Balou's first Christmas

Do I look like a snowman?

The last few days, well over a week actually, have seen the pups and I visiting Rutland for the Christmas and New Year break with the 4Paws posse.


This has meant lots of new experiences for the Heffalump, he has finally met my father and also got to meet my sister and brother in law who were visiting from abroad. Obviously everyone loves him, he has such a friendly disposition and is so funny, flumpy and sweet that it is hard not to!


He has been having a lovely time enjoying the large gardens and fields that we have in the countryside. Each day we just step outside to a wonderful variety of smells, sights and sounds.




There have been presents, chews and lots of playmates too. He has finally met Dougal our country living Border terrier and has watched as a pheasant flew up squawking from the field. Last weekend we took a drive to the nearby Burghley Park where he enjoyed a stroll around the grounds, met the deer and enjoyed chewing on the fallen branches helpfully dropped by the magnificent trees.

Balou has also enjoyed meeting the horses over the last few days. Initially he was slightly wary and copied Tilly's woofing but after a few words of reassurance and the realisation that quietly greeting them earns him yummy treats he now happily goes up to snuffle Jason and Soave as they lean over the wall.

Balou has continued to get along well with all of the other dogs. The little visitors are mostly happy to boss him about though one or two of them are a little apprehensive of his size. He now feels very comfortable with the majority of the 'gang' and our walks in the fields see him lolloping after them hoping to join in their games. Occasionally Scrappy and Bouche will allow him to play around. but not quite with them. Balou was over the moon one morning when Scrappy actually invited him to play with little leaps and play bows, unfortunately this didn't last long as Bouche soon came dashing over and the two older (little) boys galloped off together - but progress and friendship is definitely being made! Tilly continues to find Balou trying and there have been a few shouting spats, Balou now seems to be more aware of his size and on occasion tries to challenge the pom. But she has a mean take down and leaps at him in the manner of the Monty Python flying rabbit if he looks like he's getting too big for his boots. Considering the discrepancy in size they all seem to be doing well with one another, there is definitely a sense of live and let live.

The other day while investigating the local pet shops I found one which has a doggy scale just like in the vets - perfect for weighing a pup. With this in mind we returned yesterday and put the Heffalump on the scale. He now weighs 19kg, almost double the weight he was when he arrived. No wonder he is harder to carry up the steps! What most impresses me about his weight gain and growth is that he isn't a big eater, so where does he manage to get it from?!

Today Balou finally got introduced to our two other giants, the deerhounds Hero and Hamish. The boys are getting on at eight years old and aren't well socialised so he met them individually while they were each on the lead. He has walked past them while they've been in their crates and every time has done a smile and bottom wiggling tail wag, he wants to meet everyone, but often enough this has been met with a deep woof of suspicion. Not helped by his interest in their food bowls! He was very good with them when he met, lots of good body language, friendly and babyish but in no way fearful. The deerhounds had a little sniff but won't be allowed to be loose with him until he is larger, he is still very unsteady on his feet and at his age it is important he continues to have positive experiences with the dogs he meets. The last thing he needs is a pair of brothers ganging up on him which they inadvertently might do.

Balou and Scrap in front of the Aga

Today we also went for a short walk around the village with Dougal as our lead, Balou is still very wide eyed looking at everything around him and taking his time soaking it all up. With another dog we at least have some stimulus to move forward rather than stop and stare at everything. We met a few other dogs who we said hello to and Balou looked inquisitively in through the many ground level windows we passed.


Given all the excitement it's little surprise that the boy needs so much sleep!

Snooooooze time!

The master of the snooze mode - Balou has much to learn

Does my bum look big in this?

One of Balou's favourite things is sleeping. He is very good at it and given the chance will try and curl up for forty winks almost anywhere - in the garden, on a walk, in a pile of leaves, in a puddle of mud. He is NOT fussy. 

There are plenty of doggy beds in the house and Balou likes to try them all. He doesn't really have a favourite and doesn't mind what size they are. Even the smallest is good for a rest.

But really I shouldn't be surprised by his enjoyment of snoozing. After all he has Bouche to learn from. Bouche likes nothing more than snoozing in strange places. Especially tables and anywhere high he can climb up to. At the moment he often sleeps on top of Balou's crate which is next to my bed.

