14 Things You Might Not Know About Josie & Edie | AD
-this post is a paid collaboration with James Wellbeloved-
If you’re a dog lover like myself then you will know that the world-famous Crufts is taking place this week and into the weekend! Now, as much as I adore my little sighthounds, Josie and Edie I can’t say they’re so well trained that I could be running around the ring with them anytime soon. However, if I had my own little version of Crufts or Scruffts (my personal favourite part of the world-famous event apart from the hound round obviously) this is what Josie and Edie would take the winning prize for…
And the winner is…Edie
Now, you might not know this but Edie actually comes from a bloodline of show whippets (including Crufts!). So she’s got it in her to be prancing around in the ring but as of right now she just struts her stuff around the countryside with her humans and sister Josie. Now Edie’s got a lot of talents and these are the things she likes to show us on a daily basis;
- The speed she zooms towards me on a walk when she hears the treat bag rustle, she’s got the quickest recall I’ve ever known for a sighthound.
- Her love for wearing a coat, she's got a wardrobe to rival most humans.
- How long she will sit in the hopes that there might be some tasty treats on the way to her.
- Her ability to either spread out to be over 3 foot long or curl up into a tiny ball so she can sit on my knee whilst I’m working at my desk.
- The way she nuzzles her head into an armpit at any chance she gets.
- How she mysteriously manages to tuck herself into bed during the day if she fancies a serious snooze.
- Just how long she can sleep, 14 hours is nothing for this girl.
So Edie would come away with many trophies for; recall, most fashionable, patience, space stealer, champion hider and world-class snoozer.
How we keep Josie & Edie In tip-top shape
Whilst these little awards might be fictional keeping both hounds in tip-top condition is of the utmost importance and this is how we do it;
- A high protein and grain free dog food . Edie in particular really struggles with a lot of allergies so we take their diet very seriously!
- Daily exercise, whether it’s a quiet stroll down one of our favourite local trails or a furious game of chase in a field they have at least an hour’s exercise every day.- Mental stimulation in the house, whether it’s learning a new command or a find the treat game. We all know that a bored dog isn't a well-behaved dog!
- And of course, one of the most important thing for a happy and healthy hound is unconditional love from us (their faithful humans).
and the winner is…josie
Josie is the OG hound in this household, she was the one who seriously kickstarted our love for sighthounds. Not only has she taught me an extraordinary amount in such a short space of time she’s also shown me that she’s got some serious talents of her own which include;
- The sheer speed that she zooms around at, as she’s not a pure whippet she’s actually a little speedier than the majority of long dogs. We're yet to meet somebody who can beat her in a game of chase.
-Don’t be fooled by that speed though doesn’t make her clumsy in the slightest, she can dodge legs within a second’s notice and looks incredibly graceful whilst whizzing round.
- Her ability to jump over 4ft in the air with ease.
- She can dig a hole within seconds, a landscape gardener in the making.
- The speed she can steal a piece of cheese from the kitchen counter, so fast you wouldn’t know where it had gone unless you saw her do it with your own eyes.
- How in certain lights when walking in the woodland she can resemble a deer and would fool any passer-by.
- The way that she gives a cuddle like a human, the greatest pick me up in the world when you're having a bad day.
Josie would take first place for the following rounds of Scruffts; 100-metre sprint, agility, professional digger, food stealer and master of deception.
but, how do you train a sighthound?
You’ll have probably heard from many people that sighthounds are impossible to train and the only thing they’re good at is running and sleeping. And whilst, both Josie and Edie are excellent at both of those things training a sighthound is possible, it might just take a little more time than most dogs but it's certainly not impossible. For us, training a dog is one of the most important things you can do to ensure they not only have a great life but a safe one too. Whether it’s teaching them to sit or working on their recall the answer for us is to make it not only fun so their brain is engaged but you’ve got to have a tasty treat to hand! Both girls are incredibly food driven and with the right treat in hand they'll do most things and seeing your dog progress is incredibly rewarding.
