BARNEY`S NEXT TEST

About six months ago, Barney passed his bronze award for being a well behaved dog. We have now been told that next Wednesday he will be having the test for the silver award in the Kennel Club`s Good Doggie Award Scheme (or whatever it`s called.)

We have a copy of the various elements of the test and, to be fair, for most of the past six months Barney and his Retriever chums have been practising most of them. So although there`s no need for him to panic, we have suggested to him that he should be spending some time between now and next Wednesday on revising, honing his skills and preparing himself mentally.

The test involves things such as coming back when called, not being distracted by `outside influences,` not interrupting when people are talking, not snatching food when people are eating biscuits, walking nicely down the road on the lead, getting in and out of the car and, perhaps most appealingly, laying down and not moving much for two minutes. Very much like my basic training for National Service. It`s as much a test for his `handler` as for Barney himself, so Mrs. Snopper, who does the training with him, is also revising for the questions she will be asked on the night about how to be a good dog owner. The tension will be mounting in the next few days as anxieties take hold but I`m sure it will be alright on the night. Won`t it?