Back again!

Well yet again I've not kept up with this on a regular basis so I doubt there will be anyone still reading it but just in case there is we're still here.

Neo is a year old now!

He is doing well except for a bit of a tummy problem which we're working on. We've had to take him off his usual kibble as he was vomiting at least once a day so he had a few weeks of chix and rice and is now happily eating chix mince and a mixer. Hes not lost any condition and never once showed any signs of being unwell so its all a bit of a mystery. The vomiting still happens but only once or twice a week and is a small percentage of the meal he ate the night before so we're going to continue as we are for now.

Unfortunatly a few days after I last wrote I had to have my cat put down, it was very sad, he'd been with me through a lot and I miss him very much as did Neo, because Neo seemed very down without Tiger around we found him a new playmate a bit sooner than I would probably have done if we'd not had Neo.



Devon, has made himself very much at home and him and Neo are becoming firm friends, providing of course Neo gives him plenty of respect!

Neo is still enjoying his dog classes, except last weeks which I completely forgot about until my friend Bev sent me a text the next morning asking if I was ok!
Its the Christmas Party tomorrow evening and Neo has been bought a set of reindeer antlers which hes not too happy about so don't expect them to stay on for very long!

Whenever I try to vaccum this rug Neo appears to cause havoc! When I finally managed to finish he immediately fetched his bone and set about providing the next lot of dirt for me to vaccum!

Better late than never!

How lazy i've been, can't believe i've not posted since the begining of July!
Neo is doing very well, hes had another growth spurt, his head is huge and his paws as big as my palms but the more he grows the softer he gets!!
Hes had his second holiday last week, we went to the Pembrokeshire coast for a week. The accommodation wasen't as ideal as the one we had in Norfolk as there was nowhere to let him out to wander around on his own, we just had a small veranda which wasen't enclosed. We had to drive 20 to 30 mins for the nearest suitable beach, not spoilt like were were in Norfolk with the beach a five min walk from the bungalow. It took us a couple of days to settle into it but we explored in the car and found some lovely walks and beaches, at least when we go back to the area we will know the places to go. He was very well behaved as always and took no time at all to settle into the cabin, he was rarely left alone, a couple of hours a couple of evenings when we went out to eat, he was probably glad to see the back of us for a while!
It was a longer journey this time but he handled it very well so perhaps next time we can venture further afield.
We've started attending a new dog class, during the summer they've run weekly fun sessions which he and his friend Floyd have enjoyed, they've been learning fun stuff like weaving under our legs, playing dead and doing turns while moving forwards, I don't think Neo is going to take up 'dancing' but it was fun to learn a few of the moves. On Monday the real classes begin and he'll be working towards his Silver award. I'm pretty confident he'll do ok as hes mastered most of the required elements of the award, just some rough edges to iron out. Both him and Floyd have taken a fancy to a pretty little spanial there so there will be some muscle flexing going on i'm sure!!
We go on regular walks now with Bev and Floyd, both the dogs love playing together which is great as they've known each other since they were 12 wks old. Neo is very vocal when hes playing and often sounds like hes killing floyd, we get some strange looks when people see them jumping around together, Neo has the brawn and Floyd has the agility so they are well matched. I have now made a new friend in Bev and really enjoy our hour long natter a couple of times a week.
Will post some new photos when I get home on Monday.

He did it.

He passed his 'Bronze Citizen' award last week.
He was such a good boy and did so well considering hes not even 8 months old yet.
We had to demonstrate a controlled walk on the lead around the hall with the others then walk in and out of the others, I was expecting trouble with this as he always wants to sniff and play but with some gentle encouragement we managed it fairly well. His down stay and waiting to go through the gate were all perfect.

I've just read through what is required for the 'silver' award and am now thinking maybe the bronze is enough!!!

A few photos taken by a good friend.

Now I've gone and done it!

