In Which Everyone Does Something New, and Lots Is Learned

As a dogsitter, I only ever board dogs from one household at a time with me at home. More often than not, that means only one dog at home. It's easy and comfortable for me and my family.

But it doesn't make for much dogsitting, and it means I may not be available for my clients. So occasionally, if someone wants just daycare or overnight, I'll consider taking multiple dogs -- if they're a suitable match.

Yesterday, I did a trial for one such situation.

Ava and Darcy

I trust these two with almost anything, you know that. Meeting strangers, being in public, meeting dogs. But as I learned yesterday, relationship dynamics are always more complicated when there's two of them interacting with a third party together.

Darcy and Sherlock

My current boarder is 3yo cavoodle Sherlock. Tallest cavoodle I've ever seen, and quiet and gentle.

Rawr!

Well, I followed all my usual protocol -- leashed introductions outside my property, but then inside (into the yard) for off-leash as soon as possible. I needn't have worried about Sherlock, who has lived here for the past week, being territorial -- it was Darcy (and Ava?) who barked at him and he backed away, unsure.

Fortunately, things settled once we were inside. Over the day I discovered that Darcy can be pushy with other dogs, that Ava can be the fun police and that Sherlock and Ava can't share tennis balls.

Can you spot the fun police?

But I also discovered that the dogs can be mature enough to settle when separated. So with a little management -- like a lot of things in life! -- they can coexist together.

And I appreciate the joyful moments, like this one:

I loved seeing all the playful body language from Darcy and Sherlock -- and think I've worked out what Ava's behaviour is too. Any guesses?

Mischief Monday: Shhhh...

If I stay vewwy vewwy quiet... no one will notice me under here.

Right?

A Shout-Out: To The Best Clients Ever

You all know how much I love my cavvies, Ava and Darcy. But it's time I told you why.

I had a difficult week last week. My anxiety triggered a depressive episode so I was missing in action for a few days. Then a client's dog dropped off for boarding turned out to be dangerous, so that had to be (carefully) managed.

Today, I pulled up outside Ava and Darcy's house. I heard barking and shook my head, thinking they had heard me. But it wasn't them, just a neighbour's dog. Sorry, Darcy.

Why do they always suspect me?

I went in, and their wagging and jumping began, but I wasn't jumped on. Ava waited quietly and Darcy wriggled and leaned on the fence, but he did very well for a 9-month old.

The pups toileted where they should and amused themselves while I cleaned, ate and took a breather. I was super impressed that they waited for an invitation before availing of my very-accessible lap when I sat in the lawn chair. That is an impressive feat for my sweet-as-pie lapdog friends!

All dogs are bred for a purpose. Ours is to sit in laps.

To further sweeten the deal, it was a good day for Ava's famous #FOMO (fear of missing out). A handful of kibble in her slow-feeder bowl kept her occupied while I took her brother out for a walk. And 'disaster Darcy' truly is a disaster no more as he walked along, politely greeted a lady who wanted to pat him and waited patiently when I 'parked' his lead under my shoe to chat to a neighbour.

It was the best tonic after a difficult week.

Yes, I'm proud of 'my' pups. But the real credit goes to the humans. Christina and Tim have done a marvellous job at raising these two dogs. They are happy, healthy, friendly and fun to be around. This is thanks to the time they've have put into them. Both working full-time with long hours, you wouldn't think they'd be able to put that work into their dogs.

But Ava and Darcy wouldn't be so good just from my training. Tim's driving the dogs to puppy school and the park, Chris getting up early to take the pups out, diligently bathing, brushing and grooming the dogs so they're used to it. Playing training games and buying endless toys. Their super-sensible attitude, trust in my dog training skills, and willingness to try my suggestions (even the weird ones!) are all what made Ava and Darcy who they are.

Don't listen to her, Darcy. We're naturally this cute.

I have the best job because of your two munchkins, guys. They do you great credit.

