Yea!!! She won first prize for prettiest bitch! We were so proud of her. Waggiest tail was a bit of a waste of time the tail never wagged once on the way across the field ! Usually it's wagging non stop amongst people and dogs.

Will answer the other posts later as am feeling a bit cream crackered after standing around for over 3 hours.

YAyyyy well done Bessie, I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!! Shame about the waggiest tail though, but there's always a next time for that!!!

So sorry to hear little Jimmi's not feeling too good today Bitkin, I hope he's much better by now. Give him a gentle hug from me please, poor little boy, he can't even have chicken and rice. What about some fish and potato, that's always nice and easy on the tum and it's still fish, it shouldn't set his allergies off again? I've done it with Georgie when he's been bad and all was fine? Good luck with him, I hope it's nothing serious.

1cutedog, that's a good idea about talking to that postman if Lana starts barking, I always do that with my youngster, just so that she knows I really can cope with any visitors, but she also gets a "be quiet" thrown in somewhere!

WELL DONE BESSIE!

Fabulous news, and secretly I knew she would win

Jimmi is much better today thank goodness.

Helena nice to hear from you, as always. Glad you think it's a good idea to talk to the postman if Lana starts barking, it's always good to know that I am on the right track

Bitkin glad to hear Jimmi is feeling much better now. It's a shame about his paws as otherwise you could take him more places with you. Dog boots aren't much good, don't seem to stay on the foot, that's if you manage to get it on in the first place but it's a shame he suffers just by walking too much

Cardaph Well done pretty Bessie, that's brilliant news, I'm so chuffed for you both.

I just need to catch the postman sometime this week Not sure that he always comes at the same time though. If someone comes up the stairs, Lana barks whilst I am shushing her. If they knock at my door she goes crazy with the barking. I open the door, holding onto her collar of course and then if I need to talk to the person I put Lana in the livingroom and the funny thing is she doesn't then make a sound and she doesn't come out the livingroom although the door is never properly shut, so she could if she wanted to.

Bessie says a big big thank you to everyone!

I was pleased also to read Jimmi is feeling better don't like it when they aren't well as they can't tell us what's bothering them poor souls.

Good luck with the postman 1cutedog maybe you could try leaving Lana in the living room if she seems to be quiet in there?

Helena I don't know about next year lol. Couldn't believe how tired I was yesterday. It would have helped if they'd put some seating out but my back doesn't do well if I have to stand for any length of time.

Still working on the leaving signals. Didn't do much yesterday but on Friday we tried them immediately after we'd put her dinner down and apart from one cursary glance she never lifted her head. Going to try again today with that and then may be tomorrow start actually going out the front door.

At the rate we are going we are going to be doing these exercises with the help of our walking sticks!

Just wondering how everyone is doing - any progress or not as the case may be!

We are still at the going out and coming straight back - if Bessie is eating she takes not a bit of notice. If she isn't eating she will follow us to the door but doesn't make too much fuss.

We have started going back to a training class as we felt she needed the discipline and she's doing well, even walking off lead to heel which amazes me, so we will keep on with that and ditch the agility as she has absolutely no concentration at that and constantly runs off to play instead of finishing the course.

I thought the support from the behaviourist ended after 8 weeks which we are at now, but she said it lasts for as long as we need it which is good

Oh well done Cardaph and Bessie!!! You are going forwards and not backwards, and the training class sounds to be working wonders with her. I am absolutely delighted for you because at long last progress is being made. It doesn't matter that it is small progress - each tiny step is to be celebrated. (*good excuse........gets out magic bottle)

As far as Jimmi goes, we were quietly and happily building up his trust and confidence and things were going very well indeed until last week. First he had yet another wasp sting, this time on his ear flap in the middle of a walk - trip to vet, only normal vet was out so nervous youngster decided to muzzle him in order to examine the ear. Yes, agreed, it was very very tender and swelling rapidly but I assured her that I could hold him properly being an ex vet nurse and also pointed out that no matter what had been done to him (including a tube shoved up his willy when testing his wee) he had never ever snapped or attempted to bite; unfortunately she was too frightened and put a tight muzzle on. He tolerated it for a short while then panicked in a major sort of way. All in all a very stressful visit for him. Then a few days later he developed yet another abscess on his foot and had to go in to have it lanced. We are currently taking him back on a daily basis, so instead of a lovely exciting walk each day he is carted off in the car to the Vet!

To cut all this short (sorry, I have rambled a bit) the outcome is that we have regressed. He is miserable, and no longer seems to trust me so we shall have to start all over again. The only good thing is that he probably won't care at the moment if I never come back after going out I know that Helena will come bustling in and tell me not to be so silly (you are such a tonic Helena, and I know in advance what you will say so no need to tire your fingers!!!), and I do realise that once this is over then we can start all over again and I am sure that Jimmi will soon forget these unfortunate episodes.