The bronze award test is happening next week and I've entered us! Wasn't going to do it this time but hes been doing so well and as its only £2.50 I thought we may as well have a go, whats the worst that can happen! Ok well we could fail but then we've gained the experience for the next time. I'm most worried about the controlled walk bit as his concentration is nil when there are other dogs walking around at the same time, also he has very little interest in playing with his toy when at dog class, more interested in whats going on around him! so getting him to leave his toy on command won't be a problem...... he won't have picked it up!!!


We took him to the East of England Show in Peterborough at the weekend. He was a little over excited to begin with but soon settled and was as good as gold. I use a halti on him when we're in crowds as he does tend to pull and lunge a bit so this gives me a bit more control, the trouble is he dosen't really like it and I don't always need that much control so I was finding myself swapping between the halti and his collar until I discovered the double lead. I had seen people using one and then found a stall selling them. Its great, I can use just enough pressure on the halti when needed but otherwise can leave it loose and just use the collar, no more swapping the clips around.
One of the funniest moments was while we were walking around the livestock sheds. He wasn't keen on the cows so we went to look at the pigs which are all in their own pens. It was a hot day and all of the pigs were laying down asleep so Neo was quite happily sniffing around the pens, I swear he didn't realise there was anything alive in them as he came across one whos snout was poking out under the gate, of course he had to investigate and jumped a mile when the snout moved!! same happened with a trotter sticking out! Thankfully when we left all pigs still had snouts, ears and trotter still attached!!

Oh I almost forgot, hes started cocking his leg much to Brians delight! must be a man thing!!
I noticed he'd started 'marking' a bit a few weeks ago so figured it wouldn't be long, then I got a text while I was at work to inform me he'd finally managed it. Hes still perfecting the art, a bit wobbly but hes getting there (Neo that is not Brian!!)

Home from hols

On our way

First glimpse of the sea







Well Neos' first holiday was an all out success I'm pleased to say, he was an absolute star. The drive up there went ok, he was a little restless to begin with but soon settled, he'd also had his travel sickness tabs. We spent a few hours with my mum and he was very well behaved, explored the house then settled down in front of the fridge until he had to be moved to a more convenient spot in the living room!
When we arrived at the bungalow he had a sniff round then we went for a walk on the beach as I was impatient to see his reaction to the sea and sand.
It was only a 3 min walk to the beach, you had to climb up over a high sand dune and it was great to see his reaction when he reached the top, the brakes went on and he just stood there with tail high and ears forward then practically threw himself down the dune in excitement!!
Up until mid morning the beach was usually deserted so each morning hubby went for a cycle and neo and I had a stroll on the beach, he became a real beach bum! and it was lovely to see him enjoying himself so much, we rarely had to use his lead, if we came across people or other dogs he stayed with us on command so I didn't have to worry about him jumping on some poor unsuspecting sunbather! He loved every minute of it. He wasn't too keen on the sea and would only get his paws wet which suited me fine as didn't fancy having to go rescue him if he decided to go for a swim! He loved the miles of sand and wonderful smells not to mention the digging!



He settled down in the bungalow within a few hours of being there, I was worried about having to leave him alone in a strange place as obviously we couldn't take him everywhere with us but he was fine and slept most of the time he was on his own, can always tell as he meets us at the door with a big stretch and yawn (plus all furniture was still intact!), he was also never left more that a few hours, just enough time for us to go out for dinner a couple of times.
Most of the holiday was spent walking or sitting outside reading while he slept or pottered around the front of the bungalow. Although it wasn't enclosed it was at the top of a dirt track and he quickly learnt how far he was allowed to go so was never out of our sight.
It really is a very dog friendly area with lots of cafes and pubs happy to accommodate him with a bowl of water and some fuss. We were so lucky with the weather, beautiful and sunny but with a coastal breeze to keep us cool. I didn't want to leave and am already planning our next visit! Am just worried now that he'll be bored going back to our 40 min walk on Borough Hill!