Stalked By The Paparazzi

   Today was action packed, as Saturdays usually are!
   After breakfast, we set off to Haddington for another session of personal training with Heather, of Posh Pets.  Today, Heather brought her girl Violet, a lovely wee Jack Russell, who soon had Lucky running in circles!

   Heather takes us to a walled garden in Haddington, and it's always so great to let Lucky off the lead, especially as we're not quite confident enough of him to let him off in an open space.  These two ran and ran, and Vi helped with Lucky's recall training.  We always come away from these meetings with so much advice, so many ideas, and a lot of positive feedback from Heather.  We love it, all three of us.
   Later, we took a walk through Pressmennan Wood,

where Scot and I have walked many times before.  We were just about the only ones there, and Lucky is always in such a happy mood after training!
   Later, Scot took him once again up along Salisbury Crags for his evening walk.  It can be challenging, but Lucky is a boy that needs exercise, so he comes back knackered, and ready to settle down for the night.  While up the hill, Scot was approached by a group of tourists who wanted their photo taken with Lucky.  He was surprised, but delighted, and he obliged.  Lucky even gave one of them a big kiss!
   It was a great day out, and big days like these are reinforcing our already strong bond with our boy.

 

Today's Pinup

Free At Last

   Today was a big day. The weather was fine, so we decided to climb to the very top of Arthur's Seat; the first time for Lucky and Scot.

   The climb isn't as difficult as it looks, but it's a steady uphill walk, so we were all feeling well exercised by the time we got back home.

   Can you spot something different in this picture? Yes, Lucky is off the lead at last! The MasterPlus Pro collar is doing the job very well indeed, and, quick learner that he is, Lucky has developed an excellent recall, almost overnight. It's so nice to see him running freely at last with no worries about him getting up to any nonsense. When we call him back, he comes. Happy days!

New Hangout

   A few days ago, I was surprised and delighted to discover that my work address qualifies me to apply for keys to the private Queen Street Gardens, located just around the corner from the shop.  I paid a small fee to rent keys for a year today, and as I've never been in, I walked round for a look.

   I feel fortunate to have access to such a lovely space right in the city center.  Dogs are welcome on and off the lead, and it's completely enclosed, so Lucky can't run off and come to harm.  I think we'll use it for recall training this week.  Lucky will love his new spot!
   Speaking of recall training, we've stepped it up a bit, and purchased a MasterPlus Pro collar.  The collar lets off a short mist of odourless, tasteless mist when we hit a remote control button, and the idea is that your dog will stop in his tracks, giving you a chance to call him back.

   My first Ridgeback, Truman, had a bad habit of chasing children in the park.  He was a huge boy too, so you can imagine how scary this was for the kids and their parents.  I used an earlier model of this collar with Truman to stop this problem, and it worked.  Lucky would never harm anyone, but he does sometimes catch sight of something in the distance, crouch down, and then charge off at full, and I do mean full, speed.  He's proven totally unwilling to stop once he's started this behaviour, and as a consequence, hasn't been able to be off the lead unless he's in a confined space.
   We've used this collar a couple of times with him, and, lo and behold, it works.  We need to use very precise timing; we must watch him very closely, and when he spots his 'prey', we walk in the opposite direction, call him, and hit the button.  It doesn't hurt him, but it surprises him for sure, and so far has immediately broken his train of thought enough that when we call him to us, he comes straight away.  We don't want to over use it; he likes other dogs and people, and I'd hate for him to become wary or aloof.  But I can see a day soon when we'll be able to let him run free in the park with his dog friends without fearing that he'll come to harm.  We're both so pleased about this.
   I had another Ridgeback friend, Lydia, in the shop for a visit yesterday, and I felt quite disloyal to Lucky!  I wonder if he'll smell her when he's back next Monday?

   This week marks the end of summer holidays for Scot, and for Lucky that means the beginning of a new daily drill.  His week will be full of routine, which all dogs love, and very early starts with lots of activity.
   Yesterday, he was at work with me all day, which is where he will be each Monday.  We've been to the shop together before, and he likes it.  Friendly people who love dogs are coming and going all day long, and he gets to spend as much time as he likes looking out of the window, down to all of the Edinburgh Festival action below.

         


   He doesn't have windows like this at home, and he seems to enjoy the views.  We also rode in a taxi, which was a new experience.  He's always been brilliant in the car, and the taxi was no problem for him.

                                  Smoking, eating, drinking: no.  Lovely dogs: yes.


