I think the diaries are great too - he def has a sense of humour.
Just remember though, he is your dog, and anything you feel uncomfortable with, say so. I made the huge mistake of letting an agility trainer tell me to tie Lola to the fence and walk away, because she wasn't "paying attention" like a border collie does (she's an english setter).... all that achieved was to upset Lola and make her hate agility - we gave up shortly after..... you can't treat all dogs the same way.
Thanks Penel, I'd definitely never let anyone do anything with Alfie that I wasn't 100% happy with, it's a really good point. That's why I've booked this first lesson as a 'taster' before I commit to any more, just to see how we get on.
Flozac - Tilly is a wee star, I wish I could take some of the credit for it but she's the one teaching me!
I'm sure Floss and little Scout will turn out fab though, you're working really hard with them. It is flippin' hard though, Alfie is more than living up to his 'monster' nickname at the moment