Muttley Poppins Dog Walking and Drop-in Services

11/11/2025

Shredding is primal. Instinctive, especially for young dogs. Messy? Yes! Annoying? Yes 😆! Expensive? Yes! Poor behaviour? NO! Actually, it’s natural & linked to prey capture. It will happen more when your dog has tonnes of energy however, so be mindful if it becomes too much of a repetitive habit, ensure plenty of exercise + mental stimulation and obviously keep an eye to avoid consumption/ injury. Most young dogs will grow out of it however and it gives them a good dopamine release. Check out these useful tips!

Shredding toys isn’t always bad behaviour – it can be healthy enrichment. Learn why dogs destroy toys, how to support it safely and when to step in.

10/11/2025

November walks 🐾 Beautiful doggies brightening grey days 🍂 ☔️

29/10/2025

Fireworks! 🎆 Some useful advice if you have a pet who is fearful.. beyond this, consult your vet, they may be able to help x 🐾 ❤️ 🐶

As we head towards the end of the year, we also go into fireworks season which is often a distressing and traumatic time for your pets.

Follow these tips to help you keep your pets as safe and comfortable as possible:

🐾 Create a safe space - It’s important that your pet has somewhere to go where they feel safe.
🏠 Keep pets inside - If you can, walk your dog before it gets dark and encourage your cat to be home before sundown.
🪪 Ensure your pets have identification - A microchip or collar tag, so that they can be easily reunited with you as quickly as possible.
🔊 Provide background noise - Turning on the TV or radio can be especially helpful as it can drown out some of the noise, making your pet feel more settled.

For full information, visit our blog post:
https://www.bsava.com/article/how-to-prepare-your-pets-for-fireworks-season/

15/10/2025

Great to see this sector moving towards regulation 🌟

𝗔𝗕𝗧𝗖 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗨𝗞𝗔𝗦 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 - 𝗔 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿. 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴

The Animal Behaviour and Training Council (ABTC) is proud to announce that its Assessing Organisations Certification Scheme has been formally recognised by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS).

Following a detailed review, UKAS confirmed that the ABTC Scheme meets the requirements of the international standard ISO/IEC 17067. In simple terms, this means the Scheme meets the high standards required for recognised certification programmes, the same framework that underpins quality assurance across many professional sectors.

This recognition, published in the UKAS Stage One Report on 6 October 2025, confirms the ABTC Scheme as suitable for use within formal certification processes. It also enables the ABTC to apply for Certification Body status under ISO/IEC 17065.

For the first time, the animal behaviour and training community has a UKAS-recognised certification scheme. This milestone strengthens ABTC’s long-term goal of embedding professional standards, supporting practitioners, and helping the public find ethical, evidence-based help for their animals.

We extend sincere thanks to the volunteers and representatives from our Member Organisations whose expertise and dedication made this possible.

“The ABTC Assessing Organisations Certification Scheme was reviewed for compliance against the requirements of ISO/IEC 17067. UKAS confirmed that the ABTC Scheme is formally recognised as suitable for use in the Conformity Assessment arena.” - UKAS Stage One Report, 6 October 2025

[Alt text: Red graphic titled “Important Announcement.” Text reads: “ABTC secures landmark UKAS recognition — a first for the animal behaviour and training sector. Driving excellence in animal behaviour and training.” Includes ABTC logo and two megaphone icons.]

09/10/2025

‘shrooms & toadstools are popping up - here’s just a few we’ve seen on walks this week. Do keep those spores away from those sniffing snouts! 🐶 ❌

09/10/2025

An autumnal Hurn Forest this morning… beautiful walk 🐾 🐕

24/09/2025

While acorns and conkers are a seasonal snack for squirrels, they can be toxic to dogs.

Ingesting them may lead to serious health issues, including vomiting, diarrhoea, drooling, abdominal pain, lethargy and in some cases, dangerous intestinal blockages.

