WaggaWuffins Canine College

22/08/2024

Congratulations to Tonight's Smart Pup FUN-damentals Puppy Course Graduates🎓🤓

Our next course is fully booked and we're now taking bookings for our October Course 🐾
Call 0161 762 0174 to book

20/08/2024

Puppy Home visit with this gorgeous little munchkin today before classes 🖤🤎
Gotta love a Roan and Tan Cocker

20/08/2024

You can purchase my book direct from me!

Order from the website or pick up a copy when you're at the centre.

https://www.waggawuffins.com/shop/mission-control/

19/08/2024

PUPPY TRAINING AND SOCIALISATION TALK FOR PET OWNERS 🐾🍼

Come and learn from one of the Industry's Experts 🤓🎓

Start off on the right paw with your new puppy, because first learning is the strongest.
People think puppies are easy and many businesses that offer training get their new and inexperienced staff to do the puppy training. Here at WaggaWuffins we understand the importance of getting it right from the start and we are also aware of how easy it can be to screw up a puppy if you don't know what you're doing, especially with those puppies that didn't read the puppy training books, so we have Jane do all the puppy stuff.

Friday 20th September 2024 6pm till 9pm
At WaggaWuffins Canine College

This is a 3 hour Presentation which will cover :

✅ Understanding Puppy Socialisation and Habituation to help develop a socially competent puppy
✅ Understanding emotions and behaviour
✅ Obedience or play, how you should be training your puppy
✅How to prevent problems
✅Understanding puppy behaviour and development stages
✅How to handle fear, build confidence and develop resilience.
✅ Understanding breed specific behaviours and the development of behaviour problems

There will be Theory, Practical Demonstrations and a Q and A

£36 per person (no dogs to attend this presentation)

This talk will be helpful for new puppy owners, people planning on getting a puppy, people with older puppies who are struggling and pet professionals looking for a better understanding of working with puppies.

Presented by Jane Ardern BSc (Hons) KCAI WG
Kennel Club Accredited Instructor in Working Gundogs
Kennel Club Dog Trainer of the Year 2015
Member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers
Breeder of Riverirk Working Cocker Spaniels
Author of Mission Control - How to Train the High Drive Dog
Professional Member of the Professional Speaking Association
Ex University Lecturer with Recognised Teacher Status to Level 6 in Canine Behaviour

Call or Txt 07817771585 to book. Limited seats available

18/08/2024

I'd definitely be neutered and placed in a pet home 😆

Same, girl, same. 😮‍💨

Shop at shopcanineaesthete.com/products/health-testing-tee

17/08/2024

WHAT'S ON AT WaggaWuffins Canine College

At WaggaWuffins we have loads of different activities for pet dog owners so they can choose a training journey with their dog that will meet their dog's needs and is fun for both dog and owner.

CLASS TIMETABLE
Monday's
6.20pm SPORTS CLUB - Agility for Pet Dogs
7.20pm SPORTS CLUB - KC Rally Obedience

Tuesday's
10am ONLINE - Behaviour Chat
11.15am ONLINE - Geek Out Training Class

6.20pm OBEDIENCE - Progress Obedience APDT and KC Good Citizen Scheme
7.20pm SPORTS CLUB - Progressive Gundog
8.20pm SPORTS CLUB - Beginner Gundog

Wednesday's
10am SPORTS CLUB - Advanced Gundog (Fortnighty)
10am SPORTS CLUB - Scentwork ( Fortnightly)

6.20pm OBEDIENCE - Progress Obedience APDT and KC Good Citizen Scheme
7.20pm OBEDIENCE - Progress Obedience APDT and KC Good Citizen Scheme
8.20pm OBEDIENCE - Advanced Obedience APDT and KC Good Citizen Scheme

Thursday's
6.20pm PUPPY TRAINING - Smart Pup FUN-Damentals
7.20pm PUPPY TRAINING - Smart Pup FUN-Damentals

17/08/2024

GAME BASED PUPPY TRAINING COURSE 👀

It's a puppy course like no other!! 🔥🔥

Introducing The SMART PUP FUN-Damentals 6 Weeks Course 😎

SMART PUP's 5C's THE PUPPY BUILDING BLOCKS FOR LIFE
Confidence, Connection, Cooperation, self Control and social Competence

Learning through Training Games, Play and Socialisation
for Puppies under 25 weeks

Unlock your puppy’s potential with our brand new puppy FUN-Damentals Training and Socialisation course specifically designed for working breeds in pet homes.

Many pet dog trainers, especially newly qualified one’s struggle to understand and meet the needs and drives of working breeds such as gundogs. I often have these dogs referred onto me by other trainers.

This course has been specifically designed by myself, an industry leading expert in working type breeds and is for owners of these breeds in pet homes where you can learn to train your puppy just like the professionals do. Building foundations for developing high levels of control and obedience.

Is this the right course for you?
✅Are you a new puppy owner of a working breed looking to get the best start in life for your puppy?
✅Are you looking for both socialisation and training?
✅Do you want to learn with your puppy through fun games and play to help seal that bond and build a great relationship?


Contact us to book 07817771585 or visit www.waggawuffins.com 🐾🐾

17/08/2024

PUPPIES 🐶

Puppies bite, they chew stuff, they can keep you awake at night and take time to learn a sleep routine, they p*e and poo and sometimes do it inside. It can take time to house train, some more than others.
They can easily get confused about our expectations, they can get frustrated when learning about life and get shouty and bitey, they get tired and bitey and don't want to sleep.

