The Adventures of George & Henry.

Well, Thanks to my husbands cold, his snoring is of epic proportions, so I'm up & awake early today.

So I thought I'd do a thread of George & Henry's first couple of weeks.
It's good for me too, as I will be able to see the changes in them along the way - as will you.

George the Blenheim & Henry the Tri.
Henry started by growling at just about everyone & everything, apart from me, & was quite the introvert. George however, had the waggiest tail & wanted to make friends with the bassets - but not the cat..... icon_whistling
Day 3 & Henry has gotten to the point where he is great with Jess the kitty - he sniffs her, will let her rub around his face & will lick her when he can get a sneaky one in! She has decided that she doesn't like living on the table & wants to go back to sleeping with her basset boys, which causes a problem with George.
He sniffs, then barks, then tries to nip her. He no longer just nips her fur, but tries to bite her & generally gets quite overexcited with her - this in turn makes Henry start to bark & get excited too - then the cat tries to box them, the bassets get their noses in & all hell is let loose!!
At this point, it's better when I am here alone, as hubby decides to add to the cacophony by shouting random phrases 'Henry, George, leave the cat alone' or 'Dogs, come out of there at once, silly mutts'
It doesn't help that he hasn't learnt who is who.... and he won't use 2 word commands, like I am trying to stick to!! I keep trying to tell him that he sounds like the teacher from the Snoopy cartoons to them... 'blah, blah, blah....' but he has decided that he will forget everything he knows about training a new dog to fit in with our lifestyle icon_nwunsure
I use words like, "George, No!!" "George, Bed!" "Henry, Sit!" - All of which actually work..... until George is overcome with 'get-the-cat-itis'!

So last night, Henry settled quite well - had a sniff of the kitty & got growled at by the young basset, who has become the guardian of the cat, a highly honourable position & is rewarded by having his ears licked in a mutual grooming session between canine & feline!! :biggrin:
George on the other hand, cares nothing for such guardian roles & just wants to get his teeth into that kitty - she must taste extraordinarily nice, but I'll take his word for it
I popped George on his lead then, so he could lay by me, but not get to the cat, who was acting the feline floosie by stretching out between the 2 bassets and slowly blinking at the tethered cavvy - I'm sure she does it on purpose!

Towards the end of the evening, I had got George to the point where the lead was just tucked onto my foot & every time he looked as though he was going to make a move on the cat I would hold my hand in front of his face & utter the favourite Cesar phrase 'Tschhh!'. I have NO idea how that noise works, but work it most certainly does and peace reigned at last.
Until I went to make coffee, visit the bathroom & get my PJ's on - when hubby took charge...... he tried the Tschh!, but it sounded more like ssshhuusshh.... which didn't work... so he tried 'you don't want to get to the cat'... which George most definitely DID! Peace was restored after I had made coffee & settled again!!

Bedtime came & kitty went out - yes, I know it's cold out there, but she goes out at night to protect the property from meece invasions and anyway, if she stays in, she only pees in the turf bucket.....

Henry - fast asleep back to back with the big basset... George - nose at the bottom of the door, snuffling and whining because he was left in the dark with 3 dogs - oh, the indignity!!
He settled after 10 minutes or so & here we are, very early on Day 4.

The daily routine says that the chickens/turkeys/ducks get let into their pens in the morning to eat, while the dogs are allowed the run of the garden. Then the birds get let out into the garden at around midday, while the cavaliers have to be escorted out on their leads if they wish to go out, until the birds are ready for bed & locked back in.
The Bassets are allowed out anytime, as they haven't realised that we have birds in the garden, (we have nearly 40 ) except for the tasty pellets that they keep finding in the pens!!
I figured that training for the boys should be slow & patient & not too much at once, so we shall be working on bird training once the cat issue is complete.

Once George has learnt to be civil with the cat, I'll try & get a pic of everyone on the bed - should be a great pic if I ever manage it!

For now, G'morning all !!

:lol: I came down this morning all achey and grumpy, having been awake most of the night. Your story had me giggling to myself , so im right cheered up now. Thanks Julie.

