Update about Alfie

A long time

Hey everyone I am so sorry I haven’t written anything lately but who knew that having a dog could take so much of your time. :) so this is going to be a long one I am going to tell you everything Alfie has been up in the last couple of months.

So where to begin?

Dog training

Alfie attends dog training classes once a week with Kath Bell Dog Training in Packmoor, Stoke on Trent, it is a 1hour session with about 5-6 other dogs learning the basic skills, like sitting, waiting, heal work and retrieving. The people who work there are great they will help you if you are struggling and will offer you advice when needed and they even throw in a cup of tea and a biscuit for the humans. Alfie has made some lovely doggy friends. Alfie is so intelligent, well when he wants to be but for a nice bit of sausage he doesn’t let me down. :). We have been attending training now for 8 weeks and the lesson before Christmas they told me that Alfie will be moving up to the intermediate class, oh my goodness how proud I felt, I couldn’t stop smiling, my little man is going up in the world. So when we start back this is where the really hard work begins but I know he will do it because he is my Alfie.

Potty Training

Well Alfie was really good with his potty training and for some reason he has gone backwards which is not good for my carpet. We take him outside constantly and we can be outside for ages then as soon as we get in will be he wee not all the time but sometimes, or if we are busy doing something he will go and do it. I think it is an attention thing so we keep ignoring it and we have started to treat when he goes toilet we will have to see if that works.

Sleeping

I think we have cracked the sleeping, he goes bed between 8.30 and 9.30pm and the we won’t from him until well in the week he is up at 7ish as I think he hears next door getting up and he thinks it is us and at the weekend he sleeps till 8 which I think is not too bad. Me and my husband takes it in turns, who will get up and who will get a lie in. When Alfie gets up though he will go toilet have his breakfast and then will go asleep for another 2 hours. It is so funny when he sleep he has little dreams where he will twitch and make noises at first when he started to do this, I was like what is going on but I had a look in one of my books and it is a common thing. It is so cute I think he is dreaming about chasing something and it looks like he is running.

Leaving him.

I do work and I do leave him for a couple of hours. I have got a puppy play pen and his crate for when I go out and I leave him with his favourite toys and chews and he is great he will go straight in and most of the time when I get home he is asleep in his crate as I peep through the window. It killed me at first, I did it gradually 30minutes the an hour and so on and if he was barking I didn’t go in to him I waited until he was calm. As I didn’t want him to think if I bark she will come back but for our little family it is working.

Behaviour

What a little monkey he is right now. He was great about a month and half ago came in from the garden when told, sat on first command and didn’t have accidents but the past couple of weeks on my goodness it is all for attention and but something’s cannot be ignored. Alfie love humping and chewing my cushions, eating my carpet, digging holes in the garden, eating everything and loves baubles on the Christmas tree and has pulled it over twice. As well as all of that he is going through hopefully a phase of mouthing, he licks and nibbles but this cannot continue what if he did it to a stranger. He is also trying to show his dominance towards my husband snapping and trying to bite him, not good. When we go back training I have lots of questions.

Teething

I have just found out Alfie has lost about 3 or 4 teeth. Where they are? I don’t know I think he has eaten them. I knew they are due to come out and I have been on the lookout for them but I haven’t found any. He is chewing everything he can get in his mouth lucky though not my furniture.:) He has got cow feet and chew toys to keep him busy.

Size

Alfie is supposed to be a miniature Golden Doodle but Alfie is all legs, he is not fat he is very tall with huge paws everyone that meets him says “Goodness he going to be a big one”. Oh my. We got him weighed and he is now 10.8kg he seems to be putting on 2kg every 4 weeks as that is when he goes to get his worming medication but he is so cute and everyone stops us when we are out and about and even a professional photographer asked to take a photo because he is so cute but Alfie hates photos, he is rubbish.

Last one and I will let you be.

is the best thing in the world. We have our ups and downs but when he comes over to you and he looks at you with his big brown eyes your heart just melts. I love Alfie to bit and I don’t know what life was without him.

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Thanks for reading.

Vicky xxx

Crate Training

Crate Training

As part of Alfie’s training we are crate training him and I know some people disagree with this technique but it work for Alfie it’s his little den and it is only for a short period.

We started with making his den nice and cosy, placing a blanket over the crate, putting a bed inside, his teddy with his mum’s smell and a couple of chew toys.

To start with I hid treats in his crate and so Alfie could feel this as a nice positive place and we sat with him gave him loads of praise while he was in the crate with the door open so he was able to come out. When he came out I didn’t say anything I placed more treat in side and gave him his Kong to chew on and continued this for a couple of minute, then I started to shut the door but I didn’t lock it just for a couple of seconds and then longer and longer then I locked it. And continue this training every day until he is really settled.

Well I wish I could tell you that the first time he went in for a sleep he was great, he wasn’t. It wasn’t the crate it was me leaving him and for him not to been able to get me, it broke my heart. For the first 2 night we sat by the crate with our fingers through so he could smell me and he settled off really quickly. Come to the 3^rd night we decided to leave him now and he cried L not for long but it felt like forever, it was the worse sound I have ever heard, but after a couple of minutes he was a fast asleep and didn’t wake till 3.30am for a wee. The thing is not to go to him, leave him as much as it kills you inside. I am sleeping down stair so I can hear him if he needs and wee and I haven’t got to walk down the stairs half asleep.

I have started his routine he goes in his crate for his morning and afternoon nap then bed time, the day naps he goes off great and sleeps for about 2 hours its’ just the night time, but we will keep you informed on how he goes.

I have also added a puppy pen so when I go to work his has a place to stretch and play. I have put puppy pads down so he can go toilet while I am at work and I have got a water bowl which connects to the crate's sides. 

I will write an up dated post for crate training letting you know how he gets on.

Thank you for reading my blog please feel free to leave a comment at the bottom as I love to read them.

Vicky xx