Steph Morrow Shenanigans

Age: 3 years & ¾’s 

The ‘Big at Home’ 

Life was pretty normal, or as normal as I knew it to be, until the day of the BIG at Home. I heard Mum say that everyone had to do it and I have to say I could not complain.  

Usually, Mum would disappear at least 5 times a week (and they say dogs can’t count!) whilst I stayed at Nanny’s house with my relatives. We squeezed our adventures & time together in over two days & the evenings. Last year this all stopped though.  

Suddenly I got to be with Mum at home all the time, which was great. We did some training – some days I practiced fetching my dumbbell whilst other days Mum laid out strange items around the lounge, asking me to touch them, jump over them or sniff out treats hidden behind them. It was great fun and she always got extremely excited shouting ‘YES!’ and throwing treats around. I couldn’t help but wag my tail at her enthusiasm. 

Once the weather became nicer & the days became longer, we started to go out a bit more, for longer walks again – such a relief I can say, I think it’s important to make sure one’s human gets their 10,000 steps in, even if that does mean 30,000 for me!  

Due to the Big at Home, I hadn’t seen other humans & fellow canines so I shouted at them as fiercely as I could to remind them that Mum & I are The Boss. Unfortunately, my human always seems to get more upset, it’s hard to look fierce and comfort her at the same time. We went through this behaviour when I was younger & my human gradually became more relaxed and less worried about the other humans & dogs, so I didn’t need to act so fiercely. We’ll get back to that again one day though, I’m sure. 

The Adventure 

One day, Mum took me on an adventure. We hadn’t been in the car for a long time. We went for a big drive and when we stopped, I found myself in a large field with a few other humans & dogs. I started off being fierce to show whose boss but before I knew it, I was absorbed watching what the lady leading the pack wanted us to do;

There were strange hoops, tunnels, and big barrels 

First I was brought up to one of the ‘hoops’. Mum seemed to be excited when I was near it, and I had a ‘Eureka’ moment as I glanced at Mum then very carefully placed my paw through the Hoop. Both the lady leading & Mum went crazy & treats came my way! 

Then I was shown the ‘tunnel’. It was a bit scary at first but reminded me of the time I played with the cats in something similar they’d been given during the time Mum calls ‘Christmas’. In no time I was bolting through it. 

Lastly the ‘barrel’. All they seemed to want me to do was run as fast as I could around it. I think the exercises I did at home during the Big at Home really helped me understand this as I had to go round my dog food bin. 

It was a great adventure. We went back a few times, but it was a long way to go in the car and was sometimes dark by the time we got back home. 

The next adventure 

Time passed and the memory of the adventure faded. We had to have another ‘At Home’ & the weather became dark & cold. 

Once the days started to lengthen again & birds seemed happier, I found Mum putting me in the car at an unexpected time. The thrum of excitement started. Where were we going this time? 

We went down a bumpy road and I could smell other animals. When we got out, we were next to a paddock. Other humans & dogs arrived too. I lifted my tail at the sight of them and thought about barking but they seemed to give Mum her space, so I settled quite quickly. Especially when I saw the Hoops & Tunnels again! 

This time there was also a mat, which as I ran over Mum shouted ‘Tango!!’. I’m not sure what it means yet, but she always seems happy shouting it. There are complicated combinations of hoops, barrels & tunnels. I get to whizz as fast as my feet can carry me. My heart soars and I feel like I’m flying. Mum always seems happy when we’re working together doing this activity too, plus I know I’ll get the special treats that I never get at other times – hotdog & chicken.  

The competition 

Recently, Mum seemed nervous. We went out unexpectedly on a day I would usually sunbathe on the bed or out in the garden and Mum would ordinarily chill, so it was strange behaviour indeed. 

We arrived at the normal place where we go to play with the Hoops but only this time the course was much bigger & there were other people, dogs & cars that I didn’t know. Our usual coach was there but there was also another lady with a stopwatch. 

I’m not sure why Mum was nervous! We got to run all the way around the course together. Mum was completely out of puff, but I had the best time! Running is one of my favourite things. I was disappointed that we only got to go twice that day. 

It was super-hot. I was surprised there was a pool that other dogs were willingly jumping into. I would usually avoid all possibilities of getting wet but to my horror, Mum placed me in the pool! 

Once I was wet, I took it upon myself to jump back in of my own accord, just to save face and show the spaniels that it didn’t bother me as much as it appeared on my first go. 

Towards the end of the day, Mum got an Ice cream & I was amazed and delighted to also be offered some after she’d had enough! Hoopers aside, I think Ice cream is my new favourite food! 🙂 

The Owner 

When I got Darwin, I thought dachshunds were lapdogs and I could look forward to many years of cuddling & feeding but no dog training. How wrong can you be! 

Darwin’s sass needed reining in, so we went to basic obedience classes, which led to managing to somehow obtain our Good Citizen awards and then Corona Virus hit. Once lifted I wanted to try and find some activity to continue our training, primarily so Darwin & I could continue strengthening our relationship but also to continue socialising Darwin around other people & dogs. 

We were thrilled to discover Hoopers (& Man trailing but that’s another story!). Hoopers is a great low contact sport that encourages all dogs & owners to get involved. I had considered agility but was worried about his dachshund back and Hoopers gives us a happy medium. As Darwin mentioned we went to our first show recently and were amazed to manage to get a third-place rosette. It was such fun & I’m looking forward to learning more about this sport & having fun days out with Darwin.