Jackson's holiday

John and I are going on holiday in September for the first time since we got Jackson and leaving him at the local kennels for 7 nights was a bit much for his first time. So, as we had a couple of busy days with us being out a lot we decided to put him in for 2 nights as a trial to see how he got on. 

The staff at Norstead Hall were really understanding about it being his first time away from home and did everything they could to keep him calm while we left. Jackson seriously panicked when he saw us leaving him and it was heartbreaking to hear him cry for us and try to get to us through a fence when he couldn't. I was so very close to crying because I didn't want to leave him like that. 

John and I worried about Jackson for the whole 2 days he wasn't with us because we had no idea if he would have settled down and if he would have behaved himself. When John picked him up on Sunday morning the staff reassured him that there was a bit of whining to start with but he soon settled in and had fun running around in the big field. They also said he settled in quicker than most dogs and all of the staff loved him and loved having him there. 

I really think the staff in kennels make all the difference for how a dog reacts to the situation and I can't thank them enough for taking care of Jackson so well. 

It was also really interesting to see how Jackson would be once he came back home seeing as we'd never been away from him for that long before. He has been so loving and well-behaved and instantly wanted to go out and play in the garden with John. He's clearly showing that he missed us but doesn't seem affected by his little holiday. 

Teething puppy

Jackson is now 17 weeks old and that means he's teething. We thought he'd hit quite a bad time of it a few weeks back but that was nothing compared to how he is now. 

The poor thing is so unhappy right now and howls and whines because his mouth is hurting. Toothache is the worse so I can only imagine how he is really feeling and he's letting us know when he's in pain. I hate it! I feel so bad for him. 

The only way to help his pain is to help him relieve it and that means him having something in his mouth or chewing on something most of the time. We've found that knuckle bones are a really good thing for Jackson as they keep him occupied for a very long time and he doesn't get bored very quickly. 

Another thing that helps him is to be sat next to me on the couch and for me to help him and hold a chew toy in his mouth. He can't seem to get these at the right angles on his own so this means he can get to his back teeth easily. It's a pain in the arse having to hold a toy for him but if it helps them I'm willing to do it. 

Jackson's favourite chew at the moment is his DuraChew® Double Bone - Bacon by Nylabone. 

There are two different kinds of raised shapes on the white bone bits which help clean teeth. Jackson loves to go from one bit to another and then to the red middle as the texture is changing all of the time, helping to relieve the pain in his gums. I wasn't sure he would like this when I bought it but I'm so glad I did. It's a lifesaver if you've got a teething puppy, especially one as big as Jackson.