Tales of a tail - #2

Not one of the girls but an adorable young English Bulldog boy who is in my Dogs In The OC book.  

I met Prada (name change) many years ago.  She was just a pup when we met and she was one of the most expressive little things that I had ever met.  Prada was also one of the many English Bulldogs that I've worked with.  Not long after I met her I worked with loads of other English Bulldogs and fell head over heels in love with the breed.  They are most definitely characters.

Probably the biggest misconception about the breed is that they are stupid.  Even many owners think that their English Bulldog is stupid.  Nothing could be further from the truth; Bulldogs are crazy smart.  Smart enough in fact to convince you that they are stupid.  No, they are smart cookies; but willing to jump at your every command?  Not so much.  Prada learned absolutely everything that we taught her but whether or not she did what she was told was something entirely different.

Each week when we met for a training class; I knew that I was in for laughs.  When asked to do a behavior that she really wasn't in the mood for she would simply whip her head around and not look at me.  Believe me when I say; that it took a great deal of work to outsmart her.  But once I had her figured out; she was amazing to teach.  I truly hate when people assume that certain breeds are stupid just because they haven't figured out how to teach them yet.

Bulldog's have got huge personalities and are one of my favorite breeds to shoot as well as train.  With their expressive face and gestures they can keep you laughing on a regular basis.  A couple of years after I met Prada; she was joined by another house sibling, Chablis (name change to protect identity).  She too was an English Bulldog; different, yet very much a character as well.  I always looked forward to our weekly training session and got a kick out of the two girls and their interactions with each other and with me.  The two would compete for my attention and just loved their training session.

I always hated to leave; hanging out with them was a blast.  Being their private trainer was most definitely a privilege.  Although I worked with them so many years ago; they still hold a special place in my "great dog's I've known."  Those two girls were just a few of the amazing English Bulldogs that I had the opportunity to work with but two that left the some of the biggest impressions.