The Spaniel Annals

As Gael gets ready in earnest this summer to enter obedience competition, I’m fussing more than usual with her equipment: which collar to show her in, which toy to get her focused on me outside the ring, which dumbbell size (especially to reduce her mouthing of it). After spending way too much money on a fancy leather martingale and cycling through numerous toys that Gael either destroys in one training session or could care less about, I discover that really, simple is best:

That’s it. A canvas puppy bumper, a choke chain, and the dumbbell I started her with (after trying all kinds of fancy custom sizes), with a string tied to it for mouthing. She’s nuts about that puppy bumper, and the chain seems to be a collar she respects, unlike many buckle collars. Soon Gael decided she needed to be in the picture too: