Bosun (our tri-colored Border Collie puppy)

May

May 1st 2006

Snuggles was up and waiting on the floor to greet Bo this morning. That is unusual for her as she usually watches from the safety of her basket. She could see Bo coming and she still waited, greeting him when the door opened and then climbing into her basket. She waited untill we came back from our walk before going outside herself and at that time she made sure Bo wasn't watching her as she did not want to be chased!

Bo likes playing with brushes. If you are going to brush anywhere he is there to "help"!!! Here he is on May 1st with a broom that he has taken away from his owner!

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This is Bosun's favourite place in the kitchen.(under the counter top) He usually places himself there and as you can see he relaxes and goes to sleep. This picture was taken at noon on May 1st!

I had to go out in the car and Jaxx and Bosun came with me. However, Bosun hasn't been in the cage for some days in the car and today he managed to climb over the back seat and get near to me when I was driving. I was NOT impressed! I had to stop and put him back several times. I hope he gets the message soon and stays in the back!

May 2nd.

I woke late today. I had been awake at 3am as Bo barked and we went outside then for his pee. However on waking at 6-30 I realised I had overslept but Bosun hadn't. He had left me a parcel in the bedroom. I had best not oversleep again!

Today Bosun discovered the delights of playing with a ball in the garden. He is reluctant to give it up but might come to realise the game is best when he relinquishes the ball and the chase starts again!

Bo climbed the stairs today for the first time. I was taking laundry up and was holding treats as well. Then I had to put the laundry down so I could stand behind Bo to make sure he didn't fall down the stairs as once started he could only go up.

Bo does not like to eat in his cage except first thing in the morning when Jaxx is not yet up. At other times he wants to eat in the kitchen where Jaxx eats. He also wants to eat what Jaxx eats but Jaxx lets him know who is boss!

May 3rd

Lunch time today and Bo had his first raw egg with his dried food. He loved it! Bosun ate his food in the bowl beside Jaxx.

May 4th

Bosun slept through the night from 11 pm till 5-40am! Great!

May 5th

Bosun woke twice in the night ... 2-30am and 5-30 am and then I went back to bed before getting up at 7-30am. When he wakes I take him outside and as son as I bring him inside he is back in his basket and asleep before long.

I have put Bosun in a halter and whenever I need to do stuff around the farm I attach Bosun to a tether. The tether has a metal corkscrew that buries in the ground and a fifteen foot length of tether that attaches to Bo's collar or halter.

It was too hot in the afternoon to leave Bo and Jaxx in the field under the table so I left them in the secure stable area which is specially fenced off for our dogs (it was made for Otis and Jaxx but unfortunately it didn't keep Otis in.. he woudl climb OVER the fence). The dogs can go in the stable for shade if they want and have a water container there too.

One accident in the house today from Bo.

Saturday May 6th 2006 - Bosun is 11 weeks old today

Bosun slept through the night from Midnight to 6-30am.

In these photos you can see Bosun playing with water; Bosun and Jaxx playing; and Bosun sitting watching what Jaxx in the distance is doing!

Evening time and Jaxx and Bo have had another session of being very friendly with each other, smelling each other and playing together.

May 7th

Bosun slept through the night again from midnight till 7 am.

Bosun climbed the stairs again with encouragement but he shows no desire to come down them. In fact he seems afraid to go near the top of the stairs.

Bosun no longer cries at all when we go out in the car.

May 8th

Bosun slept through from 11 pm till nearly 6 am.

After his early morning visit outside he climbed the stairs again, beginning reluctantly but very pleased with himself when he got to the top!

Bosun knows "sit" and "down" but only "come" when he chooses! If he is busy with Jaxx investigating he somehow doesn't seem to hear me!!! He likes to play ball now, enjoying the chase.

May 9th

Bo's routine now is to sleep through the night and waking about 6am.

He is becomming more agile at climbing the stairs though he still won't attempt the going down.

I am able to leave him in the enclosed stable area with Jaxx for longer periods of time. When I return we usually play games together, throwing the ball or have a fun session of learning... sit, come, down, heel.

Each day I am reminded that having a puppy is very similar to having a toddler!! Whenever I get the small hand brush or the bigger broom out there is Bo eager to help. He doesn't wait to be invited but rushes in with all feet, following the brush and scattering the dust and dirt around!!Also the same with the ironing. He is eager to help pull the clothes off the ironing board. Eager to help fold them and even to carry them upstairs and put them away (in his basket!!). Just like a toddler you cannot afford to take your eyes off him in case he decides to help in his own way!

May 10th

Just as I think we are into a night routine Bosun shows me it is not the case! I woke at 5-30 this morning and Bo was already awake and had peed and pooed. Hmm. I had slept through all his signs of needing to go outside.

Bosun climbed the stairs completely on his own, and without following me. He had a bone that he wanted to hide, and he obviously thought that upstairs was a good place. I followed him up at a distance and saw him hide it in the bedroom. Plus I had to carry him downstairs so knew I had to be at the top of the stairs for him. He is obviously frightened at the top of the stairs and is nowhere near ready to come down on his own. However I saw him climb a few stairs later and then come down those three on his own. He will soon be there and climbing down on his own!

May 11th

Well it wasn't Bosun who woke me at 5-15 this morning! It was jaxx!! So Bo came outside at the same time, then we went back to bed for an hour or so. Later Bo went out again then came in for his breakfast in his cage while I dressed. Later again we went out for a walk around the farm and Bo and I did some training as we walked. He 'heeled' nicely off leash, 'came,' 'sat' and did 'down' to commands nicely.

