Kanine Kapers Dog Blog

Well, we’ve had our first bit of teeny, tiny bit of destruction. But in all fairness, it was all our fault. First mistake was leaving a leather boot within target range, the second was leaving Harry a bit too long. We got quite carried away with birthday present buying (Heather is four on the 31st December) and party food shopping and lost track of time. So lesson learned and we won’t be making that mistake again.

Harry has done so well over the festive season, meeting new people (we had visitors on Friday) and coping with loud excitable children but the real test will be the birthday party tomorrow with even more children and ones that are not really doggified, well not yet anyway (they will be, when they leave).

We been so used to the laid back ways of Midas (well, he is 13) that having Harry has been a bit of a wake up call but in my opinion it’s one that is long over due, as hubby and i do have a lot of excess poundage to get rid of but for now I’ll enjoy whats left of the festive season and start the diet in the New Year!!!!

Here he is, our long awaited puppy.  We have named him Harry , of course, after Harry Potter, what else in our house! Though after having him for a few days now, he has acquired another nickname for when he is having one of his dafter moments, Harry the Horror. Poor Midas does put up with a lot, being bounced on and having his ears pulled and for the most part Midas is very tolerant but he has felt the need to tell Harry off when he is attached to a more delicate region of his body.

Harry has settled in very well the last few days and we have managed to escape the sleepless nights that plague many a new puppy owner but not by design or a secret method known only to people in the ‘business’ but pure and simply, Harry has had company at night in the form of Midas .  I’m sure Midas is ecstatically happy that he is sharing his bed with this little interloper but it is ever so sweet to see them cuddled up.

The cats on the other hand, well, that was a little more surprising. Lily who has always been so forward was quite put out about this change to her home but after a few days Harry has won her round and I can see them becoming good friends albeit with a comic twist. Fizzy has debunked upstairs but she has never taken to change well and will only bless us with her presence at food time and poo time, I think that just says its all.

Apologies all round for not blogging for a while( my hubby is the one who finds daft videos), its been quite busy at home with all the child induced activities I’ve had to coordinate. Been to see pups again when they were 4 weeks old (weekend of 10th and 11th November) and had ever such a great time as they are on the move now and their little personalities are beginning to show.  This time though, we know for definite which one will be ours but…………….we’ll keep you guessing which one until we have the pup home and reveal a photo plus name and kennel club registered name, but here’s a little teaser…………………………………………….hope JK Rowling doesn’t sue!   Well not much of a teaser since quite a few people at our dog classes have seen the pic already I couldn”t contain myself!

Pups are now 2 weeks old, eyes are open and those little wobbly legs are getting a good workout.  Took hubby and of course the girls,( like I could go without them)  to see the pups today.  They are so cute and growing  fast that its a good thing that our breeder encourages visits because I could just hear our youngest exclaiming the day we went to pick the puppy up that it wasn’t little any more and we didn’t want it. I think she was quite convinced it would stay the size of a hamster!

We had a sneaky peek at the pups on Monday.  Here are some pics for you to enjoy!

Puppies were born today!  I’ve been a bit obsessive with checking my email every few hours to see if there was any news but finally today there it was with a piccie too of mum and her 8 pups, 4 girls and 4 boys all  healthy. So cute! Pics coming soon.

Pup could be born any day now and I don’t know who is more excited me or the kids. Alright I confess, me! Pup feels like its here already though with the countless questions about what we’ll teach the pup to do and how to stop stuff like mouthing. I had wanted the kids to be heavily involved with the whole process and for everyone to be prepared.  We’ve spent so long deciding when to get another dog that by the time pup gets here all the excitement and the silliness will be gone, well that was the plan.  Even knowing my daughters as I do, I wasn’t quite so prepared for the sheer volume of questions.  So on that topic, a great book can work wonders. My eldest is 8 and has been reading Puppy Training for Kids by Sarah Whitehead, which was very gratefully pinched from Sandra before she had even the chance to read it.  This book is aimed at 9-12 years old but is very easy to read and well laid out. It does rely heavily on clicker but alternatives are given.

Been in touch with our breeder to check how ‘mum’ is doing who is hoping for any day now as her behaviour has become more soppier than usual, if thats possible. Hopefully my next blog here will be to tell you the pups have been born.

And finally, Midas. My lovely old boy. We got Midas when he was a year old from someone who couldn’t cope with his behaviour any longer. I guess, Midas is the reason I became more interested in training and behaviour because he did come with a lot problems to sort out. He’s 13 now.

We are pretty ordinary really with myself, my hubby, two girls aged 3 and 8, two cats called Fizzy and Lily and a Cocker Spaniel called Midas who’s 13. Looks a lot when its all written down like this but our home is quite relaxed.

This is Fizzy and she is a British Shorthair. Fizzy will be 5 in November and is very typical of the breed, quiet and reserved, very much a lady and definetly a mummy’s girl!
We decided on the British Shorthair as our first foray into cat ownership because of the temperament traits and Fizzy has lived up to those ideals.

The nutter! This is Lily, again a British Shorthair but this time the colourpoint variety. If anybody had told us the colourpoint gene could have such a profound effect on personality I wouldn’t have believed them. Lily is just a year old and is probably the most outgoing cat I have ever come across. My daughter is a huge Harry Potter fan hence the name.

This new blog will contain all the trials, tribulations, tears and laughter that myself and my family will go through when our new pup joins us later in the year.

I hope that over the coming weeks, months and even years, I`ll be able to share all of this with you!  So if you want to see what it’s really like going down that puppy route with no fibs or glossing over the not so great bits then check back with us regularly.