   Today, he's back at Citidogs (slogan, 'exceptional care for exceptional dogs'; quite) for a day of playing with his friends.  He travelled there with his friend Pam in the 'bark and ride' van, which he practised getting into and out of last week.  He'll be back there on Friday, out to 'Gramma and Pop' in North Berwick for the day tomorrow and every Wednesday, and with me all day on Thursdays, which is now an additional day off for me.  Don't you think that sounds like a cool week for a lovely big boy?

In Sickness and in Health

  Well it has been a while since our last post!  Lucky is continuing to settle and our reinforcement of Heather's training is definitely helping.  My Mum and Dad came with me to my session with Heather on Saturday.  We all had Lucky walking to heel and sitting for us.  We also took him out on a very long lead to help with recall training.  

  I left Lucky in NB on Monday so that I could go into work.  He had a great time and enjoyed being there.  We ended the day with a lovely walk through the Lodge and down to the beach.

   His day is quite simple; exercise walks followed by snoozing.  This is the Ridgeback way.  I once read that a Ridgeback's ideal day is made up of 4 hours of vigorous exercise combined with 20 hours of rest and relaxation, and Lucky is bang on form in this regard.

  Lucky was at Citidogs yesterday and is there again today and has settled in well.  He has apparently made a few friends, including a Beagle and a Great Dane. 

  Lucky has also had a couple of health issues in the last week.

   A very sore tummy on Sunday which saw us all up at 3am, 4am and 5am and mysterious bumps all over his body on Monday, which needed a trip to the vet.  His tummy is back to normal and the bumps turn out to be bites from mysterious insects, which he is allergic to.  It was nice to see how happy Lucky was to go into the Vets.  He always gets a treat and a lot of attention there.  In fact, in the waiting room a little boy was so taken with Lucky that he was trying to disown his own dog!

Home Alone

  I am home alone for the first time in 5 weeks.  It is a strange feeling.  Today Lucky has gone for his induction day at Citidogs Crèche.  We were up early and both took him along.  It looks like a really nice, very well run facility and Lucky took to his new environment enthusiasticlly.

  Yesterday was a beautiful day, and Lucky and I went down to North Berwick.  He defiantly knows Mum and Dad now, and knew where he was going as soon as he got out of the car.  He enjoyed a good grooming session from Mum.

  On Tuesday I took Lucky to Heather's Obedience Training class to sit our Bronze Award.  It was very exciting!  We were in a community centre hall with 4 other dogs and Lucky did beautifully.  Our training sessions have certainly done the job!  We had to sit and stay, walk through a doorway, walk to heel, demonstrate a recall and walk around other dogs.  Lucky did brilliantly and I was very proud of him.  We were awarded with a rosette and certificate which will take pride of place in the living room!

   UPDATE:  Lucky had a brilliant day at Citidogs.  He made several new friends, and is exhausted!

First Day

   Once the summer holidays are over for Scot, Lucky will be coming to work with me each Monday, as part of his weekly schedule.  Today, I was in for 3 hours, so Lucky came along for a trial run.
   I had bought him a smart new bed, the kind he seems to prefer these days, and I set him up in my room where he was at home immediately.  I think he looks super-smart on his royal blue bed.

   Today there was just one client in to see us, but most Mondays, he'll be introduced to a succession of new friends.  I expect this will be very good for Lucky, and I can see a lot of opportunities for training here.  Already today, we practised our recall and stay, as well as down, and I was delighted with his obedience.

   My client today wasted no time in befriending Lucky; who could resist?

   His day was ended with a walk up Calton Hill, where the views were particularly gorgeous, as was he.

Wonderful Wednesday

Lucky and I had a busy, fun filled day yesterday.  We started with our morning walk in the blazing sunshine.  We went up and around Calton Hill, then onto Regent Terrace and through the gardens down to Holyrood where we went round the Crags before heading up to have a look at St Anthony's Chapel.  From there we popped down to the lake before heading home.  All in, a 2 hour walk!

After a good snooze and lunch Lucky and I went down to North Berwick.  We went for a lovely walk with my Mum and Dad starting in The Lodge we took the top path along to the tennis courts which were very busy.  We walked along the high path all the way to the Glen, then up Jacob's Ladder to the golf club before descending to the beach front.

After our walk my brother arrived with his family and the ever playful Lenny.  Lucky had a great time and Lenny kept him busy for a couple of hours.  It's really great that they've become such firm friends. Once home, Lucky settled in very quickly and was fast asleep within minutes!