Going to Puppy Club - Buddy style

We've had an 'interesting' few days with old Budders and a few sleepless nights. He's definitely found his feet - or paws- in the house now and a real cheeky side of him is becoming more apparent every day.

So this morning we all piled into the car and off we went to puppy club at Wizard of Paws. Buddy did very well in the car and wasn't sick - he did slever more than an lifelong member of Weightwatchers in a chip shop. Apparently his slevering is a sign of his anxiety - I wish he would find another way to express it....

Buddy made up 25% of the class. He was joined by Zoe (a Springer Spaniel) Twiglet, a tiny Border Terrier pup with a whole heap of attitude and Lexie a stunning grey Great Dane puppy who epitomised the term 'gentle giant'. I'd love to tell you that buddy was the star pupil. But I can't. He didn't respond to treats in fact he couldn't have been less interested in them. And as we using treats to help the pups learn their names, Buddy's apparent lack of regard for venison tongue and sausage pieces made our tasks all the harder. Alastair of Wizard of Paws explained that his sullen mood and sad face were probably due to his dislike of being in the car and as predicted by Alastair (or The Dog Whisperer as he should be known) Bud did gain confidence and become more lively as the class progressed. He still didn't do as he was asked though. I think we'll let him off just this once.

The class was great, really informative and eye-opening. Turns out that you use a lot of the same techniques when training a puppy as you do when bringing up children. And our kids have turned out okay so far. With the exception of The Boy....

We've come home with an 'indoor kennel' to help with our training - that's a big cage to you and me. It's been a godsend so far for the times when he's started his daft mouthing and nipping - we just pop him in the cage (he's been placed in as we speak) until he calms down. It's a bit like the naughty step, only without the negative connotations.

What else can I tell you? Well, he's grown in the 6 days we've had him and he's getting really heavy to carry now. The Barlotte spent ages playing football with him today and he finally got the hang of it. So if Scotland should ever make to a World Cup or European Championships final again, we could give Buddy a really sever haircut, give a strip and two pairs of football strips and send him out on the pitch...