Today is  my lucky day! MC took the day off and is spending it with Veronica so this means: I GET A PLAYDATE WITH INDYA!! YEAHHHH!

I am so impatient!  Can’t she hurry.. .  She is so slow, I follow her all over the house imploring her to get ready fast!  We are starting the day with a walk. Perfect, I hope Indya knows all about “Rabbits”, I really need to know.

Finally everyone is ready!

We meet up at our usual walking spot. Indya has the same gear I have, apart from the Lego collar, obviously (!!). We wait for the “GO” signal, very very difficult to sit still, so much to check out.

Better get the whole picture before taking off.

We run like crazy! There is one  small matter:  I’m a little embarrassed to admit this…Indya is faster then me, yes, I know, how come??  Not only is she fast, but she NEVER gets tired, I don’t get it.

She runs and runs and runs, I try to cut off, to come ahead. One minute later there she is in front of me, again.  I was starting to feel a little tired. I cannot tell Indya this, I don’t want her to think I’m some kind of wimp, a loser…

A major disappointment; Indya is NOT interested in chasing birds, yeah can you believe that?? Not at all, she ignores them! I tried to tell her how cool and fun it is. No she DOES NOT CARE!

And she knows NOTHING about “Rabbits”… pffff

I went for a  solo “run and bird chase”, just to show her, did she even look at me ? NO not even a glance.

When I tried to persuade her, she gave me the “you’re so childish” look, the “I’m way above bird chasing ” look. Just because she is 6 months older does not give her the right to behave all “old sisterly”.

We do agree on the “swim in muddy water fun”. As expected she showed no interest in the jumping green beasts, (Veronica told me they’re called frogs, silly name).

I tried a little unsuccessful frog  chase. (I was hoping to impress Indya).

MC was not  happy with the muddy water, “Now the car will get all dirty”. I think it has something to do with VH. I have noticed the car is mostly clean these days.

Indya told me there has been a few changes in her life since he moved in with them,  for one the house has grown. She doesn’t understand how, but there is more space.  And he takes her running all the time, you see that’s why she’s so fit!!

Perhaps I should get Veronica or Dennis to take up jogging ? Ha ha, just a joke, will never happen!

As I got pretty exhausted,  and  found a very interesting hole to investigate, I stopped. Indya called me a quitter, I’m NOT.  I go my  own rhythm … there’s no need to hurry,  smelly grounds need exploring. She just doesn’t understand.

Clearly we have different priorities on our walks:

Me: explore the ground, chase birds, dig holes.

Indya: Run, run, and run some more.

Ok so yes I might look a tad more tired here, but common, nobody in their right mind runs like her. Perhaps she’s trying to become a boxer champion runner? Or break a record?  Actually, I think it’s because she adores VH.

I am more of a sprinter, short distance one. I have great muscles, I’m  the body builder type. Yes,  even Dr L says so!! (I’ll tell you all about him some day, he’s the best, Indya agrees with me).

We got loads of treats, yummy meatballs… I hardly ever get those, (Veronica thinks they’re too smelly) only on special occasions… So unfair!

Back at the house , after a short rest, it was time for “chase and push the balloon” one of my absolute favourite games!!

NC and EC taught me to play, now I’m a champion!!

Indya is not so comfortable with the game, I don’t think she likes the explosions. She played a safer version; MC holding the balloon.

We had so much fun! Veronica filmed us and gave us more and more balloons, well Indya only played with the yellow one, it never broke.

After the balloon game we played Tug of war. Never gets boring.

Indya might run faster, I’m stronger. Now you’d think I’d win the rat over, well, listen to this;  and don’t ask me why , or how, I don’t!!  Indya got it!

Same story over and over again.

I’M MUCH STRONGER!! How is this possible??? I think she does magic, only explanation!

By the end of the day we were wiped out!! Yes even Indya.  One fun fact, I got the little ball… ha!

Indya is the fastest runner ever, she does not chase birds, or smell the ground, or dig holes ( apart from in the garden but that’s a whole other story and another game) she does not even want to find out about “rabbits”…

… nothing matters, she is my BFF, we have so much fun and I love her!

(I will continue to inquire about “rabbits”,  my hopes lies with Inook!)

