Day 15 - Why So Scratchy?

Sorry for the lack of posts recently, but I've been really busy and haven't had time to take photos or edit (hence there being no photos in this post - sorry)

We are taking Lucy to a training session next week, which we are all looking forward too. Lucy is as energetic and exited as ever, and loves going for walks. We have noticed however that she has a thing about bright jackets.... It might not be a fear as such, but she seems to be either scared or exited by them, probably the latter....

Recently though, Lucy has been scratching like crazy. We've tried to figure out what is causing it, but haven't had too much luck.

It could be:

• The flea treatment we used
• The worming tablets we used
• Her food (we changed her food fully a week or so after we got her - but we did do it carefully and gradually)
• The shampoo that was used at the groomers
• The rug we have (Its very fluffy and furry)
• Her bed
• The washing powder my friend uses, as she slept on her duvet one night....
• The weather changing
• Tangles (we have brushed her numerous times)

We keep checking to make sure there is nothing on her skin or her coat, but she still keeps scratching!
She hasn't got fleas - we know that much, as we've checked and she has been flea treated.

We don't think it is her food, as she is only scratching in certain places (her ears, her tummy, her legs, her sides, and occasionally her tail)

She has started to nibble instead of scratch now, which is slightly worrying, as we don't want her to catch herself too hard....

Does anyone have any experience of this? We have called the vets and some other people for more expert opinions, but nobody seems to have much of a clue what could be causing all of this scratching! Do you have any ideas?

Day Five, Six & Seven - Meeting Ted, Stealing Sweets, And Changing Foods....

On Tuesday Lucy had her first trip to the groomers, and now has a trimmed and neat face. She looks more like a labradoodle now we've been told, and she still looks just as cute!

She met our friends' dog Ted for the first time, and they got on really well. Lucy ran around their garden, stole Ted's toys and chased him around the grass.

We also went to Notcutts to buy some more dog toys, and found a green stick-shaped puzzle toy. It cost £3.99, which in the grand scheme of things isn't a lot of money, but when she chewed the end of it off within (literally!) ten minutes flat. At the most.

However we also bought her a toy monkey, which she loves so much that she fell asleep CUDDLING it.... She chews and sucks on her fluffy monkey toy as if it was a dummy....

We were hiding the toy behind our backs and pressing the squeaker, making her jump and watching her run around the room to find it. It was pretty funny actually. 

On Wednesday, we came downstairs to find out that she had eaten two of the remaining Liquorice sticks we had bought, and had one hanging out of the side of her mouth like a red and white cigar....

She also had her vaccinations while I was at work, and made little fuss for the vet. Because of the new booster vaccination for leptospirosis isn't for another four weeks, we can't take her anywhere where she is likely to come into contact with water.... Even puddles....

I haven't taken many photos for you guys to see over the last two days, as I was at work and we went out last night. 

She's a lot more calm and settled now, and is sleeping on the floor. She doesn't always run after us when we leave the room, and is quite calm when she is left when we go out. 

She did try to climb over the back seat of the car the other day, but it is the first time she's done it, so she was probably quite proud of herself....

We put peanut butter in her puzzle bone the other day, which she seemed to like, and it was quite funny watching her try to get it out!

She has started to scratch a little which we are slightly confused about, but are trying to find both a cause and a cure for it!
 

Check out the new video on my channel!

 

 

I just realised that I never posted this, and I cant exactly remember what else I needed to add to this post! But some of it might be in the video if I missed anything out!

Day Four - Walk Through The Fields

We took Lucy out to a local field to give her a good long walk this morning. We also popped into the dog groomers to book her in. Tomorrow she'll have a trim (and hopefully we'll then be able to see her cute little face!)

She's still pulling on the lead when we walk her, and sent me flying several times (literally - feet off the ground, into the air) when we were walking through the field.

We're looking into buying her either a halti or a harness in the hope that she will become easier to walk. She needs training too, which we're working on, and she's getting better already!

I also said that I would include a photo of the poor toy Piggy who was destroyed last night.... 

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As you can see, Lucy had fun with her toy pig....

She also enjoyed her walk through the field, and it being the first time she'd been on an extendable lead since she got here, she had fun running around as far away from us as she could (in a good way!)

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That walk tired her out so much that she's been sleeping through the afternoon, and is currently napping on the floor in front of me -  a good, quiet, calm girl she is.

See the Day Three & Day Four video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wspDcgX_arQ

What IS This Toy Supposed To Be?

So, while shopping for treats and other things for Lucy this morning, we came across this....

After a time of trying to figure out, what it actually is, we've decided to ask you what you think it is, and even what you would call 'it'?

It's quite.... Scary in honesty, would you buy this for your dog? I mean, it's funny but.... very strange. I think it's a very strange thing to design for a pet anyway.... 

I think I'd call it a WOBUNKIN (WOman BUNny chicKEN) what do you think?

Do any of you have any weird toys for your pets? Leave a comment if you do, it'd be interesting to see them!

Also, Lucy has successfully destroyed her first toy, a kind of milestone in a dogs eyes, I guess.... (photos will be in the next post, it was in a right state when she'd finished with it....)

Day Three - Dog Teaches Me To Dance

Today we took Lucy to our friend's house. She was a lot calmer when we were walking there and back, and she didn't bark at the cars going past.


She had some training in the garden this afternoon, and she had fun playing with her toys. 

She cried when we went out in the morning, but didn't seem to make any fuss when we went out in the afternoon! She is now laying on the floor at my feet.

Also, when we were at our friends, I was holding onto the lead, sat on the floor in front of their sittingroom door. Lucy then took off into the room, dragging me behind her - I looked as if I was break-dancing apparently. It was quite amusing, I went flying - legs in the air, spinning round and being dragged so quickly I almost rolled over backwards....

We started converting her food, and mixed half of her current food, with the new food. She ate it all in a matter of minutes - as always - and seemed to enjoy it!

She enjoyed her walk, and her visit to my friends. We also bought some peanut butter to put inside her puzzle-bone. She likes her puzzle-bone a lot, and spends a lot of her playtime with it.

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I also bought some wellies for dog walking (read the post on my blog)

Check out Today's video!

She's been trying to sit on the sofa's, which we're working on stopping. I think she's getting the picture! But, she's being a really good girl!

Mol x

Day Two - Dog On The Camera

Today we took Lucy out for a walk, when we went to our local supermarket. She was so well behaved, only jumping a few times. 

She made friends with another Labradoodle, (an eight-month-old who was the same size as her!) and enjoyed the walk. She didn't seem fazed by the other dog, even though he was a little jumpy.

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The wind didn't seem to bother her at all, and her ears were flapping around for most of the way there.

When we got to the shop, I sat outside with her, and she was calm and happy the entire time. She sniffed around and sat when I told her to. She even gave me her paw when I asked for it!

When we returned from the shop, she played with her puzzle bone, and rolled around on the floor (after we dried her paws with her towel, as she jumped in a puddle on the way back....) for a while. 

We're also going to book her in at a local groomer, because, she is slightly in need of a haircut....

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She loves her chicken treats, and is sitting, staying and even starting to give me her paw! She's still pulling on her lead, but we're working on that.

We also filmed clips for OneModAndHerDogTV, and she ran around in the garden when we let her out after lunch. She let me dry her paws when she ran around in the rain, and is now sleeping quietly by the door.

We put up a stairgate at the top of our stairs, in the hope that it will stop her crying when we leave the room. She's getting better, but she isn't used to it, so it might need a little work until she settles down.

Subscribe to OneModAndHerDogTV to see videos of Lucy, and check back for more posts!

Day One - Welcome Home Lucy!

I arrived to a very exited four-year-old Labradoodle this afternoon, and was jumped on, licked and laid on for a fair while before she finally calmed down.

Despite our worries, she calmed down quickly, and was generally quite relaxed about the whole process! She loves her new toys, and her new bed and blankets. She likes learning, and is eager to be trained!

She even let us wipe her down and brush her, which we weren't sure we'd be able to keep her still for long enough to do!

We took her to our local - and favourite! - pet shop and vet, and asked the lovely animal lovers who worked there for advice. Plus, we wanted to show her off to one of the shop assistants we have become more familiar with from previous visits. 

She bounced around happily, licking the hands of people buying treats for their own pets, and doing tricks for treats from the shop assistants. 

She jumped up and found the treat jar on the till, which the shop assistant then took a handful of and got Lucy to sit (she'll sure loves her treats....) and sniffed at the rabbits and degus.

She was nervous at the shop to begin with, almost crawling low on the floor, but after a few minutes she forgot about being shy, and started making friends with anyone she saw. 

When we got back again, we did some more training: sit, paw and down. Then after tea we took her for her first walk!

She's never been on a lead before properly, so it was a pretty new concept to her. We stopped almost every time she pulled, but she didn't seem to get the message.... We'll have to work on that one....

After being pulled into and over a few muddy puddles, we returned from our walk with a happy - and equally tired - dog, who then went back to playing with her plastic bone.

She's crying when we leave her, but hopefully that won't last long, although she is following us around the house like shadows. She came and laid down on her bed next to us, staring up at us.

Her favourite toy so far seems to be her blue plastic puzzle bone. She spent ages trying to get to the treats inside, and seemed happy playing on her own for a time.

We just about managed to get her to stay still for long enough to take a few photos of her. It wasn't particularly easy, considering how much energy she has, but we managed it!

Her favourite treats are Wainwrights chicken pieces, which we are using when we are training her. She seems to love them!

I haven't filmed for my YouTube channel yet, because I didn't want to freak Lucy out, seeing as she hasn't even been with us for a full day yet! But I will be filming for day 2, so subscribe to the channel for videos of Lucy and her adventures!

We're glad she has settled as well as she has, and that she isn't making tonnes of noise at nighttime, which we were a little concerned about to begin with. 

She's downstairs, making no noise, and hopefully fast asleep. Getting ready for the training, making new friends (Humans, although she might meet some dogs on walks I suppose....) and filming for Day Two!

©OneModAndHerDog

Mollie.