Wordless Wednesday: Upstairs, Downstairs

Sunday Funday!

Time for the annual cavalier bunny dance. Who wants to join? #dogsofinstagram #cavs #snoopydance

A post shared by Melon (@melondious) on May 27, 2017 at 4:41pm PDT

Wednesday Walks

Hello Darcy.

Ready for a walk?

What are you looking at, Ava?

Nothing.

Mini-Holiday: In Which Ava and Darcy Are As Sweet As Ever

A holiday is always nice, isn't it? Ava and Darcy spent the weekend with me while their humans did human things.

They were dropped off in the morning, and as I was putting things away I turned around to find this...

How sweet are these two?

Who, us?

Whatcha doin'?

Seeing how close these two are seems extra sweet to me after my most recent boarders, two dogs who were from the same household but didn't like each other very much.

We pooped, can we come in now?

And yes, I let them in -- they were both very good dogs all weekend. Gotta love 'em.

An Exposition: In Which Melon Waxes Lyrical on Multi-Dog Management

Hello blogfriends.

Scruffy and Charlie, my most recent boarders, have gone home. I'm pretty sure they enjoyed their holiday and I refined my skills at multi-dog management.

Scruffy and Charlie: a rare snapshot with both boys

I owe a lot of this to another little guide: P. McConnell and K. London's Feeling Outnumbered: How to Manage and Enjoy Your Multi-Dog Household. I loved its advice on body blocking, and its general approach of 'teaching every dog good manners is the key to peaceful coexistence'. Makes perfect sense to me.

Most of all, though, I think this sudden foray into multi-dog management -- with Scruffy and Charlie at home, and Ava and Darcy at work -- has made me feel like the key here is management. Don't get me wrong -- dogs do need to be trained and you can almost always teach something new to improve situations. That's why I'm a dog trainer.

But I've also realised that management can be enough.

Ava: You call this management?

With multiple dogs, your time is split between them. Add to that normal life commitments -- for example, a homework assignment to finish, another dog job, and trying to fit in driving practice -- sometimes it's just about getting the dogs fed, walked, and getting in a little mental stimulation, whether that be with toys or training.

And I feel like part of understanding management is understanding that you won't be able to treat both dogs the same. Little Darcy, being only a few months old, spends half the day in his pen, while Ava can be trusted free in the house. Scruffy has to eat outside by himself while Charlie is inside with the humans, because Charlie needs to be coaxed to eat and Scruffy will steal his food.

Dog days of summer: I shut Scruffy in so Charlie could enjoy his iceblock

You won't even be able to treat your dogs equally all of the time. Some days only Darcy gets walked, because I can only take one dog with me to the cafe, and some days only Ava gets walked, because I'm out of time. And you know what? I'm realising that's okay.

Don't get me wrong, I wish Ava and Darcy could loose-lead walk nicely right now so that I could just walk them both together, and I really, really wish Scruffy and Charlie's owner could implement some more strategies so Charlie doesn't have to live timidly in the shadow of his brother. But I'm hoping that the more dogs I work with the more skilled I will become, so that I can achieve more in the same finite amount of time. Until then, though, I'm only human, they're only dogs, and we do the best we can.

Throwback Thursday: A Piece of Serenity

It's been one of those weeks.

So here's a piece of serenity from almost six months ago; before Ava's knee surgery, before the arrival of Darcypup -- just the two of us on a quiet afternoon.

 

P.S. Yes, this is the dog who hates water -- think we'll make a water baby of her yet??

Puppy Play: In Which We See Just How Much Fun Ava and Darcy Have

During Ava's year with me, I've introduced her to a few dogs. They all interacted with her differently, but I wished I knew a stable, playful dog of similar size and strength for her to really play with.

Enter Darcy.

Yes, 9 week old Darcy.



Like the old saying... it's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the amount of spunk and willingness to sit on another dog's head that counts!

