Lyle is now fourteen weeks old. Much of the time he, like the little girl with the curl, is very, very good.
He walks off his lead.
He comes back to me if I offer roast chicken. He knows his name and appears to know the command ‘sit’ especially if I have a handful of roast chicken. He grows apace.
He loves visitors and all other dogs. Even if they don’t love him quite as much. His, imported at vast expense, collar sets his golden hue off to perfection.
He aced his first obedience training this morning (with the help of some roast chicken) and made friends with Buddy, another Cockapoo who makes Lyle look like a steroid taking body builder. Perhaps it’s true what the say about big paws.
He loves his food.
He sleeps through the night and has been accident free in his bedroom for simply weeks.
What a good boy you are, Lyle.
Why then does my delicious green pashmina have holes in it? Why are all my rugs ‘hidden’ in the living room?
Why are the curtains draped over the sofa?
And why does my kitchen look like the set of Les Miserables?
To your right, my first attempt at preventing puppy Lyle from weeing on the kitchen floor.
The jungle gym nature of my efforts added not only a game-like quality but a frisson of fun to peeing indoors.
Barricade Series Deux has proved to be somewhat more successful. So far.
So what if in these balmy Spring days the Shires are enjoying, Mr Carmichael and I cannot access our deck or indeed a third of the kitchen.
So what if I have to lock (literally) doors behind me.
It’s all in a day, pleasing puppy. Well, that’s what I tell myself as I sit here in muddy track pants and remember trips to London town perusing galleries and shopping emporiums for simply hours.
Don’t get me wrong. I am loving (almost) every minute of it and you know what’s even better? I think he is too.
being mrscarmichael 
Adorable! You have given me a much-needed laugh with your set of Les Miserables. Empty chairs indeed and no better place for them!
hmm – I’m happier with the follow up fortifications. Just praying that when removed he doesn’t go back to his errant ways.
He is so adorable.
I know I shouldn’t but I have to agree with you 🙂
How very cute!
Thank you Sue. I am sometimes 🙂
😀 😀
Oh I love that last photo of him – what a winner! Your post is hilarious. It’s just like kids, isn’t it? They are so adorable and so awful all wrapped up in one gorgeous, mistimedly-peeing bundle. I love the colour of your kitchen wall, btw, she adds randomly.
Thanks – for all the compliments. I love that wall colour too but only in adulthood. T’was my school uniform for three ghastly years.
My daughter and I used to call our puppy, Puppa Rasta. I miss him we had to give him away because we were relocating and they didn’t take animals. 😦
oh too sad. Mine’s heading into major rasta I must say.
So what’s for dinner? Let me guess…roast chicken!
Close. He’s had do many training treats today and half a glass of wine ….. Don’t ask.
Did you have the other half of the glass of wine?
no, it went over his head! Mr C got a tad excited watching Chelsea loosing to Atletico Madrid.
Oh dear!
Oh the story of the girl with the curl! Often my mother recited that to me. Lyle seems to have taken over decorating the house, what an adorable pup. Your door’s hardware is lovely. Now I’m craving Lyle’s Golden Syrup on toast.
That must be the English in you 🙂 If he knew about it I’m sure he would crave it too.
🙂
I remember when my Mum’s dogs were pups and there were barricades everywhere – trouble is they were Scottish deerhounds and the barricades were big. Wonder how many chickens you need to roast? Try cheese that works well too! And I’m so jealous, he’s gorgeous!!!
He is a pretty boy and quite a few me thinks. Raining today so peeing outside isn’t as inviting as it should be.
Ah Mrs C the joys of puppyhood, savour it, like all babies he will soon be a teenager. I agree that cheese works very well and not as messy as roast chicken…
Here’s a question……Are dogs meant to have dairy? Yes I’m expecting the troubled teen straight after the terrible twos.
Google the question, but I don’t think so on a regular basis but the occasional cheese treat is recommended by many trainers. I do think dogs can eat just about anything though including slippers, shoes and any precious rings etc left in reach…
ah perhaps that’s where my watch went then!
So freakin cute! Nope, dogs aren’t meant to have things like milk and ice cream, but yogurt/frozen yogurt, small amounts of hard cheese are fine. 🙂 I used kennel (crate) training with every dog I’ve had. Only out of the kennel to go outside to walk (business before playing) or on leash tied to my waist in the apartment. They get used to following your lead–can’t wander off to pee in a corner, and you see their signals before they pee on the floor. Increasing amounts of freedom as they get better about “holding it.”
Dogs are den animals, so most like a cozy kennel, just big enough to stand up and turn around in. If it’s too big, they can go to the other end to pee/poop.
This worked fantastically (and quickly) for every dog I’ve had except Little Incredibly Dumb Dog. Because cute as she is, she’s dumber than a box of rocks. Limiting herself to the pee pad is as good as it gets with this one. 😉
now I have a wonderful vision of you tied to a mutt in your house. That will see me through the day.
Mr C’d BD today and whole clan coming for a BBQ so the barricades must come down – yelp.
You laugh, but it works 🙂
I think I got that tip from the Monks of New Skete, are you familiar with them? They train German Shepherds–and yes, they really are monks 😀
Good luck with the BD bash! 🙂
Just finished making the 4th (yes 4th bed). I’m ready for mine and they’re not even here yet 🙂
I say a rest and a drink is in order. Though you might want to take pup outside first. 😉
My goodness I’d forgotten that having a puppy was so much work! No wonder my mother wanted to give mine away (I was 8 at the time) as she (the pup not my mother) regularly raided the kitchen cupboards when left alone and we’d come back to find a pile of flour, cereal, rice etc in the middle of the floor! She also loved ice-cream and Mars Bars so however did she survive? Love your kitchen btw and is that a gorgeous garden I see through the patio doors?
he’s a paragon of virtue by comparison. Thanks for the kitchen/garden compliments – the Rhodo being out makes it pretty – in a unkempt kinda’ way.
Reblogged this on And a Cockapoo Too and commented:
Just for completeness sake.
He is adorable in the last pic, but I think he is just waiting to get big enough to enter the front seat… 🙂
I accustomed my dogs to dairy products like cottage cheese, buttermilk, goat milk (very yummy), curd cheese (don’t know if that is correct englisch for “Quark”) or yoghurt. My vet recommended it and they love it.
yes I’m worried about the seat climbing scenario. Interested about the cheese, I was always taught dairy gave them eczema but perhaps goat etc is different -might give it a go – thanks.