Introducing...

Meet Diva! She is a tricolour shetland sheepdog puppy, who will be 10 weeks this Wednesday. We collected her from her breeders in Llanelli around midday today, and despite the long drive home she was quite content in the car - no fear, no accidents. Very happy to be cuddled :-)

We waited until today to collect her as we were away over the weekend for Mike's 30th birthday, down in Cornwall. As well as relaxing, I confess quite a few dog training books/ manuals made it down in my bag! It's been a while since we've had a puppy in the house (Ella's going to be 4 in March) so I just wanted to refresh my memory a bit before Diva came home. From what I do recall, due to the fact that Ella joined us in the wake of Kai's devastating accident (which saw the removal of his front right leg) I didn't dare trust my instincts when it came to raising her in the early days. I read a lot before she came home then too, but I'm a different person to the one that brought that tiny collie pup home.

My knowledge of dog training is constantly expanding, and Diva will benefit from a host of new training ideas and principles that Toby & Lucy, my first dogs, were never introduced to. And you know what - Diva will miss out on stuff that I will learn in the future, just as they have done. Will that make them enjoy their training less, or be lesser dogs because of it? Not a chance. Something that I have inspired in all my dogs is their desire to work for and please me - even those pesky terriers that I started with almost 10 years ago. My methods for teaching are better than they were then, but it's no good knowing a library full of theory unless you're able to put it into practice. For that you need empathy and understanding, and a sincere resolution to give your all - just as you expect your dog to do. I think that's what I do rather well, and I thank all the dogs both past and present who have helped me to become the handler that I am today.

So baby Diva, I have a stack of training ideas and concepts that will be rolled out in your training in the weeks to come; but first and foremost I'll be going with my instincts as to what I believe is best for you. Building a relationship and a solid foundation of trust and understanding is my top priority. I'm already proud of you and how you've coped with a busy first day - looking forward to what's to come!

Today I'm grateful for my mother-in-law for having our beautiful children for us whilst we were away, and for the wonderful weekend Mike and I shared together :-)