Strapping Young Collies

The collie duo are growing up!  They are now 7 months old (Hector) and 6 months old (Florian) and have finally lost all their milk teeth.  They therefore have a beautiful pearly white set of adult teeth each and amazingly my furniture has survived the teething process.  I found that catfish skin chews and puppy sized antlers were perfect when they need something to gnaw on.

Taken this week.  Snuggled up close, as usual.

Since my last post on 12 April they're looking more and more like proper young dogs, rather than puppies.  Hector in particular is huge and is weighing in at just under 17kg.  That's practically elephant sized for a young collie boy of his age: a grown adult male is normally around 22kg.  Florian, by contrast, is 14kg at a month younger, but is catching up fast in terms of height at least.

Hector, looking very much like a young dog, rather than a puppy

Individual Update: Hector

Hector's mottled colouring and amazing fur never fails to take my breath away.  It's so unusual (only 45 blue merle rough collie boys were registered in the whole of the UK last year) and so striking.  He has the most enormous bushy tail and his white mane is starting to grow out.  By Christmas he'll have his first adult winter coat and should look even more stunning. 

Handsome Hector

Hector is a hooligan.  He's got such a naughty streak in him, is incredibly clever, and just a little mischief maker.  He's less confident than Florian, more skittish, and less able to come forward for spontaneous cuddles.  I therefore try to snuggle him as much as possible, precisely because of his reserve.  Whereas Oscar used to sing to me in the mornings, Hector tends to make the most horrendous dinosaur type noises.  It's a kind of "Hello Daddy, BLURGHHHHH" dry-retch noise.  He's a Colliesaurus Rex.

Stick in mouth, up to his mischief!

Individual Update: Florian

Florian on the other hand is, and always will be, my little Golden Boy.  He can't do anything wrong, and when he does we blame it on his big "brother" anyway.  Florian is such a Daddy's boy.   He looks like a little teddy lion collie and is always smiling and wagging his tail.  He's nowhere near as bright as Hooligan, but is the happiest soul on earth. 

Golden Boy Florian

And he's ADORABLE... I mean look at him, asleep cuddling his teddy for heaven's sake!

It's actually a giant teddy mouse, not a bear, but hey

The one time recently when I caught him being naughty (the little sods had stolen a sandal of mine and were playing tug of war with it in the garden) I raised my voice to him.  The look of devastation of his little face would have been appropriate if he'd just seen me beating his mother to death with an iron bar in front of his eyes.  Move over RSPCA adverts, you have nothing on Florian's expression on the rare occasion when he's just been told off.

Growing Up

It's ridiculous how rapidly they've grown, and you can see from the photos below.  The first one was taken on 1 February, the day after I collected Hector.  I remember thinking, gosh I could easily fit 9 collie babies in that vast boot. 

"I feel a bit lost"

Now look at the two big lumps.  The plan still is eventually to get a third one, a tricolour called Leopold (possibly Florian's son, in a couple of years' time).  I'm not sure where we'd put him though, given my Mercedes E-Class is one of the biggest estate cars on the market in the UK! 

"My, we've grown"

By the way, yes as you can see, Florian wears a little polka-dot red harness and has a matching polka-dot lead.  His name means "flower" after all, and it suits him!  Hector has a red harness and a red leaded with little silver bones on it.

Walkies and Leads

The boys adore each other.   They seem to be joined by an invisible elastic band that extends a maximum of five metres when they're out on walks.  Every sniff has to be examined together, every path explored in tandem, and they keep exactly the same pace.  One always seems to keep a little button eye on Daddy to see where he is, and they will drop behind me as they get up to their doggy things, but they never leave each other's side.

"Ooooh a sniff, let's explore it together"

They're both walking perfectly off the lead by the way, when we're out in the countryside.  They come beautifully when called, even to be put back on the lead.  2 years competition dog training when I was 16 has paid off with lessons for life in how to bring up a dog!  Having spent 5 months now with Hector, and 4 months with Florian, I feel they are losing their "L" plates and are really starting to behave how they've been taught without constant reinforcement.  That's such a joy: you put in the time and effort at the start and you have beautifully behaved dogs for life.

Two puppies, one finger

I literally walk them with the leads round one finger on my left hand.  Hector will only pull if he's startled by traffic (remember, he's far more skittish) - Golden Boy of course never pulls and is the one who walks closest next to me.  I don't know how they worked out that order, but it's always the same.  Me, then Florian, then Hector on the outside.  Walking all three next to each other.

