They say that if you put two dog-trainers together in a room then you will get three opinions on how best to do the job. I have now read 1 ¾ books on the subject and, as an arm-chair expert, can now contribute several more opinions to the discussion.
To be honest, having raised two pups already, it all feels like worryingly unfamiliar territory. We don’t have any old puppy training books kicking around, and at the time were on clockwork t’internet so were unlikely to be drawing on online resources such as may have been available. To quote Gandalf: “I have no memory of this place.”
So, we were either making it up as we went along or I’ve blanked out the memory, and I’m tending towards the latter as I have so little stored away about either Tess or Kip as pups.
What I can remember about Tess was that she arrived while we were still setting up the B&B and so seemingly always had more than the original spec of white spots on her coat having brushed against the gloss of a freshly painted skirting board. She also developed the habit of weeing the moment she stood on a plastic decorating sheet. Cage training had not really reached us, so she slept on a regular dog bed from the start. Part of our downfall was that she just seemed to ‘get’ what we wanted her to do, but at the same time had the good grace to create the illusion that we were training her. She quickly developed a response to a wide range of commands and all was well with the world. Before we get too misty-eyed and carried-away, there was of course the incident described as a "Code-RED under the Christmas tree" in her first few months, and the lap-top charger cable was never the same again after it met her.
Kip arrived unexpectedly at our back door just as we were leaving on a trip to London. I ran her to the vets to get her chipped, wormed and her vaccines started, and then she was deposited with unsuspecting family members down the road in Barmouth. I do remember being told (on many occasions) that she cried all night and that the worming dose had quite a dramatic effect. Nice. Her hyperactive approach to life was evident at the earliest stages, and this was particularly problematic before she could go on the floor; she would wriggle and struggle against being held before finally giving in, tucking her nose into my elbow and going splat for a few precious minutes. She was cage-trained from an early stage, largely to stop her stealing Tess’ food, and the rest I’m fairly sure I have blanked out. Suffice to say it involved much barking.
Anyway, as discussed above, I’m now an expert(!!) so can see the many errors of our ways and it is a wonder that we ended up with such well-balanced dogs……ehm……well one, at least. Watch out Venn!
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