Allsorts of Paws

26/06/2024

Food puzzles for cats 🐈‍⬛🐈🐈‍⬛🐈

Welcome to Food Puzzles for Cats, a one stop resource for information about feeding your cat using foraging toys! We were inspired to create this website after we published our paper about food puzzles in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery with Drs. Tony Buffington and Leticia Dantas! We fel...

11/04/2024

06/04/2024

Does your dog often eat grass and should it be of concern? At this time of year, the young grass shoots are putting all their energy into growth and are full of moisture and sugars, which are very tempting to your dog. 🌱Today's blog looks at the benefits your dog gets from eating grass and when it should be of concern. https://www.hedgerowhounds.co.uk/news/why-does-my-dog-eat-grass

13/10/2023

"It's only enriching if your dog WANTS to do it...."

12/06/2023

https://www.nonstopdogwear.com/en/magazine/warm-weather/

29/05/2023

Recent studies conducted by the Institute of Heart-Math provide a clue to explain the two-way ′′healing′′ that occurs when we're close to horses.
According to researchers, the heart has an electromagnetic field larger than the brain: a magnetometer can measure the energy field of the heart that radiates from 2.4 meters to 3 meters around the human body.
While this is certainly significant, perhaps more impressive than the electromagnetic field projected by the heart of a horse is five times larger than that of a human being (imagine an electromagnetic sphere around the horse) and it can influence straight into our own heart rate.
Horses are also likely to have what science has identified as a "coherent′′ heart rate (heart rate pattern) that explains why we can feel better when we're close to them. Studies have found a coherent heart pattern or HRV to be a solid measure of well-being and consistent with emotional states of calm and joy-that is, we exhibit such patterns when we feel positive emotions.
A coherent heart pattern is indicative of a system that can recover and adapt to stressful situations very efficiently. Many times, we just need to be in the presence of horses to feel a sense of well-being and peace.
In fact, research shows that people experience many physiological benefits by interacting with horses, including lower blood pressure and heart rate, higher beta-endorphins (neurotransmitters acting as pain suppressors), decreased stress levels, decreased feelings of anger, hostility, tension and anxiety, better social working; and greater feelings of empowerment, confidence, patience and self-efficacy.

By: Alejandro Pascual Puig
CEO en E&C CONSULTING CEO en E&C CONSULTING
The artist is Valerie Eric. The copyright holder is Sarah Barnes, HeartMath certified practitioner. The image was inspired following a riding lesson on heart connection.

07/05/2023

https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/10-steps-to-manage-dog-skin-conditions/

Problems with your dog’s skin are a sign of your dog’s deeper health. Here are the top 10 steps to resolve dog skin conditions from the inside ...

01/04/2023

The impact of training methods on dogs.

20/03/2023

While dog training plays a useful role in building a harmonious relationship with our canine companions, living ethically with dogs also involves respecting their inherent dogness and acknowledging their need to practice natural behaviours. Recognising that dogs have their unique instincts, drives, and desires allows guardians to create an environment that caters to these innate tendencies. By providing opportunities for dogs to engage in species-specific activities such as sniffing, digging, and foraging, we enrich their lives, promote mental well-being, and strengthen our bond with them. In essence, fostering an ethical relationship with dogs goes beyond training, encompassing a profound understanding and appreciation of their true nature.

The ISCP is built on these fundamental ethics. Join us today!
https://www.theiscp.com/

09/03/2023

We've followed Thinkdog in NZ for years - I wish canine communication body language was a mandatory topic for all - blink and you miss it.

16/02/2023

THE BENEFITS OF SCENT OR SNIFF GARDENS FOR DOGS

If you are looking for an outdoor activity this coming week, how about some gardening for your dog?

Plant a scent garden. A scent garden for dogs is a safe, outdoor space that encourages a dog to use all of his senses. Not only can a scent garden provide mental stimulation for your pooch, but it is also confidence-building, stress-busting and highly enriching. Its a fabulous enrichment activity.

