Shirley¶

Overview¶

Name: Shirley (AKA: Shirl, Shirley Whirley, Pudding, Shirlo and You buggar) Species: Dog Breed: Mixed breed - mostly border terrier, then a mix of so many more terriers Colour: Black, tan and white Temperament: Very loving. A bit needy, loves to be in your personal space. Super sassy and cheeky. Very clever, will manipulate you into giving her whatever she demands!!

Things to remember¶

Category	Description
Dislikes	Please don't touch my head
Dislikes	Please don't touch my feet
Bad Habits	Will eat soft toys
Bad Habits	Will eat stones
Bad Habits	Destructive attention seeker - she wants something
Bad Habits	Stalking and chasing Mavis

Health¶

Description	Notes	Watch out for
Canine Epileptoid Cramping Syndrome (CECS)	Managed with gluten and grain free diet. Hasn't had an attack since she was 2 years old	Lethargy, vomiting and weakness.

Medication¶

Medication	Frequency	Notes
Apoquel Chewable tablets	Daily with dinner for allergies (Normally just over the summer months)	It isn't the end of the world if you forget this - you will realise quite quickly when she starts getting itchy and frustrated. She can be a pain taking them. If she doesn't take it from your hand, make her stand between your legs - she usually takes it then

Allergies / Intolerences¶

Category	Description	Notes
Intolerance	Gluten / Grains - Linked to CECs	She is intolerant to gluten and grains, we try to keep her on a gluten/grain free diet as much as possible. With some exceptions

Behaviour¶

Description	Reactive	Aggresive	Notes
Toys	Occasionally	No	Generally, Shirley is more than happy with you touching any toys she has. She may growl occasionally at Mavis, but rarely does this actually achieve anything. Shirley is amazingly patient with Mavis when playing with toys, Mavis will try and take Shirley's
Chews	Occasionally	No	She can be more funny about chews, but will let us take stuff out of her mouth if needed - though she will run away and make you work for it if she knows its something she isn't allowed. She isn't a fan of Mavis stealing her snack, but will typically just go and get another one
Food & Treats	Occasionally	No	Pretty good around food. Though always fed their dinner separetly
People	No	No	Shirley loves people. She doesn't love sharing them. She is never aggressive, but she will try and barge Mavis out of the way - more often than not she will just be super annoying and inconvenient to steal the attention

Bad Habits¶

Description	Reactive	Aggresive	Notes	Top Tip
Will eat soft toys	No	No	Keep an eye on her with soft toys, she will chew bits off. She is mostly unfazed by Mavis' toys. But if there is something she can chew and eat, she will. Shirley's favourite toy in the whole world is the long sausage thing - which is why she has like 1000 of them	✅
Will eat stones	No	No	Keep an eye on her in the garden, she will eat stones. We are allowed to get these out of her mouth. She normally just flops over	✅
She's a lover with no concept of consent	No	No	She loves giving kisses, she hasn't really learned much about consent. She can be quick to catch on though, for example she knows she won't get anywhere trying to kiss her grandma, but gramps will let her!
Destructive attention seeker - she wants something	No	No	She will run off with things she shouldn't have, knock things off when she wants something and sass and grumble at you. Try giving her some biscuits, she might be hungry (don't forget to separate her from Mavis). Try turning on her favourite TV programmes, sometimes she just wants to watch TV (don't watch anything with animals or fans/propellers of any sort, the best thing is disney + kids)	✅
Barking at people and noises	No	No	She will bark out the window, or in the garden, at people or strange noises. She REALLY HATES the newspaper boy and old ladies with trollies - but only when she is looking at them from the windows!
Stalking and chasing Mavis	No	No	Shirley will constantly stalk Mavis. She goes rigid and stares at her. We try to always diffuse this, because it's rude, and ultimately annoying! She will wait till you're a step away before running out of reach and chasing Mavis. We take the slip on lead into the garden when both dogs are out, if Shirley is acting particularly naughty we will put her on the lead. It seems to snap her out of it.	✅
Grass is life	No	No	Shirley is obsessed with grass, eating it, or rolling in it, she loves it
The quest for wormies	No	No	Worms are the number 1 reason why Shirley will dig grass, she can always sniff out a worm. She will dig it up and roll on it
Peeing on soft furnishings	No	No	Shirley has a weird habit of peeing on door mats or towels if you put them on the floor. She will also occasionally dig the beds and pee on those. It's rare, but probably because we try to keep opportunities to a minimum

People¶

Reactive: No Aggressive: No Summary: Shirley has never shown aggression to people - she even loves posties

