A Dog's Best Friend

24/08/2024

Introducing the gorgeous Creed to our . He's a super sweet teenager but the combination of his age, breed and intelligence has meant he's developed quite the voice when trying to get what he wants as well as a lack of recall when walks are ending. He was incredibly quick to pick up on all we covered during this first session and I look forward to watching him use his Kelpie brain to learn all we have installed for him over the coming weeks ❤️🐾☺️

22/08/2024

🎊🎉Happy Belated 8th birthday to Miss flowlabear aka Floki. Although this year has been filled with a few health bumps you're still full of zoomies sass and you really are a good girl ❤️🐾

10/08/2024

Dougal had his first session this week of his Behavioural Modification Package, he's clearly very bright and although currently conflicted about how to approach the strange lady with the toys and treats in his house, l I have every confidence he will fly though the programme we are setting in place and come out being more relaxed and confident in situations he is unsure of at the moment ❤️🐾

09/08/2024

I got to have a catch-up refresher session with Diesel and his family this week, he's such a dude and does his absolute best to make the whole session one big party 🥳 🐾

08/08/2024

For Solos session this week we took all the skills we've been covering and practiced then at a local dog park with plenty of distractions around, his owner rescued him about two months again and has been so dedicated to ensuring Solo feels content and enjoys his new life and has behaviours in place that ensured he is safe. It's a pleasure to say they've absolutely smashed it and Solo is living his best life 😍🐾👏

05/08/2024

Today I got to meet the incredibly cute Buddy who joined his family earlier this week at 14 weeks old. He's a clever cocker and quickly picked up everything we covered in this first session, I'm really looking forward to watching him progress and grow over the coming weeks. ❤️🐾😍

01/08/2024

We've been nominated in the Dog Friendly awards in the Trainers category and it would be greatly appreciated if you could take minute to give us a vote via the link below. Thank you in advance 😘🐾

A Dog's Best Friend Has Been Entered In The Dog Friendly Awards

31/07/2024

😎☀️🥵I'm sure just like me with my little sun worshipper, some of you may have been struggling to keep your dogs cool this week. Floki would literally cook herself if she could, so I've learnt over the years some great tricks to help her maintain an appropriate body temperature when we finally get blessed with sunshine.

🐾Early morning walks, ideally in a shaded area such as the woods. However if not possible then try and encourage them to walk on the grass verges instead of the pavement, as not only can they burn their paws, their sweat glands are also in their feet, so keeping them cool helps them to be able to regulate their temperature.
🐾Cooling mats are fab, if like Floki they are less then keen to go on them then some easy training games can help encourage them (reach out if this is something you'd like help with)
You can also purchase a cooling bandana or jacket.
🐾Frozen enrichment toys like Kongs, likki mats or filled hooves are not only a great way to cool down but give them some mental stimulation too.
🐾Keeping the windows open and the blinds or curtains closed from 11am alongside fans can obviously help keep the house cooler.
🐾Change the water frequently, most dogs are either big drinkers or barely seem to take a sip, so if like Floki they are inclined to rarely wet their whistle I find that a fresh water bowl is always more tempting and obviously cooler.
🐾Offer them a body of water like a paddling pool but if they are a princess like my girl don't force it.

Also remember dogs with shorter muzzles and thicker fur struggle much more with the heat than other breeds and that they will not die from missing a walk but they can from heat stroke!

I hope this helps anyone that's been worried and if you need any training or behavioural advice you can reach out on here, email [email protected]
Or visit www.a-dogs-best-friend.com
I hope these little tips help anyone

22/07/2024

We've updated our Services on our website, so please take a look at all we offer and also keep in mind if your training or Behavioural priorities seem to fall under more than one of the package options we are more than happy to cater a plan specifically to your dogs individual needs. Please message if you have any questions.🐾

09/07/2024

🐾🎊🎂It's my Birthday and as I love to do every year, I am once again politely requesting/demanding that you share photos of your beautiful dogs below please 🥰🐾🥳

26/06/2024

An introduction to Shaping with me and Floki. By using a clicker, treats, patience and shaping you can see how we can train a desired behaviour (balls being placed in the basket) in just a short session.

25/06/2024

When my kid is the one barking at pigeons and not my dog (thanks Bluey), not to mention being able to trust her to allow the tiny human to hold the lead for a short time (after she was consistently asking, I would usually have a safety lead attached), it really makes me appreciate how far Floki has come in her time with us.

