The Creative Canine

04/11/2025

For the sensitive souls who notice everything, this one’s for you

Some dogs find it hard to just be. They notice everything; a change in your tone, a new smell or a rustle outside.
These are the dogs who think before they act, watch before they move, and sometimes worry before they need to.

Life can be quite intense for these sensitive thinkers. The world throws a lot of information at them, and they try to process it all at once. That can make them hesitate, overreact, or become unsure, even in familiar situations.

Scentwork gives these thoughtful dogs a way to switch off from all that background noise. When they’re searching, their mind has a clear job; follow the scent, explore, and solve the puzzle. It gives them structure and purpose while helping them relax at the same time.

You can often see it happen, their body language softens, their movement slows, and they start to enjoy the process. They stop worrying about getting things right and just enjoy doing.

Scentwork also helps them learn that change isn’t scary. Every search brings something a little different, a new layout, a new hiding place, a new smell nearby and each time they succeed, they grow in confidence.
Those gentle successes help them feel more flexible and able to cope with whatever life brings.

That’s why I love Scentwork for the over-thinkers. It gives them something positive to focus on, helps them relax into learning, and lets their true personality shine through.

If you’ve got one of these sensitive souls at home, Scentwork might be exactly what they need ❤️🐾

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03/11/2025

Today has been all about helping Eddie start to feel a bit better 🥰

We’ve been trying to get to the bottom of what’s been causing his discomfort, so today we headed to Dumfries Pet Rehab Centre for an assessment and treatment if appropriate.

New environments can be quite stressful for Eddie, but he did so well. We gave him time to explore the room, do plenty of sniffing and settle at his own pace. He made some lovely choices and managed to regulate himself much better than I expected.

The assessment showed that he’s uncomfortable through his pelvis and hips, and he’s been offloading his left hind leg.

He had some laser treatment today and, after a bit of uncertainty at first, he started to relax into it.

We now have a plan in place and will be regular visitors over the next few months to help him feel more comfortable.

I’ll let you know how we get on💙🐾

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31/10/2025

Sometimes the best thing for the soul is a quiet walk with the dogs, no phone signal, and just the sound of the forest 🌲🐾

It was one of those simple, peaceful walks today, dogs happy doing their thing, me enjoying the calm before a busy weekend ahead visiting the grandchildren ❤️

There’s something about being out in nature that just resets everything, isn’t there?

How are you spending your weekend? Out on adventures or having a cosy one at home with your dogs?

🐾🐕

30/10/2025

If your dog finds it hard to relax, this might help you see things in a new light…

Not all busy dogs are just full of energy, sometimes that busyness comes from worry. They’re not trying to be difficult; they’re just finding the world a bit much

Scentwork gives these dogs something safe and satisfying to focus on; a clear job that uses their natural skills.
When a dog uses their nose, their heart rate drops, their breathing slows, and you can almost see their body relax. It’s such a lovely way to help them unwind while still feeling like they’re doing something.

For dogs who worry, Scentwork isn’t just calming, it’s also confidence building. Every search gives them a small success, a “yes, I did it” moment. And those little wins build up, helping them feel more optimistic about the world around them.

That’s what I love about Scentwork; it meets dogs where they are.
Whether your dog is full of energy or a little unsure, it helps them slow down, focus, and feel good about themselves.

If this sounds like your dog, Scentwork really can make such a difference 🥰🐾

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29/10/2025

Ever wish your dog could just breathe and relax for five minutes?

You sit down with a cuppa and before you know it, there they are, pacing around, moving beds, watching you from across the room or following you from space to space 🙈

They might finally lie down, but one ear’s still on standby, ready to jump back up if you so much as breathe too loudly.

I meet a lot of dogs like this. I call them my busy brains and here’s the thing… it’s not that they won’t settle, it’s that they can’t. Their mind never really gets a break.

That’s where Scentwork comes in.
It gives these dogs something natural and meaningful to do.
Using their nose switches them into a different gear, one that’s calm, thoughtful and focused.

It’s amazing how a few minutes of sniffing can help them relax afterwards, often more than a long walk or a mad game of fetch.

If you’ve got a dog who seems busy even when the world is quiet, Scentwork can be a lovely way to help them find that ‘off switch’ again.

If this is your dog, know that you are not alone. I work with so many who find it hard to relax, but with time, understanding and the right kind of support, they can learn to switch off and truly rest.