Oscar virtually never wore a lead - I suspect these two will get to that stage within a year or so.  For now, I want them on leads anywhere there is a road close by, just in case.

Little Brothers

Even though they're technically distant cousins, they behave completely like little brothers.  They play fight, knock each other about, get up to mischief, and then snuggle together in the evening.  They love, love, love each other.  I never realised just how much two puppies can give each other: even if I played hours on end with one of them, I couldn't replicate the fun they have together.

Young tearaways up to fun and games

They of course have a big box of toys at home, which they empty every evening and never tidy up at bedtime.  The cheek!  Florian is excellent at making toys squeak, whereas Hector is the expert at "fetch".  Florian is generally far too lazy for that type of thing, and prefers to sunbathe, and wait for his next food.  That is VERY important to him.  Fat little fluffy bastard. 

A *very* rare sight. Florian actually in motion.

They also have a box of toys kept at their Granny's for their visits, as well as a basket and bowl each kept in the conservatory. Here's a cute photo of them having a Mexican Standoff with their veggie burger squeaky toys at their Granny's.

"My veggie burger toy is squeakier than yours"

Bathtime

I've never been a believer in bathing collies: their natural oils do the job of keeping their fur clean, and in any case they hate mud and water and tend to be cat like in their personal hygiene.  They get a good 10 minute brushing every day which keeps them looking great.  Still, Ste convinced me that Hector really did need a shower, and I'm basically scared of Ste, so in he went. 

COLLIE TORTURE

Hector was actually remarkably good, didn't struggle, took it all in his stride, and it did do a nice job of making him extra-fluffy.  Personally I'm amazed he's still talking to Ste, but he is.

I'd have bitten him, Hector

And my Golden Boy? No, he will NOT be subjected to this evil.  Not on my watch! 

Here is a lovely shot of all the boys together: Hector, Florian, Ste and Bruin (aka, Boggles) who is Ste's family's Boston Terrier.  Yes he's really ugly.  But absolutely gorgeous with his boggly little eyes and cuddly, adorable, soft manner!

Who is the prettiest? GOLDEN BOY, of course!

Fooooooood 

They have stopped squabbling about food and eat from bowls right next to one another.  I used to put a guard between them so they'd feel secure the other one wasn't going to steal theirs, but so they could see and hear the other eating.  One day I just stopped doing it, and now presumably they're confident that food isn't a scarce resource and they'll get their fill.

And WOW do they eat.  They're on 350g each a day of Lily's Kitchen food and it disappears in seconds.  I can't recommend the range more highly.   The key word to look for in dog food is "meat (or animal) derivatives or by-products" - if it has them in, that means the boiled up skin, bones, offal, crushed heads, hooves and all the other cheap crap that isn't fit for human consumption.  It could be from any animal: your guess is as good as mine.  Derivatives and by-products are the basis of all three of the big dog food producers in the UK, as well as most snacks.  Plenty of dog food has as low as 2% actual meat in it.  The rest is filler and potentially harmful rubbish.  Just look at what Pedigree Dentastix have in them, for example.

Check out the ingredients of what the boys are on, by contrast.  It's 50% real, organic meat with a load of organic vegetables (which are so good for dogs) and a combination of herbs to keep their skin, kidneys, liver, immune system etc in good shape.  No meat derivatives. No animal by-products.  No additives, no preservatives, no fillers, and it's completely grain-free.  It's healthy and delicious, it keeps their coats looking stunning, their breath clean smelling, their poo firm, their skin perfect and they seem in the best of health.  As you can tell, I'm quite evangelical about it!

Hector's Champion Daddy

Congratulations are very quickly due to Hector's birth daddy, Ch Beldones Black Illusion (aka, "Boris"), who was awarded his "Champion" title in May.  He came second at Crufts this year, and in won his third certificate in a championship competition, which means he now bears the title as part of his pedigree name.  I've never seen a dog who looks more like my late, great Oscar - which is no great surprise as Oscar was his great uncle.

