Cazzle's Blurty

Meg the dog!
So we have a Meg! She's a really lovely dog, if slightly hyper. I think the old lady who owned her previously didn't train her much because she's pretty crazy. She's very good at sitting but she doesn't seem to understand "lie", "down" or any combination thereof. She is learning that, and she's started to pick up "back", which is something that I have always taught dogs because it's ingrained in me from horses. She is really very easy to handle, she lets you look at her paws, her teeth, everything. She wasn't entirely convinced by being attacked with a damp sponge today after our walk, but she didn't object.

The first night, she cried a lot, so we let her out of the spare room and she's been sleeping on our floor, at the bottom of the bed. Last night she tried to sneak onto our bed a few times so I kicked her off. (Not quite literally!) She came without a bed or any brushes, so we have purchased both for her today. We also bought her a body harness because she hates her headcollar. I think it's slightly the wrong shape for her head, and the part I would like to adjust is fixed, so we'll see how she prefers the body harness. (Walking her on the collar isn't an option at this point because a) her collar is old and leather and I am scared it could snap and b) she pulls a fair bit, and I can't stop that immediately.)

That said she loves walks. I got up early yesterday and today and took her out. We went out for about an hour and a half yesterday, and about an hour and a bit today. Today she saw a rower on the river, which I don't think she'd seen before, as she was fascinated. I have donated two towels to be Meg-towels, because she comes back absolutely filthy.

Barley and Flora disapprove hugely. I think. The animals haven't yet been introduced; we're taking it really, really slowly and just giving them exposure to each other's scents at the minute. Meg has seen the rabbits through the back doors, when they're out in the garden. She barked at them twice (once yesterday, once today) but is learning to chill out. She gets biscuits for being good and calm. (I think we'll teach her "gentle" because it's a useful concept for her to understand.)
The buns and she are being kept very separate, with a rope contraption to prevent the kitchen door being opened by Meg, and Meg being shut in the office with us when the bunners are freely roaming downstairs. (She likes it up here because there is an easy chair that she can curl up in nicely. It's the only piece of furniture she is allowed on.)

Also, I'd forgotten how much dog food utterly reeks. It's disgusting! Nevermind, I suppose.
We picked up some senior dog food for her at the pet shop and we'll supplement it with biscuits, as I usually do, for her teeth. If it works with the bunnies and we are keeping her, we'll need to register her with our vet and have her microchip details updated, though we're holding back on that for now.

Tomorrow will be a bit of a test because Matt's got a meeting in London and I'm working till 7. I'll be coming back at lunchtime to let her out and such, and pick up my car for the afternoon, because it's Chatterbooks again already! I'll probably pop in to see her at 4:40 or so, on my way back to work from Chatterbooks.

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