I have to confess I don't have a perfect record on training dogs. I was far too impatient and probably denied myself a lot of pleasure in the past because of my faults. Having watched my wife and seen her wonderful results I was determined to learn by my errors.

From a few days after Ralph had had his vaccination jabs and could mix with other dogs, we attended weekly obedience classes, These classes have taught us both an awful lot and continue to do so. I have tried to ensure he grows up in a stable, placid, kindly atmosphere, devoid of shouting, any hitting or human over reaction.

We have stuck at the obedience classes, despite there being times when we did not do very well, and I failed to stick at the daily training routine. There were also times when Ralph would arrive at classes in a "bullish" mood and refuse to concentrate. But now we are "born again" obedience followers, and just occasionally we hear the instructor say, "Well done Ralph, Good Dog!" as we pull off a major coup in the "on your mat and down" exercise.