Hector's birth daddy, Boris

Florian is incensed, as his birth daddy is also a Champion, and that means the two are now equal.  His mummy is just missing one more challenge certificate, at which point she also will become a Champion.  He's desperate for this to happen as he will then be said to be "Bred in the Purple", a term reserved for those very few dogs whose parents both carry the Champion title.  He has vowed to trade in his red polka-dot ensembles, to replace them with purple, and to wear them round the house to lord it over Hector when this happens!

#1 On Florian's Christmas List

And finally....

Hector recently started sporadically cocking his leg up when he goes for a wee.  That usually happens around puberty, at about a year old.  He was typically advanced (he's SO big for his age) and did it just past 6 month old.  He doesn't do it every time and he seems to lose his balance some times, but it is very cute.  I've yet to get a snap.  Florian is still weeing like a little girl in the squatting position.

My little boy is growing up!!

That's all for now.  It's such a joy having these two little furry scamps in my life.  I look forward literally every day to coming down and greeting them, to spending my day with them, having them at work with me, and seeing them asleep at my feet in the evenings.   They fill my days in the most wonderful way possible and it's a pleasure to share my enjoyment of them with you.  Thank you for reading :-) x

"ENOUGH TYPING, DADDY, WE NEED A WALK NOW."

An Update from Collie Towers

It's been a month since Florian wrote his letter home, and what a busy time and his big "brother" Hector have been having of it.  Both are now walking beautifully on their leads, have been and stayed in a real live castle, had two beach outings, stayed with their Granny in Hampshire, and Hector now has his adult teeth coming through.  Florian no longer has little stumpy legs and the pair of them are eating me out of house and home.  So, here we go with a run down!

Hector gets more handsome by the day

Daddy's Boy, Florian. And doesn't he just work it?

Walking on the Lead

Some dogs refuse to walk on leads, some dogs pull like crazy, some stay miles behind you, some get aggressive towards others if they're on leads... and then we have rough collies.  Pop a collar on (or better still, a soft harness) and off they pottle almost instinctively by your side.  Florian in particular didn't seem to even notice he had the lead on.  That might be because he's really quite dumb, but more of that later.  In any case: lead training: so, so easy.

Oscar striking a pose

Oh look, Hector doing exactly the same

I love the above two gorgeous photos.  Hector now walks daily around Oscar's woods.  And he's got the same fabulous "movie star head over the shoulder" collie pose as his great uncle.  It must be genetic.  I thought Hector's tail was ridiculously long and bushy until I refreshed my memory: yup, Oscar's was just as fluffy and huge.

When Ste isn't here, I'm incidentally walking Hector and Florian separately twice a day, as well as together, so they get one on one bonding time with me as their "pack leader".  It's also easier to get them into good habits on the lead when they're on their own, and I want them not being dependent on each other, everywhere they go.  They get enough time together, so this is a great set up.

Astley Castle

Astley Castle near Coventry is a moated castle that's been continuously inhabited for pretty much 800 years.  Apparently three Queens of England have lived there.  It was heavily damaged in a fire in 1978, then had an architect prize winning contemporary conversion with lots of glass and wood inserted into the ruins.  We were lucky enough to visit for a few days and the collie boys rather decided they liked it there.

Gates designed to keep cats and sundry other foes out

Great Puppy Exploration and Fun Potential

Magazine Shot!

Surveying the moat.  More ideal cat defences

 

Proud Daddy

The Beaches

I'm lucky enough to live not too far from the Suffolk Heritage Coast, and North Norfolk is also an easy afternoon excursion.  So the boys got to sniff the sea air, shove their noses in the sand, build a sand castle, meet lots of other doggies, and generally have a blast.  What's more they had BOTH daddies with them on the two trips, so it was extra special.

Sniff, sniff, sea air. But WHY all the photos?!

We totes built this sand castle ourselves. Honest.

Holkham Beach is fun. But let's not get our paws wet (applies to all 3)

Someone shoved their snozzle in the sand

Glorious, glorious. Dunwich Beach, Suffolk

Good Boys

I'm still really trying to bring the boys up as well as I possibly can.  They're eating their food out of separate bowls, a few centimetres apart, with no squabbling.  They adore each other and cuddle up constantly.  They also play endlessly, making the most funny little collie noises as they do so.  It's Hector who normally starts it, but Florian (who is still a fair bit smaller) often gets the best of him.