Mmmm, comfy, fuzzy bed

All this bed swapping is soooo tiring....zzzzzz

It's so tiring playing with an Aikiou!

Week three with the heffalump AKA the heffalump tries to walk on water

Who's a handsome boy!

This week has seen us all busy preparing for Christmas. The dogs don't know it yet but there will be plenty of chews, toys and treats for them in their stockings. This year as it's his first Christmas Balou has the most interesting stocking, also because he's not sure what kind of toy he likes most. He'll have a go playing with anything but generally prefers whatever the other dogs are playing with. This despite my best intentions and several new larger versions of toys just for him. Cue much woofing in exasperation as he hopes they abandon the toy for him to play with. Alas this is rarely the case.

This socialising malarkey is tiring. Better have a little break...

In terms of socialising Balou continues to do well, he seems to enjoy meeting everyone!

He now feels brave enough to try and play with
several of his friends and when the group runs around he occasionally tries to join in, usually falling over within a couple of seconds as he trips over his feet.

Walk away from the wolf, walk away from the wolf....oh, it's ok, it's only Lily

Hello!
His interest in birds continues, he now notices pigeons as well as crows and today he even spotted seagulls on the ponds in the Heath. As with all the dogs it was only a matter of when he would fall into the water and today was that day. Luckily the ponds are man made and fairly shallow so easy to pull pups out from. Scrap, Tilly and Bouche have all learnt the hard way that dogs can't walk on water and today was Balou's turn. We were walking along the side of the Model Boating Pond when he spotted a seagull sitting nearby, he didn't run, nor jump, but just kept walking off the edge, before plop, submerging himself. Given his waterproof coat and webbed feet I wasn't too worried about Balou but even so I quickly reached in and pulled him out. Back on dry land I gave him a quick hug before, he shook the water off and was none the worse for his soaking. If anything he seemed to find the whole thing quite funny! Luckily the pond was nice and clean, not like the time Tilly Pom fell in when the summer algae was flourishing - stinky!

I want to play!

Today Balou discovered his tail. He has realised that birds are fun but always fly away, but his tail is always there to play with! He continues to enjoy his walks and meeting lots of new dogs, the only problem is he takes a little while to feel bold enough to want to play with other dogs and at the moment the dogs he sees most regularly are older and smaller and don't want to play. Very boring for him!

He is doing well with his training though he probably thinks his name is 'leave' as that is what he hears the most. At the moment he is very mischievous and so what with trying to jump up, chase the cats and pester the older dogs he hears 'leave' a lot. Luckily he loves his food so doesn't mind interrupting his behaviour for a treat or two.

Week two with the heffalump

Today Balou celebrated his three month birthday and thirteen days with us. He continues to go from strength to strength in terms of confidence and cuteness. This week he has continued meeting lots of dogs, mainly small, with a few big ones, on our visits to Highgate woods. He is used to being cooed over and petted by humans young and old and even remembers to say hello to them before their dogs on occasion. He is now well settled at home, he is getting the hang of the poochie bells and on occasion has managed to remember to ring them as well as go to the front door to let me know he wants to go out. His housetraining is very impressive for such a young pup. Today he went for several hours without asking to go out, unthinkable in a small dog of his age who can only hang on for a few hours even as adults.

He continues to be 'educated' by the other three. Interestingly it is Scrappy who is the best at telling him what to do. Balou obviously wants to be 'one of the boys' and is very interested in everything Scrappy and Bouche do, particularly out on walks. Scrap will tolerate his investigation up to a point but is quick to point out that a big puppy nose or paw is not always appreciated. Bouche being more relaxed is the one Balou tries to play with, he mounts him - or would do but is already too tall, so Bouche doesn't really notice, and has even tried to pull his ears and tail in play. Bouche will put up with a fair amount of this so has to be encouraged to stand his ground, he needs to get a bit better at telling people off!
Pom spends most of her time shunning or yipping at the pup, last week she was in a foul mood after having an op to remove two broken teeth (a mystery as to how this happened) so Balou found himself being scolded even more than often. Because she's so ratty he seems to pay her little attention!

