Where are we with Finlay now? I think he is at the unruly teenager stage, he is still very much a puppy but at the same time he does show signs of growing up. So one day he will almost convince you that the rampaging puppy stage is passed, but then he's off again being a little devil.....both frustrating and gorgeous in equal measure!
Scuffing, he's now doing it. You know that thing that dogs do after they've been to the toilet, they scuff their back legs to scatter the scent? Well Finlay has learned that trick, he does it with such verve and vigour at the moment that he almost jumps up and down as he does it. It is a new thing and he is making the most of it. A definite growing up sign.
Loving people and dogs. He is showing no sign of being any less friendly, he LOVES everyone he meets and every dog he meets. It doesn't matter to him if the dog tells him off a bit for being a bit full on and in a dogs face, he just takes it in his stride and carries on. He has never had a harsh word to say to another dog, just smiles and wags. Long may that continue. Everyone he meets get that "look" where he smiles and wags and he is quite put out when he meets a non-dog loving person who just walks by without saying hello. Aloof he certainly is not. He goes to my dad's care home most weeks to visit, my dad loves to see him and he loves it there. He gets to broaden the Finlay fan club membership and get spoilt.
Sensitive to noise. He still reacts to odd sounds, particularly on the TV. We recorded all the recent Crufts progs on the telly, but haven't been able to watch most of them because Finlay either hears the woofs or just sees dogs on the screen and tries to jump through the television screen, which isn't really desired behaviour! I put some music on fairly loud the other day and that wasn't well received either, perhaps this will improve with time.
Noisy....he does still enjoy the sound of his own woof. He will go out into the garden and sometimes he will woof in reply to another dog woofing or sometimes it seems like he will go out into the garden and woof just to see if he gets a response. This is rather annoying when it is 11pm and you really don't want your dog waking the neighbourhood. He can be very difficult to shut up too. He is a verbal boy.....
Outdoors....perhaps because of his genetic makeup, being both Tibetan and bred in Scotland, he loves being outdoors. The first thing he will do when coming in from a walk is go to the back door and ask to go out. He very much enjoys being outdoors. The last few days where the weather has been better, we have been out tidying the garden a bit and Finlay is there too enjoying mooching around his patch. I say mooching, this also involves being very annoying and destroying virtually every cane we own, tugging off chunks of bush such as our Hebe, ripping up mouthfuls of grass. Our previous Tibbies used to only eat grass when they were a bit unwell, grass eating often was soon followed by being sick. However Finlay seems to enjoy eating grass....and I hope I'm not speaking too soon by saying he has almost NEVER been sick, ever.
Food....we are still feeding him raw. It seems to agree with him, he is picky though and will still have days when he doesn't want to eat much. But experience says that dogs, as long as they are healthy, won't starve themselves, so if they don't eat that much for a couple of days then they will catch up at some point. The previous couple of weeks, food has been inhaled. We are still a bit fastidious about cleaning up after feeding raw chicken/turkey/beef, but the nice thing is what comes out the other end.....I.e. not very much volume compared to feeding kibble and it is pretty innocuous stuff, not smelly at all!!
Fur....he is starting to get his adult coat and losing some of his puppy fluff. He has a way to go yet, but he really does have an amazing coat on him, it makes him look twice as big as he really is. Brushing him yesterday, Deb was getting a lot of fluff out, so it looks like the transition is starting.
Lap dog. We've had two previous Tibbies and neither was what you would call a lap dog. they had their moments when if they felt like it they would sit on your lap, but you couldn't 'expect' it. Finlay is similar except up until recently he really hadn't come up much for a cuddle. He has done a few times lately, and seems to quite enjoy it, but he is equally at home hiding behind the sofa or laying on his own in his own space. I find this quite endearing, whilst it is lovely to get some time cuddling your Tibbie, I like that they are their own dog and like their own space. In fact if he is settled somewhere and I go and join him on the floor, he is just as likely to huff and walk off :-) (but if you own a Tibbie, you already know the "huff").
Here's a recent picture of Finlay, he had been running around Titchfield Abbey like a mad dog enjoying himself, hence the blades of grass on his chin and chest. Look into those eyes, I guarantee they will melt your heart!
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| I've been charging around a grassy field, I'm a bit puffed |
I saw a debate on the Tibetan Spaniel Association Facebook page recently, this is apparently a "Sploot", where the back legs are splayed out behind the Tibbie. Finlay does it a lot. This was after returning from a long walk, but refusing to come back into the house, this also happens often!
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| A "Sploot" |
Our previous Tibbies used to get mad at the side gate, they could hear something but not see it. So we made them a window and they were happy. Finlay also loves his window, he watches the world go by quite happily. There are thick metal bars over the window to deter naughty Tibbie teeth!
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| Checking the view from my window |
