Whose house is it anyway?

It's been a busy few months here in Caesar's castle as we've been getting prepared for some pretty serious work to be done.  Basically, if we don't replace the windows fairly soon, they're going to fall out!  So we had to make a few calls.  And we knew that we were going to have to deal with salesmen coming to the house - a worst nightmare for an owner of a dog like Caesar because it means that we had to;
1.  Face salesmen alone or face salesmen being knocked over by huge bouncy staffy
2.  Spend the next few days identifying knickers/socks that Caesar has stolen and putting them in the wash/bin - depending on how badly chewed they are.
3.  Find ways around having huge bouncy dog/salesman in the same room....

When we bought the house we had no idea that we would ever end up owning a dog, let alone a slightly unhinged rescue dog who isn't entirely well behaved, particularly in the presence of strangers.  And, in the first few months of owning the place we flew through our jobs quickly.  Then, a few months later, we got Caesar and he set about undoing all of our hard work; peeing on new carpets, pulling wires away from walls, scratching sofas, scratching tables, standing on window sills and generally making the place look as much like his kennel as he could manage; a home from home if you will.

For a while, I thought I didn't really care.  After all, if my rugs are constantly covered in dog hair and my table has a few scratches, it doesn't affect my quality of life.  I enjoy Caesar and, while I wish he would refrain, I'd rather have him here than not.

So what if everything's a mess?  You only live once!

This was all well and good until a few months ago when I suddenly remembered Plan A.  Plan A started 4 years ago when I found a wonderful dorma bungalow with whitewashed walls and a conservatory.  It met every one of my criteria for a new home in its own quirky little way; yes it had a nice bathroom, but it was downstairs.  It also had 2 bedrooms, but they were smallish and unimaginative in shape and size.  It had double glazing, a conservatory, a garden and a new(ish) boiler that seemed to have been given its own little room.  And, I was very keen on the fact it sat neatly in a cul-de-sac.  After seeing it twice, we put an offer in for around £5000 below asking price which was declined immediately.

I talked about growing red roses round the door and making a sun room out of the conservatory.  I had plans to modernise it and make it appealing as a first home.  When my offer was declined, I decided to see one more house to be certain I was making the right decision.  If it were on a home buyers show it would be the 'wild card'.  It was an eighty year old end terrace with single glazed windows, a boiler that was just about still clanging away, a roof that seemed to have been there since it was built and the remains of an air raid shelter in the depressing yard.

I blame the stained glass window in the hall for the fact that 6 weeks later we owned it...

For a moment, I turned into Kevin McCloud.  We were building a conservatory, we were knocking walls down here and there.  We were having new windows, a new boiler, a new bathroom which would combine parts of the hall, bedroom, toilet and existing bathroom to create a new space.  I forgot that, unlike Kevin McCloud, I have neither the skills nor the money to put any of this into place...

And now, 4 years on, here I am sitting in front of an eighty-four year old single-glazed, stained-glass window that it looks like it's going to cost me over £1000 to replace.  And, if Caesar doesn't stop sitting on it and barking at other dogs out of the window, the time for this will come sooner rather than later!

Plan A involved buying the house, fixing it up internally and externally, and selling it on in order to do the same again in a house with more space, more land and a better location.  When I adopted Caesar I lost sight of all of this.  And it was only a short time ago that it came back to me.  A sharp shock that reminded me that I hadn't planned to be here forever.  And, that, really, a nice garden and a bit more space would do Caesar some good too.

Caesar making the most of our little yard by sitting in the planter!

This is when I desperately started calling double glazing companies.  Forget three quotes; I decided to get quote after quote until someone came back with something that was appealing enough to make our ears prick up.  Then I realised the consequences of what I'd done.  I'd asked more than a handful of salesman into our house.  And, thus, into Caesar's lair.

Now, Caesar is lovely with people.  I would trust him to the end of the earth not to hurt them.  At least not intentionally.  However, he is a big lollopy dog who thinks he's a small lollopy dog and, despite being all of 20kg, likes to sit on peoples knees...