Now we need to hear from 1cutedog about Lana.

Nice to hear from you both, I have been wondering how Bessie and Jimmi are doing. Cardaph, Bessie seems to be progressing, well done to her for walking off lead to heel. Hope you haven't worn a hole in your carpets yet by walking to the door hundreds of times a week.

Bitkin so sorry to hear about Jimmi and his time at the vets, being muzzled aw and his foot and him not getting his walks, neither wonder he is so miserable. I'm sure he does still trust you, maybe when he's not feeling well he just goes into himself and wants to be alone. Here's hoping he gets better soon.

Lana's great, not sure about her seperation anxiety I haven't left her on her own or even thought about it, I think I am so used to having her with me. She often goes into the bedroom to sleep and I've started shutting the living room door. She didn't like it much and often wanted back in again as soon as I shut the door but she seems to do it a few times now to test me and then she's fine and goes in the bedroom for hours so there's been progress there.

I stopped the zylkene she only had the 20 tablets but what a difference they made and she seems to be doing just as well without them. I can only think she never got over the stress of being dumped in the kennels and the 3 weeks of zylkene were enough to stop all the stress. She's happier, more playful and more obedient and watches me a lot which is something she would never do before. I think I might get some more soon because of fireworks as I think those will stress her out.

Hope I'll be forgiven for this off topic bit. As it's now 10 months I've had her I relaxed and convinced myself she must have been dressed. Well didn't the little booger come into season a couple of days ago Because she's been scratching and licking a lot with an allergy I hadn't noticed but the other day a dog kept sniffing at her and she kept telling him off. He still persisted. After another time of snapping at him I put her on the lead because I thought with the sound of it if he did it again she would rip his throat out when I got home I had a look and yes she's in heat.

Most of the dogs in the park have been done plus I go when there's not many there so she can still get off the lead. I stay in the middle of the park scanning it the whole time and when I see a dog I put her on the lead until I know it's safe so hopefully she won't be restricted much. Plus she's still at the stage of not letting them near her. The dogsitters has been on holiday a couple of weeks (how dare she ) but Lana will be going with her for a couple of hours on Monday.

I've left her at my dads a couple of times lately when I've nipped out to Asda and she's so much better. He wouldn't watch her before (a cantankerous 83 year old) but he was happy to do it when I was shopping for him when he wasn't well. He says she's much more settled, so all in all, progress been made here too.

Oh Bitkin that is awful. Poor little Jimmi he is going through the mill isn't he. I think he just must be feeling a bit miserable with all this going on - well you would wouldn't you. He'll get back to his own self soon. Have you had your trip away yet to see your dad?

1cutedog I am thrilled to hear how well our Lana is doing! That is amazing and you must be so pleased at the progress.
Yes you will have to keep a close eye on her with the other dogs for a while but it will soon pass. Bessie for some reason seems to be more attractive to the males since she has been spayed. Last week at training one dog was getting in a right old state and wouldn't leave her alone. Am keeping an eye on it and if it happens this week may have to get her checked.

We are keeping the present level of training as it is for another week - I don't want to push her too far too quickly having got this far and I'm not sure about the progress made as it seems she only doesn't take much notice whilst her head is in her feeding bowl. I met a lady yesterday who ued to train sniffer dogs for the police. She suggested putting a muzzle on her to be able to go out, as they can't bark with them on and may God forgive me for one moment I saw an easy solution! That is until I did some research on the web and found out it is not only cruel to leave a dog for any length of time with one on but also dangerous. I shall be avoiding her in the future!

Cardaph, you're forgiven already having the fleeting thought of using a muzzle on Bessie. I'm guilty of the same thing, someone tells you how they got their dog to stop barking and for a split second your heart races with sheer delight and anticipation that your worries will be ended. Then you think about it again and realise you wouldn't do it to your dog.

I was reading a magazine one day and there was something which gave an electronic sound only heard by the dogs. Wellll, my heart started racing, I thought oh joy Lana will be cured then I read further and noticed it was a collar. No way, I thought I couldn't do that although if it was something I could have left somewhere else, who knows I might have thought about it longer. But we know we'd never use them really.

Bessie seems to be coming along nicely. I know for you it's slow but you are being very patient and you know going slow will win out in the end.

I was going to get more zylkene for when the fireworks come along as I know last year Lana was in the kennels and the woman said she was in a right state. Well tonight there were already fireworks going off and Lana didn't bat an eyelid, in fact she went off to her bed all alone in the bedroom. I can't believe the difference in Lana in the last 6 weeks or so just with using the zylkene. The difference in her is amazing and I feel at last that she's my dog and she's actually starting to trust me. If I had only known I would have given them to her sooner.