New "Ezydog" harness for Blue

Model dog ;-))

With our holiday to the Lake District approaching, it was time to seek out a new harness for Blue.

As Blue is not able to go off lead, both for his temperament and the safety of livestock, and some humans, previous harnesses have worked well, but his current one had a few issues. They were namely, both front feet had to be lifted into the harness and then buckled up. Some days this became a battle of wills or costly in treats, but once on, very effective. Previously it had shown signs of stress, and deformation, curling up. So time to part with a few pennies down at "Pets at Home" our local pet shop.

We settled for the "Ezydog" mainly due to the size of dog it could accommodate. Blue was in the shop with us when we brought it, along with his squeaky toy and treat. But it did not seem right to try it on in the store, and they don't have fitting rooms, so off we went home to try it on.

With the extra large fitting, it was a little snug on his chest, but by loosening up the neck it was a better fit. Adjustment is very easy with sliding plastic buckles, and fitting is a doddle, with the aid of a few treats. Two fittings were all that were required before the strap length was suitably adjusted.

Fitting could not be easier, necessitating in only needing Blue to raise one paw, and the rest did up around him.

The webbing felt softer, and with high visibility stitching would aid visibility, the breast plate sat nicely on him. Time for the true test, how would he tolerate it on a walk.

We took Blue to the local University, for a decent walk in the spacious grounds.

The harness looked comfy, and the fact that Blue was taking no notice of it, meant he was relaxed with it on. It has a metal ring suitable for attaching any lead clasp to, and both buckles make a good solid snap when pushed together.

As we walked along, the harness started to "roll" the "x" part of the lead was lying further down the shoulder on the side that the lead was being held. Alarmed at first, I just lifted it back to the centre of Blue's shoulder blades, but it soon became evident that this was happening due to the fact that, a long lead on a large dog, is going to be different to a short lead on a little dog. 

On closer inspection, the breast plate remained dead centre of his chest, the straps were allowed to move freely, but maintain position of comfort. 

Our walk was just under an hour, changing sides periodically the harness had a natural roll on either side. Design or not, my gut feeling is that it is designed to remain static. Could this be a problem for eccentric wear in the future, who knows, only time will tell.

Tightening up the buckles, may prevent "rolling" but may also impede on chest heave, when heavy breathing through excessive exercise is required.

After the walk, Blue showed no signs of distress or discomfort, no chaffing or redness on any part of his body, we vote it a success.

Cost was £22.00 so not budget range, nor top end. 

The colour black suites Blue as you can see in the various shots below.

Because Blue has his own Twitter page, @BluetheGSD he had to share with +Pets at Home 

As seen above his tweet was favourited and replied to;

With his harness off Blue was ready to play with the old "Jollyball" once more

Something old, something borrowed, something new and something Blue!

Something old

Having a bit of a spring clean at home, and found Blue's old buster collar, before we threw it out we put it on him, a little bit of a squeeze but on it went, he looked so chuffed, it stirred up the memory of what it was used for, his rehabilitation fro his back surgery, when he was less than one year old.

Safe to say we have had a change of heart, and it is staying.

As you can see from comparison to a new one his has been modified.

We had already gone through a couple, the modifications were essential to allow Blue to enter and exit his crate safely, the duct tape was to reduce the splitting which occurred on a regular basis.

So for sentimental reasons, we will put away safely for memories another day.

Something borrowed

When I say borrowed it is more like found. While on our walk this morning, out of nowhere Blue walked straight up to a hedge and pulled this ball out. He has been known to do this on many occasions, so we rarely have to buy him replacement footballs to play with. I can only assume he finds them through scent, as often they are out of sight, he will rummage through the undergrowth or hedge and pop out proudly with a ball in his mouth.

