Marta update.

Firstly, I read {this} and now feel vindicated with my no shoes in the house rule!  Now on to todays blog post!

Marta came to live with us in early December, she is now six months old.  I thought it best to give you an update.

Compared to how other people say their puppy is, Marta is super chilled out.  She was toilet trained before 3 months.  I think she was 10 weeks.  Friends and family, are still using puppy pads for their pups who are a year old.  We didnt use puppy pads, it was pure luck and also, every hour on the hour, I took her out side.  We use the trigger word 'pooping'.  And when she goes, wee or poop, then you say 'good girl pooping' and give her a treat when you say that and then say the word 'pooping' again.  She just seemed to get it.  We had a few accidents but that is when we have missed her que of her giving her bark and banging on the door.  Kind of like this...

Sleeping at night is good, only a few times has she wanted to go out in the middle of the night.  Mostly after we had given her the Bravecto tablet.  You can read about that {here}.  I actually thought she was going to die.  I still feel really bad about it.  She sleeps in her crate with the door open on the landing.  We go to bed at 10pm and they get up with me at 4.30am (whether they like it or not). Sometimes if she is lucky Eric will let her get in his bed.  Eric is very particular about his bed.  I will talk about him another time...

She has grown rapidly.  And is now tipping the scales at just under 8 kilos.  When we were in Cornwall other people who had border terriers commented on her size.  The vet said that this could be due to us feeding her a rich diet and genetics.  She isnt obese, she is tall.

Her food?  Well she eats better than most people I would say.  The dried food we have been using since we transitioned her away from the cr@p the breeder was giving her.  (The vet said it was utter rubbish and mostly rusk...)  We decided on James Wellbeloved as my previous dogs had been fed on that.  For breakfast she has a small ladies handful of dried food and 1 whole egg scrambled.  Lunch is plain dried food and for dinner she has dried food and poached chicken thigh.  Yarp you read that right.  I cook them both chicken.  Lunch has just been cut out as she is 6 months.

I cook 2kg of chicken thighs in water that covers them in the oven in a huge casserole pot. This gives me the equiviant of canned dog food but with out all of the floor sweepings and gunk they add to it all.  The water cooks out and makes a stock that is like the dog food that comes in jelly.  The dogs both go nuts for this.  Anything dipped in this is immediately eaten.  I use half a thigh for Marta and a whole thigh for Eric as he is bigger.  This amount means it lasts for a whole week,  Sounds extravegant to some, I am sure.

Her training has not been too bad.  I think this is mostly due to having an older dog that she adores.  I mean she has full on moo moo eyes for him.  As soon as she wakes up, she seeks him out.  Licks his face all over.

When she is alone with you on the lead she trots along nicely.  When Eric is around she feels she needs to touch him, with what ever side of her body she can get in contact with him.  She does this whilst shrieking a lot.  This is something we are working on.

Off the lead she comes back no matter where she is.  Two pips on the dog whistle, shout 'Come!' and she comes running as she knows there is a treat involved.    No problem there.  She is a little rough and tumble wanting to play with any dog that goes by.  We therefore make her go back on the lead if we see another dog that we dont know.

She is social with all people that come in the house.  Completely the opposite of Eric.  She also likes to be touching you as much as possible.  As I type this she is asleep with her head on my foot.

Her teeth started falling out at 4 months.  Sometimes she would trot over and you would think what they heck has she been eating as there would be something sticking out of her mouth.  Open her mouth and the tooth would be sticking out horizontal towards you.  Nice right!?

Fast forward to now.  On Friday just gone, we had Berta spayed.  She giddily skipped into the vets and was lead away through the door.  The operation went well and they called and we picked her up at 3pm.  Apparently a text book op.

Let the stress begin!  When we got home it all began.  No jumping, no dog ninja moves (of which she has many), no stairs, no getting on the furniture, no getting off the furniture.  And lets not forget, that our other dog likes to bark at loud noises, quiet noises, the fridge making ice, the neighbours builders digging - cutting blocks- their pool mans poles that you see flashes of over the top of the fence.  He barks at everything.  But the worst is when there is an animal on the TV.  Of yeah.  He barks, she jumps out of her skin and then tries to join in on the crazy that follows the glimpse of a tail.

It could be any animal.  And the one he goes completely nuts over?  The Gtech cordless vacuum.  The noise starts of the vacuum on the tv and no matter where he is in the house, he hurtles in and throws himself at the tv.  Good thing it is on the wall right?  Well not so good for the sideboard that is below it... (credenza for anyone in the US).  And every time he barks, she gets up, jumps up on him, licks his face and then follows him all around the house, whilst he looks for this animal.  Up on to the window seat, up the steps in to the hall.  Around the kitchen.  Oh yes I have been having kittens.  It wouldnt be so bad if he just barked at real animals.  He barks at cartoon cats and dogs.  And now, there is an advert with a rabbit and the man has a bad back.  We will have to speak to someone about this habit.

She went to see the vet today so they could look at the stitches.  All ok at present.  They will see her again next week.

I am stressed at the moment with it all, but I know in the end it will be worth it.  Especially after a dog tried to grab her the other week, whilst on a walk.  Its only a month of this and then it will get better.

She was cute wasnt she.  I will take a new picture and post it another day.