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Fetch Club

Fetch Club Actively helping you and your dog. We offer dog training and dog walking services in Bedford.

10/01/2025

Not to worry, we did of course have more than one walker for all these dogs! But don’t they all look fantastic here with Jade ❤️ Some of our lovely pack walking bunch. It felt so good to get back into the walks this week 🫶

02/01/2025

~ Admin announcement ~
Happy New Year! 🥳 I hope you’ve all had a wonderful festive break!

I just wanted to announce that our Queen of administration, Caroline, will be enjoying some annual leave until the 14th of January.
This means you’ve all got the pleasure of me - the dunce of administration - in charge of the emails. Wish me luck. Also I’m sorry.
Please bear with me if admin responses are a little slower than normal over the next couple of weeks, I’ve usually got quite a lot to juggle but I promise I will try my very best to ensure you all have as swift a response as I can manage.

With that being said, we are SO excited to get back out there and working with your dogs for 2025! Huzzah!

22/10/2024

A friendly dog is not the same as a trained dog.

🙋🏼‍♀️ Hands up if you’ve been walking your on-lead dog and been approached by an off lead dog, hearing the phrase “don’t worry he’s friendly”?

Well trained dogs don’t approach on lead dogs without permission. The phrase ‘don’t worry he’s friendly’ is not at all reassuring to dog owners who:

💛 Have a nervous dog
🧡 Have a working dog
❤️ Have a reactive dog
🩵 Are busy training

If you have a dog that is one of these you’ll know, being approached by an off lead dog can be a seriously stressful experience 😔

A friendly dog is not guaranteed to get along with another friendly dog, just like we as humans don’t get along with every other human.

A friendly dog is also allowed to have a bad day. They have the capacity to feel poorly, they have the capacity to be spooked or be taken by surprise. They are allowed to not enjoy it if a dog lunges at them, or growls in their face.
What we don’t want to do is realise that they’re not enjoying the interaction when it’s too late, and they’re already in the space of the on-lead dog.

So what’s the best bet? Always ask permission of the owner of the on-lead dog before allowing your dog to approach. And if your dog approaches other dogs and you can’t stop them, it’s time to do some training before they accidentally end up at worst injured, and at best annoying other dog owners. An off lead dog should be able to listen and respond to commands in public at all times, and that can take a lot of work!

14/10/2024

I love working with pet dogs, and working through behavioural problems, and helping owners find harmony with their beloved dogs.
But sport is hugely important to me. Why do dog trainers need dog sports?

💆 Working through behavioural problems is really emotional. We spend our daytimes helping people who might be upset, stressed, at their wits end or really confused about their dog. We are the shoulder to cry on and the voice of reason, we are the hope, the calm, the coach, the cheerleader. Being around people and dogs who are stressed out can take its toll because we dig deep to help every client.
To relax, it helps to spend time with dogs where it isn’t about a behavioural problem. Maybe we’re working on bringing more energy and motivation to a behaviour. Maybe we’re working on finessing a movement in obedience, or giving the dog genetic satisfaction through protection work. All of which is not the be-all and end-all for the dog, but fun.

🧠 Working on these kind of things also develops us as trainers. What better way to understand aggression than to look it in the eye and harness a dog’s genetic tendency toward aggression and channel it into sport? Understanding and controlling aggression in a sport context has absolutely helped me stay safe and advise safely when a pet dog is showing aggressive behaviours.
What better way to understand timing, motivation and play than to use it as a reward for every single detailed behaviour needed for sport?
What better way to understand movement and body language than to work tirelessly on precision and fluid movement?
And what better way to understand what a cohesive and balanced relationship looks like, than to develop one that is based on working in harmony with your dog to achieve a desired outcome?

🧘‍♀️ For so many dog trainers, sport is where they relax. Sport it where they take a load off, and they spend time just thinking about having a bucket-load of fun with their dog. They spend time honing their skills and becoming better, in a way that doesn’t feel emotionally heavy. Dog sports is where a dog trainer gets to have fun with their own dog, so that they can feel refreshed and ready to help others with theirs.

09/10/2024

Big Simba 🦁
One thing that’s super rewarding about Board and Trains is the follow up!

🙅🏼‍♀️ No Board and Train goes home without homework! When each dog comes to us they go through a heap of training and often a massive lifestyle change. When they go back to their owner, that’s their owner’s time to get to grips with the training that has been done.

📚 On handover we explain to the owner exactly what to do, when, why and how. We set achievable homework and recommend the lifestyle changes we think will help.

