Fin is turning into a lovely family dog. Having trained out the annoying little habits , like digging holes in the garden, he is a very chilled out sort of chap! He doesn’t particularly bark or pester. He seems to entertain himself and likes to be everybody’s friend!

On the training front I have found him difficult to motivate and he sometimes lacks focus. He is not overly toy orientated, although this is improving. He prefers to tug and chasing a ball is not high up his list of fun activities... He is very “herdy” and loves to round up the other dogs. I have had to work hard to keep his attention on me. 

Initially we struggled with his recall but this has improved a lot. We actually achieved our Bronze Good Citizen award, so we must be doing something right!

I am pleased with the way Fin’s heelwork is coming along, although I’m sure we would have progressed more, if he was a bit more focussed.

We are also doing agility training and he is enjoying this, without becoming over the top! He has learnt to weave very quickly and I am now working on his drive and technique.

Fin does not have much stamina either in work or play, so I took him to the vets to get him checked out, although they didn’t find anything physically wrong with him. So I’ve changed his food in the hope that this might help a bit. He has also now had the suprelorin implant, to see if his hormones might be responsible for his lack of focus. The implant causes hormonal changes that closely mimic the effects of surgical castration and we should see the results (if any) in a few weeks.

In the meantime, Fin continues to enjoy himself and has decided that all spaniels must want to play with him (thanks to his association with his best friend, Stanley!) Fin’s favourite toys include the huge red space hopper, which he drags round the garden, and my sendaway markers - which I am thinking is not really a good thing...

This page was updated on 14th September 2009