Away Day

It’s half term and we are having an away day as a family.  We plan a trip to London with various cultural events, ending up at the Royal Albert Hall with tickets to see Cirque du Soleil.   This is a big treat for us.  It will be a long day, which leaves Moss alone, so we take the decision for her to stay with Captain Calm the dog trainer.  It’s a wise decision despite the cost.

We have a splendid day and returned to an empty home, Moss is having a sleepover.  The next day I am shattered and miss the text that says,   

“See you at 8.30am.” - I sleep through it.

Captain Calm arrives and I’m still in my nightwear.  Captain Calm is a dog walker, a trainer and a dog behaviourist.  She really knows her dogs.

She’s spent almost 24 hours with Moss. 

Captain Calm is impressed with how Moss is going on the lead and how sensitive she is to commands.  Yes, reacts to other dogs, but that can be managed with practice.  It’s all very positive, she was perfectly behaved overnight (phew).  But it’s the next bit that really helps …

In a few words Captain Calm sums up all my issues.  Moss wants to herd other dogs and control their movement, she stalks them and wants to nip at their heels.   As Captain Calm says,

“She’s just a pure Border Collie.”

It’s that simple, yet hearing the words from another person is so helpful.

Odd isn’t it that by being away from Moss I actually learn more about her.  Even though her breeding is blindingly obvious, for some reason hearing it from Captain Calm is incredibly helpful.

Moss is a real Border Collie.

Photo credit: The Teenager