Nose To Tail

   There's a thing that a Ridgeback does when he's really comfortable.  Okay, maybe all dogs do it, but we only have experience with Ridgebacks.  It's the sleeping position that is telling us that Lucky is really at home with us.

   We've lived with this boy for a month now, and he's telling us that he's comfortable in his house.  Four paws and a tail up by his nose means he's cosy.  We're there!

Jacket In

   Our training yesterday with Heather of Posh Pets was as fun and informative as always.  Heather once again brought her Jack Russell Vi,

 


who always seems to keep Lucky (and Scot) on their toes.  By the end of the session, Beans was walking to heel off the lead.  Very impressive.
   Like most Ridgebacks, Lucky loves a cuddle, and we are always happy to oblige.

   Today was pouring with rain in town all day, so we visited Pets At Home to buy a coat for the boy.  We were very excited for Lucky to try on his new garment, but something wasn't quite right.

 


I don't think it does anything for him, not that he needs anything done for him, but the coat will go back tomorrow.  Does the coat company Barbour have a dog line?

Lucky Charms

   As I've been out and about with Lucky over the last few weeks, I've had a lot of time to think.  I had forgotten how much having a dog engages you with other people around town.  Some people want to avoid us, and I can understand this; he's a very big dog, and although I know he is a big softy, he can scare some people. Others may not be dog people, or have had bad experiences in the past.  However a lot of people do say hello, and the ones with dogs will quite often stop to let them suss each other out.  Lucky is always so friendly to the pooches he meets!  And Yank and I are meeting and talking to so many of our neighbours, which  is great too.   There are so many nice people on our street!  

  Today as we were heading for our after lunch walk we met one of our neighbours, Fi, with her dog Garbo, who was very vocal!  Lucky seemed to like her though.  Once we were onto the main road, a man in a van whistled at Lucky from across the street and shouted 'beautiful dog mate!'  At the foot of Arthur's Seat we met a lovely wee terrier and I chatted for quite a while with his owner about behaviour, recall and the best walks around the park.  Finally, just before getting home we bumped into a barman at our local with his wee dog, Georgie, and we stopped to pass the time of day.  I'm certainly benefiting from these interactions.  I had forgotten how much I like chatting!

  After a seriously long spell of settled, sunny weather it has been nice to have a little change.  The last couple of days have brought several huge thunderstorms.   The first one unsettled Lucky a little bit,  but I didn't react; the second one he slept through!  We have also had some proper Scotch Mist, making for some very dramatic scenery on our walks.  It was quite strange being up on the Crags yesterday and looking out onto a wall of white, and knowing the drop that was there and missing the view that is normally there.  Today has brought a mixed bag of sunshine and showers.  We have been lucky and hit the sunshine both times today.  Lucky doesn't mind the rain as much as our Truman did, but I definitely prefer to be out in the sun!

  I'm just in from my final walk of the day, dodging yet more rain and meeting two lovely ladies who called me over the road so they could meet Lucky.  One had a Ridgeback herself back at home called Rocky,  and we nattered for quite a while about the breed and their temperament.

  Tomorrow we will be heading to Haddington to meet with Heather from Posh Pets for some training which I always look forward to.  We will hopefully get a couple of good walks in too.

Manic Tuesday

                            The view this morning during our walk on Arthur's Seat.  

   Most days, Lucky is an angel on his walks.  He seems to remember his training rules, walks to heel, keeps to my left, all of the good behaviours.  Not today.  I'm going to put it down to a mood, and let tomorrow be another day.  We still love him!     

A Recall Vote

   Recalling Lucky has been a problem for a while.  He always gets a super treat and a lot of praise when he comes back to us, but he's only happy to do it when he feels in the mood for a super treat and praise.  And if you don't have a solid recall when a dog doesn't really want to come back, then you don't have one at all.
   In a city like Edinburgh, it can be a danger.  Even in vast spaces like Holyrood Park, there are roads nearby.  Lucky has excellent vision, and if he sees something that he wants to chase, he will go, and we know that we don't have enough of a recall to get him back.  It's not such a problem in town, as he has a 10 metre flexi-lead, but it's a shame not to let him off at the beach, so we're trying a dog whistle.