Description	Reactive	Aggresive	Notes	Top Tip
Strangers	No	No	Shirley loves people! She can spot a dog person a mile off and is always convinced they will want to meet her
Children	No	No	Never unsupervised. She loves children, but can a bit too excitable for them

Dogs¶

Reactive: Yes Aggressive: No Summary: Shirley is reactive to other dogs - this is not aggression based, it is largely excitement and frustration. Notes: 1. Shirley loves other dogs. Particularly big ones. 2. She wants to say hello to every dog and sometimes her emotions get the better of her. 3. We try to let Shirley watch dogs from a distance on walks. She is allowed to self-regulate and this has been going really well. Occasionally she will get a bit barky and over excited - normally if they are too close, but she will typically listen well with some well-timed treats. 4. She doesn't really understand social queues from other dogs and is always way too intense and can be very rude.

Cats¶

Reactive: Yes Aggressive: No Summary: Shirley loves cats, but isn't really sure what to do with them. Prey drive kicks in if they move too quickly. Notes: 1. Will chase them if they move too quickly. 2. Lives with 2 cats, is never with them off leash and has never hurt them 3. She always wants to say hello to the cats when we arrived home from a walk. If she gets the opportunity, she will leg it upstairs and try find them - they do not like that! 4. She will stand and watch cats on a walk. If it comes close with her she will probably get over excited. She made friends with a kitten on a walk once, she just wanted to kiss it.

Preferences¶

Dislikes¶

Summary: There are some things that Shirley dislikes with a passion, mostly random inanimate objects.

Description	Notes	Top Tip
Please don't touch my head	Shirley does not like to be touched on her head or face - Though she will tolerate it for treats or a toy when required	✅
Please don't touch my feet	Shirley does not like to be touched on her feet	✅
Hates the clothes airer and step ladder	Shirley HATES the metal clothes airers and step ladder, we think it's the noise of them but she will become very jumpy if you touch them. A bit of gentle encouragement, and stopping touching them will calm her down. She is okay with the clothes airers being used, she just doesn't like them being touched or moving.
Loud noises
Busy roads	Try to avoid busy roads on walks, they stress her out
Walks in the dark	Shirley does not like going for a walk when it is dark
Waking up early	Shirley isn't a morning person. Wake her before 8am at your own risk.

Favourite Toys¶

Summary: Shirley has a couple of favourite toys, she is always up for play time!

Description	Notes	Top Tip	Gallery (Links to images/videos)
Latex Long Dog	Latex long sausage dog toy - Absolute favourite, has a tonne!		TBD
Bubble Machine	Loves playing with the bubble machine in the garden, a good way to spend 15-30 minutes. Always supervise and only use dog specific bubble mixture.		TBD

Favourite Activities¶

Summary: Shirley absolutely loves to play. She is incredibly intelligent, so keeping her mind busy is super important.

Description	Notes	Top Tip	Gallery (Links to images/videos)
Tuggy & Fetch	She loves to play fetch and tuggy with her toys. She isn't very good at giving them back, she mostly brings it back so you tug again. Say "Give it here then" or "Can't reach it" for her to bring it closer. Say "That's my end" and she will swap to the other end of the toy.	✅	TBD
Chase & Fetch	If you sit on the floor and drag the toy around yourself in circles she will chase it. Throw it every now and then so that she doesn't get bored. Always let her catch it after a while.		TBD
Playing in water	She loves digging in puddles or the paddling pool. For some reason she also HAS to pee in almost every puddle she passes on a walk.		TBD
Training, Hide and Seek & Puzzles (Mental Enrichment)	Shirley loves using her brain. If you don't work it, she will test your patience. Try hiding treats around the house and garden. We also have a bunch of puzzle toys or snuffle mats, these can be hit or miss, she has to be in the right mood. She is quite good at letting Mavis do the hard work and stealing the treats.		TBD
Walks	Walks are for the dogs. If they want to spend the entire time sniffing one blade of grass that is fine. Though Shirley prefers to eat the grass and meet and greet as many people and dogs as she can. Unfortunately for Shirley, we are trying to limit the number of meet and greets to help her regulate her emotions.		TBD

Favourite Scritches¶

Description	Notes	Top Tip	Gallery (Links to images/videos)
Permission check	How to know if she wants scritches? She will look at you if you stop touching her and she wants more
Neck	Loves a good scratch when getting undressed (taking off her collar) after a walk
Inner Leg	I'm aware that Inner "Thigh" sounds weird. When she sits with you and leans her leg out, she wants you to tickle her little chicken legs.
Tummy	When she feels comfortable with you, she may flop back onto you. She enjoys little tummy strokes.

