A very happy new year to all our readers and their dogs. Let’s hope 2021 sees you all safe and well, and able to enjoy a return to some sort of normality.

The challenge of taking on a dog during lockdown is the subject of our lead feature this issue. It makes for a fascinating read, as we share the experiences of three new owners — including our own regular contributor and access adviser Stephen Jenkinson — as they’ve faced up to welcoming a new canine companion into their lives during the pandemic. There’s also a veterinary perspective from Your Dog vet Vicky Payne.

Innovation and flexibility are so often the keys to success in challenging times, so reading about how charity Dogs for Good has adapted to this new world, while still putting its assistance dogs and their partners at the centre of what it does, is really encouraging. Check out our feature on page 38.

Ask any dog owner what they consider to be their biggest training headache and the most difficult to overcome, and you’ll find many of them will say it’s their dog pulling on the lead. You only have to walk down any high street or in any park to see owners being towed along, with an enthusiastic pet out in front blazing a trail and virtually pulling their owner’s arms out of their sockets!

If that sounds familiar, don’t miss Steve Mann’s ‘The dog trainer dairies’ on page 24. Steve has lots of helpful advice, and explains how the key to overcoming the problem is to make that all important connection between dog and handler before you even leave the house.

Finally, you’ve all been voting in your thousands over the past few weeks for your favourite products in the Your Dog Product Awards 2021 — time to check out the winners; turn to page 20.

Happy reading,

Sarah Wright, Editor