Something new

After a bit of exchange on Twitter, it was decided to buy Blue a new Squeaky, this took the form of a duck. What made this a little more unusual, Blue actually went into the shop and help select it.
This morning Blue got his new toy and a whole new experience of shopping. We went into "Pets at Home" Rose Kiln Lane, Reading. To say Blue was excited is an understatement, the phrase like a kid in a sweet shop springs to mind, sniffing everything. However he was a bit like Bambi on ice, he struggled to get a grip on the slippery floor with his big furry paws, but after a few moments he soon learnt not too pull so hard. The staff were great, just allowed him to do as he pleased, and Blue was a model dog on his shopping expedition. No free samples on offer, but that did not seem to bother Blue. He will return no doubt, his favourite shop now.

While we were at Pets at Home, we purchased a new harness for Blue, which will be reviewed in his next Blog.

Finally something Blue

Blue standing majestically in his garden

A trip to the seaside

With our holiday not being for a couple of months yet we decided that with the recent decent weather, a trip to the seaside was what we all needed, actually the main reason being, that Blue would not have his swim session this week, due to Aquadoggies having their own break.

So with both of us taking a day off work, our destiny was Milford on Sea, taking along all that is necessary, others take less for a weeks holiday, but man and dog must have their gadgets, so I keep telling Sue.

In less than two hours we were parked up, looking out across the Solent to the famous landmark that is the Isle of Wight, The Needles.

Our walk would take us due West along the cliff top walk, which has shown a lot of signs of erosion, parts where the path is now on the beach below, there are no guard rails or fences, but Blue is on a lead, so we are all pretty safe. 

After about a mile there is an opportunity to climb / scramble down to the beach below, now for the fun to begin, time to get Blue in the sea, and swimming.

Well that was my plan, Blue had a different one, maybe test the water first.

Coaxing was needed, so into the water I went, so that Blue would follow

This was not working, so would the thought of treats help

Blue would overcome most things for a treat, not swimming but at least he is in the sea.

As soon as the treat was gone he returned to shore, time to try again.

As the waves were filling the pockets of my shorts, Blue decided it was not worth the risk so as the wave crashed against the pebbled shoreline, he was off, back to sit safely with Sue further up the beach.

This what being with Blue is all about, fun in the sun, a bit of a splash in the sea, but he knows what he likes and how to have fun his own way. He even found a ships buoy washed up on the beach, a bit too big to pick up, but he sure gave it a go.

Our play on the beach was followed by a walk back up on the cliffs, returning to the car 3 hours and 30 minutes later, we had enjoyed a good trip out. The part cloudy sky meant we were not in full sun, but long enough for Blue to need his "Cool coat" on.

Blue just loves to be with you and have fun, while I was in the sea he was torn, whether to come and see if I was OK, or would it be too much to get back in the water. As i didn't want to stress him i made the decision for him and got out, below are just a couple of more pics of Blue on the day out at Milford on Sea

and finally

Blue at the seaside

Happy Days!

Swingball and other fun Blue-style

From out of the shed the old "swing-ball" was taken, not sure it has seen the light of day in Blues days.

So with a sacrificial ball tied on with string the games commenced. See the clip below;

or follow this link; Blue and the swing-ball

With Sue filming and Blue taking centre stage, there were some very funny moments.

• The tug of wars
• Leaping up for the bubbles
• 5.11 Getting a bit close for comfort
• 5.51 Not heard, but a loud burp from Blue as I go to blow the bubbles.

Amazing with Blue's strength and weight, the flimsy bit of string survived it all. 

Since the clip was filmed I have changed the string  over to sash cord, as off camera later in the day in his keenness to catch the ball, the string wrapped around his upper and lower jaw. (Looked like the "Crocodile hunter" had caught up with him.

Strangely enough, throughout the whole of this playing, Blue did not bark once. Yet he has spent the rest of the entire weekend barking, at anything and everything that moves.

Apologies for the rigger boots, not exactly summer shoe wear, but they were the closest thing to the back door at the time.

As you can see, Blue does always want to be an al-rounder, but has not got the hang of the racket yet.

Ben Nevis

We have just returned from two great weeks in the Highlands of Scotland, one of our adventures was to summit Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Britain.

