You asked ......
More pics please of Willow! Good luck with the training.
Besides - today is four weeks since her
'πΎππββπΈ π»πΈπ'
so it seems appropriate to mark her progress.
So - let's see how things have turned out.
Well - she likes to be warm, loves her bed(s),
buries herself in her duvet.
Puddles are to be avoided but mud is fine
A marrow filled bone for a 'little after dinner chew' is just perfect.
The cat does things that Willow is not allowed to do
and can do 'magical' things she would never be able to do,
it tickles us that Willow can not fathom how Pan vanishes
through the cat flap out of the kitchen.
so my sons lift her up, flip her over and give her cuddles
she is so confuddled by such affection
Baths are the source of all evil.
What has Willow Learnt....
- Sit
- Stay (ish)
- Leads with a slip chain mean a decent walk
- Heel (err - still working on that one)
- Wait (for two seconds.... then carry on regardless!)
- Not to dash through doors
- Car trips can be fun
- Fetch - best toy ever is her orange hoop
- Recall (using the above game as the basis of the command)
- Sign language - I teach all my dogs silent commands - she is good at these
- Bed
- No - well she should know this one the best - it seems to be the one I use the most!
- Come in/come here
- Not everybody is scary
- Not every dog is nice
And, I feels traitorous to even think this never mind write it down - as much as my Moss was 'my bestest dog in the world' this little red and white fox is quicker at learning, smarter and keener.
No wonder Collies often top the 'Smartest Dog Ranks'.
Love knows no bounds…the unrational panic I had when expecting second child that how could I possibly love it as much as the first…I can smile about it now but with pregnancy hormones raging I was in a right tizz! xx
ReplyDeletehahah you made me chuckle, I never had that with my boys but do with my dogs!
Deleteteaching silent commands..brilliant.
ReplyDeleteIt does mean I do have an element of control when there are a lot of people around and she is watching me - so I don't end up having to verbalise mid conversation - I just catch her eye, do the appropriate hand movement and she (mostly) complies. I am surprised that this way of communication is the most successful, it usually settles in after verbal commands with my other dogs
DeleteShe is doing so well, as are you! It's lovely that the heart can expand to make room for all our beloved companions - those with us in body and those with us in spirit.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes
Ellie
thank you (from both of us!)
DeleteTBH - Moss has 'never' left me, I have never had a dog do that before, cats yes, I 'carry them' for years after they have died, but Moss is still buried deep - Willow has big boots to fill hahaha
Willow is doing so well; all the learning, no wonder she sleeps a lot. She might surprise you with her cleverness and take on some housework for you...... x
ReplyDeleteShe has perfected the 'kitchen floor lick' - utter pro.....!
DeleteOh well if I can’t manage to sort out my kitchen floor, I know someone who can help until I am better!
DeleteWillow is not impressed with the shower. She’s learned a lot in such a short time and looks so soft!
ReplyDeleteThe utter cruelty involved with a shower is a reportable act according to Willow haha - but as soon as she is out, fully towelled down and all fluffed up - she runs around like a giddy loon π
DeleteOMG. SO adorable. I love every picture. She already looks so different - a glossy loved dog who can hardly believe her good fortune. Except for baths.
ReplyDeleteThank you, she has definitely blossomedπ however..... Baths are almost step too injurious π
DeleteThe last time I checked your blog you hadn't written anything for ages, now I find that not only have you finished work you now have a new dog. She looks adorable and it sounds like she's settling nicely into her new home with her new humans who I know will love her very much. I've just read all your posts from just before you got her, your photos are great and I love the one of her wrapped in the blue towel, it made me smile.
ReplyDeleteQuite coincidentally my ex's brother and sister-in-law have recently got a collie called Willow. She's six months old, a Blue Merle, and came from Grange-over-Sands
Life has a funny way of getting on π yup, all change and definitely for the better π
DeleteYou have a delightful and very intelligent little dog there, she's beautiful..
ReplyDeletethank you π
DeleteThank you for generously sharing Willow's progress with us, she makes me feel like laughing and crying at the same time. I don't remember what Moss' start with you was like, but I wonder if Willow's quickness to learn is rooted in a fear of doing the wrong thing and a dread of being returned to what she came from. The difference in her experiences is so vast, and she is still relatively young, no wonder she enjoys everything so much.
ReplyDeleteThank you Beth - Moss had a rocky start, I actually thought that I would just be rescuing a dog with the plan to find her a new home, it took 18 months before I actually liked her - she was so 'damaged' that we had a lot to work through before we got to the point that Willow is at now. Willow is a typical collie - so keen and eager to please. I am amazed at her progress in just four weeks.
DeleteThe colour of those eyes! She's gorgeous. Xx
ReplyDeleteShe does have the most delicious coffee coloured eyes π
DeleteOh bless her, those ears are firmly back at bath time, just as Archie's used to be. What a clever girl she is, learning so much in such a short space of time, and she's landed firmly on her feet with her new pack: duvets, marrowbones and cuddles!
ReplyDeleteBaths - haha - unfortunately she will have to get used to those, her games are so full on that we come back home with a hot sweaty dog, so she and her beds are going to need a weekly wash - deep joy says Willow
DeleteShe is so beautiful! x
ReplyDeleteawww thank you xx
DeleteSuch a brainy and beautiful doggy. :)
ReplyDeleteshe is a switched on cookie - makes training her easier but equally I have to be on the ball as she second guesses or 'upgrades' what I want her to do π
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