A Christmas Checklist
Christmas Safety Tips You Might Not Know for our dogs 🐶 🎄🐾
1.Snow Globes Can Be Toxic ❄️
Some snow globes contain antifreeze (ethylene glycol), which is highly toxic to dogs if broken or licked. Keep them out of reach.
2.Silent But Dangerous Decorations 🎀
Tinsel and ribbons may look harmless but can cause life-threatening blockages if swallowed. Signs like vomiting or lethargy require urgent vet attention.
3.Fairy Lights Pose a Risk 💡
Chewing on wires can lead to burns or electric shocks. Secure wires and switch off lights when unsupervised.
4.Alcohol is Highly Toxic 🍷
Even small amounts of alcohol can cause vomiting, breathing difficulties, or worse. Be mindful of unattended drinks at parties.
5.Tree Water Can Be Contaminated 🎄
If you have a real tree, the water in the base may contain fertilisers or bacteria. Cover the base to stop your dog drinking from it.
6.Scented Items Can Be Harmful 🕯️
Some potpourris, essential oils, and scented candles contain chemicals that can irritate your dog’s mouth, skin, or respiratory system.
Christmas magic is wonderful, but a little knowledge helps keep it safe and stress-free! 🐶
“Middle”
Teaching your dog the “middle” position (where they move around you, position themselves between your legs, and sit) is a very easy trick to teach your dog.
WHY?
It offers several benefits:
1. Builds Focus and EngagementPro: Encourages your dog to pay close attention to your body language and movements, improving overall communication and teamwork.
2. Enhances ConfidencePro: The snug position between your legs provides a sense of security, especially for anxious or reactive dogs, helping them feel safe in new or busy environments.
3. Creates a Useful Management ToolPro: “Middle” can be used to help control your dog in high-distraction situations, as it keeps them close and focused on you, reducing opportunities for unwanted behaviours like lunging or barking.
4. Improves Body AwarenessPro: Navigating around your legs requires coordination and boosts their proprioception (awareness of their body’s position), which is great for dogs of all ages.
5. Strengthens Your BondPro: Teaching a fun, interactive trick like this builds trust and deepens your connection with your dog through positive reinforcement.
6. Great for Engagement ExercisesPro: “Middle” can be a fun way to reset your dog’s focus during training or walks, bringing their attention back to you when they’re distracted.
7. Adds Versatility to TrainingPro: It’s a versatile behaviour that can be incorporated into heelwork, trick routines, or as a party trick to show off to friends!
8. Encourages CalmnessPro: Sitting in “middle” can be used as a grounding behaviour, teaching your dog to pause and relax while staying close to you.
9. Suitable for All Breeds and SizesPro: With a little adjustment, any dog can learn “middle,” making it a universally adaptable skill.
10. Fun for Both Dog and OwnerPro: It’s an enjoyable, low-pressure trick that keeps training sessions light-hearted and rewarding for both of you.
Here are a great couple who have been attending our Loose Lea
UK Sniffer Dog Bronze Scent
What are Blind Hides and Why Use Them in Scent Work? 🐾🔍.
In Bronze UK Sniffer Dog scent work, we teach dogs to identify and search for the scent of Kong. One way to advance a dog’s skills is through blind hides.
What’s a Blind Hide?A blind hide means that the handler doesn’t know where the target scent (in this case, Kong) is hidden. Only the person who set the hide knows its location.Why Use Them?
Blind hides are brilliant for building:
✅ Trust in your dog’s skills—since you can’t guide them, you rely on their nose!
✅ Confidence in your dog—they learn to work independently.
✅ Handler skills—you get better at reading your dog’s signals.
Here’s a wonderful example of a team in our recent classes doing blind hides—look at that teamwork in action!❤️🐾🐶
Come and join in the fun, learn new skills and enjoy that all important quality time with your furry friend 🐶
www.confidenthappycanines.co.uk
#uksnifferdog #DogTrainingSuccess #rewardbaseddogtraining #bracknellbusiness #qualifieddogtrainers
#teamwork
💥Yesterday marked the final day of our 6-week courses for 2024, and what a journey it’s been!
Sadly, the storm had other plans — between to windy in places to drive, dogs worried about the winds, poorly pups, owners being poorly 🤒 Christmas commitments and even a few fallen trees 🌲, so many of you couldn’t make it, and we truly missed you all!
We hope everyone is safe, sound, and on the mend!!!!!!
Congratulations 🎉 to everyone who participated in our Saturday Reactive Dog Course, UK Bronze Scent Course, Puppy Social Lifeskills, and UK Silver Sniffer Course.
You and your dogs have done brilliantly, and we’re so proud of your progress!
Here’s to calmer skies and wagging tails ahead in 2025 😊
Novice Loose Lead and Recall Course
🎉 Congratulations to Our Friday morning Novice Loose Lead and Recall Course Teams! 🎉
A massive well done to everyone who completed our Novice Loose Lead and Recall Course!