Who are the main characters in this episode?  Find out on  previous posts:

Indya, My BFF

The Family

I love my morning walks. First I have to put on my “gear”; a special harness (made in Sweden) Veronica brought it back after her last trip. It’s  designed to keep dogs from pulling;

Just to make it clear: I DO NOT PULL!

Ok, I can feel her look, so, I admit,  sometimes I pull a tiny bit, and only when there is the odd little curiosity.   A cat, or a silly bird (any normal dog would have a reaction),  apart from those very tiny exceptions, I’m doing great. Even Veronica says so.

It’s very comfy, I should know; she has tried EVERY single harness on the market!  I also have to wear Lego’s collar with Veronica’s telephone number, just in case I run away.

P L E A S E, like I would do anything that silly!  I know where my best interest lies.  I’m shocked she even thinks that ?? And why can’t I have my own collar???

We often go to this beautiful place with fields and water. I  run like crazy, Veronica keeps on telling Dennis she’s nervous I might find a rabbit.

What’s a rabbit ?  A dangerous beast? A kind of bird?  I wonder, and why is she so worried ? Dennis is much more relaxed, he tells her I’ll be fine.

Wish I did see one, I’m sure I’ll find them interesting!

She recalls me all the time, I don’t mind. I get so many treats  and we play together with my cool toy, (the one I am only allowed to play with on walks or at Corinne’s).

Sometimes  the “obeying quickly when recalled” is very hard, VERY, VERY HARD!!  I get so distracted and sort of forget about Veronica and Dennis. They don’t even try to call, no use, I’ve gone momentarily deaf.

You see there are these AMAZINGLY interesting smells, the ground has small holes and wow!! I don’t know what went in there, but I need to find out. I have tried digging and digging and digging.

No results yet.  I keep on trying.

Veronica has told me I am not the right kind of dog, those dogs have pointy noses. Frankly I find that insulting! I’m very offended! Who’s says flat noses can’t find little animals too? Like there’s a rule??

As it is, Veronica explained, there are dogs especially bred for hunting. Apparently Boxers are NOT, we’re guard dogs! Yeah, yeah whatever…

I don’t care what Books or people say, I still think I can find something!

I always go into the water, there are these little funny animals jumping around, impossible to catch, trust me, I’ve tried.

I still hope that perhaps one day…

Dennis sometimes fusses over the cleanliness of the water.. yes you heard, Dennis, not Veronica.. amazingly enough. She’s cool with me swimming in muddy water.

Anyway nobody’s stopping me.

See those little black birds? THEY ARE SO IRRITATING! I’m debating weather I should chase them or not. They’re in my garden too, they nag me, they provoke me. Yesterday I chased one over a field and it flew really low, I mean I could JUST not catch it.

I am sure they do this on purpose, like saying “You can’t catch me, di bi dee.. I can fly.. you cannot.. Tra la la”.. Stupid dumb birds…

Sometimes they’re wild fields, so cool to run and jump in them. This makes Dennis laugh, Veronica less, she goes on with the “Rabbit theme”. I really need to learn more about these guys, perhaps Indya knows, or Inook.

As you can imagine there are rules for the walk. I am not allowed to do just anything. Whenever there’s a jogger, I have to sit. Veronica says “Jogger” and I sit, I get treats so guess it’s ok.

Apparently, so I heard, some dogs chase them. I don’t understand why, how boring is that? Chasing some guy running? Totally not worth it. Chasing dumb birds,much more fun.

When she says “Horse”, I have to sit, and get treats. Frankly I prefer, they’re huge, god knows what they’re capable of.. I noticed that the guys sitting on top of the horses, with the funny hats, often thank Veronica; “Thank you, what a well behaved boxer”.

I kind of like that, people thinking that I’m “well behaved and great”. Makes up for some of my less glossy sides. (Yes believe it or not I have a few, tiny small flaws, tell you about those later).

Veronica and I have a HUGE disagreement: Dog encounters!

This is how I see the encounter:  Lie down, check out guy coming, at the last moment, jump up, bark, whine or growl. I like to decide on the spur of the moment depending on subject’s looks, and attitude.

This is how Veronica wants the encounter: Felicia walking by, not even giving coming dog a glance.

You see, totally stupid, I cannot do that!!! No dog in their right mind just “Walks by”!!