Wordless Wednesday

Training Video: In Which Darcy Learns Important Skills, and Melon Manages Two Pups At Once

Yesterday Ava and Darcy's parents were amazed to see the puppies totally pooped (exhausted!) after I'd been in for only a short time. We joked that I must come in and hit the pups with a brick to make my job easy...

Too hot to walk your dog? ☀️ Not to worry - training time! It's the perfect excuse for you ALL to stay indoors. 🍹Tired brains make tired dogs too! #trainingdone #naptime #summer #dogtrainingtips #trainyourdog #dogtrainerslife

A photo posted by Melon (@melondious) on Jan 17, 2017 at 4:10pm PST

So, Chris and Tim, this is for you. Watch carefully to see if there are any bricks!

Guest Post: New Pup on the Block

Hai!

Hi! I'm Puppy. I mean, Darcy. Darcypup? Something like that. I'm not sure exactly. You can call me Darcy.

I'm a boy and I'm also a Ca- Cav- Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Yup. I'm 13 weeks old and I've been living here for 4 weeks now.

This is my big sister Ava.

Damn it kid, you gotta relax.  Just play it cool, okay?

She told me to come say hi to Blogville. She knows how to get all the treats and smuggle rocks into the house. She's the coolest.

I love my big sis!

It's pretty nice here so far. I have a sisfur to chase AND humans to cuddle. Did you know that human laps are really comfy?

So far, so good.

The humans have been telling me I've been picking things up real quick. It's true! I can pick up toys and sticks and run real fast.

Wait for me!

Ooh, all that running made me sleepy. Time for a nap in my crate. 

Bye humans! 

Darcy out! xo

Wordless Wednesday: Mini-Me Edition

Monday Mischief Miracle

So I was walking Ava down the road past my bus stop when I saw a little Kong on the ground... sure. Should we go to the cafe? Nah, let's go to the p-

Wait. A tiny Kong toy? Double-take. Must be something else.

Just a tiny Kong...

Wait. What?

Now, my brain does jump to some odd conclusions sometimes, particularly if I'm preoccupied. In this case though, I was 100% right.

See? No joke.

Now see that again with Ava for scale -- who, might I remind you, as a 7kg (15lbs) Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, is not exactly huge.

I think mine's bigger.

It appears to be a Kong promotional keychain. It's made of the same rubber but does have 'not for pets' printed on its base.

Guess it'll just have to go in the same drawer I put these toys in.

Maybe my next dog will be a chihuahua?

Flashback Friday: To That Time Ava Met A Cat

No, really. Even Ava’s humans don’t know about this, because it happened when Ava stayed with me when she was 16-20 weeks old.

Nobody told me this was gonna happen either.

See, last night in class we were talking about my instructor’s favourite subject, puppy socialisation and environmental conditioning. We talked about all the things we should safely introduce puppies to in their critical phases of development (~3-16 weeks), when they are particularly sensitive to new experiences. Having calm, happy experiences hearing different sounds, touching different surfaces, and meeting different people and animals during this period helps a puppy to be happy and comfortable in the big wide world.

Introducing puppies to new things really is one of my favourite things to do. It’s fun, and particularly rewarding is the knowledge that your little friend will face the world with a sense of adventure rather than fear. And you get to spend time with puppy without doing repetitive obedience exercises!

So last April, when a friend heard what I was doing and mentioned that she has a cat...

What is that?

It's Oliver, the ragdoll cat.

Whoa whoa whoa.

Huh.

It went decently. The great thing about Ava being so small was that Oliver could simply stay on the couch, out of the puppy's reach, if he wished. Ava and her 'puppy manners' (or lack thereof) got too close at one point, which caused Oliver to hiss and run. That could have been a disaster (for both), but I got lucky.

Next time I do this, I’ll just let the puppy watch from a distance, unless the cat shows signs of wanting to cuddle.

I'm thinking NOPE.

Never mind, Ava found ways to entertain herself.

Wordless Wednesday: How Ava's Been Spending Her Time