..in the past month since Jake arrived..i have realised that although i thought i knew every puppy is different, when actually in the situation i compared him to previous puppies..d-oh..i also 'thought' that his 'bolshiness' and strong character were early signs of him being dominant were in fact signs of fear..it was just that he reacted defensively as opposed to submissively, i have also realised that although the 6 adult dogs dont seem threatening for a second to me, that to him it must have been terrifying..and instead of me supporting him through this, he also had to contend with me telling him off..i read this back and think..how could i have been so stupid..but at the time i honestly thought he was one upiity, snappy little devil. In the month he has been here, once i relaxed, he has changed from a defensive puppy who had to attempt to stand up for himself into a cuddle monster who adores the other dogs, his days are spent just wanting to be with them all, he often will disappear and be found out in the kennel curled up beside whoever has chosen to be out there. He is an extremely intelligent, sensitive little soul who just wants to be a part of his pack.

I have learned so much from this experience, before now, i would have said i totally understood dogs and was confident that i had experienced lots of scenarios..how wrong i was. It has taught me a valuable lesson to sit back and observe more, give more time and leeway and to not jump to conclusions.

I cant imagine life without Jake now, he brightens every day with his antics and is a pleasure to be with, everyone he meets is captivated by this happy go lucky little soul who moves at the speed of light!