blog fans... At this time of year everyone is watching their weight and Miniature Schnauzers are no exception. They will snuffle down anything you put in front of them so we have to be careful with the amount of treats Sir Schnarf-alot gets but we have stumbled on a healthy snacks which keeps him occupied for a good hour.... CARROTS!

I kid you not, he can't get enough. Admittedly, he chops the stick into little pieces which end up all over the floor and his bed but he won't stop until it's all gone. Afterwards he has a drink of his puppy milk and his face looks like a carrot smoothie!

Also got some advice off twitter today regarding a new chew toy, take an old plastic bottle and place some treats inside. Genius... He had tonnes of fun with that too!

I'm also pleased to report that we went on 3 successful walks today where Merlin did his business. Long may it continue!

Merlin shall not be moved!

Yesterday afternoon we went walking around the Hall Barn estate with mum and met some well behaved springer spaniels which were out with the game keeper. Merlin loved the walk with all the new sights and smells, but when he'd had enough he promptly sat down on the floor and refused to move any further. He was so tired, he couldn't even be coaxed into a few more steps for a treat! So the remainder of the journey back was spent tucked up inside my gilet!

We also popped into Pets at Home for a look around (I seem to be in there most days at the moment!) and we decided to treat Merlin to a big boy bed so that his crate can be left in the car for his road trips.

I picked out my favourites, largely based on how soft and cosy they felt and of course it had to go with our living room decor! Having shortlisted 3 beds, we set them on the floor for Merlin to sniff at and he loved the brown sheepskin with soft white furry lining (he's definitely like his mum as he chose the most expensive) but we made sure to buy the medium size so that it'll last him into adulthood.

When we got home we put his bed near the radiator (which we turned down so it's not too hot for him) and he soon made himself comfy and fell asleep, dreaming as he snored softly along side his teddy! All the excitement of the country walk and all the attention on Pets at home really took their toll on him.

Days 9-15 - What a week

Apologies Blog fans for the lack of updates this week... I was waiting for Dan to update the blog... but in fear of waiting forever, I thought I would summarise the past week for you all.  NOTE TO SELF - if you want a job doing, do it yourself!!!!!!

Anyway, last Saturday was a bit of a momentous occasion for us... with Merlin being shy at the puppy class, we decided to give him some "Shock Socialisation" and took him to our friends Louis and Corryne's house for the day.  Louis and Corryne are the parents of

• Milo the Weimerana who is as mad as a hatter,
• Amber the Rhodesian Ridgeback who doesn't have a ridge but is still beautiful,
• Freya the Staffordshire Bull Terrier who is so docile, we are confused as to whether she was a cat in her former life,
• Nala the tabby cat and
• Aiden, their beatiful little baby boy, who seems to grow and change rapidly from visit to visit!

so, knowing that Merlin was less than shy of the puppies at our puppy class, we were a little apprehensive as to how he would react to so many different adult dogs. When we arrived, we were ready to join in on the midday walk, even though we had to carry Merlin as he hadn't had all his injections.  Once the other dogs were outside, I gave Merlin to Corryne to hold while the other dogs greeted and sniffed him... Merlin didn't bark, or cowl, instead he let the dogs sniff him without struggle.  We were really pleased and Merlin got a treat for such good behaviour.

We walked for a good hour and a half, all this time Merlin was keeping warm inside my gilet, sniffing the air as we moved from the fields to the woods and back again.  On the last leg of the walk, he was getting really restless so Dan carried him for the last little bit until we got back to our car. We took his crate out of the boot  and I placed his puppy pad down, almost immediately, he had a wee, right in the middle of the pad.  Our little puppy had held his bladder until it was time to go... he got double treats for this.