Many pet owners don’t realise the risks, especially during their Autumn walks. To keep your dog safe it is important to:

🍂 Supervise them closely outdoors
🍂Never encourage them to play with or fetch acorns or conkers

For more tips on keeping your dog safe this season, visit our Autumn hub: https://www.vets-now.com/autumn/

22/09/2025

Wow, we have a ‘day’! 😆 Proud to be a member of this association 🐕 🚶‍♀️ ❤️

Today is PDWA National Dog Walker Appreciation Day so here's a Shout Out for all the wonderful professional dog walkers out there! 👏👏👏💙🐾

“You are just a dog walker!” – we get told this all the time!!!
In actual fact, we are so much more!

We are trusted guardians who bond, exercise and enrich a dog’s life in all weather!

We enable owners to work or socialise with the knowledge their dog is exercised safely if they themselves have no time, energy or are too poorly to do so themselves.

Not just walks! We provide enrichment and quality time.

We give owners peace of mind their dog’s welfare is paramount and adapt our days to ensure this during inclement weather for example.

We risk assess constantly but if an accident does happen, we are first aid trained to look after dogs in our care.

We keep up to date with PSPO’s, Dog Law etc.

We build relationship with our dogs and know their “normal” so we can recognise changes such as tummy troubles, new lumps, different gait or mood etc., and report them swiftly.

We learn as much as we can about canine communication, seasonal hazards, breed traits and find suitable outlets for each one where we can. Many of us go on to become groomers, pet nutritionists, trainers, behaviourists, pet photographers etc.

We love the dogs in our care. We laugh at their antics; we worry when they are poorly, and we cry when we lose them.

We are so much more than “just a walker” and never doubt that.

So……..
Dog Walkers: tell us who you are and where you are based! (members and non-members welcome)
Owners: if you have dog walker help, flag them here and tell us what you appreciate the most about them!
Comment ⬇️

31/08/2025

Great advice. Setting a precedent with ‘tiring the dog out’ can then actually make exercise routines expected daily - or habitual in the dogs mind - for behaviour to stay manageable.. & sometimes make your life hard/ the routine unsustainable. If your dog is like this or you are finding the amount tough to maintain, try to gradually adapt it and set an achievable level that you can both benefit from, whilst keeping them healthy, calm (and yourself sane 😆!)🤞 🐾

If you don’t physically exhaust them… they just won’t stop.
Whoa there.
Let’s look at the bigger picture.... not just a quick “fix” for today.

I get it, I really do.
Running them longer..... throwing the frisbee for another 10 minutes, chucking that ball again and again, because if you don’t, they’ll pace, whine and struggle to settle.

Here’s the tough question.
Is it helping your dog… or just creating a cycle where they crave more and more?

Their stamina climbs higher.
Their demands increase.
Their adrenaline is off the charts.

Then "suddenly" the amount of exercise you need to give them is unsustainable .
There just aren’t enough hours in the day to “satisfy” them.

What's the solution?
Do less… but carefully.
Reduce that high energy exercise, while adding enrichment in its place.

Low arousal activities that tire them in a different way:

Scatter feeding
Scent walks
Enrichment games
Puzzle toys

Still not convinced?
Try it.... really try it , for a few weeks.

You’ll never look at “tiring them out” the same way again.

09/08/2025

Cliffs: beautiful for walks, but beware the dangers for your trusted canine pal! 🐶 We lost sight of a good-to-heel family golden retriever following a ball off the edge some years ago; miraculously she escaped with a few bumps & scrapes, but others may not be so lucky!! 😔

03/08/2025

Absolutely love this. Tip top advice, especially for little people in the family ❤️

Just let them be.
I know they look adorable when they're snoozing....but look and don't touch.
Sleep is just as essential for dogs as it is for ourselves.
Chronic sleep disruption can actually contribute to irritability, anxiety, and unwanted behaviour.
They need that good quality sleep to regulate hormones, repair their body and it can even help with training too.
Those little bodies have a lot of work to do when they are at rest....and yet....we just want to grab their lil chubby chops and tell them how much we love them.

Just because they are dogs doesn't mean we have the right to interrupt their well earned sleep.
They need to be left in peace.
That may mean encouraging them to rest elsewhere (other than the busy lounge) when they start to show they are tired.

Quality sleep helps everything.
As humans we know it helps us.

Why do we think our dogs are different?