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I always intended to get Bliss Spade asap. At 6 months of age she had her first season... which went really well. I've seen Bliss develop into a real character; cheeky but very obediant.
The time has come for her op... which is this friday..
I really have mixed feelings about getting Bliss spade. I know that for health reasons she should have the op... but I am afraid that it will alter her character.. change her.
I don't think I would ever breed Bliss.. even though I think she would make an excelent mother. I would not have the time.. and I would never. in a million years, be ale to give any of the pups up! I would be up to my ankles in puppy poo in no time!

Anyone have any advice as to what to expect after. Any tips wopuld be most welcome!

Tags: Bliss Spade

We have now had Bliss around six and a half months now..... and it has been such a rewarding process.
Thats not to say tha.t it hasn't been without its tribes and tribulations........ as anyone who has brought up a puppy from an early age.

Bliss is not destructive at all around the house.... but she has taken to digging holes in the garden lawn...

Another habit Bliss has got into is rolling around in things she really shouldn't. Bliss occasionally rolls in poo..  be it rabbit, fox (the worst) or other dog mess. She has even rolled around on rotting seafood shells left over from someones BBQ in the field no doubt. Sometimes she just rolls around on the grass..... I guess she just loves doing it.

Our friends from Oz came to stay with us and absolutely adored Bliss.. and were amazed how calm and obediant she was.

Bliss is still finding her limits..... whilst playing with another dog in the park a couple of days ago she started limping. this was really bad yesterday and she was in quite some pain today... so off to the vet she went. Luckily is muscular rather than structural... so a week off walking and minimum amount of exercise. Bliss was also prescribed some anti-inflamatories to be taken with food. Hopefully she will get better soon... as she was desperate for a walk earlier and we couldn't take her on one.

anyway.. enough ramblings... here some pics:


Bliss and I on the bean bag.... I think she's getting a bit big for my lap now!

Tags: Bliss

Its been a few weeks since my last blog so here is an update on Bliss.

Above: Bliss is getting big

Bliss is getting bigger and bigger! She now weighs 17.5 Kg... at 6 months.. so in just over 3 months Bliss has put on a staggering 7kg's.

Snow Joke!

Bliss experienced a real dumping of snow the other weekend... and she loved it. She was like a mad columbian in a Cocain Factory... sniffing and eating up the snow using her snout as a plough...

I swear she stopped every couple of mins becasue she had a brain freeze.. (like if you eat ice cream too quick).

Puppy Training Classes:
We have been to five so far and they have been a great help. I think Bliss is top of the class as she performs all the tasks very well..

General Socialisation:
99% of people I meet adore Bliss. Its become the norm. My family are constantly amazed at the fuss she gets from strangers when out on walks.

Tis the season.....
The last few weeks have been a real 'is she' 'isn't she' affair. We got final confirmation this morning when I found some large blood spots on the vet bed in her cage. I tried poping the lil shorts on but she clearly likes it to all 'hang out'.
The signs were all there as Bliss has been acting a tad weird... sitting in the corridor sighing when we are in the kitchen or the lounge.... and she has been very clingy... wanting to sit with you all the time. TBH I'm glad as it explains a bit of the strange behaviour.

Mr Whippy
Theres been a bit of a bug going round our area with the cannine fraternity.... the old 'Mr Whippy' or 'Squits'.
Our friends dog went down very badly to this bug.. needing 48hrs in the care of the vet to rehydrate.
So when Bliss's stools were .. for want of a better word.. 'lacking consistancy' we were a bit worried. It was rather puzzling as the stool form itself was appearing inconsistantly... mornings were OK but any other poo's were extremly runny.

We went through the facts:

She had been wormed 8 days previous witha strong wormer.. ruling out any parasites
Her diet had not been changed; she has always been on the dry food
She had not had any additional foods
Although Bliss was putting on weight, we could see har Ribs very clearly (more than normal comparing pics)

We consulted the vet after a couple of days (as she was cutting some seriously smelly cheese (parping).. who gave us some antibiotics.

After being on these for over two days I think we may have hit the nail on the head as we are back to the good old rigid number 2's. Yay!

 

Tags: Bliss Diamond Diva

Its been a busy  and exciting week here at tonytiges towers, so time for an update. s

Classes            &nb sp;   
Bliss experienced her first training class last wednesday. The class went really well. She was the only staffi in her class and was not one of the youongest either. There were six other dogs, all female and Bliss was very excited when we first went in and met her other K9 pals.
She settled quickly and obediantly sat down whilst the trainer gained a good background on routine, food etc...
I must say that everything the women said about diet routine etc... backed up advice the forum has given me... so we looked like we knew what we were doing ;-)

The class itself began with clicker training and we worked on sit and liedown... and some jumping up work which Bliss desperatly needs to work on as she is terribly nosey.
There was one problem and that was cheese. We came with her fave treats, but after the women had given her some cheese Bliss only wanted cheese and was not interested in our treats.... LOL
Lots of things to work on ... and five more classes to go......