Once inside, we set up the puppy pen for Merlin, but he spent very little time in there. Milo was the most curious of this new addition to his home. Merlin sat on a footstool and had great fun tapping Milo on the nose with his paw and trying to chew on his big ears.  Amber wasn't too interested in Merlin so went to sleep on her bed and Freya seemed upset by the changes and kept a safe distance for the rest of the day. Nala wasn't too sure of Merlin when they initially met but Dan persevered later on and Merlin was acknowledged within the house without receiving any scratch marks! :-)

Later in the afternoon, Aiden was playing on the living room floor and Merlin went over to investigate his toys. As Merlin had never met a baby before, we weren't sure if he would be a little too excitable, but he was very well behaved, even when Aiden tugged on his beard. We left later that evening feeling really proud of our little puppy for being so well behaved as a guest to another packs house.

The following day, we took Merlin over to see Nanny Linda (my mum). He had a lovely time sniffing around this new territory... although we had to do some puppy proofing and move low level plants and large vases from the floor. He had a lovely time playing with his toys, showing Nanny his new tricks he'd learned and having cuddles with her on the sofa.

On Wednesday we returned to the Vets to have Merlin's second injection and another check up... he is now 2.75 kgs... and doing really well.  After his appointment we stayed for the Puppy Party. This week, he was much more confident when meeting other puppies but still didn't seem to like Basil the Springer Spaniel... his energy is clearly far too excitable for him. As Merlin has had his second injection the vet nurses told us that Merlin can be walked on pavements but to stay away from grassy areas or still water for at least another week.

Our first trip outside didn't last very long as he appeared to be interested in eating the sycamore leaves on the floor, but perseverance paid off as Dan joined us later that evening and Merlin was trotting happily along side us and running to keep up with Dan.  On the first couple of walks, he would do just that... walk, but yesterday, I am pleased to report that he had a poo and a wee on his morning walk. He was rewarded with treats but this will need a little more work until he learns to go outside all the time. 

Here's to another exciting week ahead...and I promise to blog everyday!

Day 9 - Sit, Lay, Drop

This evening I returned home after the most awful day at work to find my little Merlin jumping up the side of his puppy pen trying to get to me.

Once he was calmer, I picked him up and he gave me the most loving cuddles and licks which made me feel tonnes better :-) its amazing how dogs can be so in tune to your emotions and know exactly what you need to feel better.

As Dan had some work to finish, I took Merlin for some training in the hallway. I took his squeaky ball and a couple of treats and worked on his sit, Lay, drop commands. He is such a clever puppy that by the end if the session I managed to get him to do all WITHOUT treats!

After such a rubbish, emotional day it was so nice to finish on a high... Thanks Merlin xxx

Day 8 - Puppy Socialisation Classes

<p>Tonight was our first puppy socialisation class run by our Vet Centre. We signed up to the 3 week course when we took Merlin to get his first injection and health check. <br>
We were first to arrive followed by a Cockerpoo, a Springer Spaniel, a black Labrador and a Whippit. All the other puppies were bigger and a few weeks older than Merlin but that didn't seem to bother him initially as he tried to prove his worth by excitedly barking at all the other dogs for the first five minutes. <br>
To start with we all got to hold and play with all the other puppies which was nice and we were given a handful of treats which Lunar the black lab swiped from my hand and gobbled up instantly. Everyone loved Merlin's puppy coat and oooh'd and ahhh'd at how cute he was :-) <br>
Next we were told about how to hold a puppy and get them used to being groomed. It was nice to know that we have been handling Merlin correctly so far. <br>
After this the puppies were given some play time. The Springer and Labrador were first up and we're wrestling around on the floor. After they'd finished Merlin was given the Cockerpoo to play with. When the puppy approached Merlin seemed fine but when he went to sniff his behind, Merlin he gave a warning bark and ran and hid under my chair. We thought this was just initial nerves but as the class progressed and Merlin was invited for play, he continued to hide behind me in the corner. The vet nurses said that this is not unusual and that it's because it's all new for him.
We were also given tips regarding canine dental health and nail clipping... I took special notice of this following the last nail clipping ordeal!
By the end of the night, Merlin was still lying under my chair but was a lot more relaxed. He seemed more at ease just watching the other dogs interact and taking mental notes. He did walk over to the weighing scales on his lead which was a first and we are pleased to report that he is now 2.4kgs!

