Say hello to Buddy Walton!
10 May 2008 12:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bluespiritHere's Buddy!!! ♥
He arrived yesterday lunchtime & things are going pretty well so far - he's absolutely adorable & a total character already.
Unfortunately he hasn't stopped panting at all (except for when he's in a deep sleep) & I've read that this can be a sign of anxiety (which is understandable, I suppose). It is very warm at the moment but not enough to explain just how much he's panting but some stress is to be expected. He certainly seems happy enough otherwise - no cowering or shaking or anything. We're keeping things calm & consistent & hopefully this will help him feel safe & loved. He's bonded most strongly with me at the moment, of course as we had the afternoon together yesterday (in the garden mainly) before Mr B came home from work but he's going to him for cuddles too. It's just that I was the first one he met & it was just us for a few hours. He does get freaked out if Mr B's upstairs & he can hear him moving about though.
I've walked him down the bottom level of our garden a couple of times but he's a bit too timid to go by himself yet (it's a big area & out of sight of the house) so he tends to stay on the upper level. Though he's not so timid that he doesn't bark & chase off any cheeky bird that has the temerity to land in his garden! *g*
It'll take time - he's doing really well considering it's only been a day.
He's not as overweight as I'd expected though he does need to lose some weight. He's a 'show' line of Lab though (Rask was a 'working' line) & they are chunkier in build anyway. He's also huge - his head is massive & so are his paws. He'll still be a big boy even when he's down to a more healthy weight!
We took him for a walk together last night & considering he's never been walked & is supposed to pull on the lead so much, he was good. We've got a Halti for him (which loops around the muzzle & allows you to control the head gently with no harsh pulling.) He doesn't like the Halti too much but he's getting used to it. I took him out for an hour this morning by myself (we didn't actually go too far - there was lots of sitting & practising & a couple of time-outs for Halti-dislodging moments that needed some calm time!) & he was really pretty good - my arm wasn't yanked & he didn't drag me anywhere. We're going to have to work at it but I think he'll be fine. He'll have another walk this evening when it's cooler - maybe the two of us or possibly just Mr B by himself. I have to do some grocery shopping later & Mr B is going to use the one-on-one time to help bond with Buddy.
He wouldn't sleep in any of his (3) beds - insisted on sleeping on the carpet next to our bed. He barked a couple of times at noises (like a milk float going past) & I let him out into the garden around 2am but when I woke for good at 7 he was fast asleep. ♥
My Mom & Mr B's folks are coming round later (though not all at the same time) to meet him. We don't want too many new people all in a rush - he needs time to adjust & settle in.
He's lovely, though hard work at the moment but I can see the happy, mellow dog he'll become. I'm so glad we've got him. :-)
Oh, & 'Oh, Buddy!' is fast becoming a well heard phrase - he's always doing something silly & cute. Like right now he's wedged himself in the not-really-big-enough gap between my office chair, the filing cabinet & the bookcase. Just so he can lie next to me - although there's a perfectly good enough, larger space to my left (as well as one of his beds on the landing by the office!)
'Oh, Buddy!' *g*
Bless him, he's adorable.
A few pics (the first of many, I just know! *g*)
He got every single toy out of his toy box & carried them into the garden yesterday afternoon! *g*
Looking over the balustrade into the lower level of the garden (he's standing by Rask's rose 'Sunseeker' which I've put a tempoaray fence around to avoid Buddy-type trampling!)
This squeaky didn't last long. *g*
You can see that he's carrying too much weight, though I think it'll come off soon enough with exercise & more nutritional food.
The pic in the lounge makes him look a lot like Rask but he really isn't - his head is much squarer & his body type is stockier (he's very tall due to just being huge *g* but he doesn't have the longer legs like Rask did.) I'm glad he looks so different - he's very much his own dog. :-)
Exhausted!
Oh, Buddy! ♥
Rascal is always in our hearts but now Buddy is finding his way in there too! ♥
He arrived yesterday lunchtime & things are going pretty well so far - he's absolutely adorable & a total character already.
Unfortunately he hasn't stopped panting at all (except for when he's in a deep sleep) & I've read that this can be a sign of anxiety (which is understandable, I suppose). It is very warm at the moment but not enough to explain just how much he's panting but some stress is to be expected. He certainly seems happy enough otherwise - no cowering or shaking or anything. We're keeping things calm & consistent & hopefully this will help him feel safe & loved. He's bonded most strongly with me at the moment, of course as we had the afternoon together yesterday (in the garden mainly) before Mr B came home from work but he's going to him for cuddles too. It's just that I was the first one he met & it was just us for a few hours. He does get freaked out if Mr B's upstairs & he can hear him moving about though.
I've walked him down the bottom level of our garden a couple of times but he's a bit too timid to go by himself yet (it's a big area & out of sight of the house) so he tends to stay on the upper level. Though he's not so timid that he doesn't bark & chase off any cheeky bird that has the temerity to land in his garden! *g*
It'll take time - he's doing really well considering it's only been a day.
He's not as overweight as I'd expected though he does need to lose some weight. He's a 'show' line of Lab though (Rask was a 'working' line) & they are chunkier in build anyway. He's also huge - his head is massive & so are his paws. He'll still be a big boy even when he's down to a more healthy weight!
We took him for a walk together last night & considering he's never been walked & is supposed to pull on the lead so much, he was good. We've got a Halti for him (which loops around the muzzle & allows you to control the head gently with no harsh pulling.) He doesn't like the Halti too much but he's getting used to it. I took him out for an hour this morning by myself (we didn't actually go too far - there was lots of sitting & practising & a couple of time-outs for Halti-dislodging moments that needed some calm time!) & he was really pretty good - my arm wasn't yanked & he didn't drag me anywhere. We're going to have to work at it but I think he'll be fine. He'll have another walk this evening when it's cooler - maybe the two of us or possibly just Mr B by himself. I have to do some grocery shopping later & Mr B is going to use the one-on-one time to help bond with Buddy.
He wouldn't sleep in any of his (3) beds - insisted on sleeping on the carpet next to our bed. He barked a couple of times at noises (like a milk float going past) & I let him out into the garden around 2am but when I woke for good at 7 he was fast asleep. ♥
My Mom & Mr B's folks are coming round later (though not all at the same time) to meet him. We don't want too many new people all in a rush - he needs time to adjust & settle in.
He's lovely, though hard work at the moment but I can see the happy, mellow dog he'll become. I'm so glad we've got him. :-)
Oh, & 'Oh, Buddy!' is fast becoming a well heard phrase - he's always doing something silly & cute. Like right now he's wedged himself in the not-really-big-enough gap between my office chair, the filing cabinet & the bookcase. Just so he can lie next to me - although there's a perfectly good enough, larger space to my left (as well as one of his beds on the landing by the office!)
'Oh, Buddy!' *g*
Bless him, he's adorable.
A few pics (the first of many, I just know! *g*)
He got every single toy out of his toy box & carried them into the garden yesterday afternoon! *g*
Looking over the balustrade into the lower level of the garden (he's standing by Rask's rose 'Sunseeker' which I've put a tempoaray fence around to avoid Buddy-type trampling!)
This squeaky didn't last long. *g*
You can see that he's carrying too much weight, though I think it'll come off soon enough with exercise & more nutritional food.
The pic in the lounge makes him look a lot like Rask but he really isn't - his head is much squarer & his body type is stockier (he's very tall due to just being huge *g* but he doesn't have the longer legs like Rask did.) I'm glad he looks so different - he's very much his own dog. :-)
Exhausted!
Oh, Buddy! ♥
Rascal is always in our hearts but now Buddy is finding his way in there too! ♥