📱 We encourage questions and communication during this process, we want to make sure we can provide support throughout, especially as the success of the training relies on the dog’s day-to-day life when they return home.
📅 We follow up. We try to make a home visit a few weeks after the training is complete to check in and see how it’s all going. If there’s anything from the homework the owners like, we encourage them to keep it as part of the dog’s lifestyle going forward. If there’s anything they feel isn’t working or is hard to find time for, we tweak or make recommendations appropriately for the dog.

🦁 Here’s a photo of the gorgeous Simba during his follow up, it was so nice to see how well behaved he’s being for his owners and so rewarding for me to hear how much they’re enjoying spending time with him, and being able to take him to more places with the family.

24/09/2024

How I raised my sport dog to also be a demo dog:

🐕 As a puppy I limited her interactions with dogs I don’t know, and only socialised her with a handful of well mannered adult dogs. This taught her incredible dog neutrality. She does enjoy playing, but she doesn’t feel the need to break a down stay to go say hi.

🏰 Habituation. So… just a fancy way of saying I took her to the places I wanted her to be good in. She did not one but two rounds of puppy classes, purely so she could practise being in the hall around other dogs and focusing. Where she demos at the field, she spends an incredible amount of time there in ‘work mode’. She practises being in environments and interacting almost entirely with just me.

👩‍🎓 Focus. I gave her so much reason to focus on me. She’s super social and likes to cuddle people but I’m the only one who feeds her and plays with her. This makes it way easier for her to focus solely on me - because I’m the one who has her paycheck and I pay her really well!

🛏️ Place and down stays in general. I have 2 down commands for Whiskey: her sport down which is very pretty and formal but usually short, and her relaxed down which tends to have a huge amount of duration and can be sloppy if she likes. This enables me to teach for 2 hours straight, and she can hang out on her place bed without requiring help. This enables me to trust that if I turn my back, if I handle another dog, if I leave the room or if I am far away, she will maintain her place command.

It gives me so much joy to practise what I preach. She perfectly straddles a sport dog lifestyle with being a pet dog trainers demo dog. Genetically she is a sweetheart, but Belgian Malinois are not known for being easy dogs. Raising Whiskey in a really particular way has helped me avoid creating a multitude of problems typically seen in a Malinois, and has given me the joy of having very little to ‘fix’ with her because she was always guided in a way where she could only get it right.

16/09/2024

To love a dog looks different to everyone.
It is unique and as individual a relationship as it might be if they were people.
How I love Red is different to how Steve loves Red. We express it in different ways. I love training Red, pushing him and challenging him, and I love cuddling him and the smell of his forehead.
Steve loves playing with Red, either roughhousing at home or playing with toys with him. He likes cuddles too, but he mostly enjoys the silly side of Red.

There is no superior way to love a dog. I have high expectations of my dogs as sport dogs and they have a lot of rules and boundaries, but that doesn’t mean I love them any more or less than someone who simply loves taking long walks in the woods and having their dog sleep in the bed, or maybe someone who doesn’t care for rules or boundaries.

Love and lack of boundaries are not the same thing; all too often I hear people say that they love their dog too much and so it’s poorly behaved.

I couldn’t love my dog anymore than I do. I would do anything for this dog, to keep him with me and to keep him happy. I would do something crazy like I don’t know, start a business and base my entire life around what works for having a Belgian Malinois around.

No, it’s not love - too much or lack thereof - that causes behaviour issues. I’ve yet to meet a client who’s having a hard time where I need to tell them to ‘love their dog more’. I’d also never tell anyone to love their dog less. Love isn’t where we need to look when it comes to fixing stuff, because if you really love your dog, you will do whatever it takes to ensure their happiness.

The answer to their happiness? Training.

04/09/2024

Introducing Jade!

Jade joins the team as a part-time dog walker for us, and is absolutely crushing it! Owner of 2 German Shepherds Rosie and Margot, we met Jade a few years ago when she joined our puppy classes. After some more recent training together, we realised Jade would be a great asset to our team as not only does she love dogs, but she clearly has a passion for training as well.

Because our walks always incorporate some kind of training (stays, loose lead walking, recall, neutrality), it’s important to us that our walkers are just as excited about keeping up with our clients training as we are.

Welcome Jade, we’re loving having you as part of the team and I know the dogs are too!

21/08/2024

💛 no better feeling than working with a group of trained dogs, even when we’re just out walking.

Each of these dogs has a very individual journey with us. One of them used to be dog reactive, two have come up through our puppy and obedience classes, three have been on board and trains, one has been with us for years! Almost all have had 1:1 training somewhere along the way.