Salesman 1: 
Tactic: Outdoor kennel
Result:
A full hour of squealing, squawking, howling and barking that is enough to make any neighbor a little bit angry....good job we're planning to move after all this work!  Salesman spent a lot of time asking where the dog was and if he'd be able to get to him.

Salesman 2:
Tactic: Send Damien out with him for a walk
Result:
A very cold Damien after salesman stayed for a fairly long time and it was windy outside!  Finally called Damien an hour later to say he'd gone.

Salesman 3:
Tactic:  Large crate in the lounge (salesman said he 'loved' dogs)
Result:
Caesar cried and barked and carried on, causing the salesman to nervously ask why he was making those noises.  When I replied, "he's a staffy, they do, and just very excited,"he said "OK, let him out..."  2 minutes later, could I put him away again?  Perhaps at this point I should have pointed out that he actually lives here and I had warned him about the fact we had dogs and that he said he LOVED dogs and it was fine.  Perhaps he didn't expect Caesar to be that kind of dog...

Who knows, but Caesar spent the next hour or so, as he haggled and scribbled and drank tea, locked in his cage.  And, continued to make that noise for the whole time.  Can you blame him?

Salesman 4
Tactic: After previous salesman, the decision was to send Caesar for a walk with Damien again.  This didn't work as intended because the salesman was half an hour late, which meant that Caesar returned just after he arrived.  And then became very excited and very vocal at which point the man calmly said 'I'm not sure I like the look of him...'  At this point, he was still on his lead!  So, Caesar went back in the cage and the salesman steered clear of him for the most part.

Kicked off his usual snoozing spot - no wonder he was crying!

So which tactic worked the best?  Definitely, with a noisy dog, the cage is not the best option.  As, they begin to look like some scary zoo animal that nobody really wants to get very close to.  And, this becomes equally interesting when you have a salesman who is not sure he likes the look of him and Caesar, obviously pawing at the locks and attempting some kind of Houdi-style escape...

Walks are a great idea but of course that means that one person is left alone to tackle salesman speak and tea making and pointless haggling.  It also relies on the salesman being on time for the meeting otherwise, a short afternoon walk, can turn into a midday hike.  And, particularly in adverse weather conditions, this can be awful!

What about putting the dog outdoors?  This, again, depends on the dog.  It did not work with Caesar as he became very vocal and agitated, this then put him in an elevated state when he returned into the house.  And, probably didn't do us any favours with the neighbours either.

Finally, leave him roaming around the house?  I didn't try this one but I've got a feeling my window quotes may have been a few hundred pounds more had I let him bother salesmen...

What, I'm not meeting them?  But I got dressed up and everything!

Bangwhizzing popfizzers...the stairs are exploding!

I aplogoise in advance of this post.  It's 22:40 and I still need a shower before bed.  So, it will need to be short and sweet which is not at all my style!  This is the first night where I've actually had my eyes still open by the time I've finished work so I guessed, after not posting for four days (sorry), that it was a good time for a quick blog update.

The last few days have been stressful to say the least.  The fireworks have made Caesar very jumpy and shaky and nothing seems to be easing this.  Unfortunately, the usual tricks (crate, Thundershirt, ear defenders) were just not enough this time to counter the people behind us who decided to have their own fireworks display in a back yard that can't be more than 10 square metres.  I have to admit that even I was a little jumpy at some of the bangers that went up last night!

Caesar was past himself and, to begin with, stuck himself to me like glue.  However, this soon stopped when, taking a step onto the stairs, a huge bang went off outside of the window!  Poor Caesar leapt up like he had been shot and clearly associated the noise with the fact that he'd put his paw onto the stairs.  After that, he was very unnerved by the stairs and it took ages to get him to come down.

As a result of all of the fear that went on in our house last night, Caesar refused to go to the toilet before bed, despite the fireworks having stopped by this point and left me a lovely present to tidy at the end of the spare bed!  Thanks Caesar!

Caesar not looking very happy about the fireworks - this was at about 5 o'clock!!!

Thanks for reading everyone!