Favourite People¶

Summary: Shirley loves people, she knows her favourites by name.

Name	Notes	Top Tip	Gallery (Links to images/videos)
"Aunty Emmie"	Shirleys aunty. Most regular dog sitter. Knows all Shirley's quirks. Knows how we like to deal with Shirley.
"Grandma"	Shirleys grandma. Occasional dog sitter. Always has a pocket full of treats. Let's Shirley get away with murder, and Shirley knows it, and uses it to her advantage.
"Gramps"	Shirleys gramps. Loves messing around with Shirley. Shirley loves to sit on the back of the sofa and on gramps' shoulder. We say that she is gramps' "Shirley hat".

Favourite Animals¶

Summary: Shirley has a couple of friends that she will regular see out and about

Name	Description	Notes	Top Tip	Gallery (Links to images/videos)
"Rex" or "Rexie Boy"	Male. Cockapoo. White with brown spots	Cousin Rex, son of Aunty Emmie. Will meet for regular walks and to hang out. Pretty chaotic together.
"Deefa"	Male. Big bull type mix breed. Tan colour. Gentle giant.	Lives around the corner. Often see him on walks with his mum or dad, or outside his house when we walk passed (he will often be off lead and run towards us). Known the dogs since they were puppies. He is very patient, even though Shirley is all over him, he has never snapped or corrected her in any way. Try not to let Shirley climb him, he has arthritus and I don't want her to hurt him.

Routine¶

Daily timeline¶

Time	Activity	Notes
08:00	Wake up and toilet break	Let both dogs outside for a toilet break
08:15	Mavis to crate, get Shirley dressed	Harness, collar and lead
08:20 - 09:00	Shirley's walk
09:00	Shirley to crate, get Mavis up and dressed	Harness, collar and lead
09:05 - 09:35	Mavis's walk
09:40	Shirley up and outside for a toilet break
09:45 - 10:15	Downtime	Keep calm while we wait for breakfast - at least 30 minutes after walk
10:15	Breakfast	See Food for the feeding routine
10:15 - 13:30/14:00	Free time	Relax, enrichment, play, snacks as needed
13:30/14:00	Nap time in crates
18:00	Wake up and toilet break	Let both dogs outside for a toilet break
18:15	Dinner	See Food for the feeding routine
19:00 - 20:00	Toilet break, then bedtime	Anytime from 19:00, but no later than 20:00. When leaving the living room, turn on the radio for background noise

Toilet breaks¶

Shirley will pee a lot throughout the day. If she needs the toilet, she will jump at the back door - which will jingle the keys (they are usually kept in the door). Sometimes she will do this just to go outside and she may be winding you up. If she is insistent, let her out and keep an eye on her.

After every poop:

Close the baby gate into the conservatory before the dogs come back inside
Wipe their bum with a baby wipe every time they poop
Pick up the poop with a poo bag (bags are kept by the conservatory door)
Put the poo bag in the black bag within the blue bin in the garden

Booty scooty

Shirley has a bad habit of bum scooting and/or sitting directly on your chest. Wipe her bum before she comes back inside - no one wants a poopy bum stain on them.

Being left alone¶

My pet can be left alone for: up to 4 hours When left alone at home, my pet should be: Crated When left alone, please ensure: - Crate door is securely shut - The front of the crate is covered with blankets - No chews or toys are left within the crate - Water bowl is full - Give them a "bedtime treat" - Turn on the radio, "Alexa, play heart radio"

Walks¶

Lead setup: Shirley is always connected on 2 points - her collar and her harness. She is never let off lead. Hold the lead securely as she can get excitable or jumpy on walks.

Getting dressed:

Shirley has some fear around her harness, collar and clips. We have built a routine that helps her feel in control and safe. The trick is a single Pringle, split into 8-9 pieces.

Sit on the floor and place the Pringle pieces on your leg
Hold up the harness by the handle with one hand and a piece of Pringle in the other, say "get dressed" and slip the harness over her head as she goes for the Pringle
Harness clip one - Pringle
Harness clip two - Pringle
Pick up collar, let her sniff - Pringle
Sniff collar again - Pringle
Place collar and do up the clip - Pringle
Lead extension (grey bit) should already be attached to the lead, attach the other end to her collar (it might already be attached) - Pringle
Attach lead to harness, say "ok" and she can eat the rest of the Pringles off your leg

Note

She does not really like how it feels when you attach the lead to the harness, but she will tolerate it for Pringles.