Each of their owners also have an individual relationship with us as a business and as people.

It’s funny when putting content out on social media because to most they will simply see a group of dogs sitting nicely… but to us we see their personalities, their owners who we love and their journey together. We see the moments that owners never thought would be possible, we remember the first time we sent them their sit stay photos and we know how hard some of them have had to work to get their dog to be this well behaved. And that is SO rewarding!

This stunning photo was taken by Emma

05/08/2024

4 things we’ll ask you about in a training session that you might not expect…

👉 How much sleep does your dog get?

Overstimulation and not enough sleep has a lot to answer for when it comes to the problem behaviours we see in dogs today. Something so simple such as lack of sleep could be causing a whole bundle of behaviours you don’t want.

👉 Did your dog meet loads of dogs as a puppy?

If you have a dog who is reactive and you tell me that they went to puppy parties when they were in their socialisation phase, I can tell you exactly where the reactivity stemmed from. Puppies are sponges and they need to learn the right lessons, not just be overwhelmed with meeting ALL the dogs - even the ones with no manners 🥴

👉 Does your dog have a food bowl down that they graze from? Do they have constant access to toys?

If you’re struggling to get focus and engagement from your dog, I need to know if they have access to things they could find rewarding (but right now don’t) too frequently. Making something more scarce for a dog makes it more valuable, and when we want to reward our dogs it’s important they find that reward… rewarding!

👉 Why did you choose us?

Your answer to this question will tell me exactly how to work with you best to get the best results for you and your dog. Everyone finds different things appealing for different reasons. Your answer to this question will tell me what you’re looking for in a trainer and can help me tailor my approach to best suit your style of working with your dog.

So if we ask you a question you didn’t expect, know that we’re trying to build a big picture of your dog’s life so that we can help you best. Sometimes trying to fix a problem isn’t done simply by working on that particular problem alone. Most often it’s best to gain an understanding of the dog’s whole world and all its influences in order to train in a way that makes lasting change.

09/07/2024

Red, Whiskey and Barbie.
Our family! 3 different dogs, with different requirements, who get treated ✨ differently ✨

👹 Red is an old soul, a grumpy boy who is intense when he’s training and a couch potato at home. Red gets a lot of time free roaming because he can handle it, it doesn’t affect his effort in sport training, he can be totally trusted around the house and we worked hard to get him to that point. He balances a pet and sport lifestyle well, but hanging out at the pub is not for him.

🥃 Whiskey is an adorable, destructive nutcase. She gets loads of cuddles at home but can’t be left unsupervised as she just LOVES to chew stuff. She’s a mentally immature dog but incredible at training and makes for a really easily trainable sport dog, an easy demo dog and a nice to take out and socialise with.

💅 Barbie is the newest dog to our household and there’s still loads we’re figuring out with her. She was raised as a pet by her previous owners, and we have her as a sport dog so our focus is on bringing out plenty of drive in the work. Because of this, she gets a little less free affection at home and she often trains for her meals. We’re spending a lot of time building stamina in her and don’t want her wasting vital energy mucking about at home, so her whole world revolves around training right now.

🤷🏼‍♀️ It’s ok to treat your dogs differently. It’s ok to focus on individual goals and give freedoms or limitations based on those goals, and where you want your dog to be both in the short term and the long.

🫠 Sometimes when you give a younger dog unearned freedom just because the older dog has it (and probably worked hard to earn your trust to get it), you accidentally let annoying behaviours start to fester due to not creating enough structure for the younger dog.

🥇 Each dog deserves to be trained as an individual and deserves the chance to learn important lessons. The second dog deserves the same effort you put into the first one. They might learn faster because you got better at it the second time around, but they’ll still do better when you dedicate them some 1:1 time to learn life skills.

07/07/2024

🌟 NEW 🌟
We are excited to announce that we will be offering 6 month mentorships for aspiring dog walkers and trainers!

👋 The hands-on course is designed to provide a bucket load of business advice as well as in depth dog training workshops, shadowing opportunities and invitations to classes to see the inner workings of how a business like ours operates.

👥 With limited numbers for each course, this opportunity will provide you with support and a close network of friends in an industry that can sometimes be somewhat intimidating to start in.