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28/10/2025

So proud of my amazing scent sport teams last weekend! 😍

Saturday’s scent sport assessments were such a lovely morning, and I honestly couldn’t be prouder of my teams!

It’s taken dedication, patience and a good few laughs along the way for each dog and handler to reach this stage, and seeing how far they’ve all come makes me so proud 🥰

There were definitely some nerves on the day (mostly from the humans 😅), but everyone handled it brilliantly.
Each team worked individually, taking their turns while the others waited calmly in their cars, which is a big part of the life skills that go hand-in-hand with scent work!

It wasn’t just about the searches; the dogs showed brilliant skills in settling between turns, staying relaxed, and being able to switch between focus and calmness 👏

Every single team achieved something to be proud of, and now they move on to the next stages of their scent sport journey; exciting times ahead! 🤩

I’m planning to add a few more scent based classes to my schedule, so if your dog loves to use their nose and you’d like to be added to the waitlist, pop a 🐾 in the comments or send me a quick message; I’ll keep you posted!

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27/10/2025

Come and join us 🐾🎃🐾

🎃🐾 🎃🐾🎃🐾🎃🐾

Sniff, search, and follow the trail,
Every wagging tail will prevail!
Old or young, big or small,
Blind, deaf, bouncy — welcome all!

No tricks here, just spooky delight,
As noses lead the way tonight! 👃✨
Join the fun, come have a play —
Every dog’s a star today! 🌟🐾

We’ve a few spaces left on our Halloween escape room style scent work activity.

🐾 Suitable for complete scent work beginners

🐾 Tuesday 28th October

🐾 Sessions available at 6pm or 7:30pm

🐾 £30 per dog & handler team

Message the page to book, or send a What’s App 07791837163

27/10/2025

I’m really excited to share that I’ve now completed and passed my Scent Support Instructor course! 🐾

As most of you know I am already a qualified Scentwork Instructor, but I’m always looking for new ways to support the dogs and humans I work with.

Scent Support really stood out to me because it uses scentwork on a much deeper, emotional level, helping dogs feel safe, calm and able to learn. It’s especially helpful for dogs who find the world overwhelming or struggle to relax in new situations.

I’ll soon be offering tailored Scent Support packages designed around each dog’s individual training or behaviour needs. These will run for a minimum of 12 weeks, giving plenty of time to build trust, confidence and start seeing those positive changes; though every journey will be slightly different depending on the dog.

I can’t wait to share more about this next step soon, it’s such a rewarding approach and I’m really looking forward to helping more dogs through scent. ❤️🐾

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25/10/2025

Super proud trainer today!

These three and their dogs attended our Scent Sport League 1 Assessment morning this morning and did an amazing job with their team mates!

We had passes in Novice Kong, Novice Scent Match and Novice & Intermediate Catnip Retrieve 🤩

Full post will come later in the week but for now a HUGE well done to you all! 🏆⭐️

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25/10/2025

A lovely first Halloween Scent evening last night with these gorgeous guests being the first to help us solve the Mystery of the Vanishing Villager! 😍🐾

We have a few spaces available for Tuesday evenings event. Pop us a message to join in!

Yesterday we welcomed some VIPs (Very Important Pooches) to our first co-hosted Scent work Puzzle Night.

Frankie and Ivy from Dumfries and Galloway Canine Rescue Centre came over to solve the previously unsolved case ‘The Kettleholm Vanished Villager’.

They used their noses to lead Emma and Jade to the clues so they could solve the riddles and crack the case.

Best of all, they went back with a goody bag each.

We have photos and videos of them working on the activities but as we have another opportunity to get involved next Tuesday night, we won’t be posting any until after that.

If you and your dog fancy an enjoyable night out, there’s still some spaces available to book.

23/10/2025

It’s going to be a busy couple of days here! 😅

I’ve got lots of scent fun coming up, prepping for our Halloween Scent Evenings 🎃, running a mock assessment afternoon, then straight into a spooky scent night full of sniffing and teamwork 👻🐾

We have a few spaces available for our Halloween scent evening next Tuesday 28th so pop me a message if you would like to take part 😊

Then to top it all off, Saturday morning is Level Assessments for some of my amazing Scent Sports teams, I can’t wait to see everyone in action! 💪🐶

It’s going to be a full-on but very exciting couple of days!

Good luck to everyone taking part, you’ve all worked so hard, and I’m super proud of how far you’ve come! 🍀❤️

🐾🐕