The journey begins!
17th August 2019
I picked him up on Saturday 17th August. I was slightly concerned that his behaviour was very shy and downbeat; he wasn't very responsive at all. But as the following days proved – I needn't have worried AT ALL!
He behaved beautifully during the two-hour car journey to our home. There was a little whining, some sleeping, some digging up his bed so he ended up sleeping under it (!). Once home, I left him in his crate, sat on the grass outside so he could watch us unload the car, and begin to get used to the new smells and sounds of his new home. He was very content to do this.
Then I took him to the lawn behind our house where we made a temporary pen for him out of green plasticised fence wire. He was intrigued by the grass, tasting flowers, dead leaves and grass leaves. He eat some food and drank some water. Then after about an hour I took him downstairs to the big crate where he'll be sleeping. He was very comfortable with this and took to it straight away.
He slept perfectly that first night without a sound (which was a relief).
Sunday 18th August 2019
I went down to him at about 08:00 am and was welcomed by a whizzing ball of soft fur which nuzzled up against me as I lay down on the floor, whimpering and squeaking in excitement for several minutes. This was a beautiful response for the start of his first full day in his new home.
Sunday was a day of discovery. To start with, he'd never seen stairs (our house has three sets), so it took a few practices before he was able to come up without sliding back down. There was every room to explore (there are quite a few – and he's still not seen them all), and the garden too.
In the afternoon he was out on the lawn, chasing after, and pouncing on, a red ball I'd found; prancing on his hind legs in front of me, and racing round the garden table and chairs. So much energy! He hardly stopped, although when he does, he simply crashes where he is, eyes shut, and is dead to the world.
I've put his travel crate in the sitting-room (see picture, taken while I'm writing this), so he is 'under control' while I'm writing or watching TV (it was Poldark night). In fact, he spent most of the time curled up by my feet next to the sofa where I was sitting.
He went to bed happily. Our two cats are rather shocked by the new arrival and run away whenever they see him; we'll see how the weeks go. He's very interested in them and I'm concerned that he doesn't corner one, and it slashes out in defence. That could be disastrous.
Monday 19th August – 10 WEEKS OLD TODAY!
Another effusive greeting. He's confident in the layout of the house now, and the stairs which he bounds up with huge energy. But he lacks the courage to descend them so far. Energy and joie de vivre were much in evidence today with continuous activity. An egg box has been demolished and lies in many pieces on the kitchen floor. Unfortunately the grass is too wet for him so far today (low undercarriage means he quickly gets very wet) so that hasn't been an option so far.
House training is not going well. Trays have not been used at all even though I've held him in one every few hours, after waking up, feeding, and high energy running around. Carpets or anywhere else that he happens to be, especially just after he's been in his tray, are far preferable.
He still has no name! Likely options at the moment are, 'Tasso' which is the Italian for badger, 'Tasker' which was my mother's maiden name, and 'Tanza' which is a contraction of his breeder's business name, Taranza Border Collies. I must make a decision soon. It needs to be a name of two syllables, clear consonants, and is not embarrasing when shouted in the park.
Summary so far... He is utterly beautiful, and a huge bundle of uncontrolled energy. Confident, highly responsive, affectionate and super-inquisitive. He's in severe danger of being trodden on because when he's awake he's always underfoot and not in one place for more than a tenth of a second. House training must do better.
