I'm amazed that this thread has gone into 8 pages!
Ok - status report.
We picked Poppy up from Surrey Police Headquarters in Guilford. They obviously seem to train dogs as a business as well as for their own needs because the sales contract had a number of categories of sale for specialist dogs, general dogs and failed dogs. It was all excitement when we arrived. It looked like comedy half hour at the dog pound. On one side were two trainers restraining a couple of GSDs that were going ballistic at each other. Crossing from the other side was a very small police woman holding a lead for dear life with both hands and being pretty much dragged along by another GSD! Then it all quite suddenly calmed down and all the dogs seemed to be back in control again.
Handover was really well handled and they are all so friendly and welcoming there, but I expect that's as you'd expect from people who so obviously like working with dogs.
They weighed Poppy and she's 26.2kg and pretty much perfect weight wise. They'd also given her a bath so she was squeaky clean and slightly damp. I'd guessed collar size and slip lead size using Lady's old collar. Slightly too big - minor adjustment.
We popped her in the back of the car and she was fine. Obviously well used to that. She spent a lot of time looking out of the windows which Lady didn't used to do.
The first 24 hours has been fine. We've taken her for 3 walks now with off-lead periods where we could. Her recall is spot on and she loves playing with a tennis ball although bringing it back is not in her nature yet. She was rewarded with a tennis ball on a rope in her training so it's a signal to hoon about I think. On our second walk she discovered the Eden Brook - sort of halfway between a stream and a small river. She's a very strong swimmer. First entry to the water she went downstream and over the sluice that's there to raise the water level for the cattle to drink. No problem at all including climbing out up a pretty much vertical river bank. I thought she'd be put off by the sluice experience but no and back in but swimming the other way this time. She wouldn't come out and in the end I had to entice her out with her tennis ball!
She's used to a crate so that's where she slept last night. Her magic word, we were told, was either "be quick" or "empty". A few tries and it was clear that "empty" was the one producing an immediate wee!
She's a very powerful very confident Labrador. She's significantly bigger all round than Lady was and appears fearless and pretty much not phased by anything. She's well trained and gentle. Amazingly she doesn't go on the furniture. Her main behaviours we will have to work on as have become apparent so far are tugging on the lead and being too full-on greeting people. We've already started to work on both and she seems to be a quick learner although it's early days. Also she's still very much a puppy and full of get up and play! I think she's going to be very good for us both. Here are some pics but not very good - just snatched to get somethin on record.
And in memory of a much loved dog ....
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