The Adventures of Balou - a week of wolves and water

This week has been a busy and fun filled week. On monday Balou turned four months - not much longer and the hormones will start kicking in. Eek! We have also been enjoying some lovely sunny days, especially nice after the torrential rain we had last week. With such sunny weather it's easy to spend hours dawdling on our walks sniffing, playing in the leaves, chasing the squirrels and meeting friends old and new.

Balou is rapidly becoming famous in our neck of the woods, he has more friends than I remember meeting and we are regularly stopped by people who say they have been keeping their eyes open to spot him. It's a case of if you go down to the woods today you might see a heffalump.

With the last week of school holidays there have been lots of children off school and out in the woods and on the heath. Balou loves children and they seem to love him, his fuzzy fur and lazy walk seem to be a magnet. As a pup Balou is of the opinion that children are human puppies and who is to say he's wrong, what with all the squeaking, running, stick waving and general madness surrounding them. As much as Balou likes being around children I am always a bit wary for two reasons, firstly he is at the age where a dangling scarf or waggling stick is just asking to be grabbed, secondly he is already big enough to knock them over if he jumps up, which on occasion he has attempted to do. Mainly he is managing well but there are moments when I'm glad that he has a strong 'leave' and thankful of how interested in food he is!

We continued our walks with Karin and her group of  dogs which sometimes include her own Northern Inuit Lily. Because Balou spends so much time with small dogs I'm keen to make sure he still gets a lot of exposure to larger breeds, it's important for him to know that there are people bigger than him and to socialise and be happy with dogs of all sizes. Despite now being the size of a small labrador Balou really thinks of himself as the baby he is, when meeting new dogs, especially larger ones he is very courteous, and a little wary. He tends to warm up once he's met dogs a few times and so is very friendly with my daycare dogs and the other dogs, like Karin's, that he sees regularly. We've met a few other puppies and Balou has had the odd play with them but generally finds them a little too fast. Usually he prefers to play with his little big brother Scrap the pap. Scrappy is the eldest of my dogs and is four years old. He is very friendly and calm and welcomes other dogs into our group. He also has some of the best, clearest doggy body language going - those big ears are really expressive! Scrappy is definitely Balou's 'mentor', he follows him around and is over the moon that Scrap now plays with him. Given the disparity in size, and speed, playing usually involves Balou standing over Scrap and a strange sort of wrestling taking place.

Look at this big stick I have. See how big it is titch.

This week also saw the arrival of our newest daycare client. Dexter, a three month old mini schnauzer. Dexter is about the size of a small cat but is very feisty in true schnauzer fashion. He and Balou have become bosom buddies and would happily spend the day wrestling. When at home this involves Balou lying down with Dexter dancing and prancing around him, nipping his ears and making lots of impressive growling noises. The two also try and play out on walks and would happily roll in the mud for hours. Despite looking rather an odd combo. Balou is fairly gentle with Dexter. Dexter is in fact the more assertive of the two and Balou is the one who often calls time on their rough-housing. Because they enjoy playing so much I often have to physically separate the pair in order to get any walking done. The great thing is that mini schnauzers tend to grow into fairly sturdy little chaps so the pair should be able to continue playing as they get older. It's also nice for both of them to have a similar age pup on hand to keep playing with as puppies can be a little tiresome for older dogs.

Hello Mr Wolf

Another high point this week, for me at least, was meeting a beautiful Utonagan. A breed I know a little about but which is truly spectacular. Very wolfy but with longer fur than the Northern Inuits. We had the pleasure of meeting a lovely young boy called Sos who was very gentle and friendly and was with his pal Dasha the husky.

Although Balou is now four months old and so the critical socialisation window is technically finishing it is still important that he keeps doing new things and having lots of positive experiences. The majority of dogs we've met have been nice with only a couple of shouty staffy types scaring Balou a little from across the street.

This week has also seen Balou visit our local very dog friendly pub where he happily sprawled out and nonchalantly dealt with the attention of all the staff and patrons. He was totally unfazed, probably helped a little by the lovely smells and the gravy bones.

Such a busy week. Time for a snooze.