Blue is no novice to mountains, having successfully summited numerous fells and mountains in the lake district, Helvellyn, Skiddaw, Blencathera to name but a few.

Blue is now six years old, and is very comfortable walking for long durations, last week we did 8 3/4 hours in the Torridon mountains.

Ben Nevis sits in the Nevis range overshadowing Fort William, approximatly 120 miles from our holiday cottage in Annat.

Shortly after 7.00am Blue got him self comfy in the back of the car for the 2-3 hour drive, and at 10.00am we were all parked up ready to go, commencing from the car park serving Achintee House.

The weather was dry, but the tops of the mountains were obscured by low cloud.

With his halti attached we set off for the anticipated 10 mile round trip which would take us to the summit 1343m above sea level.

We selected the "Tourist Route" because there are no real technical climbing skills required, Blue would follow where we navigated, though more often than not he would lead.

Even where a path becomes less obvious, Blue often follows the scent trail left by others, as he has proved invaluable on previous occasions. Now having said that, he has no sense of height, there are times where he would happily roll over on the grass, oblivious there may be a drop of hundreds of feet, a roll away.

We know today there will be many others taking this route, and the need to have close control over Blue is paramount for the safety of him and others. Blue owns the mountain, everyone else are seen as visitors.

Well we had only been walking ten minutes and we came to our first obstacle, a timber ladder style. Approached with much gesturing and trepidation, Blue managed to overcome this hurdle.

The path to ascend is unmistakable, no need to navigate, Blue was into his stride and coping with some of the larger steps. Courteous exchanges were had with fellow walkers encounter en-route, the majority of us heading in the same direction.

 Our calculation was that we would make the summit around 3.00 pm at our current pace.

Just over two hours into the walk we were at what is affectionately known as the half way loch an.

Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe is not actually half way in height, the true half way point was known as "Red Burn" which could be seen further up the track, just below the cloud and snow line.

So we stopped for a breather and a quick drink, and as we sat pondering the next part, the Lochan just disappeared.

  

Now was a time for honesty, do we go any further?

Without fear or favour, the call is down to me, and given what lay ahead, three more hours of climbing into cloud, mist and rain on snowy covered peak, I decided today was not going to be the day Blue conquered Ben Nevis, that would be for another day.

On reflection Blue had handled the climb very well, only where we rested to have a breather and cuppa, did he actually halt advancing admirers getting too close to his herd.

I do believe that we will return one day and complete this journey, so the call to descend was taken and we began our return. Only now realising that at no point had we seen more than half way up the mountain, even glancing back on our return.

Descending gave an opportunity to take a few pictures, funny how things clear up once you have made your mind up to return.

But the one telling picture was this one, the conditions at just over 600m were still the same

There are two tiny figures just left of centre, they are walkers just above Red Burn.

We returned to our car 4 1/2 hours after setting off, safe well and enjoyed the trip, Blue was the only dog we see on the mountain today, wonder why?

With a brief stop at the Ben Nevis Distillery to buy a gift, we set off back to our holiday let.

From our journey home we stopped at a near by view point to capture this picture of the Nevis range

We arrived back at the cottage a little after 7.00pm which meant we had been out for twelve hours, on that basis if we would have gone to the summit, we would not have been back until after midnight.

Soon after his dinner, there was only one place Blue was going to;

 Asleep !

Well done our little hero !

Back in the swim

Blue resting after his swim

Last night for the first time since November last year, Blue got to go for a swim.

It was a joy to watch him excitingly circling in the back of the car as we approached our destination.

He literally jumped out of the car and into the waiting loop of his harness, making straight for the side entrance gate, where not a moment was to be wasted. As the gate latch was lifted, Blue's nose ensured the gate was to be brushed aside. Pulling like a train we went up the path, to the rear of the property, where we entered the swimming pool dome of "Aquadoggies".

Excited would be an understatement, it was the whole body shouting out his excitement.

His favoured ball was thrown into the pool, by the trainer, Carol, and as is customary,  a quick run around the perimeter, and with all sorts of excited sounds, Blue leaped into the pool.

