I took my dog to obedience school – but it was me who got trained

‘I was nervous on week one. I fully expected Theo to be the class clown but he did something even worse – he behaved impeccably.’ Photograph: Highwaystarz-Photography/Getty Images/iStock

I’ve been around big dogs my entire life – labradors, German shepherds, mastiffs, golden retrievers and American bulldogs – with zero problems. But my fierce love for Theo proved that I can handle a big dog, not a big personality.

Theo is a moodle – yes, yet another ’oodle variety that’s slowly taking over Australia, much like those faux French chateaus that have cannibalised Melbourne’s inner east. Half poodle, half maltese, he looks like the ever-popular cavoodle but was significantly cheaper; moodles are essentially the Aldi of ’oodles.