Monday 27th April
I have to come clean straight off the bat and admit I have been shocking at keeping his diary this week ( again) having Jay home is really throwing my routine out of the window.
We are noticing that Dembe is getting very bored. Thankfully he is not a destructive dog but he does bark non stop when he isn’t being stimulated and tasked to do a job. So we are trying very hard to think of things to teach him to keep him mentally stimulated and happy. He is missing dog training so much.
Tuesday 28th April
So after a manic Monday ( he was barking and bouncing off the walls) we had a very sleepy Tuesday.
We appear to be going in two day cycles at the moment, one day where he rarely sleeps and is on teh go constantly throwing toys and demanding attention and then the next day he sleeps pretty much all day long. There is no happy medium, it doesn’t matter how long he is walked on his manic days he still has mountains of energy. It is exhausting and can be irritating when a stuffed toy is repeatedly bounced off your face.
Wednesday 29th April
I have been exploring things to keep Dembe occupied and stimulated as obviously I know that the barking is a sign of boredom with him. I have signed up with https://www.spiritdogtraining.com/online-dog-training/ to help give us some guidance and ideas whilst we are no longer attending training classes as we are all really missing our weekly outings . The first lesson for Dembe was to teach him two commands but with one object. Apparently this can be quite difficult for a dog to learn as they associate the item with the command so it really makes them think.
So Jay brought a kitchen chair in and we started training. It also helped that Dembe’s new treats arrived yesterday freeze dried venison sausage which has proved a very helpful tool as he has gone crazy over it. We also got him a new slab of Elk antler for him to chew on as he does love a chew.
He picked up going under the chair incredibly quickly. He didn’t get the up on the chair bit at all but that's fine that gives us something to work with. Plus other than the garden chairs and the sofa’s he doesn’t really jump up on chairs. I managed to shoot this quick video of him going under the chair.
He was so pleased with himself and he really enjoyed the sausage. We also had a game of snuffles where I hid bits of his treats around the lounge for him to find. This kept him nice and tired and a lot less barking.
Thursday 30th April
Yesterday I decided for a laugh I would buy Dembe a remote controlled rat to play with. I have no idea where this idea came from but for some reason it did just pop into my head. I think Jay and I were like kids waiting for Christmas , watching for the delivery van to arrive!
It came just after 11am. Jay got it out immediately and set it up. Initially Dembe was terrified of it, leaping up onto the sofa to get away from it. Over the space of 5 minutes he got braver. In the afternoon we got it out again and I could video the encounter
He was going crazy for it and was trying to find when Jay put it away. I really wish we had a larger area for Dembe to chase after it . The barn where we go to dog training would be ideal!
Friday 1st May
The last few nights Dembe has been sleeping up on my bed either cuddled right up to me or beside me on the pillow. Normally he sleeps on his bed on the floor which is at the foot of my bed as he likes his own space when he is sleeping. It is so sweet that he is cuddling into me. I had bad insomnia on Friday into Saturday night and he kept me company.
Saturday 2nd May
I don’t know what happened overnight but Dembe was a blinking lunatic all day long, barking, throwing toys around barely sleeping all day. Again it is day two of his two day cycle and it is so draining especially when Jay and I have our own stuff to be getting on with. The barking was really getting to me all day. It was really hurting my head. Thankfully he did shut up in the end we tried everything, playing with him – lasted about 30 seconds and then the barking started again. Ignoring him, he just gets in your face and barks non stop like a spoilt child. Someday’s it is really hard work with him which I hate saying because obviously it means we are getting it wrong as doggy parents.
On Dembe’s walk this morning he came across 3 Black Labradors one of which was called Frankie. Frankie and Dembe really hit it off and were having a wonderful play running each other ragged.
We also had some fab news that Imogen who lost her beloved Bors a little while ago, has adopted a rescue dog who is just gorgeous. Dembe can’t wait to meet her new doggy, who has had such a horrid start in life and has now found his furever home with Imogen and her family.
Sunday 3rd May
An early start to the day with Dembe’s dawn chorus beginning at 5am. We are on the tired day cycle so fater going out and having his breakfast he has gone straight to sleep and barely moved since. We are hoping it stays that way today after all the craziness yesterday!
Daft dog slept like that for ages!
I forgot to mention last night Dembe managed to snaffle part of my naan bread by having it off the plate without me seeing. Little bugger!
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