Blue was "Back in the swim"

For a solid fifteen minutes, he was in and out of the pool, having a great time, like he had never missed a day.

But we recognised that he was tiring a little, and when he made his own way to the shower area, he had one more leap/dive/splash/swim, then it was time for part two.

Part two was to have a medicated shower and rinse, all the time hanging onto his favoured ball.

Then it was "Fergie time" the hair dryer/blower and a final rub down with the towel, easing into his drying jacket, completed his session.

Blue was one happy dog, and we are glad we took the time to try him out, and get him back in the swim. We are not over the allergies, and there are still the signs of licking nibbling and scratching, mostly now on his  lower hind leg.

As long as there is no adverse reaction, and he continually shows signs of improvement, we will book him in for more sessions.

Sadly the lighting levels did not allow the pictures to come out, so below is link to some older pictures, uploaded on "Flickr"

Library pictures of previous swim sessions

New lead, new day and new cat

To avoid a chance of yesterday's events happening, Blue had a new lead.

My preference would have been like for like, but his old Wainwright nylon lead, wide band,was no longer on sale, the next best option was a leather lead.

So with his new lead attached off we set this morning for Blue's dawn walk at 5:40am The rain had taken a rest and it was a mild morning at 7 deg C

As we set off, Blue announced to the world, we were out and about. Heading up out of our road up to the main road, all felt well and comfortable with his new lead, hanging down loosely between the two of us as we walked along, very relaxed.

On the main road all was well, until out of nowhere Blue lunged towards a garden / drive, this time I stood firm with a strong grip, and after a couple of "No's" and a shake of his water bottle the lead relaxed.

There a little way up the drive of this house sat proudly not fazed, sat a new foe, a large ginger tom cat, different from the white one that yesterday scarped.

Order restored we carried onto the traffic lights, where we turn around and head back down the road, as we approached the house where Blue went on his wild cat chase yesterday, not even a sideways glance from Blue, but he did look up the alley as we passed.

We had passed the test, the lead had passed the test, time to finish off his walk and head off for breakfast.

There are two alleys that lead to our road, the second alley is further down the road, half way down this alley something moved in the dark, but we all stayed attached by the lead, it was working well under the strain, until we reached our house Blue continued to scan the darkness for signs of life.

In the darkness he has such a high sensitivity to sounds or movements, he is constantly alert, but we arrived safely home, just in time for breakfast.

So on this new day the new lead worked when we see a new cat,

 but the old habits remain.

Alley Cat and Blue

Blue was on his morning walk this morning and what made it different was an opportune encounter with a cat.

Our morning walk before work was going as a normal walk, Blue was happy walking along the main road, then without any warning as we passed a house with an open driveway, Blue nearly pulled my arm out of the socket.

Regaining my composure,  I pulled Blue up close to me, and grabbed his collar and scruff of his neck, to ensure he did not repeat the afore mentioned lunge.

As I released my grip, Blue was somehow free of his leash, the clasp was no longer attached to his collar, feeling no restraint, he then returned to search for whatever it was that had made him pull so violently in the first place.

Then without warning a cat ran from behind the car on the driveway and scarpered through a hedge, and with the scurrying of claws on paving stones, Blue re-appeared to disappear through the afore mentioned hedge, with only a glimpse of his hind legs and tail as he too went through the hedge.

So here I am 05:45am in the morning in the dark, and a lead in my hand but no dog attached, Blue was gone!

Next to the house is an alley way / footpath which leads to a cul-de-sac in our road, as I enter calling out "Blue" whistling, no other sounds could be heard, Blue and the cat had already vacated the alley and moved on to pastures new.

In my mind, I told myself he will come back soon, then my thoughts went to, how I am going to find him if he doesn't, the wife will go loopy, oh dear this is not good, this is not the first time Blue has got off a lead, but the first time he has fled. So I knew there would be no point in running to catch him, a German Shepherd in full stride with prey on his mind, is going to move at a rapid pace. My only hope was that he would either catch up with the cat or give up not too far away and be within ear-shot.