If they do fall out, they get told "NO" and split up for 5 minutes as punishment.  During that time, we've seen them staring at each other longingly through the glass door with one in the kitchen and one in the conservatory.  It's completely adorable.  And of course they are never allowed up in the bed when Ste visits.  Heaven forbid.

Cuddle time at Granny's. With some of their (many) teddies around them

Play time! Hours are spent "attacking" each other like this

3 hour car journeys to Granny's are no issue: they sleep the whole way

Florian is definitely winning this round

Peeing on command. Go Team Collie!

No dogs in the bed. Ever.

Collie Love

I just love them both so much.  It's a delight watching them play, wolfing down their supper, taking them to work, even watching them sleep.  Getting two together was the best decision ever - it's a lot of work, but they're so happy having a friend and exercise each other wonderfully.  I also realise acutely what Oscar missed out on when he was in his kennel, the first 10 months of his life, and want to make their puppyhood as beautiful and perfect as I can.  I just adore them.

Hector is the wily, clever one, who is far easier to train, but who is a little more skittish.  He is a bit more reserved with people he doesn't know, but is so extraordinarily affectionate and cuddly to me now.  Florian is the Golden Boy: the little prince.  He's also a naughty bugger on the quiet, and likes nipping my toes, jumping on Hector's head, but he's so little and cuddly you can forgive him almost anything.  The few times he's overstepped the mark and actually been told off, he gets SO upset and wants to get back in my good books as soon as possible.

Hector tends to lead the way and Florian follows. If Hector ever becomes frightened, Florian's natural confidence seems to reassure him.  I'm convinced Florian is really quite thick (his father, Percy, regularly falls into his owner's hot tub, and runs the opposite way when you roll a ball for him) but Ste disputes this....

I suspect Ste doctored this to make him look brighter

The beauty of Hector's markings... just stunning

Florian: Butter wouldn't melt

My boys. 4 and 5 months old now.

These puppies are the best thing to happen to me since meeting Ste, which is 3 years ago now.  Sharing your life with a dog is an absolute blessing: having two is beyond a dream.

They've been asleep as I've been typing this - Florian at my feet (he's not nibbling them for once) and Hector in his basket, lying upside down with his legs in the air for large chunks of it.  Now they're in the garden, playing with a squeaky toy.

I hope I've managed with this post to bring you a little of the sunshine that they're bringing me every moment.  It's wonderful to share my joy and, as ever, thank you for reading!

Peter x

Hector

On Friday, a six month long search came to an end.  A bundle of fluff, mischief and energy came into my life in the form of a nine week, five day old, blue merle rough collie baby.  Meet Hector!  And no, I didn't get muddled up and accidently brought a snow leopard cub home.  More of that later...

Hector

Even before I lost Oscar, we had been looking for a puppy.  The plan was to give Oscar the opportunity to bring up the pup and instill some of his calm, wise old dog manner, but his sudden death last August sadly put paid to that.  Since then we had a series of raised expectations about potential litters and puppies that all led to nothing, other than frustration and upset.

Tricks of the Trade

Finally at Christmas, Ste and I went to Lincolnshire and saw a litter of nine collie babies, including young Tiganlea Tricks of the Trade, to give him his pedigree name.  Here's the first photo we have of him, aged 4 weeks.  We met him a couple of days after it was taken, and he was still a snuffly, quiet, little thing with his eyes mainly shut:

4 weeks old: Xmas Eve

Well what a difference five weeks makes in the life of a pup.  He's now turned into the most self-confident, mischievous, plucky little toad imaginable.  I think you can see a little of the devil he has in his eyes in the first photo above. I'll introduce you to him, with some videos, after I've spoken a bit about the breed and his wonderfully unusual colouring and fur.

Rough Collies

Rough Collies, or Lassies, are my breed.  I've spent almost half my life with one by my side.   The incredibly intelligent, obedient breed is from the Highlands of Scotland.  They became popular when Queen Victoria took a liking to them.  Christmas trees, curry and collies: you've got to admit Mrs Saxe-Coburg-Gotha had taste and enriched all our lives.  Rough collies were originally used to herd cows, whereas their even brighter lowland cousin from the English/Scottish border region, the Border Collie, was mainly used to herd sheep.  Roughs therefore have a completely different instinct and don't tend to round up and run round in circles like Borders do.  They can however gently nip if they get carried away, which is what they would do to a cow's back legs.

Erm... can just see him herding cows in a muddy field. Or not.

