I have loads of photos and video but my laptop is currently refusing to download it so I'm using this as a sign that I need a new one with more memory and a bigger hard drive hopefully I will then be able to add some of the stuff I've got.
Tom's training is coming on well after the Christmas break with sniffing at a minimum especially when I'm able to see the signs and get a call in to get his attention back. I'm continuing to use a target at the bottom of the dog walk, sometimes with a treat and sometimes without. If it's there we get good speed to the contact and he hits and stops but if it isn't he still creeps down, at my first show I'm going to try and get him looking while I walk the course and pretend to put something there hopefully he's as clever as I think and will remember me bending down.
A bitter sweet development of losing Dudley is that Tom is turning into a real Mummy's boy, he's got much more cuddly and appears to want to be with me more than before rather than playing with other dogs. I would never have wanted to not have Dudley but am taking advantage of this with Tom as he is much more interested in where I am at training than what the other dogs are doing and Wendy has pointed out that he watches me all the time when I'm walking courses etc. I'm actually really enjoying this as Duds was always one for everyone else and would forsake me for someone else without a backward glance and am seriously wondering about putting off having another dog until 2011 rather than the end of this year as planned. I will wait and see what happens this summer.
