Koumis

Every Sunday morning, I help JP with Koumis, his dog. We meet come rain or shine on a field surrounded by woodland. I was asked to meet Koumis because she pulled on the lead and she was too friendly with other dogs which did not please the other dogs’ owners and which made her pull even more. We do basic obedience exercises and Koumis is really responding fast. She is very receptive and keen to learn although it takes her 20 minutes or so before she starts concentrating. She is walking to heel on the lead without pulling even when there is another dog nearby. We have just started walking to heel off the lead and she is doing really well. We also let her run off the lead. She loves that because she feels free. She does not realise it’s an obedience exercise like any other. She’s off the lead so she has to come back when JP calls her. And she does. He just has to call her name twice and she comes back. She runs up to other dogs and comes back straightaway when called for. Mind you, we have not yet come across the cows which graze on the field! I am really pleased with her – she is 6 after all - and so is JP. Koumis was very suspicious of me at first and nervous around me. She would bite my ankles as sheepdogs do when rounding up sheep or cattle. But by projecting a calm energy, she accepted me. She is so pleased to see me every Sunday morning that she jumps up with her four paws off the ground. She has an unusual name and this is what JP’s wife has to say about it: “Notre chienne berger allemand de 6 ans s'appelle Koumis, nom d'une boisson très répandue et appréciée par les nomades d'Asie centrale et de Mongolie, soit du lait de jument fermenté faiblement alcoolisé. Nous lui avons donné ce nom en souvenir de nos voyages dans ces beaux pays ». Koumis is pronounced ku-miss.
JP and Koumis live in Brussels.

Bounty, the épagneul breton

My friend, CN, has this to say about his dog. I wrote about him in an older post where I explained he was my "canine godson". See link below.

"Bounty n'est pas seulement un épagneul français !
En tant qu'épagneul il est chasseur avant tout, remontant toutes les bonnes odeurs jusqu'à leur source, il vit par instinct et très curieux est toujours prêt à découvrir une nouveauté.
En tant que français il a une grande gueule, un timbre de voix énorme, un coffre étonnant mais une soif de vivre toujours inassouvie, grand blagueur, adorant le jeu, très sociable.
Il est comme moi passionné donc sans demi mesure, franc donc parfois gênant et très énergique. Il peut aussi être très patient, c'est aussi un chien d'arrêt, et connaît ses limites. Il n'arrive pas encore à les respecter toutes mais je lui trouve toujours des excuses, sa jeunesse ... son tempérament .... bref nous nous accordons très bien".
Bounty lives in the country, in southern Belgium.

http://eurodogtraining.blogspot.com/2007/05/although-rare-outside-its-native-france.html

Webster

Webster belongs to my American friend S. We have known each other for a long time. Our children were at the same school but we met through our dogs. Every morning, we used to walk them together. S and I would have meaningful conversations about everything and anything under the sun. Every weekday morning we would find something to talk about. Come rain or sunshine or hail or snow. We did this for years and I cherished those moments. Sadly S's children have left school and I very rarely walk where we used to walk because Belle finds it too difficult to jump into the car now. And because of her job, S is no longer available first thing in the morning. Webster and Belle are the same age. More or less. Belle has a frisky temperament and does not get on with other dogs easily. She has been known to bare her teeth and snap even. She would see any dog off who would make an attempt to come near us. S made attempts at befriending Belle. Belle would wag her tail when S came near but that was all. She would never go to her when S called her. Never. One day, S must have given her a biscuit and the ice was broken. I guess it took a good 4 years before that happened. But Belle had the greatest respect for Webster who is such a sweet natured dog. In fact, Webster was and remains Belle's only friend. We have not been able to walk together for some time. Sadly.

Webster lives in Brussels.

Before and after

In the middle of December, I wrote about Lipton, the flat-coated retriever who badly sprained his wrist whilst jumping off a 3 meter bank into 10 cm of water. I am pleased to report that he has now fully recovered. On the left, he is pictured, on a frozen lake, with his housemate, Bambou.

http://eurodogtraining.blogspot.com/2008/12/poor-boy.html

Lisa and Magda

This oil painting of Lisa and Magda, two Dachshunds, was painted by Volodymyr Rebrov for my old friend PNL. We were at university together. Thanks to Facebook I was able to find him again. This is what he has to say about them: " What can I say about Lisa and Magda? They are sisters, from the same litter, born in Moscow on January 25th 2004. Which means they are coming up to 5. They have a fine pedigree and are looking for a husband! They have travelled with me around Europe, from Moscow to St Petersburg and then to Prague. For the last year they have kept me company (and kept me sane) in Kiev.