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For all those who know Bruno, and especially those who have criticised us for not training/controlling him properly:
I've always thought that, apart from us, the only person who has experienced long-term the behaviour of our Breton spaniel is our local kennel expert, Celine from Complexe Canine de la Gravie in Le Garric - the kennel where we leave him for extended periods whilst we are away.  Well, we have just picked him up after a 12-day stay with Celine and her comments were very interesting.  I told her about all the problems we had had with our Gaillac neighbours and that we were considering installing an electric wire around the fence. She said Non categorically. She told us that, in her view, Bruno is well-trained for the normal, everyday tasks like sitting on command and gentle with people, but that he has probably experienced a great shock as a puppy from his previous owner - undoubtedly a hunter - and that an electric fence would cause him even more distress. The shock as a puppy has left him mentally-disturbed:  he cannot cope with bangs, e.g. thunder (he bent the bars of the kennel there during a storm, but was calm thereafter), he is permanently anxious, and experiences what looks like mild epilepsy (an inherited gene common in Breton spaniels) which manifests itself by mad racing around the garden, followed by sudden stops into normal, calm behaviour again.  Exactement!! Tres bien, Celine.

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