   So far, he's responding well, but our question is this; the whistle seems to scare him into looking at us, and he does then come when we call him, but is this the best use of a dog whistle?  We're going to discuss this with Heather of Posh Pets when we meet again this Saturday.
   Does anyone have any advice regarding the whistle, or any other method of recall for a determined, but obviously sweet dog?  Advice in comments, below, will be welcomed.

A Small Experiment

   So, today, we decided to see how lucky would feel about being left home alone while we went food shopping.  In the past, he's gone to his crate when we went out, and just for short times.  Today, we were gone for an hour, and left him the run of the house.
   Not our best idea.
   Nothing of value was destroyed, but he'd clearly had a field day.  Lots of torn paper.  Evidence of a visit to my bed.  Very high spirits when we returned.
   We don't blame Lucky.  We're just glad to know that he's not quite ready to leave the crate behind, and we're so grateful to his family for giving it to us!
   Today was Calton Hill twice, and Salisbury Crags once.  He took a fancy to a stick, which he carried proudly.  You see, it's the simple pleasures that he prefers.

 

Birthday Boy

   July 20th is Lucky's birthday; he turned 1 today!
   We had a dog party in Haddington, hosted by Heather of Posh Pets.  Lucky met up with old friends and new, and after an apprehensive start, he got right into the spirit.  There was group walking, a paddle in the river, and a run-around with toys at the end.  It was great!

   Later at home, Lucky was very excited to open a gift that Heather had generously brought for him.

   'Pet Head' blueberry muffin spray shampoo, and a micro-fiber towel!  Lucky is delighted, and so are we.  Thanks Heather!
   We'll have friends, human and canine, in tonight to raise a glass to our new best friend.

Getting Lucky

   It will be three weeks this Sunday since Lucky came home with us, and we are now firmly a gang of three.   With Scot on summer holiday with him, a routine has evolved which alternates between big exercise walks and long naps.  He is a very contented boy, always looking to us for his cues.  Heather from Posh Pets taught us that the key to training Lucky lies in our ability to get him more interested in us than the distractions he encounters in town, and this has been good advice.  I'm constantly communicating with him on our walks, using verbal and hand commands, and he clearly loves it.
   Of course, you never travel very far with Lucky without encountering members of his fan club.

   He likes the attention, but doesn't let it go to his head, or get in the way of the task at hand.
   Everything we read about adopting a dog told us that your dog's true personality doesn't fully emerge for a few weeks, and indeed, we are finding that Lucky is changing. Not changing fundamentally, but subtly, as he relaxes into his new family.  He is certainly more sanguine as he goes about his day, but that was to be expected as he grew to understand that the new sights and noises weren't going to harm him.  It's more than that. We're actually finding that as the weeks go by, Lucky is becoming slightly more like Truman than he was when we first met.  I think part of that is the Ridgeback personality, but some of it must be down to how we are with him.  We treat him in the same ways we treated Truman, because our general dog philosophy hasn't changed, and he's reacting at times the in the same ways.  It's interesting to notice, and a bit bittersweet.
   This will be a big weekend.  We're taking 4 friends and 2 dogs to our training session with Heather on Saturday, and the 2 dogs, Max and Coco, are probably going to be Lucky's main friends.  I can't wait to see how they interact.  Also, we'll be having company at home for the first time, with our good friend The Puss visiting for drinks and snacks Saturday night.  Lucky has a snappy royal blue collar which will be worn for the first time.  And tonight, he'll make a brief debut at our local, The Regent.
 

A New Best Friend

After our morning constitutional around Calton Hill, Lucky and I headed down to North Berwick to visit my Mum and Dad.  They were very happy to see Lucky and we got to practise our 'come', 'sit' and 'down' commands together.  

We then went for a walk around The Lodge - a large and beautiful park in the middle of town, minutes from where my parents live.

When we got back home my brother, his wife and their 2 boys arrived with their dog, Lenny, who we have been looking forward to introducing to Lucky.  They got on very, very well and played for ages together - tiring each other out very effectively! 

When we got back to Edinburgh, Lucky had his dinner and a lie down as usual.  When I went to pick up his collar to take him to the park for his evening stroll he didn't even lift his head to look at me!  He is a sleepy boy - and I have just heard from my brother that Lenny is too - two pooped pooches!

