I was out with Pyper and also our dog Malone – a bichon frise – he is a very smart and cunning little dog who thinks that he never gets fed. So with Pyper starting solids and we are also giving her little treats in between feeds – mars bars, ice cream you know that sort of thing!! NOT – Rusk’s, and rice crackers – well Malone thinks this is just fair game and really for him it’s like “stealing candy from a baby” well rice crackers anyway.

I see this and tell him off for doing it – he’s a male dog which equates to “I hear you but I don’t know what you’re saying and I just don’t listen anyway” so he decides that he is going to keep doing this, and this is where I must say if your an animal welfare person please stop reading, because I gave him a tap – and I mean tap not hit, a tap to stop him from stealing her food as she starts crying and really he is just getting his own back from her tugging on his ears and fur etc so maybe it’s all fair in love and war hmmm, anyway he runs off and Pyper looks at me! My heart sunk and I felt really bad! I looked at her and tried to laugh and joke it off – she is close to 8 months and she sees and hears everything so she is probably thinking it’s ok to hit animals and it’s ok to hit people also if need be.

So its easy really – make sure not to yell or hit things in front of your children they pick up everything like a dictaphone and act on it, this is how they might react for the rest of their lives if your not careful. Good luck!

- Scott

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