During his daily outings Balou is becoming increasingly bold, no longer sticking to my side like glue. Instead he mingles with the other dogs occasionally even trying to play, though usually falling over in the process. He still hasn't got the hang of moving his big puppy limbs. He has discovered a love of leaves and enjoys collecting them, jumping in them and rolling in them. Yesterday he also noticed the ever present crows for the first time. He now tries to stalk them but somehow the crows always manage to outwit him. Balou is keen to make friends with everyone and shows no signs of worry meeting other dogs big or small. He is also still trying to persuade the cats that he is their friend and playmate - they don't agree but are happy to put up with his antics.

Despite a variety of big dog specific toys Balou continues to favour anything the others are playing with.  At the moment the toy of choice is a long fabric snake, initially a cat toy, then favoured by Scrappy and now Balou. The giant reindeer, squeaker, tug toy and chew toy are all unloved and unused.

Balou's progress

Balou - aka the Heffalump - continues to get braver. He is now trying to steal toys and chews from his little friends and lollups after them on our walks, hoping they'll let him join in their games. Invariably this results in him being told off. So far he seems to pay the most attention to Scrappy, finds Tilly and her constant discipline amusing, and thinks the Bouche is his friend so ignores his warnings.
Over the weekend he enjoyed the company of Chewy a 16 week old Lhasa who was equally interested in wrestling. Balou was very good and started to understand that he had to make himself small by lying down in order to wrestle Chewy. Chewy was much bossier and kept running off with Balou's chew and toys then hiding in spaces he knew Balou couldn't fit into. Cue much frustrated woofing from Balou!

Below are pics of his tiring antics...

Balou's size...

...is roughly 15 ins/40cms. Roughly because he was fidgeting, and wanted to eat the tape measure. About cocker spaniel size, slightly larger than the mini mutts at the mo.

Balou's first days

Balou did very well on his long journey to London and has quickly settled into his new home. He is such a baby that he does little besides sleep at the moment. He enjoys his toys but prefers stealing Bouche the Shih Tzu's fluffy toys rather than playing with his own big toys. He is quite a chewer so we are all keeping our eyes peeled for the moment he starts nibbling something he shouldn't. So far the wicker baskets and the fridge have caught his eye.

Since he is so young Balou isn't allowed to do a lot of exercise but he still comes out with us, pootling around in the woods, sniffing leaves and picking up sticks while the little dogs shoot off around him chasing squirrels. Because of his size and fluffiness Balou attracts admiring glances and it's impossible to move more than five feet without someone rushing over to cuddle him. Luckily Balou loves all the attention and is happy to meet new dogs, grown ups and children.

On Monday he went to meet the vet and have a little stroll, everyone fell in love with him - naturally.
So far he had coped well with all the changes and new experiences of this week. He knows his name, 'sit', 'come', 'outside' and is doing well with his toilet training. Even though he probably has felt a little overwhelmed he hasn't shown it.

For the first few days Balou was very quiet and a little shy around the other dogs, however he soon found his feet and now follows them about. On walks he follows his 'big' brothers Scrappy and Bouche and in the house tries to play with them and generally wind them up like a typical puppy, play bows, woofs and looking plaintive haven't yet succeeded.

At the end of his first week we are all pleased with how sweet and calm he is. We only hope it continues and he doesn't have too much of a difficult adolescence!

Balou's first week.

Weight at the vet's - just over 11kgs
Height - still to come.

Introducing Balou

On Saturday November 26th the pups, cats and I welcomed the newest member of the menagerie. An 11 week old Leonberger pup called Balou.

Balou came from Kaleo Leonbergers in Denbighshire in Wales. We left London bright and early on Saturday morning and, after four hours in the car found ourselves driving through the beautiful countryside near Snowdonia. When we arrived we were lucky enough to meet Balou's mum, the beautiful and friendly Kimba, plus his other big pals, Khan, Luna and Bella the Bernese mountain dog. Besides the giant pack Balou's breeder also had five shih-tzus, two cats and a cockatiel. It was a house after our own heart!

Balou was one of 10 puppies in the litter born on September 9th 2011. His sire is a beautiful Russian import owned by Lionslord - Baltizar iz Poselka Sokol for Lionslord

Zak - Balou's dad

And his mum is Aceca's Crystal Lake of Kaleo

Kimba - Balou's mum

Both of his parents are successful show dogs so it's clear that Balou is going to be a very handsome boy!

After a nice few hours with Balou's family it was soon time to set off on the long drive back to London.