I should know better

It`s a quiet time for me just now. So I`ve alternated soaking up the sun with working with Mr Lentil.

I had wondered if he would be up to showing, but the wee mite has grown steadily and in the past 3 weeks has decided that a growing boy needs a coat, so he just might have a show future...

He was determined not to walk on the lead...well only under severe protest. So I took him over to my friends on the east coast, for evaluation and to see if a little culture shock might work wonders. His pal Florian, en route to a show in Wales, came too.

Well - great new vistas for Mr Lentil. New places, new people - and a seagull. I live inland. My dogs don`t see seagulls. And this huge white monster, bigger than Florian, swooped down to my friend`s hut roof cocked its head on one side and regarded them with a beady eye.

The two intrepid Papillons stared at it and then took a long look at each other. You could just see what they were saying:

Florian:- "Look at the size of it! This is a job for a senior dog!"
Mr Lentil - "Actually, that`s you today....."
Florian - "Omigod! I mean, of course! Well, do you see anything at all on that roof?"
Mr Lentil - "Absolutely not."
Florian - Then let`s both not look at what isn`t standing on the roof"

And the two brave souls wandered on, carefully not looking up.

The outcome of the visit and a lot of subsequent work is that Mr Lentil will now walk on the lead - provided I am flapping a large slice of meat in front of his nose at very regular intervals. He trots on manfully, his eyes glazed and fixated on the moving hunk of ham or whatever. I am desperately trying to reduce the size of meat treat required to stimulate movement before he makes his debut at the club show - I feel instinctively that the treat should not be larger than the puppy.

Not to worry - he`ll get there. And meanwhile I have been asked to judge Papillons at a large Championship show in January...

Let the other exhibitors worry for a change.