Meeting the rest of the family
We went to a christening of my four month old neice at the weekend in Ludlow, Shropshire. It was a chance for the rest of the family to meet Bliss for the first time. We hired a nice cottage in the countryside with my other Brother and his family. Bliss had not met my Brother before but she just tok it in her stride (as usual).


Poor Bliss had a little bit of an upset tummy most of the weekend but loved the long walks, everything was new to her... theviews, the smells and the sounds.

 

We had to keep her on her 5m extender as she is not very good at recall at the moment and we were frightened she would run off. She stared at the free range chickens and the sheep and cows and enjoyed looking into the pond water.... probably at the staff looking back at her (she is hilariouse in front of a mirror).

Bliss did get a little too close to a free range chicken that had escaped its pen... but with the extender she was soon hauled in.
Bliss also met my Brothers young five yr old boy Max. She loved just running after him and playing tug.

Bliss is an excellent traveler. She sat in the back of the car with her harness on and just lied down and took the chance to catch up on some much needed sleep..... whilst gassing Lee and I... LOL

 

Tags: Bliss

 

Just thought I'd update you all on how Bliss is growing.

I've been tracking height, weight, collar size and length from nose to base of tail.

Bliss is growing up sooo quickly. Whenever I go away for a couple of days and come back.. she always looks as if she has grown.

She has a tiny bit of Puppy acne, but I leave the 2-3 spots she has and they soon harden over and disappear after a few days.

As you can see she is growing up quite nicely...

Lots of you have commented that Bliss is looking like such a gorgeous girl. Well.. she is. She has great temperament who just loves to play.. both with other dogs and other people!

Thanks for everyones kind words, help and advice over the past few weeks.... your all much appreciated. 

Thanks for looking.....
Lots of picture on my profile....

Ant, Lee and Bliss

Tags: Bliss Weight Tracker

 

I think we all know that weather wise, saturday was quite a lovely day. Lee and I decided to go down to Littlehampton to visit the parents and take Bliss to the beach. I've not been to the beach here since I was little....

Bliss was awash with lots of new smells at the beach. We kept her on the long lead as it was very busy along the front; people everywhere, kids and of course... other dogs.

Bliss watched with great interest, a staffie getting very excited/frustrated at a car tyre that had washed up on the beach.

She also seemed to like the sand (when there was some sand). She didn't like the sound of the waves and didn't go into the water... but she was obviously excited y all the activity.

We walked along the front and I was amazed at the sheer number of Staffies that were out. There were alot of dogs... but around 70% of them were staffies.... and I must note Bliss was very well behaved. She does want to say hello to some dogs but is totally submissive... where most staffies we saw were pulling and snarling/barking/aggressive.... my parents were amazed at Bliss's calm manor!

Bliss received so much attention on the way back... lots of people of all ages including children commenting positively on her and petting her. A few parents asked if their little children could pet them; I told Bliss Sit......wait... the kids stroked her body... she eyed them up for licking... and then I treated her.

We walked a fair way along the front... possibly a little too far.. and by the end Bliss was visibly tired... and I'm sure she kept tryong to jump up at me trying to get me to pick her up and carry her.. LOL.

We gave her a good drink at the car.... and drove home.

She had a little play back at my parents house... then fell asleep in her bed and snored for ages.....

 

Tags: Bliss Beach

TBH, I've always wondered about those who come on the forum and rant about 'anothor member of the public' having a go at their dog(s). I've always wondered what riles them and motivates them so much to write it down for others to see.
I've taken Bliss out on walks at least twice a day... give or take... and never.. and I mean NEVER.. had a complaint about her. Its always been, 'ahhh what a gorg dog', 'ahhh what a beutiful colour'. She has jumped up at a small child... but the child wasn't that scared and when I sat Bliss down, the child came over and stroked Bliss... to show the child and Bliss that this was the correct way for them to meet.
Well, today was a bit different. I've had an hour to calm down; had a cuppa tea and a biscuit, and now decided to join the ranks of people who rant about members of the public slagging off their dog and themselves as owners of a for mentioned dog(s).

It was like any other walk down at our local park. Bliss walks there alot, and usually plays with other regulars. We know which dogs we need to put Bliss on the lead for, and which dogs to avoid at all costs.

We were coming to the end of our walk, and we were about to recall Bliss to the lead. Then one of the usual dogs she socialises with in the park appeared 50m to our right, but was not being walked by its regular owner but the owners mother.. who we will now refer to as The Old Bat or TOB for short.
Now Lee recalled Bliss and offered a treat, but Bliss was off like a shot in the opposite direction, but upon the next recall, Bliss just sat down half way, looking straight at its friend. Now we didn't know TOB, and so We decided to walk in the opposite direction so Bliss would follow, but she decided she wanted to say hello to her friend and this new person....
We then walked rather quickly  towards TOB and her dog. Bliss was doing what she usually does, playing and jumping over the dog and then she did jump up at TOB and rolled around on her back at her feet to show her belly to TOB.