Also this week there was the arrival of Balou's headcollar and harness. He is learning to wear a dogmatic headcollar when walking on the lead, we're taking things slowly and he's doing okay with the pesky nose strap. Balou is very good at walking to heel and actually needs encouragement when walking on his own but given that he is going to be a very big boy I decided something with a little more control than an ordinary collar would be a good safety measure. The harness is a Kurgo car harness that he wears in the car. It attaches to an 'auto zip line' which fastens from one hanger/handle to the other across the back seats of the car and then forms a tether keeping him safe should there ever be an emergency. The harness is also useful for helping support him as he gets in and out of the car, he's a bit big to lift in and out by himself but rather disinclined to doing anything himself.

Wow, look at these, they look like me.

On Friday we met up with two Leonberger friends, Nelly and Indie. Now that Balou is a bit bigger they actually acknowledged his presence. When they last saw him he was only a little bigger than his little friends and not worth bothering about. Balou was mildly interested in them but I think he knew they were the same breed as him as he was less shy than he can sometimes be around large dogs he doesn't know. Or maybe he just followed my lead as the girls are the ones who introduced me to the delights of Leonbergers in the first place. Indie is young, about two, and very playful, while Nelly is seven, ginormous and very slow and lumbering, only interested in being round the nearest food source.

Naturally the three of them were a real sight and got lots of attention. As tends to be the case with the giants and the tinies people can't help but want to know more about them. In fact one of the pieces of advice for potential Leonberger owners is don't get one if you don't want to be constantly asked about your dog. Luckily having had Deerhounds, Pomeranians, Papillons and Shih Tzus I'm well used to curiosity. In fact I think I'd be mildly offended if nobody asked about my dog!

Below is a video of Balou enjoying a little run around with his larger friend Indie.

Finally, a proper sized water bowl.

We rounded the week off with Balou having his first proper water experience at one of the dog friendly ponds on the heath. The pond at the Vale of Health is sloping and shallow and great for a paddle. Given that Leonbergers have webbed feet and seeing how much Balou enjoys playing with his water bowl I guessed he would enjoy playing in the water but thought it might take him some time to explore. Boy was I wrong!

Balou loved it and immediately waded into the water paddling, jumping and generally enjoying himself. The rest of us, bundled up in warm clothes, looked on laughing as he careered around, probably the fastest I've ever seen him move. After a few minutes of lolloping around there had built up quite a crowd watching Balou frolicking. I can't wait to see him in the summer when he really can make the most of the water. Perhaps he'll be giving the little ones a lead for a change.



If you'd like to see the heffalump flumping in the water then watch the video below. But turn down the sound otherwise you'll hear my cooing!

Hello over there

Happy New Year - Balou turns four months

Big bear, little bear.

After our lovely Christmas break in the countryside we are now back to our usual life in London. The dogs thoroughly enjoyed all the space they had with the paddocks and big gardens in Rutland but they enjoy London life and their own home just as much.

Each day we visit one of our big local open spaces usually Highgate Woods and Hampstead Heath. This is the highlight of the dogs' day and we normally spend a couple of hours outside, even if our walks haven't been as full of walking since getting the baby!

Balou munching on grass while Scrap keeps watch

Pom and Balou posing

The dogs love sniffing the grass, chasing squirrels, frolicking in the leaves and if they manage to sneak it past me, rolling in the fox poo. They also love the assortment of other dogs they meet, each day they meet dozens of new and existing friends so this is great for Balou's socialisation. The last week there have been lots of kids off school and most of them are desperate to say hello to the heffalump. Balou seems to love children, the only difficulty is trying to make sure he doesn't jump up or hang off their sleeves. These are completely normal things for puppies to want to do but when the puppy is going to be a giant it's important that Balou realises he can't do these things. So we are still working on the leave + reward + distract when he starts trying to pull clothes, and 'off' if his front paws leave the floor, redirecting him to a sit.

Balou has now firmly outgrown his first two crates and we are waiting for the delivery of a 48inch crate which will be his new sleeping quarters for the next while. Unfortunately as we've had the holidays things are taking a while to arrive. Since I don't want Balou to be uncomfortable and as he is doing so well with housetraining he has spent the last few nights sleeping out of the crate. He seems to move from place to place, sitting room, corridor, bedroom, sprawling out everywhere and then in the morning he is often squeezed back in his crate with the door wide open. While I'm not against Balou sleeping loose when he's older I think it's important that he still has a crate as he does occasionally need some down time and he knows he has to relax when he's in his crate. Needless to say the crates aren't unoccupied. Here's Lucha the kitten snuggling in one of them...

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.