Comments Enabled

   In an inexplicable hitch, the comments on our blog, which I've been practically begging for, were actually disabled.  Problem solved, fire away!

This Week's Pinup

   Blackford Hill, Sunday afternoon.  No need for text!

Heat Wave

   Yesterday was the 5th anniversary of our CP, and while Lucky was being kept company by our friend Matt, we headed off to The Honours for a fantastic celebratory meal.  We started with Margaritas

followed by a gorgeous 4 courses, accompanied by a really good bottle of wine given to us by our friends The Crachits.

   The management sent over chocolate eucalyptus truffles.

   It was excellent, as The Honours always is.   

   Today was a scorcher in town, so the 3 of us walked to Duddingston Village for lunch at the The Sheep Heid, a lovely old Inn with good food and a dog friendly beer garden.

   There was plenty of shade for a hot boy, and a self-service dog bowl tap.  Our lunch was super.

   The walk there and back is really beautiful and on a day like today, it was hard to believe that we were in Edinburgh city center.

 

 

   The 3 of us are now thoroughly exhausted, and looking forward to a quiet night in.  Tomorrow, we again see Heather of Posh Pets for another personal training session for Lucky as well as us.

   

Chock Full

   My only previous experience of a dog in the house was Truman.  He was a very serious boy, very affectionate, but he was a worrier.  He was one of 13 puppies, and he avoided the other pups from day one.  He came into the world not caring for other dogs, and he stayed that way for 11 1/2 years.
   I used to think that dogs didn't have senses of humour.  But Lucky is funny.  He has a playful, jocular side to his personality for sure, and Scot and I love it.
   I've been reflecting on the nicknames we give our pets.  I mean, is it just me, or do we all give our animal friends affectionate nicknames apart from their real names?  Truman was, amongst other titles, The Bear.  Also, Poops.  There were others, but I'll spare you, because they're private to us.  And embarrassing.
   Lucky is Lucky.  That's his name and always will be, because he is a happy-go-lucky boy, and the minute we met him, we saw that his name was a good one for him.  But a nickname has a way of happening organically, and Lucky now has one of his own.
   Beans.
   He likes it.  And it suits his playful, genuinely funny nature.  He has a way of looking at us that says 'yeah, I'm a bit foolish, but it's fun!'  He is full of beans for much of the day.
   There are moments when he's snoozing on his bed at our feet, and he looks like a perfect angel at rest.  One of us will go down to give him a cuddle, and he will go from zero to full-of-beans in 3 seconds flat.  It's surprising, but always lovely, because that's just the boy he is.  Sleepy, then bananas.  At these times, we've learned to be careful, because when he wakes up, it's with a bang.  And you can get head-butted pretty easily!
 
   We've been sent puppy pics of the boy by his family, and it's stunning to see him as a wee laddie.

 

                                                              Love this boy.

Flattery Will Get You Everywhere

   It will probably come as a surprise to no one who's met him, but Lucky turns out to be a bit-of-a pied piper.
   I was walking him to his 'spot' yesterday, when a car pulled over to the side of the road.  Out jumped a man, early 30's, who followed us into the park.  He called out to me 'can I say hi to your dog, mate?'  I, of course, said yes.
   It turns out the guy keeps Ridgebacks and always has.  'I saw you crossing the road with him, and I had to meet him.  He's the best looking Ridgeback I've ever seen!'  Wow.  I was so proud!
   Lucky responded in typical Ridgeback fashion.  A brief sniff, then back to the task at hand.

   If you're enjoying reading about Lucky, feel free to leave a comment.  He loves them.

Birthday Bliss

   As a birthday treat for me, we had a lie in this morning.  Our days have tended to start around 630 since Lucky came home, so an 830 start was great.
   I took Lucky up Calton Hill for his morning stroll before heading home for some lunch.  It was another glorious day today, so we once again headed to the East Lothian coast.  