While I was busy cleaning the stairs this morning Bosun decided to help and he re-discovered one of his bones, so I threw it up the stairs a little way. He went after it, realised he was up some stairs and very carefully came down on his own. It won't be long before he is confident on the stairs!

My husband arrived home this evening and Bosun remembered who he was as he didn't bark when he arrived. He was delighted to see him and waited to be petted.

Bosun is climbing up stairs happily on his own now, though he keeps to one side, I guess for security.

May 12th 2006.

We walked round the whole property this morning and Bo and Jaxx got to meet Shep, our neighbour's black labrador cross, a gentle eight year old. Bo barked and wagged his tail happily. Shep didn't bark back but went up to greet our two dogs, even though Jaxx was barking loudly and Bo was joining in.

Bo is happy in the car these days and makes no whining noises, instead settles happily.

Saturday May 13th - Bosun is 12 weeks old today

Bo has helped all day round the farm, and come with us in the car happily. He was excellent at his commands this morning, performing all eagerly and being the perfect puppy...He 'came', 'sat', 'heeled', and went 'down' all to order and in different situations.

May 14th.

Bo was up at six for his usual outside visit, and then he came back to the bedroom to his basket while I had another hours' sleep. The next time we went down the stairs Bosun was at the top, looking down, and not the frightened puppy of yesterday at the top of the stairs! Climbing stairs has given him confidence! I sat on the top stair and Bo came gingerly down the first step, then with confidence down the rest of them!!

Later when we went for our walk around the field he was involved in what Jaxx was doing and was the opposite of the perfect puppy of yesterday, ignoring commands to 'come' completely!!!! I decided to leave his training session till later!

May 15th

Today Bosun went to the vets for his 12 weeks injections. He was weighed (just under ten kgs, about 22 pounds) and given his injection, which he didn't seem to mind very much.

When we got back home Jaxx was waiting on the doorstep having dug his way under the gate to the barn area.

Later that evening I put both dogs in the barn area while I started mowing the back field. Jaxx didn't take long to escape and joined me on the back field. Whenever I drove past the barn area I could see Bosun safely inside, and if he wasn't in view the first time round he was in view the next! Later there he was in the field, racing towards me. Free!!! And pleased with himself! The mowing stopped! I will have to do that when they are both safe!

May 16th

I had to go to Castlegar and leave both dogs behind since it was about thirty degrees outside. Far too hot to leave the boys in the car while I was inside. So, since the barn area was not safe to leave them in, I left them both in the utility room. I moved Bosun's cage there, and he was settled in it, with the door open, long before I left. I was gone for four hours and both dogs seemed to be still happy and content when I returned.

May 17th

Bosun decided to enjoy the soil in the field in the evening when I was moving the irrigation pipes around. He dug a hole near one of the pipes; it was already filling with water and he dug and rolled and got very very messy and dirty. I had to hose him down afterwards!!! Then later he gave himself a dust bath with all his running around!

May 18th

When I woke this morning there was Bosun in Jaxx's basket, sound asleep with his head rolling over the side; Jaxx was sleeping in Bosun's basket, spread out with plenty of room to move; and Ben was downstairs in the utility room sleeping in Bosun's cage very contently! Snuggles was the only one in her own basket!

May 19th

These last few days Bosun has enjoyed playing with the hose pipes when the water is coming out of them. He gets his mouth over the end and water drips off him! He even goes diving into the bucket for the end of the hose when the bucket is being filled with water!

I bought two child-gates today, one for the opening to the lounge, the other for the opening to the dining room. It's not so much that I want to stop Bosun racing round and round in the evening, in his lively time, but more a matter of protecting the legs of the furniture while Bo is in his chewing phase. We have many more months of chewing I think and although he has lots of chew toys and raw hide bones, at times the furniture seems more appealing to him!

This picture was taken on may 19th in the afternoon:

May 20th 2006 - Bosun is 13 weeks old today

Bo now is able to climb up onto our bed without any help.

May 23rd

This weekend Bo was not well behaved off leash. He even went onto the road beside the farm and would not come when called. So until he is trained he will have to be on leash except when in the enclosed Barn area. He seemed to have re-verted to not understanding that the outside was his toilet area. We had three poops and three pees inside in one day. I was busy and didn't read his signals, plus on two occasions he came inside and then performed. Today he has been excellent and so far no accidents in the house. We are working on the command "wait" and is slowly increasing his wait time (he is up to about five seconds max now!..so still has a long way to go!!) He is not always consistent with "sit" or "down" especially if it is in a different context or situation. However he is getting better at sitting to command before going out the door or gate.

May 27th 2006 - Bosun is 14 weeks old today

We are still having accidents in the house, sometimes happening not long after we have come in from outside.

Bo can "wait" on command now for up to 20 seconds, depending on the mood he is in! We are still working on "sit", "come", "down" and have begun work on "fetch" and "bring".

May 28th

Bo has found out how to climb!!! He climbed onto a box, onto the cat's basket and onto the washing machine!! Once there he delighted in the cats' food that was in their dishes! Short lived however as the dishes miraculously disappeared! Ther eis no way he could get himself down from that height as he still won't jump down from the back of the car!!So I didn't let him try to find his own way down... I lifted him.

May 31st

When we are on the back field these last few days Bosun and I have been playing ball. He loves it. He chases the ball, gets it and lays down to guard it. At times he will bring it to me, but I don't ask him to do this every time as he has so much fun running and chasing and the bringing is still happening only sometimes.

Go back to animals page.
Go here to find out about Ben.
Go here to find out about Jaxx.
Go here to find out about Snuggles.
Go here to find out about Otis.
Go here to find out about Cosmo.