Do we carry on?

Dylan and I have finally won an award. Not the coveted Kennel Club Bronze that is slipping further from our grasp, but next week Dylan and I will be officially the longest serving members of puppy class plus.

At the moment, Dylan is stomping round the bedroom in pure Welshie sulk mood. I think the realisation of what happened (or rather didn’t happen)at puppy class has sunk in.

Last week there was no puppy class as it was firework night in the UK. So instead Dyls and I have spent the week practising sit/stays, off lead recalls, heels walks and going through gates – all in readiness of the Good Citizen.

And Dyls has been brilliant. Well that is to say she happily sits and waits at gates now before going through, but faced with a steep slope, some brambles and mud on the way into our favourite field, and this usually too brave for her own good Welshie turns into a wimp and has to be carried.

Anyway, I digress, back to class and we turned up confident we had practised enough to impress the trainer.

Dyls scampered into the hall, Boo the Cavapoo came bounding over, her mum Alison confessed they too had been practising like mad.

Then in came Teddy, a newbie and a gorgeous grey Sharpei boy. I haven’t seen one of these for years, and when I looked them up discovered that at one point back in 1978 they were officially the worlds rarest dog.

Anyway, Teddy seemed quite nervous and a little bit on edge. Not helped when Molly the other Cavapoo arrived and decided she was going to try and bully Teddy. And then she tried to bully Dyls, barking at her and pulling at Dylan’s beard.

Well of course, no self respecting Welshie is going to stand for that – so Dyls pulled Molly’s ear back.

Then they had a kiss and make up, but then Teddy started growling at the girls, which sent Dylan into high alert mode and basically class was over before it began!

Dylan managed a recall. Yes just the one. Sit and stay – she refused to acknowledge me, instead stood there on alert, her eyes fixed on Teddy – pity was she didn’t stay for the required minute!

We did a lead walk round the room – actually that did go well – for us but sadly not for Teddy’s owner who got the full wrath of the trainer for daring to argue with her about which hand should hold the lead. Big mistake!

Mmm “, she muttered to us regulars, “the dog is not the only one that needs training there!”.

Uh oh! I think Teddy’s owner should be afraid, very afraid…

The trainer wanted to concentrate on Molly, Boo and Dyls as we are about to take our Good Citizen Bronze next Tuesday.

But Dyls was still not listening, which we know isn’t unusual, but she will do some stuff.

Tonight however, she wasn’t naughty, she just went deaf. But not only that, she was visibly on edge the entire night with Teddy and Molly, and it put her off her game – any game – good or mischievous.

At the end of class, the trainer came over. “I don’t think Dylan should do the Good Citizen Bronze text next week. She’s not consistent enough, and too easily distracted, even for a Welsh terrier”. She will get there just not this year!”

So there we have it. The others will move up, we stay where we are,. Will Dylan ever achieve consistency? Who knows. Do we continue with puppy class given Dyls will be twice as old and three times the size of her new classmates….

With all this to ponder, Dylan chewed it over alongside her chicken, rice and peas. I went for Rioja – another offer from the supermarkets of She field – and very nice it is too.

And maybe it’s a two bottle night…as Dyls and I have a lot to think about!