Puppy party

Do you know what a puppy party is? Neither did I. Well, I'll tell you: it's a party for puppies! Haha.



The puppy party was held at my vet's, and there were about seven of us puppies there. A dog behaviourist explained to our people some of our behaviour, and how to look after us. In the meantime we were getting used to seeing a lot of other puppies!



I was the shyest of them all, along with another little puppy who has adult dogs in her house. See her there on her own in the corner, way away from everyone else?



The dog behaviourist explained that it's quite common for puppies who have adult dogs in their homes not to know how to react to other puppies all of a sudden. They know how to interact with adult dogs, but have forgotten how to play with puppies.

Our people were shown how to handle us in a manner that makes us feel calm and relaxed.



They were taught how to check our ears and eyes for any problems, and also our paws and teeth. And then all of a sudden they put some gunge in our mouths!



That was a bit weird.



It did taste nice, though, whatever it was. Apparently this is called brushing teeth. I'm not sure about this at all. It felt so strange.



We had some more time to get used to each other while the behaviourist explained all kinds of doggie behaviours - like how we shake our head after we have played with someone and switch onto doing something else. It was quite funny 'cause I hadn't realised I was doing it, but now that they mentioned it, I saw that I, and all the other puppies do it, too! There was this flapping of ears every now and then in the room as someone switched from play mode to calm mode.



This Golden Retriever girl was probably the most lively of all of us. She seemed really interesting, but I was too shy to get close to her, so I just watched her from a distance.



The behaviourist asked me to demonstrate with her how to teach 'sit' to a puppy.



Our people were taught not to give us a treat if we try and reach up for it.



They were told only to give us the treat when all our four paws are on the ground. Boring, eh?



I knew all this already, so I was more interested in watching others learn.



(Actually I was hoping that I would get some of their treats...)



After a while I plucked up the courage to go and say hello to some of the others. (I'm told that people are more subtle in their ways when they go and say hello to new people.)



And after I'd done that, I felt confident enough to go to the Golden Retriever.



She was sooo cute!



And it seemed that she liked me, too!



Well, that's what I thought - but then, I turned my back, and see what she was doing! Flirting with other puppies! Shocking behaviour, don't you think?



Well, never mind. It was fun, all the same. And I can't wait to go again next week. I'm sure I will be much more confident next time.

Second jab

Today I went to the vet's again to get my second vaccination jab.



This time I knew what goes on at vet's, so I was relaxed and got a little sleepy while waiting, in fact.



As before, I was weighed first. 5.8 kg! Wow, I have put on 2 kg in three weeks.



Then it was time for the jab.



This time, I felt it. Not too bad, but not too pleasant, either.



I got a nice treat, though, for all my pain and suffering.



Mmm, yum.



On the way home we went to a pet shop and got me a collar and a lead! How do I look?



Also, on the way home, I threw up in the car again. The same thing happened three weeks ago when I got my first jab. Very unpleasant. In this picture you can see that my mouth is wet from puking.



They say that I will have to wear this collar thing all the time from now on. I don't see why, but I guess I don't have a say in that matter.

Pub crawl

Got your attention, right?



I wasn't on a pub crawl, silly.... I'm too young for that. But I did go to a pub today with Miles and Kati. And you know what? It was dead boring. As usual, I wasn't allowed on the floor, so in spite of all the interesting smells, I had to stay on Miles's lap. So, naturally, after a while I just got sleepy...



...and sleepier...



Zzzzz.....






And then Miles and Kati got another pint of cider, and I carried on sleeping. Don't know what all the fuss is about pubs. Well, perhaps it'll be more fun when I can sniff around and go and meet people.



Back at home I was wide awake again. Zebedee noticed it, too.
(Just call me Tigger The Tornado.)



I can play nicely with Zebedee...






But not for long. 'Cause every now and then I need to show Zebedee that I'm no push-over. Grrrr. There! Take that!



I can pull a really scary face at Zebedee.






Although, I guess it'll be more scary when I have bigger teeth.

Exhibition opening

I went to an exhibition opening this evening. It was at the seafront in Brighton, and there were lots of interesting people there.

Kati's friend Juliet took a few photos of me. I look a little startled in this photo, but it's only because I'd never seen a flash before.



Obviously it would have been a lot more fun if I didn't have to stay in the puppy bag...



...but I did manage to meet quite a few people, and they all seemed really nice and fun.



Here is some of the artwork I saw, taken by Kati.

Upstairs downstairs

Our version of Upstairs Downstairs.



Ahhh, how peaceful. For a change.

Boris and Barbara

This evening we all went to visit some friends. Let me introduce them:

Boris:


and Barbara:


They are Irish Setters. Boris is two years old, and Barbara is four months old. We met in their garden. I was quite surprised that I was too shy to play with them!


(see little me at the top of the steps?)

But I did want to join them...



They just all seemed so big and fast so I kept my distance at first.



Barbara ran to greet me every now and then, but she was a little too much for me. She growled at me once and that scared me. I mean, I am completely used to Zebedee growling at me - I don't take any notice of that, but when someone I've never met before growls, that's another thing. I had to jump up on top of a flower pot a couple of times to run away from her (and to be as tall as her).



After a while I got used to Boris and Barbara more and went closer. They were all playing together and barking a lot. I plucked up the courage and barked at them once or twice, and then ran for cover behind Miles. They didn't take ANY notice of me.






The visit was fun mostly - I got to run around and explore the garden and the house, but it was a little overwhelming at times. What the people should have done first is restrain the big dogs and let me go to them on my own time, but it wasn't too bad. Now that I know what visiting other houses is like, next time I will have more confidence, I'm sure.