A Naughty Dogs Day
Winnie
Yesterday was a Naughty Dogs Day (haven't had one of these for ages). Which put me in a rather rotten mood, followed by a sleepless night worrying about how to build a fence. Cup of tea and two chapters of my detective story at 4am. Grr...
Firstly, Pebbles had a aggressive, unprovoked whoopsie at the Dog Park. Just when I was feeling so much more positive about her, she disgraces herself and upsets me. Just when I felt able to relax and enjoy walking and talking with the dog park friends. Grr...
Secondly, guess what I'm doing today? Building a fence between my property and next-door's. I'm going to run chicken wire netting along the Allotment Garden boundary, using the warratahs which support the rose swags as fence posts. And why am I doing this?
I am soooooo sick of both my dogs going next-door. They operate like a good-cop bad-cop team. Winnie goes to greet anyone she hears moving around, wagging her tail, hoping for some food. Pebbles goes to bark ferociously at the person, who is on their own property. Nothing to do with keeping me safe. Just plain aggressive. Hmm...
Pebbles
Neither behaviour is OK with me. Yesterday Winnie had to be escorted back home to her kennel three times, and spent the last two hours tied up.
Every day should be a Good Dogs Day...
I try so very hard to make every day a Good Dogs Day. You would be so proud of my sweet-talking nice-as-pie 'Good dog!' voice, my clear commands, and the time I spend playing with them - throwing frisbees, throwing sticks, going for walks.
Winnie by the Pond
Throw a thousand tennis balls...
I can simultaneously do a robust hour of weeding session and throw a thousand tennis balls. (I mean one tennis ball, a thousand throws, I think). I try to do the right things. Be their leader and their friend, if that makes sense.
Two Hours Later...
The fence! I'm recycling a long length of wire netting which has been stretched along a sheep fence (originally to keep my chooks in the orchard). It's taken me two hours to remove the wire, clean out huge tufts of grass, etc. stuck in the netting, and lay it along my driveway. And guess what? Both my dogs have been tied up near me. Each decided independently to pop over next-door. Grr...
I now need to think about the next stage of the construction. Do you know - I am still cross. And I hate being cross in my garden. I reckon I try too hard with those dogs. Time to lighten up, I guess...
Three More Hours Later...
Success! I have created the most difficult part of the fence, and have reached the halfway point where the warratahs start. I had to dig holes for three posts, then I banged them in with the fat end of the log splitter, and used wee staples to attach the netting. It's attached at the bottom to long wooden retaining logs. I left the dogs inside.
Tomorrow I'll stretch the rest of the netting (carefully) underneath the climbing and rambling roses. The boundary vegetation in this part of the Allotment garden is thick and thorny, almost a deterrent on its own. Heavy stones can help hold the fence down. There'll be no wee places for a dog to slither through when I've finished!
I feel much better, by the way, solving my problem with plans and positivity! Tomorrow I am determined it will be a Good Dogs Day. I will finish my fence (the dogs can be tied up in the shade, because obviously I am working on the tempting boundary). Then I will vacuum the downstairs, sit with a coffee and listen to the first ball of the first cricket test of New Zealand's season. The West Indies are here. Yeay! The cricket!
Nice as pie...
And I will be as nice as pie to my dogs.
P.S.
Two days later, and my dog-deterrent fence is finished. Now I cross my fingers that the dogs do not morph into tunnel-diggers, or high-jumpers.