Borzoi (the magnificent Russian Wolfhound) was bred in to Rough Collies to give the long distinctive snout and aristocratic bearing.  It is their movie star looks that propelled them to Hollywood from the 1940s on with the series of Lassie films that made them a popular household pet in the 60s and 70s.  Now they're much rarer, as our puppy search showed us, and harder to find.

When we were tracing our family history we came across this extraordinary photo of my great-grandfather, Henry Ede (1860-1940).  He had emigrated from the New Forest in England to Tasmania in Australia, of all places, in 1923.  Here he is sitting on his porch in Dorset County, Tasmania, in the late 1930s.. and look what is by his side.  Rough collies and my family are clearly meant to go together!  The coincidence was all the more remarkable as we got Davy before we discovered this.

Henry Ede and his Rough Collie

Rough Collie Colours

Rough collies come in three 'colours' in Europe, as shown in the following photo (incidentally, god, do those collies need a brushing.  Oscar would *never* have been seen out looking like that!):

Sable/White, Tricolour, Blue Merle (L to R in that order)

The most common type is sable/white.  That's what my childhood dog Davy was.  It's also what Lassie was, and what everyone tends to think of with the breed.   The next, more unusual type, is the tricolour, which has a mainly black coat, with sable/white only on the face, mane and paws.  My beautiful Oscar was a tricolour.

The one and only. Oscar.

Finally, the rarest type is the blue merle.  Technically they are not actually a "colour" as such, but a mutation of the tricolour because they carry the merle gene.  Therefore they have the same white and sable on their faces, manes and paws, but the merle gene makes most of the black on their coat come out as blue/silver grey, with random unaffected mottled black patches or spots.  That's what Hector is and explains why he looks a bit like a snow leopard.

Escapee from Banham Zoo (Snow Leopard Dept)

As I'd had the other two types of collie before, this time I set my heart on a blue.  Every blue merle has a completely unique coat, with varying amounts of black on it, and entirely different patterns.  That's what made finding Hector so hard for us: not only are they incredibly rare, but getting one with facial markings we actually liked was quite a job.  It's not difficult for them to look like they're suffering from the Bubonic Plague, quite frankly!  We didn't want one with enormous patches of black either, as you might as well as well go with a tricolour in that case. 

As for the "blue" element, it's perhaps a bit of a push, but yes - in certain light Hector looks somewhat like Mrs Slocombe on one of her blue rinse days.  I absolutely love the patch of black on his face, his little white socks, and the fact his soft, velvety ears are all spotty.  He is literally the dream blue merle puppy for me.

Hello Molly, how's your pussy?

Pedigree Dogs

People love to knock pedigree breeders.  Like as not this comes from a position of ignorance and bias.  Pedigree breeders are not synonymous with puppy farmers, who keep their poor puppies in cages in horrible conditions and are just interested in the money.  Almost everyone I've come across in the collie world literally has the breed and their dogs as the entire focus of their life.  Yes, you get irresponsible kennels (particularly with more popular breeds), but in a world as small as the rough collie one, reputation and pride seems to be everything to the people involved.  The right breeder will have one or two litters a year, maximum, and the puppies will be born and brought up in their home.

Looks are important and it's a large part of what wins competitions.  However, the dogs also aren't simply bred for looking beautiful: for example after the genetic basis of the collie eye anomaly condition was discovered, the percentage of rough collies in the UK affected has plummeted through careful breeding.  Responsible breeders get their stud dogs hip tested, and the quantity of dogs who go on to suffer the crippling pain and lameness of hip dysplasia has been vastly reduced as a result.  Collies are now in position 162 of 173 breeds with only just over 2.2% of dogs affected.  The Kennel Club actually refuses to register puppies from a mum who has had more than 4 litters during her lifetime, meaning that Kennel Club registered puppies cannot not be by definition from over-bred bitches in puppy farms.  That is a huge safeguard for the health of the mums and the pups.

You hear a lot about "inbred pedigree dogs" yet if you look at Oscar or Hector's pedigrees there is not a single dog name who appears twice, and that's going back six generations.  No quality breeder mates a daughter to its father or grandfather, because a broad genetic background is healthy and it would scream out from the certificate.  Precisely because you will find out their ancestry is the reason this is avoided by anyone who isn't a complete idiot.