Here are some plant ideas you can put into pots or direct into the ground:

1. Catnip – this is great for dogs as well as cats, offering relaxation benefits

2. Lavender – a good plant for calming anxiety and nerves

3. Marshmallow – your dog will seek this out if he ever has an upset stomach

4. Valerian – another herb that is fantastic for anxious dogs and cats. This one is often sold as a supplement

5. Yarrow – helps with inflammation and urinary issues

6. Thyme, mint, rosemary, parsley, etc. will add to your dishes in the kitchen in addition to being a sniff fest for your dogs.

7. Calendula - English Marigolds

Happy planting!

Edit - this post is about SNIFFING and not EATING/INGESTING. Please note that not all plants agree with all dogs when ingested and some may have toxic effects on your dog. I'm not an expert in plants so please speak to your vet before choosing which plants to add to your garden if your dog likes eating plants. My dogs don't eat plants thankfully, so none of these plants when sniffed have proven toxic to them. Also all my plants are behind fences which facilitates sniffing as opposed to ingesting. Every pet is an individual so always supervise all enrichment where possible.

15/02/2023

30/12/2022

"Manners"

The language we use to describe dog training is changing to reflect our changing relationship with dogs.

14/12/2022

🦜

26/11/2022

Happy cats and happy dogs, thanks to science. Companion Animal Psychology by Zazie Todd PhD is the trusted resource on your pet's behaviour

09/11/2022

We have been a little quiet in the group of late but we have been busy behind the scenes planning something AWESOME for you.

As you know, wellbeing for all is at the forefront of everything we stand for at HeartDog - wellbeing for our dogs but also for the people who live with them and the team of professionals who support them. When the wellbeing of one suffers, the wellbeing of all suffer.

So we wanted to raise awareness and celebrate some of the fabulous work that is going on to improve the wellbeing of dogs and their people across the world. We have gathered together a group of incredible experts who share our ethos and are contributing to our collective understanding in a variety of ways.

You’ll definitely want to clear your diary for December! We know how much you loved (and miss!) Michelle’s Winter Summit and Janet’s Advent Calendar, so we have combined the best of both to bring you The HeartDog International Wellbeing Summit - the ultimate count down to Christmas for canine professionals and dog enthusiasts!

Every day from the 1st to 24th December we will be streaming a presentation or interview with one of our amazing experts to challenge our thinking and support us to better nurture our dogs and clients. After each you will have a chance to join in a LIVE Q&A session to connect with the wonderful speakers who have so generously given their time to make this event possible.

We have presentations covering different aspects of canine and human wellbeing, as well as how to bring these together into creating a wellbeing-focused business.
It is the perfect event for you if you are ready to go beyond operant, transactional training to consider the whole dog and human partnership.

And best of all this event is completely FREE to attend. It has been a difficult year for many of us, following on the heels of the stresses of the pandemic, so we - and our speakers - wanted to give something back to the community. Where else can you get this quality of CPD, absolutely free of charge?!

You won’t want to miss this awesome line-up:

Jane Ardern

Amber Batson
Danielle Beck

Bobbie Bhambree-Wirkmaa
Irith Bloom

Tracy Brind

Kim Brophey

Linlin Cao
Hannah Capon

Christina Cass

Suzanne Clothier
Michelle Dart

Adam Delderfield

Jessica Dolce
Janet Finlay
Andrew Hale

Vicky Jones
Paul Kan
Shay Kelly

Claire Lawrence
Leslie McDevitt

Tracey McLennan

Helen Motteram

Sindhoor Pangal

Annie Phenix

Maya Rose
Justine Schuurmans

Sandy Sharma
Lisa Webb
Sarah Whitehead
Risë VanFleet
Soraiya Vasanji
Sowjanya Vijayanagar

Plus 2-3 amazing speakers still to be confirmed….

So register today at https://www.heartdogtrainers.com/wellbeing-summit and please share widely so as many people as possible can come along and enjoy the ultimate advent calendar this year! (you can share the event directly from our page HeartDog with Janet Finlay and Michelle Dart)

We can’t wait for December to begin!

See you there,
Janet & Michelle x