Can you believe Zebby is 1 today! Where has that time gone?! 10 months ago we brought the little whirlwind home and it completely changed our lives.

1 year old

As a puppy he was sweet, playful, thoughtful, sensitive and crazy!

He approached every new opportunity, took in every experience and chewed everything! His teething phase was terrible but before you know it it has finished, and in a blink of an eye he has become a handsome, fully grown adult dog!

Dogs are puppies for such a small period of time and it has really reminded me how you need to treasure those moments (and not stress when they are being a nightmare… it won’t last forever).

In these past 10 months together we have tried scentwork and taken up jogging. I have learnt about REAL hunt and chase in a dog the hard way and together we continue to work on recall around wildlife and distractions. We have started agility, done some basic obedience training and been camping.

His behaviour around the cows is (dare I say it) perfect! He has really grown to be comfortable near them but does not wish to engage with them. He has also got used to the chickens much much easily than I anticipated and completely ignores them for most of the time.

Guinness and Zebby have formed the most lovely relationship. They enjoy each others company but are happy to be apart. They acknowledge each other and occasionally play when the time is right, but mostly keep to themselves. Guinness has become so tolerant of Zebby, when he bashes him in the head with a toy and sits on his tail Guinness just rolls his eyes and ignores him.

Zebby has developed in to a sensitive, affectionate, cuddly, happy young dog. He is fit and athletic but not huge, with a real love for running and the stamina to keep going as long as there is a pheasant scent to follow.  He loves life on the farm but is not so confident in busy, new places, but he is still so young and I hope with maturity and more training and exposure his confidence out and about will gradually grow with time.

I love the dog he is and I love the lifestyle we have together. He has taught me more about myself, my patience and my dog training ability that any other dog ever has. He has pushed me to my limits and therefore pushed those limits higher, and I am proud of the dog he has become so far.

Happy Birthday Zebby! Here’s to the next year together.