When dogs are destined for a life either in the world of dog shows or working in the community they very often have to prove that they can display good manners and their owners must show they can maintain total control of their faithful friend.

Both the owner and the dog are put through a series of tests by an evaluator; this is a person who has never been seen before by the dog or the owner. The initial test is to ascertain the dog’s behaviour when the evaluator approaches their owner, remember this person is a complete stranger. They will talk to the owner whilst totally ignoring the dog as this will allow them to observe the dog’s acceptance towards a friendly stranger.
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All dog owners experience that heart stopping moment when they allow their beloved canine off the lead for the first time, you know that moment when your dog seems to put their nose down on the ground and their bum in the air and then proceed to run off in the opposite direction to you!

Whether you have a puppy or an adult dog the moment is always slightly daunting and it is one not to be rushed. You must be as certain as you can be that your dog will return to you when you want him/her to and not when they choose is the right time.
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How is it that you never have your camera handy when your dog decides to pose in the cutest position or have the daftest expression on his/her face? When you have reached for your camera and set it all up the moment has passed and your dog has returned to normal!

Now thankfully the wonderful invention of the digital camera means that we are not spending a small fortune on camera films and the whole process of developing pictures which are short of useless. We can now snap as many pictures as we like until we obtain the perfect one and we do not have to inform anyone how long it actually took to do it!
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I use the term ‘mouthy’ in the nicest possible way! I am not referring to a dog which talks all the time or a dog which constantly uses bad language, no I am making reference to a dog which is always using its mouth for one thing or another.

Now I know dogs use their mouths to carry out normal daily functions such as barking, eating and drinking but some dogs seem to lick everything in sight and are always trying to put everything in their mouths to taste. Generally if this problem is observed in an adult dog it signifies that they were not fully taught how to inhibit their ‘bite’ as a puppy.
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Now you have thought of a name for your new puppy or adult dog, you have planned and prepared the dog food which he/she will consume and you have bought the essentials such as a lead, collar, doggy toys and a dog bed but have you considered what you will use to feed your dog/puppy in?

This is a common item which is overlooked, strange as this might seem it is true. Potential owners plan everything else to the finest little detail but forget about the utensil used to place their new canine chum’s dinner in!
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Okay so you have arrived home with your cute and fluffy puppy and after all the excitement has died down your thoughts turn to training, puppies do not come with a training programme already installed I am afraid so they do require training.

If this is your first experience of a puppy then your initial task will be to complete some research regarding the training side of things. Now although this is obviously the best option as you will be looking for guidance the world of dog training can be a nightmare to negotiate. There are numerous television programmes on the topic, books, classes and of course there are the opinions of other dog owners.
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If you daydream about taking your puppy to lots of different locations further afield than your local area you will need to be able to travel with him/her. You must remember that you cannot simply expect your puppy to adapt to travelling in a car as most of them have never done so prior to meeting you.

Many puppies go away with their new family from the place they were born and this will be their first experience of a car. When you collect your new puppy always be prepared for them to not travel well and be armed with towels, tissues and newspapers. The best item to transport your puppy in is a cardboard box with the front cut out as an entrance point. You can line this with newspapers and towels and a nice touch is to also pop a soft, puppy safe toy in the box which will act as a source of comfort. Your puppy can cuddle up close to the toy if he/she is feeling lonely because do not forget that they have just left the comfort of their mum and siblings.
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So the festive period has been and gone and all the celebrations have finished for another year, now it is time to pick up the pieces of your ‘normal’ life once again. Most of us are guilty of piling on some extra pounds over the xmas holidays what with all the chocolates, sausage rolls and buttery mince pies. The easy part is putting the weight on but it is removing the weight which usually proves to be more problematic.

We are not the only ones to put extra weight on during xmas as our canine chums generally join us too, they are more than happy to accept the turkey, cream, additional xmassy doggy treats and all the other trimmings that go into celebrating xmas.
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These days there are numerous training dvd’s available which claim to be able to change a dog from an unruly demon into a perfect, well behaved angel. This seems like a tall order in itself but they also claim to be able to perform this ‘miracle’ within seven days, so in just one week you will not even recognize your dog. The naughty pooch would have been replaced with a well behaved pooch.

Does all this sound to good to be true? Well that is probably because it is. You could take the smartest dog on the planet and it would not be capable of learning everything there is to learn in one week. Sure it could be taught the basics behind behaving in an orderly fashion and not being disruptive but you could never teach a dog all there is to know in just seven days.
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When you are trying to teach your puppy any new command always attempt to observe the situation through their eyes, this will give you a whole new perspective on what you are asking them to do.

Now reverse your roles for a moment and picture yourself as a cute and innocent puppy on the end of a massive training lead, you have just been presented with a taste of partial freedom and you are enjoying every single second of it. Then bellowing from the other end of the lead comes your name over and over again becoming more hysterical and annoyed as time progresses. Would you fall over yourself to rush back to the voice?
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