During my personal journey of having to make my teenage rescue dog, who to our knowledge had never even met a child, let alone a baby before we were expecting our eldest I learnt a lot. I had to help her become a dog who could live within a family dynamic and be safe and also remain content with the chaos and constant change that children bring to a household. No longer was she able to have all the attention, her walks weren't able to remain routine, new sounds and smells filled the air, not to mention having to accumulate to little grabby hands, oddly moving toddlers, new furniture & toys that were not for her and so many other life changes she had to adapt to alongside us.

Obviously there are so many joys that overwhelmingly outweigh the teething issues (no pun intended) that having/joining children and dogs together entails. But for those about to embark on this amazing chapter of their lives or who are already waist deep in having to balance your responsibility as parents with that of a dog owner, you may be looking for assistance or peace of mind while navigating these waters, which is why I have a training package specifically for this subject.

My New Addition Package is aimed at those who are expecting, have babies, toddlers or young children and covers not only, helpful dog training/ management tips and recommendations that will make your lives easier, and your dog more comfortable but also assistance in desensitizing them to certain stimuli and creating appropriate bonds between your kids and canine family members too.

For those with older children I also love discussing dog safety and body language so can happily include this in the package (all our training packages are catered to the individual dog and living situation) but also have some helpful freebies I'll be sharing soon so watch this space if you feel this will be of interest to you!

www.a-dogs-best-friend.com
[email protected]

*Disclaimer not filmed today, temperature was reasonable, Floki is panting because of her medication.

19/06/2024

This adorable little guy is Oakley who is partaking in our Relaxed Rescue after being adopted recently. He is originally from Spain and was found at 6 weeks in a field with his siblings. He's now 18 weeks old and is very lucky to have found himself in a dedicated and loving home. They are absolutely smashing the majority of what I consider puppy training, especially considering he's only been with them a few weeks. However despite being incredibly chilled in many ways, Oakley currently becomes very distressed when left alone and after his long journey in a crate he also wasn't very keen on those either. His owners have already done so much to change his opinion of the crate and so we definitely aren't starting from nothing which is awesome. He is very quick to pick things up and you can literally see the cogs turning as he's finding connections between his behaviour and the consequences as well as our responses . I'm really looking forward to helping him progress over the coming weeks ❤️🐾

17/06/2024

Introducing Charlie to our Relaxed rescue package. This gorgeous boy has recently joined his new home at 9 months old. This Is his 4th placement in his short time on this planet and part of what has made it tricky for previous homes to commit to him is that he is deaf. Being deaf can obviously make even basic training trickier as you are unable to use words or sounds to gain their attention or deliver a cue, not to mention how much more distracting/reinforcing their remaining senses such as scent can be, as they are getting a majority of their input from the world this way. However his owners are incredibly dedicated to Charlie already and to learning how to best work around his limitations and talents to keep him, safe, happy and fulfilled while continuing to grow their bond with him. He's an absolute sweetheart and was really quick to pick up on what we've started work on. He also has the same drive and desires of any adolescent dog too which means lots of fun with training! 🥰🐾

17/06/2024

A BIG APOLOGY to anyone that has recently sent a submission message via my website. I've just become aware that there has been an issue preventing the messages being forwarded to me.

As a small business owner I pride myself on trying to respond to anyone as soon as possible and feel awful that people may have believed I had ignored their messages.

If anyone has reached out and not heard back from me and are still in need of my services please email [email protected] while I work to ensure the issue with the website is resolved and again my apologies.

03/06/2024

🐾Pain and behaviour🐾

So in the nearly 8 years Floki has been ours we've had many ups and downs with her behavior, some she came with already from when we rescued her, some were provoked by unfortunate incidents and some are part of her personality and genetics.

Like I recommend with any dog and their individual quirks we have used training, management, patience and understanding to work through any undesirable or stressful issues and like any dog she isn't perfect because perfect doesn't exist but she is happy, well trained and fits well into our life.

Unfortunately Floki has recently been unwell, we are currently working with vets to figure out exactly what is wrong and it's luckily not looking to be anything serious but her first symptom, before any sickness, skin issues or change of appetite was behavioral.

Dogs are masters of disguising when they are in pain, it's a primal trait that protects them from showing weakness around potential threats. I remember reading it explained as, if you were able to get your dog to rate their pain from 1-2 it would go 1,1,1,1,1,1,2,9,10.
However if you’re paying attention to behavior changes, even subtle but especially if seemingly overnight, can be your first way to see your dog may be suffering from discomfort or pain.

