In which Willow huffs and wuffs

 Willow here.

Just bin on a walk - only in the village but it was a gud'un as they say round here.

She has been 'torturing' me with 'how not to pull on my lead' lessons - how is a dog like me s'posed to get to my favourite playing field if I don't run there with my fastest feet?? 

So, before I evn got my walk in she made me walk up and down up and down up and down - you get the picture - I was bored out of my head - she has the cheek to say my little walnut brain - huff.

'Parrently Iz doing well, coz she's not usin' the slip chain no more and I'z walking with jus my soft collar an' lead. An' funnily enough we still get to the best playing field and I'z excellent at catchin' and chasin' my second favourite ball. She has lost my best one .....

Now, we'z home an' sitting in the summerhouse, I loves the summerhouse and I am doing the collie-snooze-thing. I fall asleep with one eye open - gotta keep that eye on my human coz you neva know what she is goin' to get up to next, probably gardenin' I s'pose.

An' that fluffy white 'not-dog' is with us and she keeps giving me kisses - what is that about??

Kate here.

Willow has NOT been tortured despite what she wuffs, but she has been getting lots of lessons on how NOT.TO.PULL and finally I think (I hope) the penny has dropped as today's walk was one of the easier ones we have had recently. Her desperation to walk and to play is understandable but exhausting (and to be honest hard work on my hands) however today there seemed such a positive reaction to all the training - better contact between us, she is engaging with me more and responding to my actions rather than just dragging me and determining the speed (fast) and direction (straight to where she can come off lead and play).

Yesterday was the break through day - I felt really mean as it meant that as soon as she started to pull (for such a small and scrawny woof - she can lean in and set her shoulders - difficult to hold her) I would turn away from the park or the playing fields and continue the training - the neighbours must have wondered what on earth was going on - so yesterday - there was a light bulb moment. Today was the pay off. Long may it last!

And yes, that fluffy white 'not-dog' Pan seems to have accepted Willow and will often sit or sleep near her. We, all three of us, a rather odd pack, are either all in the garden or all in the house, together. It is rather nice 🩷🐾