Brin the Teenager! 3/2025

Since my last blog about Brin, he had his first birthday, so I thought it was a great opportunity to reflect on his story with us so far. Brin came to us on 8th August 2024 when he was 5 months old and was rehomed due to his previous owner’s ill health. A very sad day for them but we are so grateful that they chose us as he has (mainly) been a little bundle of joy. Through Brin I have reconnected with my love for competitive obedience and, luckily, he seems to love it too. He has learned so much, made new friends and loves to dance in his happy trotting heelwork which just looks so joyful. We have learned the basics of send away, recall and retrieve - it all needs lots of polishing, but I can see my little obedience dog emerging. Who knows if we will ever compete, but we are going to have so much fun learning and training.

Brin is also learning scent detection with Phil at Hide and go Sniff. He is currently searching for his ball and also working hard on an indication on his ball too. Searching for his ball is his thing and we practice in every room at home- can’t wait for the better weather so we can use the garden and drive and look for some other suitable search areas around where we live.

Brin’s next big challenge is learning to sit quietly in classes while I teach so that he can help me demonstrate the exercises. Quietly is a big thing for Brin as he is a very vocal whippet. I think he just likes the sound of his own voice. Even watching Crufts on TV was a challenge, but also a great training opportunity letting me work on quiet while there were dogs to distract him.

Other activities Brin has enjoyed over the past 7 months is going to the seaside which he loved and going away in our caravan. We were so pleased with him in the caravan as he slept in a big boy bed not in his crate and he was really good. It has been lots of fun having Brin, but it has also been really hard. The pressure to train nearly every day, even when I’m really tired and just want to collapse on the sofa, is quite stressful. And I really want him to have fun, be a puppy but also be a calm, confident and nicely behaved dog. We all love him to pieces (well Logi is still a bit undecided) and he is a great addition to our family.