She’s doing well. First weekend. No bother with Fireworks we’ve discovered – we took her with us to see the incredible 50th aniversary display of Fireworks on the Stray in a baby sling and had an emergency bail out plan for if she didn’t like it but didn’t bat an eye lid. Probably something to do with her being (at least) 5th Generation Gun Dog.

She seems to have got her head round ‘no’ fairly quick and already leaves stuff alone on command – like the very tempting catfood in the kitchen. She’s responding to a recall whistle (which the breeders cleverly instilled by whistling every time she was fed) and she is starting to know her own name.  She’s having little accidents around the place but is doing her business outside when we take her when she wakes up, after eating and after playing.

We are crate training her – she’s got a heartbreaking cry at night but the books say – don’t pander to it – hard work though. It’s very lovely having a pooch around the place. Yesterday we visited my Aunty who’s got a Cocker with a dog phobia (I kid you not). After an initial worried few moments Marnie Moo got very inquisitive (from the safe harbour of her human parents) and by the end of it was daring to run up for a quick sniff!

It really is like having a new baby in the house though – sleepless nights, accidents on the floor. Teething. I thought we had all that behind us!