Now... you've probably all been there.... and know whats coming....

TOB hauled a barage of abuse at Bliss telling her to go away, then aimed abuse at me as I approached. Now I am relatively a cool, calm person, and it takes alot for me to lose my temper.

I apologised: 'I'm very sorry'... as Bliss disappeared into the nearby bushes.

TOB: **in Pigmalian voice** 'Blaady thinn shud b onna leessh.... look wots its dun tu mi traaasers'

Anthony looks at black trousers which are absolutly spotless.. not a mark on them.

TOB: **in Pigmalian voice** 'Dogs arr fur Leeshes.... mumble grumble'

Anthony: I'm really really sorry....

TOB: **in Pigmalian voice** 'So u shud b... mumble grumble grumble'

Anthony: I've said I'm sorry... what more do you want? She's just a puppy?

Now.... what occured next I'm still drawing a blank over.... maybe it was like a three strikes thing... but whatever she said.... OOOH IT MADE ME MAD.... and I can only remember this part in a silent movie kinda way... so here goes....

TOM gives barrage of abuse

Anthony gives as good as he gets

Lee gets Bliss back on the lead and ends up walking in the same direction as TOB but 10m behind....

Anthony's blood is still boiling... he still very mad!

TOB notices they are all going the same way and stops to let them past. As they pass she gives them the most shitty stare in the world and continues mumbling....

Anthony: 'I can still hear you mumbling....'

TOB turns and walks in opposite direction...

TOB: 'Mumble Mumble Mumble'

FIN

BUT! Here is the interesting bit. I was really angry... bubbling over and the more I thought about it the more I wanted to go back and give full barrels again!
But Bliss was a totally different dog walking back to the car and on the way home. I'm pretty sure she could sense I was angry and was suddenly on ultra best beghaviour. When we got in she went straight into her pen and sat there...

So what have we learnt from this?

1). Bliss needs to work on her recall.... we've already enrolled her into classes starting in Feb. She is great on recall in the house and in the garden and even out in the park... but when distracted... its a different story... and normally if she did this when the other owner was walking the dog.. she would get a very different reception.... however... thats not a good enough excuse... she needs to learn!

2). I am not proud of the reaction and know it just aggravates the situation.... but after two apologies were met by abuse...??? No.. still not good enough. Just apologise and walk away if you can.



...... I do feel better now.....

Tags: Bliss Walking Rant

I'm sure i am obsessed....
Whenever I take up a new hobby or new sport or new fad or new project.... I make sure I have read up on everything and have all the best tools for the job.
Bliss is no exception; on receiving her i'd already read a book on staffs cover 2 cover and bought most of the necessary items needed to home a new puppy.
I read and spoke to past and present staffie owners, especially one of my friends... who came with me to meet bliss on our first visit.
I am obssesed with raising bliss the correct way... To maintain a healthy condition.
We have been monitoing her growth closely since she has been with us... And in pure project management  (obsessive?) style, i have an excel spreadsheet monitoring weight and height.
By monitoring this we can physically see how quickly she is growing.
We check her daily for marks... scratches, aches, pains, tender spots etc...... Just to make sure she is ok. I even bought a first aid kit for her.... As we will probably be going away on holidays and trips to see friends.... And i am obsessed with being prepared for every scenario.
i guess i just want bliss to be the happiest doggie in the world.... :-)

Tags: Bliss Weight

We gave Bliss her monthly worm treatment this morning. TBH I was a little bit wary about it as I had to go to work for a few hours and wasn't sure how she would react to the treatment.

I got up early and read all the instructons carefully... through very blurry eyes.

We had been given Panacur for the treatment by the Vets. I'd quizzed him about what it gets rid of.. and he was sure it pretty much ticked all the boxes.

I gave Bliss 1.5 tablets... they smelt of oxo cubes.. very beefy... and they didn't touch the sides... gone straight away.

I then gave Bliss her breakfast...

Bliss did her usually take a few mouthfuls ... then comes over to see whats going on. We ignore her and she goes back to her breakfast. This time however... she ate a little breaky... and then was a little sick on the lounge floor.. but then hoovered it up before I could clean it up.... I cleaned the carpet. And tentativly watched Bliss eat the rest of her breakfast.

I then took her for a walk and then got ready for work and left.....

Lee... my OH watched over her.... even spending some time training... no further episodes of being sick (regurgatation) and no messy poo's round the house... something I had envisaged.

On my return I worked on her training some more, then some playing and then we spent some time cuddling on the beanbag whilst we watched TV.

I'm away in Glasgow the next few days so I'm gonna miss out on training, playing and cuddles from bliss :-(

Well... Its all down to Lee for the next few days. She will pick up the mantle with the training and playing.... and cuddles.

Someones got to pay the bills... ;-)

Ant, Lee and Bliss

Tags: Worming Bliss

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