This was the first post I read this morning, really made me smile, lovely account of your first few days, keep the stories coming, very enjoyable start to a day.

Loved the post. You definitely have a talent for writing.... Keep 'em coming. Can't wait till you add pictures to go along with the story.

Great story - that's made me smile

OK, ready for an update.... How are the boys??????

Well now, how are the boys doing? Now that's a good question!!

It's hard to believe that they have only been here for 9 days!

We are ready to start work on getting them used to the birds outside - this will probably take a while, but by the Spring, I'm sure we will have cracked the problem.
I have good evidence of this, you see. Remember that our little kitty had to be monitored and guarded at all times when she was indoors..... well, day 6 and look what happened.....



Yep, they are now fine together! Pretty hard to believe, but I think George must have decided that he:
1) didn't like being shouted at by me,
2) didn't like being growled at by the young basset
3) didn't like the fact that every time Henry sniffed the cat without growling he got a biccy - where George never managed that feat!

They have settled in well and now believe that they are Basset Hounds!

A typical Basset day in this house....
7am - Bassets wake up, go out for a pee & back in under 3 minutes..... Back to their beds, back to sleep.
9 or 10am - Bassets wake up, go out & explore the garden, sniffing out where the foxes/mink/badgers have been through the night..... usually back in within 20 minutes, back to sleep.....
1pm - Wake up, go out & say 'hi' to the birds, chase the cat, wait for dinner. Eat dinner within the regulation 2 minutes, chase each other around the garden, destroy the pampas grass by rolling underneath it, bark at the gate just in case any human is in earshot - that will keep away intruders Back indoors for 2pm - back to bed....
5pm - Wake up and give Mum that all-important escort around the garden just in case she is attacked by a rabid hen while Mum locks the birds in for the night... stay out for maybe a further 2 minutes... back indoors, back to bed......
9pm - Say 'hi' to Dad just coming in from work, go out, have a pee, maybe find a bone that has been buried earlier & try to sneak it past Mum... no luck, so back to bed....
12ish - Get woken up by Mum, go out for a leg lift at the nearest possible empty bush, which usually is the bush 4 feet away from the back door - the longest 4ft in the world at that time of night.... back in, back to bed & say g'night to Mum who makes it dark & cosy before she goes off....

And this routine is now being copied by the cavvies!

They have also decided that they will refuse to eat the biscuits that came with them. I've always followed a BARF diet with the Bassets - which is good for us as it's free
I tried soaking the biccies, or giving them as-is, but nope, they want raw meat & bones. Now, that's not a bad thing because their teeth are bad & I think Ringo has a poorly few teeth, but even after just 3 days of bones & raw food, their teeth are looking LOADS better!

So now that it looks like the boys are finding their feet & settling in, I'm sure all the bad habits will come out... they think they've lulled me into a sense of security, but I'm a vigilant Mum & I shall spot all the little bad habits... adding them to the list of 'Issues to deal with'.

More later........

Oh my goodness,That would not happen in my house.....how amazing that the two boys have settled in.
Sins

Loved your post. I am absoultely amazed how well they are all getting on !!! Credit to you...... I loved the picture of them all snoozing together and your account of their day. How lucky they are to have you. Keep us updated. I love reading their story. Can't wait to see how they get on with the birds. I am sure with your guidance they will do fine. Judy

Well, I can't take all the credit for this success with George.... I think that the majority of the credit really has to go to Jess the kitty. She appeared from nowhere a couple of months ago and while she didn't seem to mind us stroking her, she hasn't really wanted too much contact from us humans - except at feeding time, when she suddenly becomes the most friendliest kitty in the world!

Enter the 5 yr old granddaughter however, and she turns into the perfect child's toy, playing with NO claws, running after Leah around the house, rubbing herself all around Leah's legs & trying to share her chocolate spread sandwiches, much to the disgust of the Bassets who just have to sit and watch and wait... and wait... and fail to even secure a crust as the kitty gets it, being so cute & all.......

