Through the Dog's Eyes - Training and Behaviour

27/04/2025

⚠️Another adder warning ⚠️

🐍 This week is forecast to be really warm so please be vigilant. Adders will bask in the sun in the early part of the day.

🐍 They can be found in woodland and heathland making Cannock Chase, Castle ring and Gentleshaw Common and Woodland Trust sites, typical of the places you'd find them.

⚠️ Make sure you know what to do if your dog got bitten.

26/04/2025

🐶 It was a bumper turn out for the Kennel Club Good Citizens Bronze Award last night.

😖 Nerves can have a big impact, not only for the humans but for the dogs too, who can be affected by some strange things that their caregivers do, however despite some nerves, we had a huge pass rate so congratulations to:-

Liz with Tess
Bethanie with River
Holly with Ollie
Caroline with Poppy
Anita with Daisy
Mark with Joey
Michelle with Nellie
Helen with Bertie
Sue with Maizie

👍 We know some hard work had been going on behind the scenes as classes hadn't been running over Easter, yet the dogs were lovely and calm.

👏 A big thank you to for being the assessor, we had lots of lovely comments about how patient you were.

👍Bring on the silver test 👍

25/04/2025

🐶 Collaboration in action 🐶

We worked with Henri not only at his home but also at the vets, where everyone played a part in ensuring that Henri felt comfortable 😊

👍A great success story

🐾❤️Henri and Jaxx❤️🐾

Henri the Dogue de Bordeaux has been coming to see our nurses for a while to help with his anxiety.

In conjuction with assisted anxiety medication, advice from his behaviourist, patient and understanding owners, and emotional support from his little brother Jaxx, Henri has gone from not even making it through the front door to full on kisses and cuddles and full physical examinations!

He's one of our nursing team's great success stories and we love to see them.

Our nurses offer free socialisation clinics to help with anxiety at the Vets, and we are currently going through the process of being accredited with the Dogs Trust as a Fear Free practice, so watch this space!

14/04/2025

In loving memory of Holly (Cedarsmount Greta) – by Sarah
❤️
If you have any favourite memories of my dear Holly then please share them in the comments below. These will be of great comfort to me.
❤️
“Every once in a while a dog enters your life and changes everything”
❤️
I don’t know where this quote came from, but it sums up Holly down to a T. She came into our family at a time where life was pretty stagnant, things were not going as we had hoped and our family had recently gone through some pretty horrendous trauma. Then Holly came along and made life so much better. She filled a massive gaping hole in my life and made my world so much more fulfilling. She continued to do this throughout her life with us, and opened many doors for me that would never have been opened were it not for her.
❤️
Holly was a long-awaited companion. I had wanted a dog since I was around 10 years old, and she came as my 30th Birthday present – 20 whole years of yearning for a canine companion! She did not disappoint. She was everything I had ever wanted in a dog, and so much more too. I picked out the name “Holly” when I was a teenager – I always liked the name and when we found out that our chosen puppy was born on Christmas day it seemed so fitting.
❤️
I want to tell you all about Holly. If she didn’t know you and you just met her in the street then she’d probably ignore you. Many a time people asked to say hello to her and my response was always “you can, but she will probably ignore you.” In the early days I used to find it a little embarrassing, but in time I realised that actually this was a great quality – you had to show your worth before she would give you the time of day. That wasn’t necessarily hard though as some people she was instantly drawn to. If you had treats and wanted to get her to do something in exchange for one then she would be only too happy to oblige. And once you were a member of Holly’s club, once you had entered her circle, you were a member for life. She never forgot anybody and if you were one of her favourite people then you would often get greeted with a song from her, along with her “happy ears”. Many a time she was borrowed by clients if their dog was unwell or in season as she would work for anybody, and loved doing so.
❤️
Holly was an absolute dream to train. I don’t know if she was genuinely just really easy to train or if we were just meant for each other, but I could teach her pretty much anything. Many a time did I say the phrase “yeah, I can get Holly to do that”. And you could teach her quickly as well. She was itching for more, she just loved our training sessions. So did I. She flew through her Kennel Club Good Citizens awards and went on to do competitive obedience. It wasn’t something that I had initially planned to do, but I soon got the bug for it, particularly when we qualified to compete at Crufts. She was never phased by the environment at Crufts, she was rarely phased by anything. She would go anywhere with me and I could take her anywhere. We then went on to win out of pre-beginners and beginners in other competitions.
❤️
We hung up our competitive obedience hat late in 2019 as Holly and I had a more important job to do – raising children. Looking back now, I did very little to prepare Holly for incoming babies (I should have done), but she was completely unphased. She just took it all in her stride.
❤️
Holly’s role as shepherd extraordinaire did not finish there though. When I decided to start up a business in 2020 Holly played an integral role. Initially, she was head of marketing and provided a great advertisement for business. We would regularly go out on walks and show people what could be achieved when you put some work into training – we attracted quite a few clients early on because they were impressed with Holly’s impeccable behaviour and wanted their dog to be that well-trained. She then proved herself to be an outstanding class demo dog – a role that is very difficult to fill when you actually consider everything that is required from the dog (it’s not just a case of them knowing the exercises that you are teaching). She loved demonstrating the exercises and had a few favourite ones, not least ‘paws up’, where without being prompted, she would run to the step, place her paws on it and look back for her treat. In her time of being a demo dog with us she demonstrated exercises in over 1,100 classes and helped over 700 dogs and puppies to practise polite greetings. That’s not to mention the times that she was borrowed by other people!
❤️
Holly’s ability to adapt, and willingness to do pretty much anything with the people she loved most never ceased to amaze me. As well as everything she had already done, she found herself working in schools, with children reading to her and getting her to do tricks. It was lovely to see some of the children gain confidence around her, and some of them were excited to see her week on week – “can we hide the keys for Holly again?” I remember one child in particular who never spoke up in class, but she spoke up when Holly visited because she wanted to get her to do things. Holly was only too happy to oblige!
❤️
Holly also took part in talks about safety around dogs, both for adults and for children. She was a therapy dog and helped those in need. In 2024, she went to a care home to wish one of the residents a happy 100th birthday. She brightened up many faces whilst she was there. It was an absolute pleasure to go anywhere with her. Last year we blew the dust away from our obedience hats and competed once more at Crufts, this time in the obreedience. She was an absolute star – I couldn’t have been more proud of her. Some lovely heelwork from her in close proximity of other dogs that she did not know well, and she got a clear (10/10) for her retrieve. Then a few days later we were back for her to go on the KAD (Kids Around Dogs) stand and help teach people about safe interactions between children and dogs. Holly went back to Crufts one last time this year, again on the KAD stand. She knew exactly how to go about getting loads of freebies as she was a seasoned Crufts go-er.
❤️
“You will never have another dog like her” – these words have been uttered to me many times over the years, from various people who have gotten to know Holly. They made me proud at the time, and still do, but now these words hurt so much. No, I will never have another dog like her. I wish that she could have lived as long as me. I never wanted her to go and feel that I am going to be searching the rest of my life for another like her.
❤️