Na, never going to happen!

Veronica has tried several strategies…

…like forcing me to walk with a candy in front of my mouth. She really doesn’t get it:  I DO NOT WANT TO WALK. As I weigh 30 kg (I am NOT fat!! I have big muscles. Even Dr L says so) nothing she can do.

After consulting with Eva Bodfäldt.

Making me sit down on side of the road, holding this long speech: “Look at this cute dog?”  “Have you seen those ears ? and that colour, wow, very nice?” “Don’t you think he’s cute?”

Then she says hello to the owner and ads “Sorry, my boxer is a bit grumpy today”. Really??Grumpy??? I am NOT GRUMPY! I just need to be thorough, you never know with random dogs out there!

Anyhow I get too distracted to react what with that yummy treat in front of my mouth. Veronica praises me, kind of makes up for anything stupid she might say.

At the end of the walk we have this argument; she wants me to jump in the car straight away, I want candy. I ALWAYS win.

I mean, what is she going to do ? She can’t leave without me, and I’m much too heavy for her.

I win.

Walks are tiering. I sometimes don’t feel like jumping straight out of the car once back home. I need to be persuaded, a treat would help, this never happens.

Dennis thinks I am being silly and refuses to insist. Once when it was just the two of us, he  left me in the car, back open, and went into our house. I waited and waited, he did not come back out!

I was quite upset. How COULD he just leave me?? Didn’t he care?  Wasn’t he worried something was wrong with me?  I could have a stomach ache, or hurt leg, or a fever..  does he check on me??  Nooo, in he goes inside  and on with his business.

Honestly men!!

Veronica couldn’t believe her ears when he told her, I know she was not very happy! HA!

I forgave him. ( This has NOTHING to do with him doing all the cooking).

Walks are fun!

My favourite dog supply store in Stockholm:

http://www.hundokattboden.se

This is me, barely 10 weeks old, the day Veronica, NC and Lego came to pick me up.

Don’t you think I’m just the cutest? I mean look at those eyes, and adorable little wrinkly head… my coat looks a tad to big for me. I was  THE most gorgeous, adorable, cutest, beautiful puppy there ever was.

Ok, ok, Indya was all that  too…  (Veronica is all about not bragging, about fairness,  admitting others are great too, she’s such a goodie goodie sometimes.)

Here she is all tiny cute with Lego, obviously before I was born

Enough about her! It’s time you get to know…

… Veronica’s sister, SPS, she is a  dog professional,  a Veterinarian animal behaviourist, she has all those fancy diplomas, and has read loads of books and knows  everything about dogs, horses and positive reinforcement training etc.. She works with dogs all day long.

This is Zarah, her Boxer, she’s a lady boxer, very very nice, she loves everyone, dogs, horses, cats…. she’s perfect! (Why do  I constantly hear about all these perfect dogs?  Is that a hint?).

SPS has 3 dogs, a cat, and two horses, she just loves animals. Veronica says this was from day one, even as a tiny little girl.

She’s an outdoor person,  riding in any kind of weather.

Veronica thinks  she would love to have even more pets if she could. There might be a slight “family veto” to any new four legged member though.

(On top of the dogs etc she has four children and her husband  is also a Vet).

Yoda and Rose, I have met Yoda, he’s real cool, we played like crazy. Apparently Rose is a little wild one, so I heard Veronica say.  We have yet not been properly introduced.

I think both are  so cute with their little wrinkly faces.  They are also very nice and friendly to everyone ( hm…there it  goes again, I need to hear more about some “bad ass” dogs).

Her dogs have the coolest life! Living in the country, walking through the woods, and they have a HUGE garden, real huge. So much space. AND and an expert “Mom”.

I might be a little jealous. Wow, I know, I tend to be that pretty often. Am I a bad boxer??

Veronica became so silly, once I came into her life. Acting like she’d never owned a dog before… honestly !

Poor SPS, the first weeks, Veronica called her for advice ALL THE TIME; I mean,  ANY  little problem, question..!! SEVERAL TIMES A DAY!

And as the calls were not enough, she sent messages (SPS can not be available  24/7, obviously : she has a life!).

“What do you think is best….” “Why is Felicia reacting this way”… “Should I do this, or that”… “Today Felicia…what do you think”?… 1001 questions!

