It's been a few weeks since I first introduced Nora to you all and a lot has happened. The most exciting thing is that Nora has finished her primary course of vaccinations and has started going on walks. Her first trip to the Forest was full of trepidation and she didn't venture far from my side, but she has grown in confidence and now even the biggest puddles hold no fear. The exercise has been good for me to, although I look forward to the summer when the ground won't be as wet.

Being a puppy there is a lot for Nora to learn and it's important to start as soon as possible. Toilet training is going well, but there is still the odd accident normally when my attention is elsewhere and I don't notice that she needs to go outside. It's important just to ignore these mistakes as they are inevitable, but remember to give plenty of praise when your puppy gets it right and goes in the garden. Before getting too excited though I would recommend telling your neighbours that you have a new puppy as they may wonder why you're standing in your garden say, "Good Girl, go wee wee!".

As well as toilet training there are a whole range of skills you need to teach your puppy ranging from the simple sit to not pulling when on the lead. To tackle these problems Nora and I started puppy classes run by Cara Dog Training. We had our first session this week and we both enjoyed ourselves. Nora is very sociable and loves playing with other dogs so it was difficult to keep her focus on the task in hand. Even with all the distractions and excitement when her attention was on the piece of sausage in my hand she learnt quickly. We've got plenty of things to practice this week though and I'm very keen to get her good on the lead as she will be a big strong dog and I'll need to be able to control her. She has really enjoyed the training at home and it is a very rewarding way of bonding with your puppy. She really struggled with the "Down!" command in the class, but this evening she got it down to a tee. I was so proud and I just hope she manages it in the class next week.Having come from a very large litter Nora was used to lots of company so coming to live with just me was a big change for her. At first she didn't like to be left on her own especially at night time. This meant there were a few sleepless nights and I've had to work hard on leaving her for short periods, not going back when she's barking, but once she is settled making a big fuss of her. She has learnt that if I'm not there she shouldn't worry and I'll be back soon. We still have the odd little whine at night, but at least I'm finally getting a fair night's sleep. I just hope that the For Sale board that has gone up in my neighbour's front garden is just a coincidence!