   This time we stopped at Yellowcraigs, which we haven't visited since the days of Truman. I think Yellowcraigs is one of my favourite places in East Lothian, because I have so many happy childhood memories of time spent there.  Yank also favours the place, as he used to visit there as an American tourist prior to moving over.  The old tree house in the woods at the back of the Craig, walks with our family dog, Solo (a wee Yorkie) and many, many birthday parties over the years - made our visit today seem very apt!  We walked through the woods and up Yellowcraig itself, before strolling along the dunes.  The view from the top of the hill is beautiful and you can see all the islands near North Berwick and Dirleton. Fidra which is supposed to be the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, Craigleith, The Lamb and possibly most famously Bass Rock.  You can also see Law Hill, marking North Berwick's position along the coast.

Fidra

L-R The Lamb, Craigleith and Bass Rock

The Law

   After our walk we headed along to North Berwick to introduce my parents to Lucky.  They have been looking forward to meeting him very much.  He was super with them and enjoyed exploring his new surroundings.  He especially enjoyed the garden, and quickly found the best spot for shading himself from the sun!

   Mum and Dad are going to join us in caring for Lucky, so it was important that Lucky was on his best behaviour, and he was, although there was a bit of cheek during supper, when, closed in the living room, he twice climbed up on to chairs!  He's not allowed on furniture at our house yet and he knows this, so it was a definite signal that he was unhappy being excluded.
   Our friend Scott (2 t's), who looked after Lucky last night, is smitten.  Mum and Dad are smitten.  We are obviously smitten too.  Things are looking rosy.

A Sunny Day

  What a beautiful day it has been.  Sunny start - and we were straight up Calton Hill for some morning exercise.  The views up there really are stunning!

    We then all jumped into the car and headed to Haddington to meet up with the lovely Heather for  more personal training.  Lucky met Storm, Heather's German Shepherd, and after a shy start, they got on beautifully.  We practised all of our commands, went for a dip in the river, met lots of dogs and people and finally conquered the 'down' command.  Lucky just suddenly seemed to understand it, which was very exciting!

  After training, we continued along the A1 to Dunbar, where we went to John Muir Park for a picnic, and a walk along the beach. We all dipped our toes and paws in the sea.  Lucky did not know what to make of the waves crashing as they met the shore, and kept running away from each one.  But he was fascinated!

                                               'My nose is bigger than the Bass Rock.'

   Tonight, we're off to a friends' birthday party, and Lucky will be kept company by Scott (2 t's), who is very keen to meet him and bond.  It'll be an easy babysitting gig, though; Lucky is pooped!

Hot Dogs

   Lucky is settling in with us so very well; his sense of humour is beginning to show itself, and he is recognising and getting used to our daily routines.
   Training continues and he has learned so much - so quickly!  By the end of the day today he was walking to heel beautifully and was slowing down when reminded.  We have been up Calton Hill twice today, enjoying romps through the long grass, with a longer and more strenuous walk up Salisbury Crags just after lunch.  He's meeting other dogs, and doing well with that too.  Amy and Daisy, black Labs from down the road, seem set to become firm chums.
   It was an absolutely stunning day today and we were definitely both hot dogs by the end of our last walk.

   Lucky decided to show me a new game this evening which indicates his desire to return home. He takes the end of his lead and pulls, and his face is totally saying 'enough!'  He also enjoys a game of 'pass through' before I put his collar on.  This involves me trying to put his collar on, and him deciding that passing under me is much more fun.  We get there in the end.
   Love this boy.

A Thing For Shoes

   There can't be many cities with outdoor spaces like Edinburgh. Within a 10 minute walk from our front door, we have Holyrood Park,

and Calton Hill

both excellent for dog walks. Lucky spent a lot of time today in both, and he had a ball!
   Like most Ridgebacks, he loves the tall grass.

   We had our first small row today.
   If he must chew a shoe, I guess it's nice that he has good taste. Lucky loves Cole Haan Air Monroe loafers.

He hadn't done too much damage when he was found out. The row he got was small, because he knew what the deal was, so a brief word was all he needed.
   After 3 full days of cars, busses,  and motorbikes, he's a veteran. He knows to sit at the corner, walks to heel like a pro (he did come with this skill), and keeps to our left most of the time. He also seems to actually like the bagpipes, which in Edinburgh helps.
   He ended the day tired and happy.