So now I’m left where I am. Her harness is still hanging up with her collar and lead, her bowl is clean and ready, her bed is where it’s always been and the drawers are well-stocked with treats and chews. But she is not here. She has gone and I just cannot believe that I am never going to see her again. I am so grateful that I got to spend 9 blissful, truly amazing years with my darling Holly. I am fortunate to have had those wonderful years, and fortunate to have met my “dog of a lifetime”. But I am unfortunate that my first ever dog was my dog of a lifetime and now I have to live the rest of my life without her. I truly hope that Rainbow Bridge does exist because the thought of never seeing my beautiful girl again is too much to bear. She leaves behind her a wonderful legacy of people and dogs whom she has helped. She leaves behind her a flourishing business, which would not be where it is today were it not for her. She leaves behind her two children who have been fortunate enough to experience the companionship of an amazing dog. She leaves behind her Nik, who was never a fan of big dogs before we had Holly, and is now a real shepherd convert. And she leaves behind me, and I will be forever grateful for how much she changed my life and how much she taught me about real friendship.
❤️
Sleep tight now my darling girl. I hope wherever you are there are plenty of balls and bubbles for you to chase and yummy treats to eat. I will join you one day and can’t wait to see those happy ears when you see me too ###

13/04/2025

TTDE have experienced a sudden and unexpected devastating loss.

Please bear with us as we will be slow to respond to any messages

05/04/2025

🌞As we are having a prolonged period of lovely weather, many people will be making the most of it and considering taking their dog for longer walks away from roads and parks.

🐍 Adders can be hard to spot particularly when their motionless.

ℹ️ Knowing what to do is crucial if you believe or suspect your dog may have been bitten by an adder.

🐍 Adders 🐍

With the glorious weather recently, we have seen an expected increase in calls regarding adder bites.

The adder (Vipera berus berus) is the only venomous snake native to the UK, and is also found across northern Europe. It is a protected species in the UK. Adders are most commonly, but not exclusively, found on dry, sandy heaths, sand dunes, rocky hillsides, moorlands and woodland edges. The clinical signs of an adder bite can include rapid and progressive swelling around the bite site, pain, lethargy, vomiting, bruising, bleeding and collapse.

What should you do if your pet has been bitten by an adder?
❌Do not panic.
❌Do not interfere with the bite.
❌Do not apply a tourniquet.
❌Do not attempt to touch or catch the snake.
❌Do not kill the snake – it is a protected species.
❌If practical, carry your dog to your car and go to your veterinary surgeon - do not delay seeking advice even if your pet is well as things can change quickly.

Adders are not aggressive and generally only bite when provoked. They hibernate in the winter and as a result most bites occur in the summer. Pets are frequently bitten on the leg, head or neck. If your pet has been bitten by an adder (even if you did not see the snake or are not sure what happened) – contact your vet immediately. Your vet will examine your pet to determine the location of the bite and extent of the swelling.

Veterinary professionals can call us any time on 02073 055 055 if required for assistance with managing cases of adder bites. We also hold a list of antivenom stockists across the UK. Please note that antivenom is not indicated in all cases.

01/04/2025

🐶 We've been working with this sweet girl over the last 6 weeks (and have fallen a little bit in love with her!) and have been delighted with her progress ☺️ ❤️

🐕 As a rescue with an unknown history, there wasn't much connection happening with her guardian, so there was lots of pulling on the lead when walked and haphazard recall.

💪We've worked hard at building a connection with her and her guardian reports that there is no longer any pulling and the halti is no longer required , she now walks on just a harness and lead - what a result!

🐾 Her recall is rapidly improving now she knows there might be something worth hanging around for, and she'll be set up for success by use of a long line until we can guarantee her recall.

😬 Whilst we're delighted at the results, it's a little bit sad that we won't get to see her as much. Those beautiful eyes looked right into your soul 😍

30/03/2025

🐶 Happy Mothers Day to all the dog mums out there.

🐶 Always be the person your dog thinks you are.

29/03/2025

🐶🐶 When it's your first birthday and the whole class sing happy birthday to you 🎂

🥳 Happy birthday, Nellie🥳

🐶 Nellie used some of her pawket money to buy some liver cake which she kindly shared with the other dogs - thank you Nellie 😊

🐕 We think that Nellie rather enjoyed her impromptu birthday wishes 🐕