Manic May and Managing Littermate Syndrome!

May was such an amazing month for us at Fur Your Convenience! Although it wasn't jam-packed with drop ins and dog sits, it consisted of our first family holiday abroad since last year and the addition of two gorgeous babies to our own collie pack.

Nessie the cat...

Over a week at the start of May I had the absolute pleasure of dropping in on the gorgeous Nessie! Although her owners use a timed feeder, they wanted me to see Nessie every day to ensure she had enough food in her feeder, clean out her litter tray, let her have a little play in the garden and for some love and cuddles! I also made sure their beautiful house plants were watered each day as well and made sure their home was nice and clean for their return!

Hallie and Ollie...

After much deliberation, and a few failed meet and greets of prospective new owners, we decided to keep Ollie the Collie for ourself as well as Hallie. He was very attached to our older members and to his sister Hallie - she brings out so much confidence in him and his calmness balances her chaos very well! Ollie looks so similar to his mum, Maya and the beautiful personality and love for cuddles as his auntie Nova.

This does obviously pose risks with littermate syndrome, anyone who has had two dogs from the same litter before will likely understand this well. Littermate syndrome refers to the behavioural issues that can occur when puppies from the same litter (or of similar ages) are raised together and bond excessively. We saw some of this when we first had Maya and Nova and so are very prepared in how to manage this. To successfully raise two puppies without developing littermate syndrome it is so important to harness their individual independence. This has meant separate sleeping, feeding and training areas from early on. We have also started to introduce individual socialisation time with the rest of the collie crew in our home and ensure they each get quality one-to-one time with us to build a strong bond and reduce reliance on each other.

This was also ensured when we went on our family holiday. Whilst the 7 older dogs had an amazing pet sitter called Chloe from All4Paws Derby, Hallie went to one of our friends house and Ollie went to a separate friend's home. With Hallie always being the more confident of the two, she went to live with 4 Labradors for a week and had some great time learning play boundaries. Ollie, being less confident went to a home with 2 cats to learn gentle play and had regular visits with a Rottweiler and a Labrador as well to increase his socialisation with higher-energy animals. Since our return, Hallie and Ollie have been less dependent on each other and have begun to play with the older dogs much more!

Finally, we have been seeking some amazing advice from our fantastic dog trainer Laura at Pawsitive Intentions - watch this space to see how they get on through their terrible 12 week stage!

Krakow...

Our family holiday was to the gorgeous city of Krakow in Poland. We loved the fact the city was nice and compact and most places were within walking distance, with many meeting points for day trips out being only minutes away from the hotel! On the first day we took a guided tour around Auschwitz and Birkenau. It was so informative and really highlighted the importance of its history and stories, such an incredible experience. On the second day we took a golf cart tour around the main city of Krakow and added a few places on our lists of areas to visit later in our week. We went to a folk show and tried some traditional Polish cuisine that evening - everything was absolutely fantastic! We travelled to the Wieliczka Salt Mines on the Wednesday and were astonished by the amazing architecture underground. The chapel and church chambers were completely memorising and so impressive to see in person. On Thursday we visited the Tatra Mountains and Zakopane. We spent the morning quad biking through the rivers and forests near the Tatra Mountains and then tried some traditional local cheese and sausages. We then relaxed for 3 hours in the thermal baths in Zakopane - much needed after such a thrilling morning! On the final day we spent most of the morning at Krakow Zoo and saw so many amazing species that we had never seen before including sugar gliders, binturong, blue monitor lizards, ocelots and so many more! We also visited Wawel Castle and walked along the Vistula River. Before leaving, we walked through the lovely market stalls in Rynek Glowny (the main square) and tried some fantastic Polish food.

All in all, we had the most fantastic trip and Krakow is certainly one of the most amazing cities I have managed to visit.

Diesel, Charlie, Tilly and Eric...

To complete May I had the pleasure of dog sitting for these 4 beautiful Labradors (the same ones Hallie was playing with during our city break!). All four are so well behaved and so playful! Eric's little happy dance each time he comes out of his crate to find the perfect toy to carry around and push into my leg will live in my memories forever. Charlie's obsession with licking Diesels ears and stealing his toys was so cute, and I could honestly sit and watch Tilly and Eric play for hours!

So although May was quiet from a drop in and pet sitting point of view, the experiences throughout this month were unforgettable and it makes me so excited to see what June may bring!

Alix

Fur Your Convenience