SPS was extremely patient, at the end she basically told her to relax, be zen, CHILL!

Following SPS advice closely, not to talk about the books she read: Joel Dehasse, Eva Bodfäldt…etc  she proceeded…

step by step, she took me everywhere, EVERYWHERE:

Take your puppy to different locations: We went to the village, I felt very proud with Lego on my side. Nothing could happen, she would protect me.

We  sat down in the square,  and took in the scenery, the people, and just relaxed.

Take the puppy to town: NC came with us many times, I loved the city. So many cool people everywhere.  Smells, dogs to check out.

We took the bus, that was fun. I did not think anything was scary at all.

Let your puppy meet children: we met many children, I got  cuddles, hugs and…

… loads of treats. What else can a tiny puppy ask for?

Don’t leave your puppy alone at night: I slept in Veronica’s room, and often, in the morning I was even allowed up on the bed.

I slept very well, didn’t even cry on my first night!! Wasn’t I a prefect pup??

Socialise your puppy: I was sent to puppy school  at Corinne’s  straight away (see post “Corinne”). And when I say straight away I mean: the second morning!

This is Cesar, he was my buddy, we had so much fun.

Let the puppy get used to staying home alone: at first Veronica had a crate, so I would not hurt myself. I liked it, made me feel like I had a little  hut. It got  to be my spot,  the crate is gone but I still have a mat there.

Very soon though she let me stay with Lego. Much better. I know for fact SPS was behind that decision.

Bond  with your puppy: We bonded by cuddling, games, and every day activities. I felt very happy with Veronica.

India came over all the time. MC wanted us to get used to each other, and boy, did we hit it off! She’s my BFF!! (You can check in post, “Indya my BFF“)

Lego was very zen about all the excitement, she went on with her life. I guess she knew Veronica pretty well at the time, and that she would eventually calm down.

Not so sure about the “calming down”.. look at  post “Limping episode” you’ll see

Lego was the best, every puppy should have a Lego when they arrive in a new family. She comforted me and always made me feel safe. (More about Lego in old post: “Lego“)

You might think I was Veornica’s first, that she’d never owned any dog… Listen to this:

I AM HER NUMBER FOUR BOXER! Pathetic!

I think she was overambitious, did she hope for some  kind of medal ?, “best dog owner distinction”?,  Is this what happens when people get older?

Yes, yes I know she meant well, and that it is a  proof of love.

One thing i do know: she loves me!

This was just the beginning of my puppy time, much more to come, I will share EVERYTHING with you!

I’m back home!  Had so much fun with Inook.

I  always sit on my outlook post, checking out the neighbourhood. God knows what’s been happening while I was away. Better be vigilant, new dogs? cats? Never know….

Veronica, Dennis and EC picked me up at Uncle Bradley’s. Yes, all of them just there for me. ( I would be truly deceived later)

Veronica was SO happy to see me, I know she misses me A LOT when she travels. I was overjoyed to see her. There was major hugging and cuddling….

… and then even  more hugs and kisses and cuddling.  The whole greeting ceremony takes quite some time. We do need to reconnect properly!!

Apparently the Wedding was amazing, they talked non stop about it.  The dress, the  setting, the music, the decorations ..bla bla bla… Little E had been the flower girl, I wonder if she was as talented as me? (Bet you not)

They were paying me NO attention! Nothing!! I mean, they left me, abandoned me… shouldn’t I be entitled to some special treatment ?? Told you I would be deceived.

Back home I was in for a major shock; THE BAMBOO WAS GONE!! You see, there had been this “discussion” going on, for quite some time; ‘Veronica loved the Bamboo, Dennis thought it invaded the whole garden, and was too high’.

Veronica even got the rest of the family involved (hoping for support surely). Believe it or not, they took Dennis’s side!

I got quite tired of their little bickering!

Indya and I loved the Bamboo, nothing to do with Veronica, (who incidentally is in charge of our feeding).  We always chased each other around it.

I was a little upset. (Though I can sort of, just sort of, see Dennis’s point).

In order to be fair, here is the apple of discord. You can judge for yourself.

I just don’t  understand what happened? Did Dennis pay someone to take it away while we were gone?? Without telling Veronica??

