Life with Lola

Lola (the picture on the right) is the new love of our lives. She is 4 months old, black and silver and could rival an atomic explosion for energy. Lola is a miniature Schnauzer puppy - an unusual choice as a pet purchase for us, as our intention was to buy a Weimaraner (the picture on the left), but a Singapore apartment is not the right home for a such a large and energetic dog, so the Weim will have to wait.

It happened like this. We were at the Swiss Butcher (Singapore's best expat meatery) last Saturday, (no, of course we didn't get her there, read on.....) and there is a a pet shop in the same street, right by where the car was parked. There was a sign in the window that said they had puppies in stock; we went in - thinking to have a look but with no intention of buying just yet - and came out an hour later the proud adoptive parents of the lovely Lola. She is a bundle of fun, and has changed our lives. Ding, our housekeeper and I are the main puppy trainers, with toilet training at the top of our list. She has made considerable progress in her first week, so I am hopeful of a life where newspapers become just reading material once again sometime soon.

Training a puppy may be a labour of love, but it is definitely labour. It's really important to be firm and for your "no" to mean "no". The technique I use when she is about to start eating my shoes, for example, is to clap my hands together loudly and say an equally loud "NO!". Chris, my Psychologist husband on the other hand, tries to reason with her. It goes something like this - in a soft voice, oozing with love: "Now, Lola, stop eating those shoes, they're not a toy, sweetie".

I'll obviously have to establish myself as alpha dog in the very near future........