Timmy was a stray from Northern Ireland who was shipped to the UK when he was three months old. The Dogs Trust took him into one of their rescue centres and he was re-homed with a family. After only three months they sent him back saying he was destructive and un-trainable. When the Dogs Trust investigated, they found that the family simply didn’t know how to handle Timmy. They hadn’t taken him to puppy training, claiming that they didn’t need to. After all, they had had dogs before! As far as they were concerned, Timmy was simply uncontrollable! I first met Timmy in his kennel at The Dogs Trust rehoming centre and loved him instantly. He was so friendly and happy to see a new face at his kennel gate. With hundreds of others to be looked after, the dogs don’t get as much time outside as they would like. So, when I took Timmy for a walk, he was so excited, bounding around, not knowing what to smell or look at next. He wasn’t able to come home with me straight away so I used the time to prepare for his arrival. I had just moved into a brand new house and Timmy wasn’t house trained so I wanted to take every precaution. I got a big dog gate to keep him in the kitchen and utility room and made it clear that this was his territory. Gradually I introduced him to the rest of the house, but he had to sit and wait at his gate to be invited!

Timmy learned so quickly. He joined puppy training and was really responsive to treats and the clicker. He is now a very well behaved dog but there are a few things I allow him get away with. Like jumping up to greet me when I come home. That’s something I wouldn’t want to go without.