Did she actually agree??  NO, IMPOSSIBLE!! Veronica is the most stubborn person there ever was!! Well that’s the  general family opinion, and Dennis repeatedly says so.

Did the children secretly  organise a “cutting down intervention”, feeling sorry for Dennis?

Reality is, so I overheard later; the roots were threatening to invade the neighbours garden and the pool. The Bamboos had to go. One to nil for Dennis

Veronica  already told him she will plant bushes!

After the whole “Bamboo business” I felt very tired, barely dragged me to my food station ( even very tired dogs got to eat, right?).

Veronica, thankfully, did not do the “Felicia has to search for her food” assignment. I got my dinner served in my bowl, “traditional style”.

Both Dennis and I felt totally wiped out,  we crashed into our beds. I am  NOT going for an evening walk tonight!! No way she’s going to force me!  And why is she always so full of energy? Can’t she be tired like a normal person?

I’ll get back with stories from my puppy time as soon as I have recuperated.

Dog camps and Weddings are exhausting.

Want to know more about Uncle Bradley:

Uncle Bradley

Hey guys, great news, today Veronica told me they are leaving and I’m going to stay at Uncle Bradley’s for a few days!

It’s this really great place where I go whenever Veronica and Dennis are travelling. Lots of cool dogs to play with, wonderful people who look after me and cuddle with me.I will tell you all about him in later post.

I am very excited…

…and also a little offended! You see Veronica and Dennis are going away for NC and MBC big wedding ceremony far away.

I HAVE NOT BEEN ASKED TO BE THE FLOWER GIRL!

(This photo is from Civil Wedding here, I was not invited there either.  They’re adorable though)

I mean was I not perfect? And cute? (you can check by yourself in “Flower girl” post)

Veronica told me NC would have loved for me to be there but flying with big dogs for such a short time is complicated… apparently… Yeah yeah!

Quick flash back: Now isn’t that flower girl just adorable, and look how well behaved she is, NOT jumping after the bubbles…?? Well this perfect, adorable flower girl is; ME!

At least Indya is not coming either.

I’m being totally unreasonable, I know… I’m very happy to be with my pals, especially since my awesome friend Inook, from Agility is going to be there too!!!

YES!

We are SO going to be wild together, playing all the time!

Guess this means I’ll be off the radar for some time.

SMOOCH!

See you guys!

We all love Corinne. She’s our “go-to dog person”, she loves all dogs, all “her” dogs. We come here as tiny pups. We learn how to behave with other dogs to socialise, we learn Obedience and  Agility.  Most of all we have fun, loads of fun.

When Lego was just five months old, Veronica wanted to train Obedience only using positive reinforcement (like there’s another valid method?)  Corinne was the one.

To get to Corinne’s place we need the car, it’s in the middle of nowhere. A huge garden with big trees, a small paradise. I’m always very impatient to arrive. It’s so cool!

She lives here with, three dogs, chicken, geese, and several cats.

I  often wonder “Why can’t we have more dogs”? Perhaps it’s because I have heard Veronica tell people that having me is like having three boxers… honestly she must always exaggerate!!

And cats ? I find them highly interesting. Now Corinne’s cats are not allowed out  during lessons, a pity, I would have loved to check them out.  Nobody trusts me…

There is plenty of space to run, to play, for Agility and Obedience. We start with puppy school then teenage classes.

I now attend Agility and Thursday big dog classes. I am not too fond of this last one, no need to get into details.

(Truth is; I might just have a teeny-weeny problem with some dogs I find highly irritating…  I will explain in later post, I’m sure you will see my point and be very understanding.)

This is Chance, Lilya and June, Corinne’s “girls”.

I  love June, she is so cool. In Agility she runs like a rocket! I wish I could run like that.  Sometimes she even plays with me.

Chance is the little charmer, a real cutie. She’s  such a quick learner, I mean REALLY quick. What can I say, some just need more time. I will get there in the end.

( Though, I do find it highly unfair that a much younger, and smaller, poodle learns faster then me..!!)

Lilya is  the youngest and the little rascal in the trio. She looks innocent with her pointy ears and big eyes.  Don’t be deceived though, she finds loopholes in Corinne’s vigilance and sneaks off for all kind of mischief, mostly  dragging Chance with her.

