Meet Leo's family

Leo is further along his training journey! He's now being trained by Fiona, a Volunteer Dog Trainer who has looked after - quite literally - generations of our hearing dogs over the years.

Let's show you what we mean.

So, Leo's second from the left. Yes, you're right, he has grown! He's sort of in between looking like a puppy and a 'real dog' now, still with a bit of growing to do, but his fur is still very soft and puppy-like.

But who are the rest of the dogs? Well, the dog on the left is Hebe - Leo's mum! She lives with Fiona, and was also a sponsor pup. She had such amazing attributes that she became a Hearing Dogs mum. We're hoping that she'll have passed her fantastic character and temperament on to Leo.

To Leo's left we have Ginny, who is a Demo Dog, which means she shows off her skills at events. And to the right is Ginny's son Chilli, who is also a Demo Dog. And they all live with Fiona. We hope you're following all this!

It's a wonderful portrait, and Leo is so lucky to have so many friendly canine pals around him, as well as Fiona's experience in guiding him along his training journey.

One thing people often comment on is how similar Leo looks to Hebe. What do you think?

Hebe was always a very cute puppy, and generally we think the difference is that, while she's quite prim and proper in photos, Leo is a softy, with his eyes sparkling and his tongue out.

One thing they definitely share is... tickle tums!

One of Hebe's most recognisable traits was how she always, always, always wanted tickle tums. She loved them, and so does Leo! Isn't it funny how these things can be passed down?

Let's meet another relation. This is Leo on the right, with his brother Lincoln on the left.

Lincoln definitely looks like Hebe, don't you think? A more similar expression and colouring. And look, Leo has his soft, happy expression and his tongue out again!

Leo is having a great time with Fiona, which we'll tell about soon in your next training update. As well as meeting up with family members, he enjoys a good old splash around in the local river that they walk along.

But it's not all about leisure. Leo is actually doing some training! This photo was taken in one of our training flats at our training centre in Buckinghamshire.

As you can see there are objects around Leo that give a hint as to what he's doing. As well as toys, which are used to help him think that training is just playing, there are objects that can make noises too, such as the hoover in the background and a television. This is so that Leo can get used to these noises, but also to help him learn that, if a deaf person is hoovering, they might miss an important sound such as the doorbell. So, not only is Leo unafraid of these noises, he knows that his deaf partner might need extra help when they're going on.

Leo makes sure he has plenty of recovery time afterwards though, and maybe some more tickle tums...!

That's all for now! See you soon, and thank you for sponsoring Leo!