Similarly with temperaments, rough collies can be very highly strung and nervous.  When I was asking a collie expert friend who judges the breed at shows about which kennels to look at, she was just as concerned about recommendations based on reputation for producing happy, confident dogs as those who are known for their dogs' looks.  She specifically warned me off one champion breeder because her dogs are known to be jumpy and frightened.  That jumpiness has actually lost her competitions too: a dog that is terrified of everything around it doesn't win.

It's eugenics, pure and simple, but it is producing beautiful, healthy dogs with well-rounded, lovely personalities.  It's certainly a side of the story you just don't hear when you read the various scare stories that the press likes to churn out regularly about dogs whose skulls are too small for their brains, for example, that everyone just takes as gospel.

Hector

Time to talk about Hector.  He was born on 23 November 2014.  He is a cheeky little monkey.  Whereas Oscar (also born on the 23rd, but of September) was some kind of Zen Buddhist monk in a former life, this one has mischief printed all over his cute little face.  He came charging up to me at the breeder on Friday when I collected him, tail a wagging.  Everyone new he meets, he does so with confidence and affection.  Oscar's affection was so hard-earned: he was utterly and splendidly indifferent to almost every person he met: Hector is a total tart by comparison.

Cuddles with Dominic

His first 9 weeks have obviously been happy because he is the pluckiest little boy imaginable.  The only things to have fazed him so far have been my friend Dominic's honking peacock (who can blame the poor collie) and a chair that slid when he launched himself into his basket.  Even that was interesting, because although he jumped, he instantly went back for a sniff and an investigation of where the noise had come from.

You can watch by clicking here (or below on the embedded video) how quickly he settled in.  This was taken one hour after his arrival at my home.  Remember it was the first time away from his siblings, his mum (a blue merle called Taboo) and everything that was familiar to him.  It also followed a two hour drive in the car.  The poor squeaky coke bottle didn't stand a chance with a natural born killer collie baby hunter after it.  He is such a bundle of fun and naughtiness and runs around chasing imaginary monsters, his tail, his squeaky toys or my trouser legs.

He chews everything.  It's the way a puppy gets to know their world, and it's fine when it's one of the many toys I've supplied him with.  It's less great when it's my Danish cherry wood table legs, but hey.  I'm working from home all for the next six weeks, so I can watch him and correct him when he mistakes his squeaky chicken for my ficus plant.  That's always a bonus.  I've also ordered rabbit proof cable protectors to keep my lamp cables etc safe from his little needle teeth.  As I type this he's demolishing a dried Icelandic catfish skin: a great healthy treat that he seems to love.

The first few days have been exhausting (he woke me at midnight, 2am, 4am and 6am the first two nights) but we are getting into a routine.  He sleeps in a cage, which is the best way of house training them as they don't want to mess the immediate area they sleep in.  He cried to be let out, which is the correct thing for him to do, but it totally wrecked me and has led to my being run down through lack of sleep, and a stinking cold.  We are now down to just having to let him out at midnight and 5am, and I'm hoping he'll soon be sleeping through the night.  It's fine for him of course, most of the day is spent asleep, mainly in his favourite place wrapped around the warmth of one of my lamps.

LOOK at his little face!

Talking about toilets, I was all stressed after about five "accidents" on my rug on the first day.  I knew you had to watch a puppy closely and pop them outside to get them in the habit of using the garden, but Ste came up with the brilliant suggestion of not just doing that, but giving him the command to go, and then a treat when he came back indoors.  If he slipped up, by contrast, he'd get plonked outside, not told off, but there would be no treat.

And the result: is it actually possible to house train a nine week old puppy in one day?  That's what I seem to have done with this method: he now pottles off to the back door and hasn't had a single accident since the first day.  Amazing, and perhaps a sign of quite how clever he's going to be.  He's even using the very far corner of the garden, of his own accord, in a typically OCD clean collie way.  

On the theme of how bright Hector is, he has already learned his name.  That was by day two.  If you don't believe me, watch the video above or click here.  Twice I call his name, and twice he comes.  The maniac racing by is my best friend's border terrier Bertie, who he's allowed to play with because Bertie's all up to date on his jabs.  They are currently having a play date every morning at Yaxley Hall where Bertie lives.  Bertie lost his companion Brunswick in June, and friend Oscar in August, so he's lapping up the puppy company.  In two weeks' time Hector will have had his second set of injections, and will be off venturing further, on all sorts of other walks with me, meeting other doggies.

