Page 34 - Sloughi Review - Issue 1
P. 34
THE SLOUGHI REVIEW 34
Gus was Best Puppy in Breed and Reserve So Gus’s bootcamp started, when working
Best Dog at Crufts 2015, and all was going from home in my lunch break I would take
well until Gus hit almost 12 months and him for a ‘bus ride to nowhere’. Some days
then out of the blue he started with very I would start work early and take a longer
severe ‘Stranger Danger’, oh boy was this a lunch break and go for a ‘train ride to
shock to me and I am so lucky to have had nowhere’ or go and sit outside a coffee
so many wonderful Sloughi folk to help us shop in the town centre. I did all this at
get past this phase in his life as he wouldn’t first with a Whippet wingman and then
even let a judge or any stranger near him! alone. Also, instead of the usual training
This really did test our relationship as he folk at my ringcraft club, we would get
also became rather defiant at home and I other owners to go over him. I also tried
think of it like a teenager, you need to some herbal remedies to help with his
learn to pick what things you ignore, what anxiety.
you negotiate on and what you stand firm
on. At this time we also learnt how to
‘comprise’ on the not so important things
and how to ‘suggest’ to him what I want. I
learnt that having a standoff and trying to
impose my will just wouldn’t work on this
complex breed as their mind does work
differently. Gus is so loyal and affectionate
and loving and I know what he is thinking
just by looking into those gorgeous eyes,
they are windows to the soul.
Almost 12 months old © Steph Marston-Pollock With his sister "Tara" Sahsheer Shiana Khali at the
Limburgse Kynologen Vereniging dog show in Gent,
In a way this blip in his growing up brought
us even closer together, while we used to go Belgium, January 2017
out for walks along the seafront and go to
dog training class at which the people and
dogs became very familiar, I live in a quiet
suburban town, so unless it was a show, he
was not exposed to a lot of new people.