Your dedication to improving these vital skills has been fantastic to see, and the progress you’ve made is something to be truly proud of. 🐾
From those first steps of focus to confidently building better connections with your dogs, you’ve shown patience, perseverance, and teamwork every step of the way.
Here’s to more enjoyable walks and reliable recalls—great job, everyone! 🌟
#LooseLeadTraining #RecallSuccess #ConfidentHappyCanines
Advanced Training classes.
🎉 Congratulations to Our Friday Morning Advanced Training Class Teams! 🎉
We couldn’t be prouder of the incredible progress you’ve made in our bespoke Advanced Training Course.
Each of you has shown such dedication, focus, and teamwork with your dogs—it’s been a privilege to watch you grow together. 🐾
From mastering advanced skills to strengthening those all-important bonds, you’ve set the bar high for what can be achieved with commitment and positivity.
You’re truly an inspiration!Well done to all our amazing teams—your hard work is shining through! 🌟
#AdvancedDogTraining #ProudTrainer #ConfidentHappyCanines
🎉 Congratulations to Our Novice Social Lifeskills Graduates! 🎉
This is our next course on from puppies, or who ever wants to work on foundations.
What an incredible group of dogs (and owners!) we’ve had the pleasure of working with on this course.
From the big personalities to the quieter thinkers, from bundles of teenage hormones to those working on their confidence—every single one of you has made progress.
🐾Your commitment to training, patience, and understanding of your dogs’ unique needs has been wonderful to see. We’ve had laughter, learning, and lots of proud moments along the way. 💛
To those who couldn’t join us this week 6, you’ve been missed.
Matt Bond we hope Lilly’s Stifle improves.
Digby, keep your mum smiling with your unique collie dog mischief😃
Jen & Matt get better very soon horrible time of year to be poorly.
Here’s to continuing to grow together and creating confident, happy canines.
Well done, everyone! 🎓🐕
#DogTrainingJourney #LifeSkillsForDogs #ConfidentHappyCanines
Wednesday night UK Bronze Sniffer Dog Course
🎉 Congratulations to Our Amazing Bronze Scent Class! 🎉
What a fantastic way to spend a Wednesday night!
A huge well done to all the dogs and their dedicated owners who have completed and passed our UK Bronze Scent Class. 🌟
Your hard work, determination, and incredible teamwork have paid off, and we couldn’t be prouder of your progress.
Watching you grow together and master these scent-detection skills has been an absolute joy. 🐾
💨Here’s to continuing your scent journey and building even stronger bonds with your wonderful dogs. Let’s celebrate your success—you’ve earned it! 🍾
#uksnifferdog #jamiepound
#scentWork #DogTrainingSuccess #ConfidentHappyCanines
👏 A huge well done to our UK Silver Sniffer Dog teams yesterday!
Here are just a couple of our wonderful teams sharpening their Active Retrieve skills—what a fantastic effort! 🐶✨
Only a couple of places left for our January course this is the next level up after completing the Bronze course - secure your spot today and join the fun!
www.confidenthappycanines.co.uk
#uksnifferdogs #DogTraining #ActiveRetrieve #bracknell #rewardbaseddogtraining
Wednesday UK Bronze UK Sniffer Dogs
Wonderful to see such fantastic progress with our Wednesday Bronze UK sniffer dogs this week!
We’ve been focusing on building duration in their indications —some dogs refining their ability to stay engaged for longer, while others are stepping up to handle the start of distractions during their during their indications .
Every week, these talented pups and their dedicated handlers impress us.
Keep up the great work!
#uksnifferdogs #rewardbaseddogtraining #dogtrainingclasses #dogs #doglife #dogtrainingisfun
We are just loving how our classes positively impact our fantastic clients lives with their family and dogs.
And really appreciate being included with what you all get up to.
This update had us in stiches 🤣and knowing they both rushed home on a training night from work, as the first one back got to take their gorgeous dog to classes is brilliant 🤣
“When date night turns into a sniff-off! Forget candles and fancy dinners—it’s all about who can out-hide the scent and who the dog loves more when they find it. Competitive marriage goals: turning love into laughs, and scent work into the ultimate showdown!”
#uksnifferdogs #dogtrainingisfun #rewardbaseddogtraining #bracknell
Mulberry House Vets Puppy Hints and Tips 🐶🐾💜
What a lovely evening we had at Mulberry House Vets in Binfield, sharing puppy hints and tips!
It’s always a pleasure to help new puppy owners build confidence and set their little ones up for success and understanding, using ethical principles and reward based training methods.
Thank you to everyone who joined us.
Your puppies were absolutely adorable 💜🐶💜
#mullberryhousevets #puppyhintsandtips
#rewardbasedtraining
#bracknelldogtrainers
#confidenthappycanines
#puppylove
#puppyclasses
