An Update on Puppy Diesel!

A guest blog written by Alison Courtney!

Diesel /dezel/

For those of you that don’t already know, Diesel is our working line German Shepherd Pup (yes he is still a pup, at 35kg and 10months old a big pup, but a pup all the same). He is my Daughters Best Friend, besides her mum of course ;-P, he is my sons buddy, Steve is smitten with him, and me, well he is my boy.

As mother, a wife and running a full time business, I’m sure a lot of you can relate when I say, after all of that, when could I possibly have time to train or spend time with him? In the words of Steve “You are always training him. You are always teaching him right and wrong with your actions”

Training your dog doesn’t always have to be time consuming or hard work.  I’ve found as someone quite time poor that a quick trip to the park with a few recalls, or distraction work while walking on lead can be just as beneficial for your dog as you getting out and about for a bit yourself.

If he is not outside having a run around, he is by my side on his mat or in his crate. He comes on the school drop off and pick up runs. He comes to the park with the kids and I, he “guards” my car when I go to the shops. He may not have a lot of “formal” training time and like I have been told “he is a work in progress”, but he is MY work in progress.  He is a good boy. He has a reliable recall, has basic obedience skills ie sit, down etc and we are working on his stay. He is a great family dog, adores the kids and time with the family, and just wants to be near us always.

He runs around like a child hyped up on lollies and red cordial, high on life and loving every minute of it. He carries piece after piece of our fire wood off the pile and into the crate for  what I can only imagine???  He frightens delivery guys off at the gate on a daily basis with his ever growing BIG BOY BARK and turns to look at me and say “did you see that mum?” Proud as Punch 🙂 And I am proud of him 🙂