Whenever I'm taking on a behavioral modification case, if during my assessment there is any sign that reactivity, anxiety, fear or obsessive compulsive behaviors have come on suddenly or they have had any incident or correlating symptoms I insist on a veterinary referral. Pain and behavior are very closely correlated, which when said out loud is so obvious, when we're feeling under the weather our behavior also changes but for some reason so many people forget to consider this when dealing with our dogs.

So if your dog ever seems to be more sensitive, suddenly reactive, extra clingy, licking themselves or you more than usual or shows changes in behavior in any way, before assuming they are acting out, being naughty or being annoying, consider they may have something going on under the surface causing it and get a vets opinion. Then, if the symptoms don't improve with medical intervention, reach out to a qualified trainer or behaviorist who will work alongside the vets if needed.

If you have any questions or feel like the above may be relevant to your dog or you have any questions about any training or behavioral problems please feel free to reach out.

*Photo from her recent vet appointment all doped up.

29/05/2024

Miss Indie is full of beans and brains, she loves to be in control and so can be highly sprung when out and about and passing other dogs, her owner is incredibly dedicated and ensures she's fulfilling Indies breed requirements and love of training. Such a great team to be helping.🐾💕🌟

28/05/2024

Loki is 2 years old and you can see he's a big boy, his owner has unfortunately been living with some health issues and it's really important that Loki doesn't pull when walking, which up until now he has been doing constantly. His owner has admitted to dreading waking him due to his pulling, so we've spent the last three sessions of his Awesome Adolescents Package mastering the positive techniques we needed and here you can see how it all came together on his usual walking route. I'm so proud of both him and his owner. Well done lovely boy!! 🐾☺️👏

24/05/2024

Owning a Dog can be an absolute pleasure however, just like us, many dogs can suffer with anxiety, fear, frustration and an inability to regulate their emotions. This can obviously add strain to your relationship and day to day life. Also it's never going to be easy to watch your best friend struggle. Our Behavioural Modification Package is catered to your dog and their individual needs as well as your day to day life and priorities.
So if you find yourself in need of help with any Behavioural issues or any training of any kind please reach out to us. 🐾

21/05/2024

Loose Lead Walking with Toys-
Diesel is an adolescent collie who is a big puller, being a collie he can be extremely over stimulated by the outside world and has been tricky to get engaged once out. He isn't overly food motivated but loves a good toy so here you can see how I've adapted his training to use his highest motivation. As you can see he's doing incredibly well due to his owners consistency and perseverance with his training, well done Diesel! 🐾👏😍

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12/05/2024

Another amazing day at Dogs Day Out running the Scent and Discovery zone, I'll be trickling in some photos and videos over the next few days but for now, please enjoy miss Rhino showing off our play and think Zones 🐾😍🎊 Thank you to everyone who attended and also to my wonderful assistants over the weekend LJs Pet care Services. Pawfect Times with Rosie and Georgie Dog Walks , you're all amazing 😘🐾

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11/05/2024

Day one of .worldham has ended, what an amazing turnout of fantastic dogs, owners, businesss and sunshine. I can't wait to see what's in stall for tomorrow 🐾☀️

10/05/2024

So Dog Day Out weekend officially kicks off tomorrow!! Are any of you wonderful people attending Sunday and have a dog that they would be happy for me to use for my loose lead demo at 1.15pm in the main arena? Would ideally be on a harness??? 🤞🐾

08/05/2024

Let the fun begin 😁🐾🌞 .worldham only 3 more sleeps, setup is underway and the weather is beautiful once again 🐾 Tickets still available for Saturday and Sunday at dogsdayworldham.com

26/04/2024

Congratulations Sharon Ogilvie Wood, you are the lucky winner of our competition and have won 4 x tickets to Dogs Day Out for either the 11th or 12th of May! Please message the page to arrange collection of your prize 🎉🎊🐾

23/04/2024

22/04/2024

Only 4 days left to enter 🐾

✨Competition Time!! For a chance to win 4 Free tickets for Dog's Day Out in Worldham on either the 11th or 12th of May all you have to do is...

🐾Like A Dog's Best Friend and Dogs Day Out pages if you haven't already.

🐾Tag a friend in the comments below (each name counts as one entry)

🐾Bonus entries for a cute photo of your dog or by sharing this post.

The winner will be announced April 26th.

19/04/2024

doing her bit and checking out the grounds for .worldham which we're super excited to be attending again this year. We will once again be hosting the Scent and Discovery zones as well as judging the musical sits competition and giving a loose lead training demo in the main arena. She had officially given it 10/10 for fun times ahead and we can't wait to see you all at this beautiful location on May 11th and 12th 🐾😁😍 To book your tickets for the day visit www.dogsdayworldham.com