Jane, Séamus & Luna Visit Wales
Jane shared a great example of how taking the ‘scary step’ can help you to see just how far you and your dogs have come. Bringing an overreactive dog on trips is a huge stress for lots of us but when it plays out this well you can see how much all the effort has been worth it!
Holiday reflections 🥰
It’s a long one, we crammed a lot in so feel free to skip 😆.
Headed to Wales for a Cani-trail half marathon with Little Luna, decided to make a holiday and bring Séamus with me too for his first trip on the ferry.
I have been worrying and over-thinking every step of getting him from the car to the cabin since I decided to take him because of his stranger danger. In prep we’ve been implementing the partnership project steps and all the learnings from what I’ve done so far on HH. I decided to adopt the safety first approach and pop a muzzle on, mostly to discourage others from coming into his space but also peace of mind. I popped Luna in her backpack so I only had him to focus on if he needed some more support. He was brilliant, he was on alert but kept with me on the first go but by the last cabin to car on the way home he was checking in, following instructions so he didn’t haul me down the steps etc. SO delighted with this win, it was even a little busy with people.
The drive from Holyhead to South Wales was a long one but thankfully both dogs are well seasoned at long drives and were superstars here. Me on the other hand - tired, stiff and cranky by the end 😆.
Luna had a ball at her first half marathon - ran all the way despite the 500m elevation gain. My little pocket rocket! I think she enjoyed the quality alone time with me again. We were blessed with winter sunshine and the great company! Séamus is too young to compete yet but was very good snoozing in the car while we were running and then did some socialisation work at the event while we watched the other competitors finish (microphone/people/excited dogs/indoors with stalls etc.) - Luna had a well earned snooze in the car. We met some lovely experienced humans who spotted Séamus debating approaching people and rewarded his attempts with treats but didn’t try pet him so he had a positive learning experience without my prompting. Treated him to a solo adventure in the sand dunes nature reserve afterwards. Safe to say we all slept well that night!
First hotel stay too and they were the best behaved, was so proud of them!
Then to push the boat out further I went to stay with friends in Chester - Séamus was a little barky at my friends when we first came in but then went to sleep on my lap. They were really understanding and respectful of him which was great. By the next morning he was running into my friends arms for cuddles. I’m lucky to have great friends who accepted where we’re at right now and worked with us. We did lots of outdoorsy adventures and lots of snoozing too!
Found a nice vets around the corner, hadn’t realised it was at the back of a pet store when booking but both dogs handled it. Séamus was on edge but checking in and sticking close to me, wore his muzzle again and even hopped on to and sat on the scales which he has not been keen to do before.
Arrived home for some well earned rest. My housemate’s mum arrived to stay a few days so we used his crate when she arrived as he became over aroused, barking and skittish. Once he settled we let him out and with some treats and games to get the endorphins up he ended up curling up on her lap on the couch instead of mine for the weekend 🙊
To wrap it all off the wee chap turned 1 year old today and has been enjoying the extra cuddles and cake!
We’ve come a long way since joining honest hounds a few months ago. I’ve learned a lot from all resources but also from reading the community stories, queries and wins - thank you all! Looking forward to continuing this journey ❤️
