“I have been able to take Ruby on a few training walks now that her paw is healed, and have been working on down-stays and recall from a distance.

From the start, I have trained Ruby to respond to whistle and voice to ensure that she is familiar with either method that a future client may be able to use. Overall her recall is instant and excellent, even when she is running about with my own two dogs. Ditto with her down-stay, where she stays focused despite potential distractions around her (including one of our dogs walking up and sniffing her).

It was after returning from one of these training walks that I noticed a couple of small spots of blood on the kitchen floor. Of course, given her recent paw injury, the first concern was that Ruby had had another brush with a Blackthorn, but a quick inspection soon confirmed what I had suspected – Ruby’s first season had started!

My own two dogs have both been castrated, so, although they are showing more interest in Ruby, they are not a risk to her. But I have to take care to ensure she does not mix with any dogs that are still entire.

This means that, for the next three weeks, I will restrict Ruby’s walks and activities to a couple of fields outside the village where there will be no risk of Ruby meeting any other dogs. I will keep working on the recalls and stay commands, as well as enable her to free run in a safe environment with my own dogs.”