Nellies Nibbles Dog Larder

08/07/2025

Lots of deliveries arriving this week!

06/07/2025

Fabulously insight
Thanks Woodhead Woofers 👌

Why is my dog.... stubborn?

We hear this a lot in training sessions 😉

‘My dog won’t do that, they’re SO stubborn!’ Or
‘She knows what to do but she’s too stubborn!’

Quite often a dog that appears to be stubborn is actually a dog that is either unmotivated or has limited training/understanding and absolutely no idea what is being asked of them.
Sometimes there are underlying health reasons, but that’s another topic entirely….😉

The key to successful training is finding what really motivates your dog.

You may have bought the most expensive toy in the pet shop because you thought it looked brilliant, doesn’t necessarily mean your dog will feel the same way 🤣
And those tasty treats are only tasty if your dog thinks so! 😂

Sometimes, rewards are only rewarding in certain environments…..

Once you’ve identified what reward your dog is happy to work for, its now down to you....

Placement of treats and timing of rewards is key to successful training.

Before you reward think, ‘what have I just rewarded?’

If you’re practicing some loose lead walking and it’s going really well and you ask your dog to sit at the end and you reward - what have you just rewarded?
The loose lead work or the sit?
What happens when you try to practice heel work but your dog keeps sitting? Are they stubborn for not walking or clever for repeating a rewarding behaviour?

Have a look at the definition of stubborn below - what do you think...?

‘having or showing dogged determination not to change one's attitude or position on something, especially in spite of good arguments or reasons to do so’.
"a stubborn refusal to learn from experience"

So you can see, being stubborn is a human emotion and is impossible for our dogs to act this way.

In order to be stubborn there has to be an internal conversation and thought process.

If you’d like some help with your ‘stubborn’ dog, give me a call 😉

New 4 week courses start:

Wednesday 9th July
And
Saturday 12th July

05/07/2025

Thank you to everyone who made the Titre Test clinic possible today.

A big thanks to Vicky Holistic Vet

It was great to see everyone 🐕

You certainly kept all 3 team members busy in the shop today 🫶

05/07/2025

We're open today 9-4pm
Today is our Titre Test day with Holistic Vet Vicky
A super busy day!

04/07/2025

Such an important post to demonstrate how so many badly fitting harnesses can cause damage

Big vote here for the Perfectfit harness 🙋‍♀️

This is a repost(ish) but well worth repeating. Many of you have heard me harp on harness fit time and again. Having spent decades evaluating harness fit in working dogs of all types with thermal imaging (as well as having years of working and active dog experience combined with a strong biomechanics knowledge base) using front-clipping or "Gentle Leader" type harnesses only guarantee more structural stress in active dogs that makes for more work for me and other chiro/sports med colleagues. PLEASE only use harnesses that fit with proper ergonomics! [NOTE: I've tweaked the English & syntax in the added-on description below so it might read a little differently.]

"All dog owners should know this fact! A harness like this is a terrible injustice to your pet!! AVOID USING THIS TYPE OF HARNESS !

In a dog's forward movement, a harness with a tape that crosses its chest from side to side hinders it in the same way humans would bother going hiking with an elastic band holding their arms. Physiological movement of the front extremity is prohibited. Just like rubber would inhibit the pendular movement of our ARMS.

Thanks to the "Study of Canine Movement at the University of Jena", we now know that in the dog, the center of rotation of the front limb is at the top of the scapula, but in the human the center of rotation in the arm is in the shoulder. Jena's study demonstrates, among other things, the importance of scapular movement for dog locomotion. Now we understand the importance of taking into account the free movement of the dog's shoulder when choosing a chest harness.
That means there SHOULDN'T be bands across the scapular (orange) area, and they shouldn't cross the chest side to side either.

From the point of view of biomechanics and physiotherapy, it is recommended not to choose getting harnesses that have a strap that goes through the chest laterally, or that have straps that touch or press the scapula.

Always lean towards harness models with ERGONOMIC design, to allow maximum freedom of movement for your dog, improve his well-being and safety during his walk.
Source : REAL CEPPA"

03/07/2025

I've struggled to write this post
Hence this happening a month ago now ❤️‍🩹

Flo was one of my very, very first customers when Nellies Nibbles first opened its doors at West Yelland.
Sadly she made her last walk across rainbow bridge 😢

I can't believe I won't see her again, either sat in her owner Sasha's car outside waiting patiently or popping in when the shop was empty of other dogs and snuffle about the treat area.

I wanted to very much acknowledge dear little Flo ❤️
and the deep loss for Sasha and her family

We should always make the most of our time with our golden years, because we never no when its going to be our last.

Flo really lived the most fulfilling life with her forever family when she eventually found them.

https://www.facebook.com/share/1Ee9R1fgZr/

Our Sweet Florence has gained her wings. Aged 10
After a rough start in life she was Saved by The wonderful Ruth Owen of DDBR&R.
After some rehabilitation and love, she was ready to find her family.
Along came Winston whom she adored.
She moved to Northam to her forever home.
She was safe and loved by our whole family and friends.
We will miss her daily.
Run free Sweet Flo 💔🌈🐾

30/06/2025

At Nellies Nibbles Dog Larder,
I have available two welcoming rooms available to rent for fellow canine professionals.

Whether you're looking to host regular pop-up clinics, offer one-to-one sessions, or just need a space for a one-off workshop or consultation, I offer a flexible, ad hoc setup to suit your needs.

It's an ideal location for canine professionals who don't reside in this area but would like to broaden their clientele and be able to offer North Devon dogs and their owners their professional skill set

Nellies Nibbles Dog Larder already has an established, loyal customer base and a great reputation in the dog-loving community, making it the perfect spot to connect with like-minded clients.

If your a behaviourist, physio, massage therapist, or offer any kind of canine-focused service, I'd love to hear from you.

Ideal location, just 2 mins from the A361, Barnstaple.
Lots of parking

Feel free to drop me a message to have a chat 📲

I also have coming up a fully furnished Dog Grooming room

Ideal for a groomer to build their own business and make it their own
or
maybe you prefer to rent a table so many days per week.
Options available 🐶

Feel free to tag or share this post if there's someone you know who might be interested

Drop me a message 🫶

30/06/2025

☀️ During this heat wave period, our incoming deliveries might be held back a day or two.
It's generally those suppliers who use a courier to ship to us.

Those that use their own frozen vans such as Durham and
The Dogs Butcher aren't affected by this

So please bare with 🫶
I have plenty of other brands currently in stock

I'd much prefer my frozen deliveries to arrive frozen 🧊
than a half defrosted mess🥵

29/06/2025

We had a great team meal out last night at a local Italian restaurant at

If you're local or on holiday here, go check them out. You won't be disappointed 😊
Exceptional food and service

Then we had a lovely walk along Bideford Quay to stretch after all the food we'd eaten 🤭





❤️

29/06/2025

Did you know we deliver locally?

Pop your order in via our website the day before our selected delivery days, and you will receive your order the following day.
We cover Barnstaple, Bideford, Ilfracombe, South Molton, Comb Martin, Umberleigh, Holsworthy, Hartland and everywhere in between!

28/06/2025

📣 We're open today until 4pm 📣

Fully stocked, we've had lots of frozen raw dog food deliveries this week.

There are lots of treats back in stock too, ready for the weekend 🐾🐾

Jo's in until 3pm today, so if you're in need of help with your dogs diet, pop in and have a chat with her

Then we're all gearing up for our staff meal tonight at a lovely local Italian
🍝🍕
Everyone's been working hard in this heat, it will be lovely to relax

Look out for the pics! 📸