The kitty has decided that the Bassets now belong to her and will put up with all amount of slobber and licking, often responding by licking them back and she enjoys their chase games outside in the garden - and then climbs a tree and sits 6 foot in the air laughing at said Bassets who will often continue to bark at that point up the tree even when the kitty has come down the tree the other side & is safely indoors eating her tea!!

But although George has sort of accepted that he has to share his space with this gutsy feline, he still tries to get in a sneaky nip when he thinks no-one is watching..... but does this mean that the kitty gives him a wide berth? Oh no way!
She's decided that George needs extra work to become cat friendly & so this morning instead of padding and suckling the vet bed, as is her habit, she used George's ear instead!! :winkct:

And here's the pic - she then went on to lick his face, but I wasn't quick enough with the camera - a true love story huh? Considering that the kitty is the only female amongst the indoor furry residents, she has more balls than the lot of them (oh yeah, the boys have all been neutered anyway!!)

Hello Julie. Where you been lately? How are things?
Will we get another chapter in the Adventures of George and Henry?

I'm really enjoying this thread. Well done you and Kitty :flwr:

I agree, I would love another update.....

Sorry Julie I've only just seen this - what a wonderful update on the boys!!

|t was lovley to read from start to finish and see how the boys have settled in, and how quickly they have become members of the family!

Kitty sounds quite a character, bless her.

How on earth did I miss this wonderful story! It's really uplifting to read and the pics are wonderful!!

Well done Julie and Kitty :rah::rah:

More updates , when you can please and :snap:

What a lovely story...Your George is very like my Gus in looks, they seem to have the same markings, from that pic of him lying asleep anyway.

Was just thinking today that there had been no update on George and Henry since Christmas. Julie really has a lovely turn of phrase. Look forward to next instalment!

Hi all!

Yep, I was thinking the other night that I should be updating again - we've had a busy old time what with xmas & the visit from the mother-in-law..... which I could expand on, but you'd all be sat here for hours reading my little comments about her... let's just say that I'm never stuck for words when it comes to moaning about the 89 yr old treasure who wails about our 'primitive' lifestyle & thinks it's a shame that we grow our own veg when we could be buying it all nice & clean from the shop...... icon_nwunsure

Anyway.... the boys.....
Well, now that George & Henry have firmly put their little paws under the table, their true colours are REALLY showing, and it seems that contrary to popular belief, Cavaliers are NOT the sweet little innocents that they like to portray themselves as....

George has sort of come to a full stop with the kitty training - and largely it is a success, he still doesn't like it too much when she is on the floor with them, but only when he's fully awake - he's quite content to let her snuggle up when he's sleeping, and the kitty has decided that seeing as the 2 smelly 5 stone Bassets and Henry all love her very much and don't mind her washing them and using their tails for pounce practice, then George is the obvious dog for her full attention. It's almost as though she's telling him that he WILL love her, whether he likes it or not!
Poor George is stuck between a rock and a hard place - he wants to bite her, and indeed when my back is turned, I know he still gets a few nips in, but between the kitty & myself, he is being forced to enjoy the feline companionship.

Now Henry... oh dear.
Henry supposedly had a guarding issue - wow, does he ever!!
He guards the bed & tries to be first onto the bed so he can growl at the others.... George ignores this, so Henry ignores him too, but the dear little hulks of the Bassets stand at the side of the bed whining like little nancy boys & have to be escorted onto the said bed, whilst Henry is given a sharp 'No!' by myself.... or the occasional 'Henry don't growl at the Bassets, it's their bed too and they are sharing it with you...' and so on & so on from the hubby.... he still thinks that his training methods are the way to go and that the cavaliers are fluent in the human language - even I have trouble understanding him & his geordie accent, so how he expects the dogs to....

Henry guards his food, which is ok - the 2 furballs get fed inside at opposite ends of the room & before they have a chance to argue over has the largest portion, both bowls are empty anyway.... the fat lads get fed outside because they have larger bones in their dinners and the last thing they want is 2 cavaliers trying to muscle in on their favourite time of day... although Ben the 'pup' doesn't mind watching the robins sitting on the edge of his bowl & stealing his biscuits!