Walking with an Anxious Dog

For us, walking is always a major event that requires planning and equipment.  The first stage of planning is to identify a good walking location; if the weather is bad, then the beach is good, if the weather is good then the beach is the worst place to go.  Among his other issues, Caesar likes to scream and run towards other dogs.  It's highly embarrassing, particularly when people seem to see this as a threat and either freeze or move quickly in another direction.  Dogs, on the other hand, seem to see this as an invitation and many come over and investigate the strange noise thus making Caesar cry even louder.  This odd reaction has led me to believe that Caesar is not any threat to them and therefore the noises are either excitement or untamed nervousness.  In short, when we go for a walk, Caesar needs to remain on the lead and on his head collar at all times.  I feel sorry about this as his favourite thing is to have a good run and his recall is excellent so I would never have to worry about him running away.  My only concern would be what he did before he came back!

When we walk, I use an 8m extendable lead to keep control of Caesar and I'm well my way to becoming a pro at the 'click and yank' method, which is helpful for reeling him in if another dog gets to close.  As I explained before, Caesar has both an electric blue collar, an electric blue head collar an electric blue extension lead.  Why then do people feel that it's acceptable to allow their dogs to run up to him despite the combination of warning signs provided by me and the fact that he is screaming?

Yesterday, on the beach, I came across two women and a very energetic Labrador.  The Labrador was bouncing around the beach reasonably far from them as they chatted and wandered along.  Gemma was off her lead and, as a rule, is very good with other dogs but as she has been known to be defensive if they approach her, I quickly snapped her lead back onto her harness.  It took two seconds but it was a good job that I did!  The Labrador bounded up and put its young face uncomfortable close Gemmas.  She barked a warning at it but it paid no attention.  By this time, Caesar was inconsolable and was spinning in circles, wrapping me up in his lead as he did.  This odd behaviour interested the Labrador and he instantly moved his focus onto Caesar.  For a while, he followed us along the beach to the tune of Caesar's barking, howling and screaming without a word from his owner to bring him back. Sometimes I wished that I was more outspoken and could just march up to the couple and explain that every time something like this happens, it has a negative impact on Caesar, who was beginning to manage to ignore dogs who were running close by.  I wanted to shout at them all of the things we've been through to try to get him to accept other dogs.  How, unbelievably, we'd just sat in a cafe with a dog at the next table and he hadn't screeched or tried to get to it.  And how this major improvement may just have been undone by the fact that she was too busy talking to her friend to do anything about her out of control dog.  Of course, I didn't say anything.  

I'd learnt a few weeks after adopting Caesar, how ignorant people can be to dogs with his disposition.  As I had stepped down onto the beach one spring morning, I was relieved to see there was only a few people out walking their dogs but, as the tide was out, they were a safe distance away.  The nearest person was by the sea with two Golden Retrievers that were chasing each other back and forth.  Despite their distance, Caesar noticed them immediately and began to screech.  The next moment, the two Golden Retrievers were sprinting up the beach towards us, their owner was a dot in the distance.  My dad grabbed Caesar who was now struggling and writhing on the end of his lead and called to the man to 'bring his dogs under control please.'  I couldn't believe it when moments later the man began marching up the beach towards us, he was yelling something at me that I couldn't make out.  The dogs were either side of Caesar and were sniffing around at him.  Caesar was howling so loudly that it was impossible to hear the subject of the stranger's shouting.  As he moved closer, I suddenly realised the horrifying truth behind his yells "dog's like THAT shouldn't be in a public place like THIS!" he yelled at point blank range.  "You're dog is out of control!  Get it off the beach!"  I felt a lump start to form in my throat as I took Caesar's lead and marched him back across the sand.  I had garbled something about rescue dogs and unfair comments but the stranger replied with equally painful comments about Caesar's breed and nature.  

The truth is, many dogs are not bomb proof and dogs like these Labradors may well end up being injured by a dog who is on lead and, as much as possible, under control.  My heart truly goes to other owners who struggle with an anxious dog as, on this day, I learnt how cruel and arrogant people can be.  Luckily, as I previously stated, Caesar does not appear to be aggressive towards other dogs and I've never seen him attempt to hurt one.  However, there are plenty of dogs that, given a stressful situation such as this, would.  It was months before I braved the beach again.

