I'm back : )

Sabrewulf screen shot  - Painting number 19

Sabre Wulf screen shot - Original Oil Painting on Box Canvas. SOLD.

Hiya everyone, been a while hasn't it.
I've been working on the painting above for a week and it is finally complete.
Sabre Wulf is a ZX Spectrum game which was released in 1984. It was developed by Tim and Chris Stamper and published by Ultimate.
It was one of the most memorable tropically colourful games.

I've also been told off for not updating my blog for so long... So, here's the update on how my German Shepherd puppy Dax has grown up while I have been away. He has still got lots of growing to do but is already over 5 stone at only seven months old. Think I got a lion.
Dax today

Dax at 7 months old

Dax at 6 months old

Dax at 5 months old

Dax at 21 weeks old

Dax at 20 weeks old

Dax at 19 weeks old

Dax at 18 weeks old

Dax at 17 weeks old

Dax at 16 weeks old

Dax at 15 weeks old

Dax at 14 weeks old

Dax at 13 weeks old

Dax at 12 weeks old

Dax at 11 weeks old

Dax at 10 weeks old

Dax at 9 weeks old

Dax at 8 weeks old

Dax at 7 weeks old


Puppy videos
You might have to turn the volume down on some of these as it can be quite windy in Edinburgh

Just a word of warning if you get a GSD puppy, although they are really adorable and can be bright as a button they really love to bite and chew you! My second cousin said the only way to sum up his GSD girl when she was a little puppy was "evil". 
There were weeks when I was really worried that I wasn't getting Dax's training quite right. He used to have mad half hours and we had to run very fast and jump onto the sofa and hide our feet quick. 
I was talking to someone about Dax's tendency to bite and she looked at me in disgust and said to just give him a quick smack on the nose and he'll soon stop biting. This was really really bad advise...you should never ever do this to a GSD puppy. Not only are their noses very sensitive but you just up their game play. 
If you start a battle with a GSD pup then you have to win, and they love to battle! It's like letting a toddler watch wrestling on the telly and then being surprised when they land a spinning back fist on you.

All puppies have very sharp teeth. It's not easy for them to inhibit their biting tendency when they are teething. We just learned to stop playing with our hands so much and quickly put a toy in his mouth for him to chew on that instead. I think we realised that we have to learn how to live with a GSD rather than trying to always teach him to live with us. It's not all one way.

I didn't have to worry for long though. As soon as Dax was old enough to play outside with other dogs they taught him more about the etiquette of play fighting and biting than I ever could. All of my training then made sense to him. Dax still loves to play fight but he is now a master of soft biting. The thing is, it's not just him...all blokes love to play fight and they don't seem to care if they end up with war wounds from it. 
But d'y know what, puppies aint nothing compared to kittens when it comes to looking like you self harm.

Puppy/Shark/Piranha


Dax's first walk with Vic on the lead


Puppy ears.
There is nothing finer than a GSD with fab floppy ears. I almost felt sad when they started to stand up properly as I didn't half giggle when he ran about.


Sunbathing in the park.
Dax loves everyone in his human pack. I think he counts us when we are all out walking to make sure we are all where we should be at all times. He also loves lounging around with everyone in the park and drinking Vic's coke if he thinks she isn't watching.

German Shepherd meets Chihuahau.
This is the first time Dax met his little Chihuahua friend, they are both the same age. Dax is now obsessessed with little dogs. He lies down and lets them run all over him whilst biting his ears and legs and anything else that moves. But when he opens his mouth they tend to jump in, and he can fit an entire little dog in his mouth, much to the horror of many little dog owners. The little dogs love it though. It is odd to watch.

Digging in the Sand.
We are so lucky that the beach is only a 10 minute walk away and my goodness how dogs love a day at the beach. But who taught Dax to dig? I think this video gives it all away. He now digs massive Dax size holes and I spend most of my time chasing after him and filling them back in again. He likes to dig holes at your feet which can be dangerous if you have been lying down sunbathing and didn't notice what he was up to. 
One day at the beach I was sitting with my feet in one of his big holes, starring up at the beautiful blue sky in happy bliss. Then FLOP, a great big stinking dead fish was dropped onto my feet and Dax proceeded to try and cover both me and it up in the hole. I, of course, leapt up screaming, much to Andy's amusement and he didn't stop laughing at me as I then ran across the beach with my hand wrapped in a poop bag trying to drag a big dead fish away from a very excited happy doggie. Oh why do dogs have such a love of stinking dead things.

Playing in a stream.
We encourage his love of water as much as we can as it keeps him cool in the summer. 
I was chatting to this lad whilst waiting for a meeting to start at work. He had a GSD and asked where mine liked to sleep. Lots of "errrm" "ahhhh" "errrrrs" followed from me. He gave me a great big bright smile and said his dog slept in the bath in the summer and on his bed in the winter. I laughed out loud and confirmed that Dax liked to sleep in the shower and preferred the hard wooden floor over his nice comfy bed and that everyone thought he was bonkers. Turns out all GSD have very strange habits which you can sometimes only admit to other GSD owners. 

Playing hide and seek.
One of Andy's favourite games is hiding from Dax and making him go mad trying to find him. He's getting better at it though the older he gets (Dax not Andy).

Tugging on fallen branches

Chewing on fallen branches

Up Rivington in Lancashire
He's now got a habit of eating mud and barking at strange dogs. Looks like we are nearing adolescent time and training classes will be in order soon. 


Smiling for the camera.
You can really see the wonderful colours in his coat on this one. He's like dark chocolate, rich caramel, honey and cream. Andy says he's more like the colours of burnt toast...tut tut. 
I think he is the most handsome dog in the world and am so proud to have him and I love him to bits.
I now have no excuse for delaying getting out and about Edinburgh again doing my landscape paintings, with him to keep me company.

Elena xxX
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