Sherpa was seen by my Puppy Walking Supervisor not long after we returned from Nottingham. We took him for a walk through a busy shopping area and went in and out of a few shops. He did really well and she commented on how calm he is in shops. His only downfall is pigeons! I think every part of his being tells him that
their rightful place is in his mouth so he finds them fascinating. Sadly, city pigeons are notoriously stupid and so venture far too close to him for their own good! He is also a little distracted by other dogs, but my supervisor agreed that his general    distraction was worse because of his age and his hormones, so advised we have him castrated when he is just over 8 months of age. Our vet has agreed, we popped Sherpa into see him so that he could have his   kennel cough vaccine, so it looks like Sherpa will be a little lighter when I next write this! The vet also gave Sherpa a clean bill of health, which is always nice to hear, he laughed when he didn't even     notice that he had a thermometer stuck up his bottom!
I think our vets and the receptionist have a soft spot for Sherpa, judging by the      cuddles and tickles and general level of   attention he receives whenever he walks in. He is a dog that seems to bring a little joy to a lot of people, even when we are out training, so many people stop and say 'awwww' and smile. It's lovely to see him make people react that way, he is a beautiful boy who makes everyone fall for him and who in turn, adores everyone that he meets. I think that can only be good for him in the future as he doesn't generally demand attention, he just attracts it!
 

One of the most useful commands that I think that you can teach any dog is a good, firm 'leave it!' I start teaching the pups a 'leave it' command as soon as I can as I know from past experience, just how often I use it with them! 'Leave it' is amazing because the 'it' covers so much, the initial treat you train it with, the discarded curry/chips/ McDonalds on the pavement as you walk by, the elderly person who the puppy is obviously thinking about saying an     enthusiastic 'hello' to and of course, the real test, the one that tells you finally if the puppy has got the idea, the castration wound and stitches!
This month Sherpa has had his 'leave it' command tested and I am pleased to say he has passed with flying colours! He has been castrated. All went well with the    operation although he has had a few post surgery problems! He wears his lampshade (our affectionate name for the plastic collar he has to wear around his neck to stop him nibbling his stitches out) at bedtime and when we go out but when we are with him, if he even looks like he's going to look at the wound, we tell him to 'leave it' and bless him, he does, immediately! This