Fred had his first 'incident' last night. We think he's probably been
half trained before. And our theory of Fred escaping or being let go
from a breeder is still holding strong. He got up and wandered around a
bit to-ing and fro-ing, and we didn't think much of it. But the next
thing you know, you hear the trickling of dog pee against the wall!
NOOOoooooo!!!
Our fault for not paying enough attention.
Lesson 1: when he goes and does something new, keep an eye on him. He might be trying to tell you something.
Fred also seems quite capable of clearing out his digestive system.
Last night was punctured by a number of distinct Freddy Farts. Due to
where he was sitting, bf copped most of it. There were constant cries
of 'Fred!!!! What have you been eating?!?!' I ended up moving my
electric oil burner into the living room and putting on a new wax melt.
It took a while, but finally the smell of Jasmine took over. Although,
after any release, it was always smarter/safer to move out, just a tad.
Lesson 2: Keep wax melts, oil burner, and any other smelling devices close at hand. And NEVER sit downwind of him.
Fred's also very quiet. He's so placid and doesn't bark at all. In
fact, he doesn't even whine. But we did hear him bark once yesterday in
the afternoon at something in the backyard. I just heard a thump
outside, and stuck my head out. He's playing with a bone we gave him,
and he was throwing it around and pouncing. So cute.
Wolfhounds are supposed to follow the credo: "Gentle when stroked.
Fierce when provoked." They're known as Gentle Giants, and wikipedia
suggests that you shouldn't play rough with him at a young age. Because
these were bred to hunt down wolves. So if you play rough at a young
age, they'll become quite aggressive :S But it sucks too, because he's
so placid to begin with. I think I'm going to be too scared to play
around with him a little. It'll all just have to be stroke, stroke,
stroke.
Now, I know the responsible and sensible thing to do is to desex him
(he didn't come desexed), but we saw what happened to bf's mum's dog
after he got desexed. Imagine a sprightly lively naughty little Jack
Russell, become a portly, stately, quiet desexed Jack Russell. His
demeanour and character COMPLETELY changed. If we desex Fred, I'm
worried we'll get a comatose puppy! LOL.
But he is very very sweet. And all the literature I've read so far
suggests he's very loyal and a great companion dog. I'll concur to that
- last night he followed me around the house every time I get up (which
is both sweet and a little disconcerting).
Both bf and I are currently battling it out to be the Favourite. So far
I'm winning, although I think I cheated a little, because I bonded
first with him, petting him and cuddling him in the back seat of the
car while the bf went to get groceries for dinner. Since then, he's
followed me everywhere, every chance he can get. Although bf has been
feeding him, and disciplining him. And last night played with him a
little. By the end of the evening, Fred was just as happy sitting with
the bf in front of the tele while I did some MIY in the kitchen, as he
was previously sitting somewhere closer to me. Is it just me, or is
there a distinct green tinge to my skin tone? ;)
Fred also appears quite intelligent. We shut most of the house doors so
that he couldn't get into them. As he was following me around, I was
quite particular about it when I shut doors so he couldn't follow me. I
only had to do it once. After that, he just sits outside, like, lies in
the kitchen area, and waits. He doesn't attempt to follow me into any
rooms any more. The literature also suggests that they're quick to
figure out what you want them to do. And that we have to be very
patient and understanding with him. I think we're doing that. We fussed
over him for a little bit after we let him back in after the Peeing on
the Wall incident.
Fred also doesn't like enclosed places very much. Not that I blame him.
We gave him the front room (yes, he has his own room, how spoilt is
he?) because the floor is covered in lino (so easy cleaning if he
messes up), and bf had to carry him into the room last night because
Fred didn't want to go in. And usually he'll come to me if I call him.
Yup, he's already starting to respond to his name. I was calling him
back from the kitchen last night (he discovered the bin), and I just
said "Freeed" in a warning tone, and he pops his head around the
corner. Awww...
He's also very very cute. We let him out last night while the BF bbq'd
dinner (no dogs allowed inside while we eat) and I popped outside to
see how things were going. As I went back in, Fred tilts his head to a
side and just looks at me, as if to say: 'what about me? let me in?
please?' Doggies are the BEST guilt trippers I have ever met.. Such
wonderful facial expressions.
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