As I reached the end of the alley, a faint familiar sound could be heard, the chinking of his collar and name tag as he trotted along, walking out of the alley, my dear friend and companion Blue was happy to greet me like a long lost friend.

During the greeting and rewarding I re-attached his lead to his collar, we walked back up the alley and carried on with our morning walk.

Many things could have made the situation worse, but no-one or anything was hurt, injured or damaged, for that we are all relieved.

To date Blue has slipped one collar, broken one clasp on a extending lead and now escaped today, his weight and determination have played a big part in all three.

Upon returning home, I inspected the clasp on the lead, the spring gate, had lost its ability to fully close and hold fast, while pulling it was fine, but my grabbing him by the collar meant it was not under tension, so consequently slipped off.

Time for a new lead, and perhaps a more watchful eye on the spring tension clasp of other leads.

Tomorrow when we walk the same route, Blue will always look out for the pesky cat, and try a bit harder to catch it, he has a long memory, where cats are concerned.

Just as a footnote, his hot spot has now cleared up, but still his left ear has fur missing, his last visit to the vets on Friday resulted in much barking and demonstrating of his dislike for the vet, he has such an attitude with vets, we need to work on this.

Life is never dull with Blue

Itchy, touchy, scratchy and limpy

No not anything from the Simpson's, but a summary of Blue this week.

Itchy

Blue had been a bit itchy in recent weeks, so for a while after his shower we decided to omit the body lotion spray, which helps to reduce the wet dogie odour after his weekly swim.

As it turns out this has made little difference, though it is amusing when you touch his side, without effort you get his "itchy spot" and the back leg comes up in response. Even when he is being blow dried, as soon as the air touches the itchy spot, he lowers his back and raises his rear leg as a reaction.

Touchy

This week is my turn for taking Blue out on his inaugural morning walk, I used to call it a dawn walk, but the sun is still not up when we return home, not at least for another hour this time of year. As we exited the front garden, spinning like a top, back arched and doing a rat-a-tat machine gun bark, the scent of foxes, got Blue's juices going, he was then re-acquainted, with an old foe, the "Milk float" which Blue had calmed down a bit, but out of nowhere he decided that it was a mortal enemy that must be warned off, and as we walked along the bottom alley on the way home, a black cat appeared from nowhere, and tore off down the alley, with Blue eager to follow in hot pursuit, though the lump holding the lead was not as sprightly as him or the cat, and soon the alley was feline free.

Scratchy

Though not related to the "itchy" saga above, Blue has been scratching his ears a lot recently, what is also noticeable is that he has made his ears sore and lumpy. We will keep a close eye on this, it may be that the central heating is making him a bit warm, and the ears are getting scratched both out of a reaction but also habit. Blue normally likes to have his ears massaged.

Not sure how we ever discovered this, or what his last slave died of, but it does come in handy keeping a watchful eye on his ears. If they get worse or show no signs of healing over, it will be a trip to the vets, that will be interesting with Blues bedside manner at the veterinary clinic. Blue has no longer got the temperament for up-close, manhandling.

Limpy

To complete this set, on arriving home from work yesterday, as is customary, unless he is being taken out for a walk, Blue likes to play his favourite game in the garden, football.

Running catching, chasing, jumping are all part and parcel with the ball in his mouth or fetching it to parade around, so very proud of himself.

As is quite often the case, two or more balls are required, and in this particular incident it was in pursuit of a ball that went under a shrub, that Blue came out without a sound, but a limp.

Mortally wounded he made his way to me with the limp getting worse each and every step. Arriving at my side he collapsed at my feet, summoning enough strength to lift the injured paw for me to inspect, no bones broke, no penetrations could be felt, he would survive. But it meant the game had finished, and he was ushered back into the house where he was given bed rest.

In the past when Blue has had a similar incident rest for  24hrs or 48 normally gives enough time for a full recovery, and this was once again the outcome.