And then Henry guards me..... if I'm in the kitchen, he'll sit by my feet & growl at anyone who walks in to talk to me..... it's a low growl, so sometimes hard to hear, but I hear him & he gets a firm 'No!' again & gets sent to his bed.
The biggest problem we have with the guarding, is that he doesn't like other people touching me.... and we have young Leah here a lot of the time, who is 5yrs old & very close to me, resulting in bunches of hugs. Henry has run across the room at Leah, barking & quite often growls at her when she walks around the room, or jumps up & runs at her when she comes into the room. This has made her a little nervous of him now, which is a shame - she can be found rolling on the floor with 2 bassets, doing goodness only knows what and fools that they are, they let her! But now she's a bit scared of little Henry.
So, the new thing when she comes here, is we go straight to the kitchen, just the 3 of us - myself, Leah & Henry. SHE tells him to sit, and then to lay down, and then she gives him a treat or a fuss. When he barks at her, SHE has to tell him 'No!' before I do - I'm hoping that Henry will get the idea that although she's small, she actually is a human, (although sometimes even I question this fact) and therefore one of the bosses.

And lastly, I've come to the conclusion that although these 2 boys have lived together for the last 6 years, and are true litter brothers, they actually don't like one another very much at all!!
Take our Bassets (oh there's days when I wished someone would!!)
Bertie is nearly 8yrs old & he's the house boss. He's also one of the softest dogs we've ever owned, & a complete wuss! He suffers with separation anxiety and he's quite a complex character, but we adore him.
He used to have a dog flap when we lived in Blackpool & if it was raining, he'd stick his head out the flap, think he was 'outside' and pee there, forgetting that his back half was still indoors... Grr!! The neighbours could hear me yelling 'All the way, Berts!! All the way!!' Let's not dwell on that huh?
Anyway when it's cold or wet, Berts likes to go outside, do what he has to & then get back into the warm & dry as quick as possible - god forbid if I'm not right the other side of the door waiting in my doorman's costume for his genteel scratch/bang on the door!
Ben on the other hand is nearly 2 - Bassets don't really mature until they are around 3, so we've another year of puppydom with him. A little disconcerting when he's 5 stone, but still wants lap cuddles!
He likes to go out & mooch around the full 2 acres whatever the weather.... it was -5 yesterday morning, and Ben went out around 10am when I let the chooks out... he was still out at 12.30 and still sniffing and exploring!! Of course, he might have a really bad memory, so every morning might be a whole new experience for him.... it could also explain why he nevers remembers that Romeo the Rooster tries to attack him when he tries to eat rolled barley.... or why he didn't like the taste of that frog the last 4 times he tried to pick it up.... or why he couldn't climb that tree after the kitty yesterday - maybe today will be different, and he WILL manage it after all!!
Henry & George are also like chalk & cheese, George will go out with Berts & come in with Berts - no hanging around there, out, leg lift, race to the back door, one barks while the other bangs! Done!
Henry will go out with Ben & follow him.... if Ben does it, Henry wants to do it... it's like watching follow the leader!!
Once they are back inside, Ben will go to Berts for his daily wash - Berts obliges by washing his mouth, ears, eyes.... and Ben loves it!
Henry on the other hand, likes to curl up near to George, who will then move away when he wakes up..... but apart from that, they don't really interact with each other. It may well be that they've had 6 years of each other with little respite & now they just want to try & live separate lives.
But for now, with a few little quirks that need working on, they all live fairly harmoniously..... of course the chook training hasn't started yet & I think THAT will be a whole new challenge!

More pics to follow.... I shall try & get a few of them when they are actually awake.... at the moment, it looks like it might take a few days for those though!

Julie x

Julie it sounds like you have everything under control (well almost :lol I'm sure Henry will get used to Leah in time and they will become best buddies. It's probably because she's small, that he sees her as competition. I'm no expert but it sounds like you're doing a wonderful job.

I loved reading your update - thanks for posting :hug:

Loved that Julie. You're so funny. Looking forward to the pictures and the next installment.