Sprite and Shayla got their Christmas presents early from their Nanna and Grandad.
Even though they each got given the same toy, Sprite still wanted whichever one Shayla was playing with. Typical, annoying little sister, hey Shayla. 😊
Spritely has been showing more and more interest in playing with balls lately.
Being deaf and vision impaired, she may not be able to play fetch over longer distances, but she does sometimes get to the ball before Shayla when we play at home. 💜
The biggest challenge I’ve faced with Sprite is her destruction of toys.
Shayla LOVES plush toys, she babies them and one of my favourite things she does is pick up a toy in the morning and run to the back door with it.
Unfortunately, we had to put ALL the soft toys away as Sprite was destroying them, but thankfully we did this before she could get to Shayla’s favourites Moo and Gingerman.
I bought numerous toys for ‘aggressive chewers’ and still, within minutes they had ‘exploded’ all over the floor. I hate to admit that for a time I was stressed about not being able to meet Sprite’s needs, no matter how hard I tried.
BUT…
We have made progress!
Although Shayla’s toys are still on ‘vacation’, Sprite can now have supervised play with soft toys. As well as being redirected with something she can chew on, Sprite also seems to be learning from Shayla about what soft toys are for.
I’m so happy for this progress! 💜
Someone’s got the ZOOMIES!
Yes, Sprite, Mum saw you slide into the back door, crazy girl! 🥰
This afternoon I did a quick training session with Sprite to teach her ‘lay down’. Using her Koolie super smarts, she picked it up after a few goes, although she’ll need more practice before she’s got it down packed.
I’ve also been teaching Shayla the same hand signals Sprite uses for things such as ‘good girl’ and ‘come’. This will streamline things a bit when communicating with both girls together. 💜
Sprite giving a check in with Mum then it’s back to play time.
Being deaf and vision impaired it’s so important to have a reliable ‘check in’. We were in an enclosed area today, so didn’t use treats, but when out in the open, we bring the treat pouch with us just incase.
I’m loving your progress, little Spritey Whitey!
💜 Sprite has been a part of our family for SIX MONTHS today! 💜
That time has gone so quick.
We are absolutely smitten with our little Spritely. There have been some challenges over the past 6 months; Sprite has done a great job of pushing our buttons at times. But I feel that we are, finally, over the hill and she’s started to settle down.
Having said that, I couldn’t be more proud of the progress Sprite has made in a short time. She still has a long way to go, but her confidence has grown so much. She rarely uses her ‘safe space’ anymore, and although she won’t yet go up to people on her own she doesn’t often retreat when people come to visit. Sprite will also happily sit on my parents lap, but only if I’m near her.
Due to her low vision, she can startle easily on our walks, mainly when the wind blows something like a leaf and she doesn’t see it until the last second. But approaching people, and even kids on bikes ,which I was worried about after the incident where her lead broke and she ended up on the road, she will check in with me and/or Shayla and when she knows we’re not fussed she is a lot calmer.
I am learning a lot from Sprite, while I am experienced with an anxious dog, I feel that her low vision plays a big part in her being a bit jumpy and unsure of the world. That’s where building our bond and her trust in us makes all the difference.
We have mainly focused on helping Sprite feel safe and being able to be off lead, and now that she’s doing well with that we’ve started to focus more on other areas with her training. She is a smart girl, as Koolies are, and has picked most things up fairly easily.
Sprite and Shayla have a wonderful friendship; Shayla is being an amazing big sister and tells her little sister off when she’s being a bit of a turd during play. It makes me so happy seeing them run around together. I have a feeling Sprite is getting an interest in balls too, so we’ll see if she pick the ball up du
Younger siblings always want the toy their older sibling is playing with… 😊
Dog’s ears are loaded with nerve endings. When you rub them, they send signals to the brain that increases endorphins, the feel-good hormone.
My first cuddle with Spritely on Princess’s swing. Sprite was quite content, I’m glad she likes it so we can enjoy many more cuddles on it together like Princess and I used to. 🥰
Sprite loved having her breakfast in the snuffle mat this morning, giving that snoz a good workout! This particular one is special as it was gifted to us after Tyra the Deaf and Blind Koolie passed away, so I always think of Tyra when using it.
You can see a snippet of Shayla enjoying her snuffle mat too, it shows how bouncy she gets due to her condition, Cerebellar Ataxia.
Shayla making sure Sprite has a clean face, what a good big sister! 🥰