So Blue has had a varied week, and continues to be a great companion, and a pleasure to share our lives with;

Below are a couple of pictures involving Blue this week

Blue 1-0 Football

You can shower me but I will not let go of the ball!

I'm still not letting go!

Blue leaves some of his fur in the pool

Blue find "Ironing" boring!

For more pictures of Blue check out my Flickr photo-stream

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rod1871/

Catching up with Blue

Cat in the box

Blue has some more experiences to share, the cat in the box is significant for a couple of reasons, and it is all about fun, and keeping the mind active.

As Blue is now on twitter BluetheGSD he has begun to find new followers, he is still learning the lingo, but he has recently been followed by a cat,   @indigo_siena "sienna skye". The mere mention of the word CAT drives Blue to distraction, I don't think they wind him up, but he winds himself up into a frenzy. But we guess cyber-cats are fine.

So where is this going, while out in the garden his coat looked, dry and dull, clearly in need of a brush, well he is such a wriggle arse and has so many itchy spots, grooming is like a game of tickle with him.

Distraction is the key to grooming Blue, and today we tried a new method, with the thought of his new cat friend on twitter, we placed a garden pottery cat in his treat box, he could just about lick the treats, but the pottery cat prevented removal of the goodies. Worked a treat for nearly a whole minute, but blue decided there was a better game, turf the cat and contents out of the box.

Pussy, you have been evicted from the big brothers box ;-))

Blue claims the spoils of war

Eventually the game was ended, by the collection of the treats not eaten, though Blue did get a good few, I think the he would have given a "Dyson" hoover a run for its money.

When we have our dinner, Blue always has his dished up at the same time, he is amusing to watch, some days he will dive straight in other days he will wait to our cutlery is placed on the plates, signifying we have finished our meal, then he will go and eat his dinner. Tonight's dinner, he went straight to his bowl, took out and ate the mackerel skin, and went for a lay down, obviously dinner was a poor substitute foe the a fore mentioned treats, but he does this other days, so it is just how he is feeling at the time.

Blue has always been very relaxed about food, he is not a fussy eater, and is definitely not a food guarder, we were advised to hand feed him on occasions as a pup, to help ensure he did not guard his food.

On this night lord and master wanted to be hand fed by his minions, but it is all part of the fun and interaction with Blue.

Hand fed dinner.

After a good nights sleep, Blue was ready for his dawn walk at 6.30am so off he went with my wife Sue, while I stayed at home and prepared breakfast. and caught up with twitter etc.

About 07.20 am in the distance could be heard a dog barking, but not just any bark, that was Blue barking, but it was not a happy bark, so I quickly grabbed some shoes and went out of the house to see what was the cause of the distress. As I reached the edge of the local park, Blue was still going at it with another dog, my wife was so glad that I arrived, she quickly explained that this other lady could not get hold of her dog who was goading Blue. Just prior to my arrival another dog walker with his boxer entered the park, looked at both women with their dogs, and said "good luck" and walked off.

To cut a long story short, the other dog which turned out to be a seven month old Labrador, was eventually grabbed by its owner, as I held out treats for the curious dog, she then managed to put a collar/leash onto her dog. The collar she had was a metal one with links and prongs, no wonder she had trouble putting it on, and I guess it is not the most forgiving collar a dog could wear. Apologies given and accepted, all was well, as she continued her walk around the park, and we headed home with the wife explaining what had happened.

So the Lab was seven months old and just wanted to play, but as Blue had had spinal surgery as a pup, he is not allowed to play rough and tumble with other dogs, vets advice, given to us during his rehabilitation.

As Blue is a well known figure in our local park, and surrounding streets, my wife thinks he will get the blame for the raucous at dawn this morning, she shouldn't worry, me and Blue don't.

As I was writing this blog, Blue spotted a cat in the back garden, and high tailed it out there to clear the area of felines, one day they may learn to co-habitat, but not sure that will be any day soon.

A week from now Blue will be going to the Lake District in the North of England, he walks the fells and mountains as if they are his own.