Cold weather (below 3 degrees)

When the temperature is below 3 degrees, Shirley should wear her coat. The coat has a built-in harness. She does not like it and will try to leg it when she sees it (but that has become a game now). The routine for the coat is different to the normal harness:

Lay the coat open on the floor
Pick her up and place her front feet in the holes
She will stand still as you pull the coat up and do it up

It is a cosy fit - be wary of the zip coming undone.

Getting undressed:

Come into the kitchen, shut the kitchen door and the kitchen baby gate
Take off the collar, leaving the lead extension attached to the collar and harness
Take off the harness - unclip, pull the bottom from between her front legs and gently pull off saying "get undressed"
Give her a good neck scratch
If she pooped on the walk, grab a wet wipe and clean her bum
Let her into the living room
Toss a small amount of treats

During the walk:

Keep a pocket full of treats. Say "yes" and give her a treat whenever she does something good. She gets a treat when walking nicely, and when looking at you - she checks in regularly and does her best Crufts walk.

Situation	What to do
Roads	When approaching a curb, say "road" - she should sit. When you are sure there are no cars, say "cross"
Other dogs	Try to cross the road or step out of the way. Let her watch them. Give her treats whenever she is behaving (not pulling or barking). You can throw some on the floor and say "find it", or hand them to her
Duration	Shirley can walk happily for an hour or more, but 40 minutes is enough

Food¶

When: 2 meals (breakfast and dinner)

What: | Item | Brand | Storage | |------|-------|---------| | Wet food | Winalot grain free pouches | Unopened food will be left on the kitchen side, opened food should be kept in the fridge | | Dry biscuits | Wolf of Wilderness | Left on the kitchen side |

Snack time

Shirley will demand biscuits during the day if she is hungry. Give her a handful separated from Mavis.

How:

Meal	Wet food	Biscuits	Notes
Breakfast	½ a pouch	None	Shirley refuses to eat biscuits in the morning
Dinner	½ a pouch	A handful	Shirley will try to convince you she is finished without eating her biscuits. Tell her a couple of times that she has to finish them. If she continues to refuse, pick them up (she will have likely spilled them all over the floor) and put them in her crate or somewhere she can get to them but Mavis cannot. Place biscuits to the side of the wet food

Feeding routine:

Food is prepped in the kitchen
Before preparing food, give each dog their medicine:
- Shirley: Antihistamines (Apoquel)
- Mavis: YuMove chew
Wet food is always served on a lickimat - "smush" it in with a spoon
- Shirley (or sometimes Mavis, if Shirley is off sulking because it is morning time) will lick the spoon
- Put biscuits to the side of any wet food for Shirley, she doesn't like it when the biscuits get soggy
Place the dogs' "tables" (little step stools) in their dedicated spots to separate them from each other
- The girls will run to their spots after the spoon licking ceremony
They do not need to sit or wait - let them eat as soon as you put the mat down
Once both girls have finished, open the gate that separates them - they will lick each other's mats for a bit

Treats and chews¶

We will provide a bunch of different treats labelled and in the kitchen.

Category	What	Frequency	Notes
Walk treats	"High value" chopped treats	Every walk	Shirley gets dedicated high value treats for walks
Enrichment	"Find it" treats (a prepared pot will be provided)	A handful or so a day	Great for enrichment, or to throw randomly to interrupt bad behaviour. A sprinkle of treats on the floor works well to break things up. Do what you need to do to keep them in line!
Natural treats	Rabbit ears	Typically 1 every other day, or if their poop is runny	Keep them separated (like when they have dinner). Always sounds awful. Sometimes they make choking noises on the hair - keep an eye that it is not real choking!
Bedtime treats	Multipack treats such as small sausages or tripe sticks	Half a tripe stick or a small sausage whenever they get in their crate	They sometimes like to sniff the treat to judge its worthiness before getting into their crate
Long life chews	Antlers, Yakkers, Pizzles, etc.	Available on the floor in the living room at all times	They get put into a basin in the living room when we hoover. If Shirley is randomly grumbling at you, you may have forgotten to pour the chews onto the floor! New ones will be left on the side - Shirley will sniff them out and try to steal them. Give them the new ones whenever you need a couple of minutes of peace

Enrichment activities

With snuffle mats, keep the dogs separated (like when they have dinner). They can do training, puzzle toys and hide and seek together! For hide and seek, shut them away and let them watch you while you hide treats around the room, or they will follow you and eat them as you put them down.

Long life chews

Generally they are pretty good having these chews together. They will grumble or bark at each other, then one will start running and they will swap. If things get heated you can separate them, but we rarely need to.