Teaching terrier ways

Gail took me for a walk around Dunecht Estate at the weekend, and my wee poodle neighbour Ella joined us while her owner Kirsty stayed home nursing a sore toe. 

When Ella first came to live on our street she was all shy and nervous, and I've noticed she tends to stay close to Kirsty or Gail when we're out and about, even when she isn't on a lead. Which in my view is disappointing behaviour. 

Although I am not that much older than Ella (she's nine and I'm eleven) I feel she looks up to me* - both literally and metaphorically - and I think of myself as her mentor.

And so on Saturday afternoon I tried to encourage her to be less timid and more adventurous, leading by example of course. 

Initially she seemed hesitant.

But soon she gained confidence.

Poodles are of course quick learners,

And by the end of the walk, I'm proud to say Ella was displaying a positively terrier like mindset, happily striking out to investigate some new scent, without heed to whether or not Gail approved...

Way to go Ella! 

*Gail feels this is wishful thinking on Bertie's part.

Overconfidence - a trait shared with HGD?

You know how I told you a few days ago that I was sure I had won the agility competition, and found it hard to understand why the judges decided otherwise?

Well Gail is saying that my problem is "over-confidence".

What's more, she claims that this trait has been evident from the start. For example when I was a wee pup I would go up to big and aggressive looking dogs and bounce all over them, confident that they would want to be my friends, even when their body language indicated just the opposite.

So I was thrilled to learn that Human Grandad has also long been seen as over-confident. Recently, when Gail was trying to dissuade him from attempting to walk further than his aged muscles would permit, he replied, in a rare moment of verbal fluency, by telling her how, when he was training to be an RAF pilot in Oklahoma, his flying instructor would tick him off for failing to recognise the limits of his ability and for attempting manoeuvres that were unwise and even dangerous.

I am so proud and happy to have HGD as a role model!

Or should that be roll model?