What about Winnie?

Thought I ought to tell you a little bit about Winnie. She came to live with me at 17 months. Her previous owner was really worried that she would escape and get on to the road. Things had come to a head when she came home from work one day to see Winnie going up the road in the opposite direction, after she'd climbed out the bedroom window and got on to the roof of a bus!

Winnie had only just recovered from a miscarriage (an unplanned mating) and had started to show signs of phantom pregnancies. As a result of all this she was a little run down and had become a fussy eater.

She is now four and is a very hirsute, rough coated, tri colour girlie. She has been spayed so the mood swings etc have gone. She is a complete dog agility addict. If she sees another dog on the equipment she yells and shouts and screams as it is her equipment and no one else should be on it. When we finish a training session I face another temper tantrum as she doesn't want to stop. Very funny - its just like a kiddie throwing themselves on the floor and drumming their heels in temper.

When I first got her she thought I was out of my mind when I wanted to walk her when it was dark. An even greater madness in her eyes was walking in the rain. Why would anyone want to do that? Hadn't I watched the Wizard of Oz? Didn't I know people could melt or shrink in the rain? She was already a very small dog - she didn't want to take any chances that she might get smaller - look what happened to the Wicked Witch of the West?!

Now she does walk in both darkness and rain, but she still thinks I'm mad. She fancies herself as a bit of a human trainer and she takes every opportunity to perfect her training skills. So far she has got me to get up and make breakfast while she carries on sleeping in MY bed - under the quilt of course. She is working on the 'I'm not coming downstairs until you offer me a biscuit - and a good quality one at that!' technique. Only problem is that the uncooperative human keeps going upstairs and picking her up and carrying her downstairs. However, she hasn't given up hope - because sometimes it works.....