A fantastic website for dogs with similar problems to Caesar is www.yellowdog.co.uk and, if the screaming alone does not do it, indicates to other dogs that your pooch needs space.  Caesar and I are awaiting our first yellow dog jacket.  It makes me sad as his behaviour around people is impeccable and the coat may mean that he loses the opportunity for a fuss but I have concluded that it may well be worth it.

Does your dog have any phobias?  Do you know a dog that does?  Have you ever heard of or used Yellow Dog?  I'd love to hear your comments.

Softening the edges

Initial reactions to Caesar vary dramatically, from comments about his good looks and handsome face to people lifting their children from the ground close to him or crossing the road.  Some people get angry that others can be so narrow minded towards certain breeds but I feel sorry for them.  I remember one mum taking her son by the hand as he pointed at Caesar and chorused "doggy, mummy, doggy!"  I smiled at her as she told him, "yes, but we don't just go and stroke doggies."  Sensible advice if you ask me and I agree entirely.  What upset me was that, a little further along the street stood a man with two border collies.  "Go and stroke those doggies instead," she advised, pushing her son in the direction of the dogs.  "They're beautiful," she said to the owner, as the dogs bustled around her little boy.  Caesar sat calmly by my feet never moving an inch but something about him had warned her away.  I looked down, seeing only his floppy ears and wide brown eyes.  I saw nothing in him that looked at all unnerving.

As I drove home, I suddenly remembered the first picture that I ever saw of Caesar.  I remembered how I felt intimidated by the aloof looking dog in the photo.  I remember how my parents had questioned my motives for choosing 'that dog' when I showed his picture to them.  I remembered how I'd asked myself the same question.  His nature had won me over almost instantly and from that moment, his looks didn't worry me too much at all.  In fact, the longer I know him, the more I see a placid, gentle and friendly face and it's hard to see anything else.

Part of Caesar's problem is that he has an extreme reaction to other dogs and it takes him a long time to calm himself after he has seen an unknown dog, particularly if it is off the lead.  His noise level and energy draw the attention of passers by who generally move as far away as possible Recently, we visited a town where a dog had been left tied outside a shop at one end of the high street.  As we walked towards said dog, Caesar literally parted the crowds who walked at either side while we walked through the middle.  It's embarrassing!

I set about softening Caesar's edges fairly soon after his adoption.  I began by replacing his thick black head collar with an electric blue head collar with bright yellow puppies on.  But I did not stop there.  I also bought Caesar an electric blue Superman collar to match.  'It's impossible to look intimidating when you're wearing a Superman Collar'  I thought.  Of course, being Caesar, the Superman collar lasted around three days before he'd scratched it so much that the ink came off, leaving white marks all over Superman's face but in the first 72 hours of owning it, we got at least a few 'aww's.  Next, we purchased a red spotted dickey-bow and matching  fabric collar thus converting him into the perfect gentleman.  This had a more pronounced effect and people stopped to ask me where we got it and spent a minute fussing him, even when he was being noisy.  By Christmas, Caesar had a further "Ho Ho Ho" collar featuring a small sledge and reindeer, a reindeer jumper and matching red leg warmers.  Could people possibly find him intimidating in this?  Surely if the dog that is coming towards you screeching and yelling, is wearing a reindeer jumper and leg warmers then that makes them at least half as intimidating.  Doesn't it?

Now, Caesar has an array of 'edge softening' paraphernalia including:

• A batman collar
• A superman collar
• Two dickey-bow ties
• A "Ho ho ho" Christmas collar
• A Scooby Doo collar
• A set of leg warmers
• A few t-shirts including "Best pal" 
• A blue bone fleece
• A fleece hoodie with friendly looking dog bones on

I refer to him by his collar bound name when he begins to play up in public, lightening my tone with phrases such as "Come on Scoobs" or "Let's go Rudolph!"  People smile so I suppose it must work.  Either that or they think I'm totally mad...

I'd love to hear you thoughts on dog accessories.  Do you agree, disagree or are you neither for nor against.  Let me know with a comment.

Thanks to Brown Bee Collars and Classet Comfort Pet Designs for the beautiful collars.