Lodon Morgan


Week 8 - 12
Our first four weeks with Mo have revealed a pup not only with the perfect temperament but bursting with character and personality and devastating good looks.

Whilst house-training and night-time separation anxiety are distant memories Mo's artistic tendencies are currently manifesting themselves in his penchant for 'hands-free, baby-tooth' topiary.

Early 'bumblings' have matured into manic shuttle-runs the length of the kitchen but first adventures into the big outdoors have transformed our usually bold and headstrong boy into the epitome of obedience, ready to 'come' instantly… for now.

Mo is a wonderful addition to our family; we love him so much and are so proud of him. We can't thank you enough for arranging his genes in the way you did. You did a wonderful job! Thank you.


Week 12 - 16
Weeks 12 to 16 have been all about great leaps and bounds. Early excursions into the great outdoors have seen Mo grow from a nervous pup where the exact moment you thought you had lost him was the moment that you would fall over him as he found his way under your feet into an increasingly confident dog running exuberant circles at breakneck speed.

These weeks have also seen Mo start basic obedience classes. In just three weeks he has gone from trying to hide under chairs away from the riotous barking and the manic scrabbling of the claws of others on wooden floorboards to being a 'little star' whose efforts are only let down by a handler who has much to learn.

Mo is an intent observer and is learning quickly by watching his compatriots. He astonished everyone when, at the first attempt, he successfully completed the 'scent discrimination' test by smelling and disregarding other scented cloths before correctly identifying and retrieving the right one prompting exclamations that he is a 'natural'.


Week 16 – 20
Crates, kennels and graduations. Mo had been confined to his crate in the kitchen at nights and for periods up to 2 hours when the house has been empty from day one.

This worked well… for a while! Night-time confinements; no problem, confinements after breakfast and the morning walk; no problem. But afternoon confinements were becoming increasingly problematic manifesting in bed destruction. Mo was obviously not sleepy and worse, bored.

There was only one thing to do… leave the crate open and hope for the best. So we did… and braced for the worst we returned to find... absolutely nothing! And ever since? Nothing! What a star!

Necessity imposed on Mo a two-night stay at kennels. I have to confess that it was more painful to put Mo into kennels than it was to put my children into playgroup but it had to be done. It wasn’t just the inability to reassure him that we would be ‘back soon’ that worried me but the weeks of routine that would undoubtedly be turned on its head. I wasn’t wrong as we now have a dog that thinks it’s his duty to add to the dawn chorus.

Finally, I am pleased to announce that Mo has graduated from his obedience class to one a little more advanced but more on this next time.


Week 20 – 25
A Lament for the Crate. With the crate now redundant it was time to claim back the kitchen and introduce Mo to a ‘Big Dog’s Bed’. He took to it immediately, going in and out of it all day trying out various positions and arranging his blankets the way he wanted them.

We thought it was too good to be true and we weren’t wrong. That night saw Mo vocalising a mournful lament that could have only been in memory of the absent crate. Fortunately this only lasted a couple of nights and Mo now sleeps soundly like a ‘big dog’.

For the most part Mo has been holding his own very well in his new obedience class. The class instructor had made recommendations with regard to the treats that are most likely to return the best obedience results.

With liver cake being the most highly recommended treat it seemed to work very well for many weeks. However it was also suggested that new treats like cheese and sausage might invoke fresh enthusiasm in the dogs so I thought we would try the sausage. Mistake! Mo likes sausage. Mo likes sausage too much! I believe the smell of it in my pouch and on my hands drowned out my voice to the point that he was so distracted he could no longer hear me let alone work out what it was that he was supposed to be doing. We have since reverted to liver cake.


The story continues!



Andrew and Jane would like to thank Carol Higgs for sparing time to write this article.

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