Fingers crossed he will be a little more confident next week and maybe there won't be too many boisterous spaniels around to intimidate him.

When we returned home we ran him ragged in the hall playing Merlin-in-the-middle with his sneaky ball, which paid off because he slept soundly all night!

Day 7 - Why Daddy's don't have babies! (thanks Lou)

Apologies that this post is a day late but it is a funny one so hope it's well worth the wait.  

Yesterday was our first day back at work since Merlin arrived and whilst we both tried to get an early night, I was kicked out of bed because I was snoring so I went to sleep on the sofa. At 3am I was woken to the noise of tiny furry feet padding across to the training pad and having a wee.  "Oh No", It's not playtime Merlin, please just go back to sleep, Mummy has work in the morning" I thought. And as if by Magic (considering he is a Wizard that may be the case), I heard him walk back over to his crate, lay down and sigh. "Yes" I thought... this is a first.

I got up at 06.30 and got ready for work. Merlin was good until I was ready to leave... it was as if he sensed it and he started howling his head off. I went and got Dan up and out of bed so that he could take over.

By 9am, I received an email from Dan stating the following:

"Merlin has been OK but I think the slightly earlier getting up time has knocked him off kilter slightly. 

I ignored his whinging and had breakfast then took him to the hall to play and tire him out, at this stage I thought he had already had his morning wee. He didn’t want to chase the ball but did have a wee on the carpet! I bought him back in and then cleaned up. Then I gave him some breakfast and played with him in his pen then forgetting he would need a poo put his lead on and lead him to the hall to play fetch and this time he had a poo which I managed to move him inside the bathroom for. I cleaned that up then he still wasn’t interested in fetch so we went back into the pen and did some sit and lay down commands which he was very good at. He was chewing on the lead a lot so after a while I took that off and gave him the Kong bone with treats in to chew. He managed to get one whole treat out and must of ate it too quickly and puked it back up then ate it again. Anyway after all that he was wiped out and has been asleep since. I managed to get my exercise done, breakfast (as I already said) and shower in so all done. Will play fetch with him at lunch time THEN feed him and I think the routine will be good for him and probably me too (i.e. having lunch at a more structured time rather than at 3.30 in the afternoon)."

I giggled so much when I read this... and did feel slightly sorry for Dan having to sort all this out and work at the same time!

Day 6 - visiting friends

Today has been another successful day for Merlin. He is becoming very good at fetch and now drops the ball on his return for us to throw again. This time when exercising him in the hallway, we put his lead on him. Initially he was more interested him chewing it, then had to pick it up in his mouth when collecting the ball, but after about 10 minutes realised the lead was going to follow him anyway so he just seemed to ignore it. This was brilliant because when we were ready to go out, he wasn't bothered by his lead or his coat.

We visited our friend Anthony this afternoon for a coffee and a quick walk. Merlin had never been to another house and was very well behaved. He sniffed Anthony when we arrived and then let me lead him through the hallway on his lead to the living room, and our confident little pup even managed 2 small stairs by himself. While we chatted and had coffee, he fell asleep on our laps. He acted like the perfect puppy :-)

After coffee and a good catch up, we went for a walk around Boulters Lock and Merlin enjoyed all the new sights and smells and was mesmerised by the sound of the water from the fountain and weir. As it was so cold, Merlin was pleased to be wearing his fleecey coat, he certainly wasn't shivering as he'd done earlier this week. When we got back to the car, I let him have a drink and put a puppy training pad down and within a minute, Merlin had a wee, with perfect aim, right in the centre of the pad. We were chuffed because he clearly recognised he was to pee on the pad irrespective of where it is placed. He got lots of praise and a treat for this... He'd definitely earned it.

I'm not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow and missing out on Merlin's puppy adventures...
Still, I will have something to look forward to when I get home!