Get a grip woman!

Suffolk_lass

Good idea @Debsnewbudget - we have some curtains and mugs to take later today so will have a look then

Watty1

Not sure how big puppy is but plastic water bottles were a good chew for Wattydog when he was a puppy.  I've never given my (large) dogs soft toys as I'm not sure they would distinguish between those and soft furnishings (Wattydog didn't) but the previous dog loved rope toys (current dog destroys in nano seconds) but both have loved Kongs filled with water and frozen (or stock or a bit of sausage in the water). Helps with teething too. 

Suffolk_lass

Thanks Watty. I can see the plastic bottles being popular in summer. He's very small, being a miniature breed and although I take your point about soft toys, they are preferable to my rings (mmn, shiny!) and the various sources of cardboard!

We did not get to the charity shop yesterday so looking at a teddy or two there is also on the agenda. I'm not willing to give him a collectable or one of DS's (the options here) so that is a good solution. When we visited my cousin's on Boxing Day I recall his partner apologising for the slightly battered teddy that her dog refused to give up - she was waiting for it to be less important for a few days to add it to a wash. With all the additional people that day, that was not the day and a manky teddy was preferable to a distressed little dog

Fortune_Smiles

Morning SL 🌞

as you have a chewer 🐶, my suggestion would be that you get a teddy that's designed specifically for dogs.  No chance then of any potentially dangerous bits becoming detached and swallowed.  Also, should pooch then get attached, you can easily replace the toy if it gets lost or needs to go in the washing machine 😆

Two of the Younger Fortunates have a dog and he has a duck and a pheasant toy that he loves.  He brought them here for Christmas and then left them behind.  Not a problem as replacements have been bought and he can't tell the difference 😁

FDawg is not really into cuddly toys but he does have one that sleeps in his crate with him.  Occasionally I find him snuggling with it.

Good luck with your ongoing training.

Fortune x

EssexHebridean

Aww lovely news about the pup SL - but yes, puppies are a whole heap of work. well worth it I hasten to add, and some good solid training now will indeed pay dividends in time, it sounds as though you're making good headway there! As far as teddies goes, if they are suitable for babies, they are likely suitable for puppies too - there are more similarities there than you might imagine! 

As for people deciding not to turn up because children don't like doing LFT's - oddly enough I can think of about a thousand things I'd rather do than stick a swab up my nostrils too, but as I was brought up to believe that other people's safety is important, I've been doing them regularly since they were first available, and I honestly can't understand why others haven't! Even for someone who is still largely shielding, either they do go out occasionally for things like shopping, OR there is a chance that someone might need to visit them in an emergency for example - so doing that small thing to keep innocent individuals safe seems like such a little thing to me. Gah - people, eh?! Cheery does have a good point though - better for them to cry off than to turn up grumpy, or worse, lie and claim they had tested when they hadn't. 

Karmacat

Wow, SL, I've just read all the puppy posts in one go, I love it, I hope you're enjoying him even while all this work's going on🤎 used a brown heart for the colour of a dog's coat, no idea what's appropriate  

Suffolk_lass

Fortune_Smiles said:

Morning SL 🌞

as you have a chewer 🐶, my suggestion would be that you get a teddy that's designed specifically for dogs.  No chance then of any potentially dangerous bits becoming detached and swallowed.  Also, should pooch then get attached, you can easily replace the toy if it gets lost or needs to go in the washing machine 😆

Two of the Younger Fortunates have a dog and he has a duck and a pheasant toy that he loves.  He brought them here for Christmas and then left them behind.  Not a problem as replacements have been bought and he can't tell the difference 😁

FDawg is not really into cuddly toys but he does have one that sleeps in his crate with him.  Occasionally I find him snuggling with it.

Good luck with your ongoing training.

Fortune x

Thanks you for this, more to ponder. So far, all his toys are for chasing or "killing" (which is what his breed was bred for! - badgers no less) but he may or may not need a snuggle toy, the jury is out. Every night is different at the moment. He was a nice quiet boy overnight, and I put him straight on the lead, took him outside, and he wee'd on the gravel. I brought him in and while I was making up the milk that DH said he would do before bed  , yep, he did a BJ in the dining room on the washable training mat in what seems to be becoming, his preferred place. My attempts to move the mat so far have resulted in toilet events on the carpet, but when the mat is there he is on it or next to it. Ho hum.

And sorry, who knew the diary would turn into the equivalent of potty training updates!

EssexHebridean said:

Aww lovely news about the pup SL - but yes, puppies are a whole heap of work. well worth it I hasten to add, and some good solid training now will indeed pay dividends in time, it sounds as though you're making good headway there! As far as teddies goes, if they are suitable for babies, they are likely suitable for puppies too - there are more similarities there than you might imagine! 

As for people deciding not to turn up because children don't like doing LFT's - better for them to cry off than to turn up grumpy, or worse, lie and claim they had tested when they hadn't. 

Your point about teddies is in line with my thoughts. So far he has a mild preference for DH's slippers over mine so maybe not a "one and only"

Exactly my thoughts re LFTs

Karmacat said:

Wow, SL, I've just read all the puppy posts in one go, I love it, I hope you're enjoying him even while all this work's going on🤎 used a brown heart for the colour of a dog's coat, no idea what's appropriate  

Yes, chocolate with tan round his face (speckles and patches). He is adorable and very affectinate, always trying to show he's part of the pack by trying to lick our mouths 

Suffolk_lass

Having responded to the oil syndicate co-ordinator to say we would skip this one and hope to last until prices reduce (hopefully) in Spring when demand drops, DH expressed concern about the level indicator. I tried to reassure him that three bars means more than 300L of oil because the tank is 1200l but the indicator has ten bars (so I figured one bar is 120 l) - he remained concerned and eventually decided to dip it. Well, it is about a third full, so maybe 350-400l.

I am hoping we can buy 1000l in April or May (for a further discount!) but we will need to use a lot more than we currently are, so, I may turn the thermostat up a bit (in a spend to save initiative!). I am sure the village syndicate members could all benefit from a Spring purchase but the coordinator insists that his times are September and January because that is what his predecessor did (he worked for an oil company...). I know he gets plenty of oil purchased in January, but two of the biggest buyers are the Hall and the old farm. I suspect a number of the others are new arrivals in the village who haven't lived in the country before and will previously have had gas (with it on tap and monthly DD). It's not an option here. Only bottled gas is an option here (we use roughly a 19kg bottle a year for summer cooking).

I will start watching prices in early April and when I go for it, I will post the price on the Village FB page

trix-a-belle

i'm in the same oil price/tank level wasteland SL, just dropped to 3 bars on my 1400/1450L tank & trying to hold out for a better drop in price to fill up rather than doing a splash & dash.
my 2nd smaller tank doesn't have an indicator on so I always end up dipping both when I dip the 2nd

its a good job i'm not closer to you, i'd be round for puppy snuggles all the time! this years aim for me is getting a dog, once i've cleared the house of my remaining projects

Suffolk_lass

Thanks for dropping by @trix-a-belle. He is very snuggly and desperate to be part of the gang. Stealth cat now knows that after hurtling round the dining table with a toy in his mouth after his breakfast, it all goes quiet (he flakes out in front of the aga) and the last two mornings she has come downstairs to check out smells and have a fuss and some water on my desk. Still not brave enough to sleep in her favourite box of tissue paper though.

We are approaching the need to shop. I might have to go today, or I might leave it until pup has had his vaccination on Monday morning and go when they have stocked up and YS'd the meat