Veronica thinks they’re very funny, and  adorable. Grudgingly I have to agree. (You see, I’m a little jealous… ok I know I shouldn’t, but there you go)

All the puppies in the family attended play school here. Corinne would always have a watching eye, a helping hand if someone didn’t feel happy or secure.

There were so many cool pups there, we had a ball.

She guided us through every step, with much patience, her reassuring voice, teaching us even the most scary situation can be fun. For Indya…

…and me, we became little daredevils.

As you know, Indya came first. Yes, yes she IS older and wiser and so on, and  therefore has age related privileges.

(That’s so NOT fair! Who invented that notion? Whoever it was  clearly needs to reconsider)

Whenever I tend to let my slightly (yes only slightly) impulses get the better of me. I hear Corinne “Well Felicia, what are you doing” ?  I immediately feel very bad and snuggle  up for forgiveness.

(Especially on Thursday big dog class)

Whatever I do, however well or badly I perform, if ever my behaviour is not “perfect”; Corinne always cuddles and hug me. And most important, she still loves me.

She is so cool, AND I’m totally allowed to come up and say hello.

She understands us dogs, she knows what makes us happy.

I  do love her

http://www.classes-chiots.ch

Early mornings I sleep, I’m so tired,  I just want TO SLEEP! I do NOT like to be woken up, thrown out in the garden when I’m not ready. This is something Veronica DOES NOT UNDERSTAND.

She  wakes up early, VERY early!  She is up and ready for just about anything, full of energy. Veronica actually LOVES to get up early. Is that a Swedish thing?

Me and Dennis we’re different, VERY different!

We  sleep late,  linger, stretch and take in the day, before getting up and on to things.

I have tried using the upstairs bed, thinking she might ignore me going down, leaving me alone, in my sleep…

Well…. that does NOT work, same all, same all… “up you go”…”out in the garden”… pfffff

Veronica’s morning starts with a swim, well that is after having pulled me out of bed and into the garden. I’m sure she thinks I should swim too but NO NO NO. Never going to happen.

I think she is crazy.

She needs to relax.. take i easy…

I go straight back to bed as soon as I can. Miraculously she leaves me alone, it is her “Green Tea, candles, classical music, reading” time and she is  not  to be disturbed.

I can relax, sleep, enjoy my morning and comfortable bed  for a while.

The other day she had this  TOTALLY CRAZY IDEA: start the day with a walk ?? What was she thinking? I would be happy ?  Full of energy ?

HELL NO!!

I walked far behind, I did not even want to run, I mean look at this: It’s still dark!

And then we have the rainy day mornings… I hate those, I DO NOT LIKE RAIN!  But does she care ? NO out it is as always.

I have tried  “staying on the terrace pretending to go out”…does not work. She checks if my coat is wet! Honestly what a control freak!!

When Dennis’s awake (sometimes I have to wake him, lot’s of fun)  having his coffee I feel I should get my breakfast too. I hang out on my spot in the Kitchen.. BUT NO!!

You see Veronica  read this Swedish book about dogs, “Follow me” (Kontaktkontraktet) by Eva Bodfäldt, (Yes my Eva) and I now get my food during  walks. I have to “Deserve it”, by “Working”… or even worse…

… search for it… apparently this is good for me…

Now I have to be honest; I do enjoy searching for the food, it’s actually real fun and quite a challenge.

I do NOT want Veronica to know this, NO! She has this thing about being right.

Dennis totally agrees with me.

Actually it’s a family thing this “I AM RIGHT, YOU ARE WRONG, I KNOW BETTER THAN YOU”!! They’re all like that.  Exhausting!!

Once I’m  up  and wide awake I get bored,  I need action!! Veronica goes upstairs to get ready so I usually hang out in their room  to make it perfectly clear:

“IT’S TIME FOR MY WALK”!

As soon as the car is out I jump in and I get VERY impatient. C’mon guys “let’s go let’s go let’s go”!!!

I have to wait and wait.. Veronica keeps on forgetting stuff…”oh forgot my glasses”… “just a minute haven’t got my phone”… “did I put the alarm”.. and so on..

Seriously ?? She needs to get her act together;

(I know Dennis pretends to be patient but he is pretty fed up with this whole “I keep on forgetting my stuff” business!)

What’s wrong with  her ???

LET’S GO!!!