A&S Dog Walking & Pet Visits

15/11/2025

Panda - Beagle missing Quainton area

15/11/2025

One to one puppy classes, Solo dog walks, One to one training, Walk & Trains, Sunday Socially Distanced Dog Walk Club.

The last few weeks have been busy with puppy one to ones. I’ve also been giving advice & information to new puppy guardians who are due to rehome their pups in the next few weeks. The topics are normally around crate v no crate, where should puppy sleep, first safe toys, bedding, what to feed & what equipment to buy. This can be such a minefield so I try to simplify these questions by giving ideas & choices.

The solo dog walks have been in Bierton, Bedgrove, Stoke Mandeville & central Aylesbury.

The Sunday Social Walk (on lead with distance) is at Pitstone this week. This is a wonderful group of guardians & their dogs who are worried about dogs/people being too close so we walk together but with distance.

Something I wanted to highlight to anyone booking a training/behavioural service. Someone contacted me this week & asked me how long it would take to have their fearful dog comfortable with being around other dogs off lead. Another trainer had told her ‘I can fix any behavioural issue in a few sessions’ It’s quite obvious this fixing of issues will be achieved using tools such as grot collar, prong collar or e collar, maybe all of them. I did ask the guardian would you be happy to use any of these tools on your grand child if they were scared of something? She immediately said no of course not. I then asked her ‘So why would you consider these being used on your dog’

We need to stop & think about how we view our dogs in society. We need to stop listening to social media, tv programs & people on dog walks about how to quickly change our boisterous, over aroused, fearful & anxious dogs into calm & compliant canines.

Dogs like us need choices, options, understanding, kind & tboughtful training, medical checks & most importantly they need us to advocate for them & for us to really consider these ‘quick fix options’ of using tools to strangle & cause pain to our dogs. Your remationship with your dog is key, building a safe bond. How can they view you as safe if you use intimidation & pain to gain quick results 🤷‍♀️

05/11/2025

5th Nov - Fireworks night

A night many children & families enjoy, and many pet owners like myself dread. Don’t get me wrong I would love to attend a good old fashioned fireworks display with a bonfire, sparkler in hand and return home for a glass of mulled wine. But in reality I have changed my viewpoint on fireworks night & not only the impact on Hend but also on others pets, wildlife & farm animals who cannot avoid the sudden bangs, colourful skies & the scent of burning wood & firework remnants. Farm animals & wildlife have a dreadful time sadly. It must be terrifying. It’s no wonder so many animals die on Nov 5th of sheer fright and many dogs go missing on walks, and also bolt from what owners thought were dog proof gardens. So for those of you who are experiencing your first year as a puppy guardian it’s a case of being proactive and not reactive to help your dog cope with the next 7 days.

DO stay at home & provide a settled environment.

DO let them have access to the garden for toileting early on.

DO take them out on a lead into the garden if they need to toilet during the bangs & whizzes

DO watch their body language to see if they are worried about the noises. They may bark, shake, whine, pace amongst other reactions.

DO have some stuffed frozen kongs, chews, games to play with your dog to keep them busy & entertained.

Do put on washing machines, dishwashers and tumble dryers as predictable sounds to help drown out those cracks, bangs and whizzes.

DO let them retreat to an area in the house they feel most comfortable in & provide comfort & extra blankets to snuggle into.

DO shut blinds, curtains to help with not only keeping the noise out but also the visual element. Hend is triggered by the colours in the sky.

Please DON’T leave your dogs alone, or take them to displays.

Do play some calming music for dogs on Alexa. We play Islands by Ludovio Einaudi which Hend loves and it is very soothing for us as humans. Jazz & Reggae disguise the loud sky music. Classic FM also play a pet play list tonight.

Please don’t just assume your dogs will be ok as Hend was fine for the first 5 years of his life and then it changed.

Please do sign the many petitions that are floating around this year, including the RSPCA survey about fireworks.

04/11/2025

The law about Controlling your dog in public

https://www.gov.uk/control-dog-public?fbclid=IwZnRzaAN3HKhleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHrcoB_oepqphZ075sGVyrS0ZrkQsVCbrgN5wqmpP0HXZykRU28y_V3g4FUcE_aem_kgQc1PXKBGHlQsMgSso1Fg

You can be fined if your dog is out of control in public - find out about Dog Control Orders, banned dogs, dog fouling and reporting a dangerous dog

02/11/2025

The Socially Distanced Dog Walk Club was in Bierton today. We have some beautiful quiet fields here in this village, perfect for dogs who may be worried and or fearful or frustrated.

Everyone’s dogs were either on a short lead or a long line ravelled up. We all gave space and a respectful distance between dogs and their guardians and in return the walk was calm for all the dogs who came.