Thanks for all that. It might still be difficult to write a description, but I can muddle through now.
The dog is Milo, and he just had his ninth birthday last week. He's a lovely little fella but still has his problems. He came from Cocker Spaniel rescue at 7 months, and at the time he was thought to be the worst behaved dog they had ever had. I was his fifth chance, and he's been with me ever since. Wouldn't be without him.