Krash Proofing!

This boy has cost us a small fortune! We’ve “Krash Proofed” the place so Krash can live safely and comfortably, without the worry of accidental Malinois escape – over, under or around any containment lines!

Krash now has two yards … one with concrete floor, fully enclosed link mesh all round and on the roof, covered with shade cloth, situated in a shady spot under the gum trees where he can laze around and watch over the backyard.

The other is a grass yard, of which he originally thought good for open cut mining … started of with “bug catching”; a tiny little bug, a little scratch with the paw, a tiny little hole, the bug disappeared into the hole and there we began the mining! We realized something needed to be done … so weld mesh has been laid on the grass and the grass top dressed … after plenty of shoveling, wheel barrowing (up hill!), sweat and tears, it’s finally done! Along with the crooked top on the fence (just in case a Krash Malinois fell out whilst bouncing head and shoulders above the current 6ft fences).

I do hope he appreciates all this hard work we've done for him, in the middle of Summer!

Krash Malinois - A New Life

Krash has settled in nicely, he’s gradually getting used to his new life, new routine and new family. Loving every minute of time with us, he is walking with me with German Shepherd friends down the road each morning. He is slowly learning the do’s and dont's; sit before going thru doorways, leave the girls alone, be nice to the boys, look at me and I'll reward you, etc.), he's not so obsessed with the cats (now that he has his own squeaky toys!) and is responding better to his name and coming back when called (that's going to be a challenge with distractions!), and he's interacting with me more and more, looking for my responses.

I am getting to know him better; learning what pushes his buttons, his likes and dislikes and learning to read his body language. It's quite a challenge getting to know an older dog ... at the back of your mind, you're always wondering if you're actually teaching them something or if they've already been thru all this and they're teaching you!

The other night we were enjoying a romp in the backyard … I sent him after a ball to one side of the yard and walked off in the other direction … I turned around to check, and saw him heading directly for me, with the ball, launching himself at me from about 10 meters way! I immediately crouched down as he flew straight over me with a huge grin on his face and ball in mouth! Phew, someone’s gotta tell that boy that I can’t catch a 25kg flying Malinois!!! So bringing the ball back has some rules now too … 4 feet on the ground to start with!

Krash went to two shows on the weekend, both days he was awarded Challenge Dog and Best of Breed. Thank You to those who offered your kind compliments on him. I actually enjoyed showing him, he is friendly and welcoming to the judge, he covers the ground beautifully on the move and very well mannered. I am sure we will enjoy many more shows together.

Krash Malinois!

We have another Belgian Malinois ... Krash has been with us for just over week now and settled in easily. He is a very loving, affectionate dog and thrives on human contact which will make rewarding him quite easy ... once he learns what a reward is! Taking on an older dog is quite different to starting off with a new puppy and certainly something I never thought I would do … so here I am faced with the question of “where to start?”

During his first few years of life Krash has had a couple of homes, not because of bad behavior on his part nor abuse or neglect on any owners part, simply because of human-life circumstance. He has had minimal training and I don’t believe he has been treated badly by humans … he appears to have no inhibitions when meeting people, he greets some with a hug, and he wants to trust us when concerned about new things.

I have to thank Lyn & Greg Baile (Kiatasee Kennels, Mandurah WA) for allowing Krash to come and live with us and also Amanda Camiller (Vanrusselhof Malinois QLD) who was responsible for breeding him.

Establishing a relationship with Krash is my first job, which includes learning to read him, learning his likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses. Then teaching him about rewards and how to earn them is the next challenge, along with setting some rules and reinforcing good manners.

To look at, he is quite an awesome dog, very powerful and intelligent. Quite different to that of the “show line” Malinois (like Chilli), with a lovely strong head but gentle eyes and expression. He is a nice size, compact and on the smaller side - I am guessing that he’s around 56-57cm.

Krash will go to a few shows towards the end of January to get out and about, and hopefully gain some challenge points towards his Australian Champion title - he already has 12 … only 88 to go!

I will post updates as Krash settles in and as we get to know each other better.

Daylight Savings ...

I've just got to say ... working with animals and daylight savings does NOT work!!! We only have 12 kennels here and I certainly don't envy those people who have 30-40 plus dogs to care for at this time of year.

Up at the crack of dawn to get everything dog-related done before the temperature rises, then sweat it out for the rest of the day with the daily tasks until about 7.30pm when it's cooled down enough for the dogs to get out and about again. Everyone back to bed around 9pm and you sit down for some dinner before falling into bed around 11pm ... toss and turn thru the night while the house tries to lose the heat it's absorbed during the day. Up again at 5am to start it all again!

This time of year ... an icy cold beer never tasted so good!