The Little Bear Dog Blog

Woohoo! I think Little Bear must have read my last post (or maybe he got the cat to read it to him, she’s clever like that), but either way we have had an amazing few days. So great in fact that I’ll have to split it over a couple of posts but let’s start with today’s triumph.

A huge breakthrough this morning in that ‘The Dalmation who must be barked at’ from around the corner needs a new name.  Out for our morning stroll and negotiating a sit at the curb (will you do it nicely for chicken? What if I say please?) he spots (pardon the pun) the aforementioned DWMBBA – cue ‘big dog’ body posture, muscles stiff as a board, low rumble from his boots….

Now this is all complete bluster because had DWMBBA, who incidentally is a large, confident looking dog, ambled over to say hello, LB would be fawning around his dinner plate paws like a giddy pup.  We both know this but the big scary dog act obviously makes him feel more able to cope.

Mustering my best jolly hocky sticks voice into a sing-song ‘This Way’ we crossed the road and putting myself between LB and the other dog we marched off in the other direction and ….LB didn’t woof once!   He huffed a couple of times but a firm ‘come’ had him trotting by my side without a backward glance. RESULT!

The usual routine would have been manic barking – a knowing nod and wave to DWMBBA’s owner and a hasty retreat, so today was a complete triumph.

After lots of praise and four bits of chicken (which could have been carpet off cuts for all he tasted of them) we detoured into the little wood – his absolute favourite place in the WWW (whole wide world).

After demonstrating the ‘four by paw’ capabilities of the mark 4 Schnauzer which included a paddle in the stream, a romp through the undergrowth and a ‘look at me I’m agility dog’ jump over the fallen tree, he decided to have a nap. 

Now, he’s found of a lie down in a cool clump of clover after a heavy session of fetch, but he’s never taken a siesta in the woods before and never before breakfast.  But after today’s excellent behaviour I was more than happy to let him have a chill – maybe he was laying there thinking of a new name for the Dalmatian – he who must be ignored perhaps?

Little Bear takes time out to smell the flowers

Napping in the woods