🪄 Like everything else we do, we wanted to make this opportunity special, and we’ve done all we can to make this a truly personal and professional experience where you can feel rest assured that we truly care about you and your progress. Because of that, we wanted to offer as much in person and hands on work as possible. We want to spend time with you seeing you get better, helping you flourish every step of the way. We want to have deep conversations with you about the how’s and the why’s and the questions you really want to know the answers to. We want to see your dog learn new things, and help your clients’ dogs if you have them!

🧑‍💻 More information about what exactly the course entails can be found on our website on the Mentorship page. We really hope you consider joining us for this journey as we simply can’t wait to get started.

🗓️ Next course starts 1st August 2024. DM now to get signed up!

📷 by

05/07/2024

Barbie is such a pretty dog! 💅

14/06/2024

Meet Barbie!
A few months ago, we came across a 16 month old German Shepherd who had gone back to the breeder after her initial family’s situation changed.
We took her in for a couple of weeks to trial her as Steve’s sport dog, and totally fell in love with her. She’s been living with us since March and she goes everywhere with Steve - some of you may have even already met her playing stooge in training sessions!
Barbie is a confident, stable and drivey little thing, social with people and dogs and a perfect fit for our little family.
Welcome home, Barbie.

12/06/2024

Perceived kindness:
Unlimited cuddles
Meeting lots of people and dogs
Lots of toys
Plush beds
Taking your dog everywhere
Daily dentastix

Actual kindness:
Play
Affection at the right times
Guidance on how to navigate tricky situations
Believing in the dog’s ability to overcome
Structure and down time
Training
Advocating for your dog
Doing activities your dog enjoys
A good quality diet

This is not to say that everything on the first list is bad, it isn’t! But what we perceive as kind isn’t always what’s right for every dog. Sometimes the kindest thing we can do for our dog is shed the ideals of what WE want for them and to do with them, and try to observe what THEY want and is good for them.

If in doubt, ask yourself: am I doing this because I want to do this even if my dog doesn’t really like it or can’t be successful? Or am I doing this because I think my dog will enjoy it, and be better for it?

Photo by

03/06/2024

It’s been a busy weekend as I competed my dog Red in a PSA trial I hosted at our training field. He had a terrible performance on the first day and was a naughty boy 😈
But then on day two, he not only brought his A game, but smashed it out of the park completely and won the trophy for the highest protection score of the weekend, with an impressive 227.5 out of 240 losing only 12.5 points (he kept 95% of the available points!!)
This weekend epitomises my journey with him. He’s always been a bit of an underdog but underneath the intensity and downright challenge of a dog that he is, there is some really incredible intelligence, clarity and a whole lotta training.
I’ve cried many happy tears over the last 24 hours - this is a dog who as a puppy I thought I had seriously failed and let down. And now he’s winning a trophy at a really, really challenging competition. My Redred ❤️ 🏆

29/05/2024

Becka is crushing her training 💚 She checked in for her Board and Train just over 2 weeks ago and came to work on general obedience like lead walking and calm behaviour in different environments.
Like most Weimaraner owners I’ve met, Becka’s owners want an inclusive lifestyle with their dog where they can take her anywhere and out for long days. They love going on long 6km walks and stopping for a coffee, and they want Becka to be part of their world in every way possible.

Becka arrived to me pretty overstimulated by the world around her but also most noticeably to me after she was dropped off, surprisingly low in confidence. For some dogs, this overstimulated energy is actually a reflection of feeling a little anxious and unsure.
With Becka, I set my own goals that I think will make her life exactly what her owners want to enjoy with her.
We’ve worked on getting her off lead and reliable recall, more consistent loose lead walking, place training and tonnes of confidence building in different environments with lots of people and dogs around.
The change in her already is beautiful to see, and I’m excited to see what we can achieve in our final few days together before she goes home next week.
Sweet girl Becka 🫶

Address

Bedford
MK40

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Wednesday	8am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 5pm

Website

http://www.fetchclub.net/

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Why choose Fetch Club?

Our mission is to actively help dogs and owners achieve their ideals, and to provide top quality mental and physical stimulation to dogs throughout Bedford.

A note from Jen, Head Walker and Dog Trainer

Here at Fetch Club we feel that dogs thrive on being challenged according to their needs. This is based on experience and repeated reports from clients that their dog seems happier, calmer and more enjoyable to be around after their walks with us. This is because a Fetch Club walk is not simply a case of letting dogs off the lead for an hour of mischief before being taken home. Every walk is tailored according to the dogs involved and every dog will be individually challenged in a way that helps them to grow. That could be growth in confidence, physical fitness or behaviourally. What’s important to us is that we provide a service that prioritises the overall wellbeing of your dog and how we can positively affect that in our time with them.