They go through different development stages as they grow having constant new and different experiences, sometimes they deal with these changes sometimes they don't. They make mistakes, they get overaroused, the arousal makes them behave in certain ways like, barking, grabbing, lunging.
They just act on their impulses and they need us to guide them. We need to be kind, understanding and tolerant.

They're beautiful little beings, learning every day, having new experiences every day. Humans brought them into the world, humans give them a home. We have a responsibility to guide and support them through their development with kindness and compassion.
Puppies are hard work but I love the experience, the good and the bad. They are all individually beautifully unique.

We NEED to meet their NEEDS.

They are never with us long enough, before you know it you'll be walking out of the vets with nothing but a collar, lead, a broken heart and loads of memories ...

Enjoy your puppy, embrace the journey, make beautiful memories, even if they're dicks sometimes 🐾❤️

Jane Ardern BSc (Hons) Dip Cabt
Kennel Club Accredited Instructor in Working Gundogs
The Gundog Club Accredited Instructor and Assessor
Member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers 1058

16/08/2024

MERLE COCKER SPANIELS

I posted this a while back when I set up my group and a few people have asked to share it. So here it is

Merle Cocker Spaniels

I'm writing this post because we have a few merles joining the group which is inevitable as they seem to be becoming more popular.

The aim is to educate and create awareness about the merle gene, support owners and help them understand why many cocker breeders and enthusiasts get upset about them.

Firstly everyone is here for training advice, not to be judged on their purchase and choice of dog. So please stay on topic.

Merle is not a recognised cocker colour so therefore was introduced by cross breeding, daschunds or collies who do carry the merle gene.
Those that are KC registered are so because a stud dogs details were stolen and used to create false paperwork. The owner of this stud dog is very upset about this and it has had a detrimental impact on her Kennel. Although this has been raised with KC action has not been taken as yet.

As you can imagine quite a few responsible breeders are not happy about this happening to the breed and can get quite 'emotional' about it!

I know most owners of merles have no idea about this and sometimes upset when they find out.

Things to know about owning a Merle Cocker.

They will show different behaviour traits due to crossbreeding, such as being very visual and chasey, herding behaviour and possibly a strong hunt drive and predatory motor pattern that ends with kill bite.
Collies , Dachshunds and Cockers are bred for different purposes so have different traits. As someone who works her spaniels these breeds have nothing of value to offer to the cocker spaniel.

From a breeding point of view even if the merle Cocker is say 1/4 or 1/8th crossed, the behavioural inheritance could be higher or lower. Just in the same way we are 50/50 our parents genes, but we may be behaviourally more like one parent than the other.

Many merle cockers haven't been responsibly bred and this will also influence behaviour too.

Another important fact about the merle gene is it is important that merles are always bred to non merles. A merle X merle mating will create puppies with serious health defects such a blindness and deafness, some even having tiny deformed eyes.

As a group we are very happy to support owners of merles cockers who need training guidance and help, however this group does not support the breeding of merles spaniels.
https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/dog-breeding/first-time-breeders/what-is-merle/

Merle, also known as dapple in some breeds, is a distinctive pattern of colours used to describe the coat of some dogs.

12/08/2024

12/08/2024

What is puppy socialisation?

It is a stage of development in your puppy. It starts at 4 weeks and ends around 16 weeks. However actual socialisation should continue well after 16 weeks as your puppy will go through other development stages having different experiences.

The first thing to consider is your puppy will go through their first fear stage 7/9 weeks old. It's important not to overwhelm them. It's also important if they're struggling to be left alone not to leave them.

During the socialisation stage of development, it's not about socialisation in the context that we understand it. It's about exposure to the world. It's so important that the exposure the puppy gets is positive emotional experiences. So a nervous or sensitive puppy needs less. They can see the world but they don't need to interact with everything in it. They need exposure that they as an individual can cope with. Doing more will not turn them into a confident social butterfly it will probably make them more fearful, even reactive.

It's needs to be a slow steady pressure free pace. Slow down your walks, stop and give them time to take in the environment, there's new sounds, sights and smells. This can be a sensory overload for some. Let them sit and watch, take your time so they can take it all in and then process it.

We used to call it a critical stage of development but it's now a sensitive, because it's flexible. Your puppy is sensitive to experiences so make sure they are positive.

If your puppy is scared support them and help them. This won't reinforce or reward negative behaviours that are driven out of fear, apprehension or caution, it will cause them to relax and feel safe and then those behaviours will stop.
Yes the puppy will become a little dependent on your support but once they feel safe you can teach independence and reward brave choices. Feeling safe will activate exploratory control processes in the brain and your puppy will choose to explore and approach. This is much more powerful than being lured to something they're scared of. Luring with treats to scary things causes pressure and conflict which are negative emotional and stressful states. Timing is key and reinforcement should happen in safe places for it to be emotionally reinforcing.

Forget behaviour and think emotions and experiences at this time.

Work at the puppy's pace, don't rush 🐾❤️

Jane Ardern BSc Hons
Kennel Club Accredited Instructor in Working Gundogs Kennel Club Dog Trainer of the Year
Gundog Club Accredited Instructor and Assessor
Author of Mission Control How to Train the High Drive Dog

12/08/2024

Congratulations to Dylan, Matt and Rachael on passing the APDT UK Good Companion Puppy Award tonight 🐾👏💪

11/08/2024

The Riverirk Rabble 🐾
The Stig, Pebbles, Drift, Huey, Mia, Letty, Carrot and little Atom at the front
Who's your favourite?

10/08/2024

09/08/2024

Only got one photo this week of my one to ones. Here's the fabulous Finn 🖤 🐾