Just to say, the website Greatpawz.com is illegally copying these posts and putting them on their website, albeit under my name. I’m not sure how to stop them – I have contacted them. Other than that, Lola is now 5 and a half and doing really well. We love her to bits ..read more

21.5.17 Lola is six months old today.  It has been quite a traumatic time.  In fact, when I look back, all I can remember is trying to stop her leaping up and nipping us all the time, endless trips to the garden in the dark (it was January when she arrived), a constant sense of anxiety as to whether she was about to make a mess on the floor, the frustration of not being able to take her outside our garden for a walk because she was too young and hadn’t had her jabs, her increasing weight as I carried her to school to get her used to children and the school run and the occasional mome ..read more

2.5.17 Lola has embarked upon her glittering prize-winning career. She won 3rd place in the very first dog show she entered – for Prettiest Bitch. Being new to dogs, this sounded a bit like something from the mean streets of New York so it seemed somewhat out of place in the genteel, soggy surroundings of the East Meon Country Fair. But we’re delighted with Lola’s win, although we obviously feel a bit cheated that she didn’t win 1st place. Still, we don’t want to peak too soon. Amelia was clearly in the running for Best Child Handler but the judges then had some urgent words with each other an ..read more

1.5.17  I am reaching peak stress.  Andy has re-seeded our garden (trying to cover all the urine spots) and we have been banned from it for at least two weeks.  That was over a week ago and it has been an incredibly frustrating time.  The first day Lola couldn’t go in the garden it took her about half an hour to work out a new location for her toilet activities, with me hanging around in front of our house waiting for her to go.  Thankfully we live in a small side road off a very quiet short, potholed street, so there is hardly any traffic.  However, I can’t have ..read more

16.4.17  We finally went for our first proper family walk with Lola today.  She absolutely loved it!  At least, she hardly stopped trotting along, tail held high, the whole time.  She paused only to try a bit of horse manure and lick dust (I do wonder whether our Royal Canin diet is fulfilling all her nutritional needs).  There were some objections from Amelia to going on a walk, but a reference to the five walks a week of the pre-dog contract she signed seemed to put paid to those, on this occasion. I really enjoyed the family walk, although it began with a run for me ..read more

9.4.17  My relationship with Lola and my faith in my ability to look after her have been restored.  We were lucky enough to have a visit from the dog expert Louise Glazebrook on Wednesday and she was wonderful.  She said what a lovely dog Lola was.  She didn’t refer to my lack of authority over her, which I thought she would, because apparently I’m fine.  She gave me several helpful tips and principles which have made a big difference. Everything isn’t actually fine but after a fantastic day with Louise on Weds, we’re working on all the not-fine things.  Thin ..read more

4.4.17  Something has shifted on the Lola axis.  Yesterday Lola ratcheted up the naughtiness but she also tugged on our heart strings.  One minute Andy was telling her off severely, the next he was playing her favourite tickling game in a bid to cheer her up.  It was the first time I had felt really sorry for her and quite protective of her. It started with Lola actually barking and snapping at me when I tried to get her out of the car after school drop off. I used the toddler technique and went inside the house for a bit and left her in the boot, ignoring her.  When I ..read more

30.3.17  Nursing a whisky, mainlining chocolates (or I would be if it wasn’t Lent), sitting here an emotional wreck on the edge of tears: yes, it’s been another puppy training or, as I like to call it, owner humiliation class.  Each week seems to be progressively worse.  This week the demon trainer took me to one side as I entered the room, just after Amelia and Charlie had entered with Lola, to inform me that they didn’t have her under control at all (she was on the lead but had been so desperate to get to her friends that she dragged them over to where the other puppies were p ..read more

24.3.17  Slightly disappointingly, Lola is no longer afraid of footballs.  In fact, she has gone from being afraid of footballs to ruining football games in one fell swoop.  Two days ago she started playing with the old, deflated football we had left out for her to get used to, so Charlie and I started kicking it to each other which enticed Lola to run after it.  We mixed this in with a game with her frisbee which slightly confused her because she would run after the frisbee and grab that so we would kick the ball to each other so she would drop the frisbee and run after th ..read more

22.3.17 A friend told me today that they were taking the plunge and getting a puppy.  I was shocked and deduced she hadn’t really been listening to everything I’d told her about looking after Lola and had simply seen her fluffy loveliness and thought what a wonderful thing a puppy was.  In fact, I’m sure it was the pressure from her sons (age 10 and 7) and husband that encouraged her to make the leap.  My instinctive concerned reaction may have been to do with the fact that Lola’s walks have become havens of mindfulness as she sits/lies down and contemplates life rather than app ..read more