Nice to have room to stretch your paws on a play date

I've also started teaching Hector the specific commands "come" and "sit" with the aid of treats.  The essential words "biskwits", "Yaxley", "Home" and "dinner" are also being taught.  Cello lessons and beginners' French poetry are pencilled in for March.  We'll leave Chinese until April.

Rollercoaster Ride

It's been a bit of a roller coaster having him, I won't deny it.  It brought back all sorts of emotions at losing Oscar, which were heightened by the lack of sleep.  I like to think of Oscar looking down watching the naughty young pup, shaking his head at how silly he is, but delighted that there is a collie in our home again.

Hector is incidentally actually related to Oscar, which is a wonderful thing.  Oscar's dad was Champion Lynmead Lust in the Dust (aka Yogi).  Hector is also descended from Yogi, in a direct line, on his paternal side.  Hector's dad, Boris, is actually the spitting image of Oscar, and is his great nephew.  I've genuinely never seen a collie anywhere who reminds me as much of Oscar.  I love the family connection and it's one big reason I chose Hector.

Boris: Oscar's great nephew and Hector's father

As wonderful as it is having a new life in the house, it is also incredibly stressful in terms of the responsibility, wanting to be a good dog daddy, and getting everything right.  The first 16 weeks of a dog's life are when its brain increases over 10 times in size.  Everything they experience in this time will set patterns for their entire life, and it is a narrow window which closes at almost exactly 4 months old.  If you're interested in how why that is, read about it here (in particular page 3). 

A big wide world for a tiny puppy to discover

Oscar spent his first 10 months in a kennel and missed out on the most basic things like how to play with toys.  Because of that, I specifically wanted a young puppy this time round, and I want to get it right with Hector: with that responsibility comes a certain amount of feeling really quite daunted.  If he makes mistakes it's because of me: he's come to me a bundle of joy and confidence, and I want to nurture that and produce a dog that is happy for life.

He's also SO little and I'm scared about anything hurting him.   Just look at him in the photo above and also in the car in the picture below.  I could literally fit 12 Hectors in that boot, which Oscar and his friend Brunswick used to fill up on their own.  Big furry lard arses.

Spot the dog

It is however definitely getting easier as we get used to each other, and I'm getting in the swing of having a dog around again.  I'm feeling more relaxed, less like I'm going to do something awfully wrong, and he's starting to come for cuddles of his own accord.  I guess we're starting to fall in love.  It's a bond that will hopefully last all of his life and the next 12-14 years of mine.  He's a lovely, loveable little dumpling and I just want the best for him.

Another arrival?

Now if you've read this all and got a sense of the magic, excitement, but also the apprehension/ sense of responsibility I feel about having Hector, then you may consider me quite mad when I drop in the following.  Oscar was never happier than when he was with his friend Brunswick.  Two dogs play with each other in a way a human never can quite substitute.  They are pack animals, they exercise together, and form doggy-bonds we can't quite understand.  For that reason it's always been my eventual plan to have not one collie, but two.

Enter the possibility of Florian, a sable/white baby who is currently 5 weeks old.  He's from Oscar's dad's kennel, so again a direct relative of Oscar.  The breeder is probably the most love-filled, wonderful source of collies in the country.  I've never come across anyone so utterly devoted to her boys and girls.  It shines through in everything she says.  Her dogs are incredibly sought after and have gone on to be champions across Europe, as well as the fathers of countless healthy collie lines.  They are in high demand as stud dogs because of their success at shows, and the healthy lines are as a result of her decades long responsible attempts to breed out the avoidable genetic problems with rough collies.  She herself breeds very rarely and there are no guarantees yet she will let me have one of the current pups, but Florian just might be coming here to join Hector later this month.

Watch this space :o

Soon to have a little adopted brother?

Right now I'd better get going.  There's a certain fluffy monster on his back at my feet wanting his tummy rubbed.

Love and collie licks, Peter and Hector x



UPDATE - I've been asked to put more photos of him up, so here we go.  All taken today on 5 February.  He's 10.5 weeks old, eating like a horse, growing rapidly, and fortunately now sleeping through the night!  He is going to be just the most stunning looking grown up collie ever.  Well, with the exception of Oscar, obviously :-)