At Nicole & James’ Wedding, I had the pleasure of Chaperoning their beloved dog, Mia.
With previous experience in the wedding industry and my experience with dogs, I was able to ensure Mia’s presence added a special touch to their big day.
From greeting guests, assisting the photographer to get the perfect shots with Mia, to handing her over to her sister to walk her down the aisle. Mia was seamlessly intergrated into their wedding.
Thank you so much to James & Nicole for trusting me with all of your gang for so long and giving me the honour of bringing your girl along to your special day, it really means so much to me!
Honestly, I couldn’t imagine not having my dog at my wedding and I promise it will bring you and your guests so much joy and create incredible memories. Our service adds a unique element to any wedding and allows your dog to be part of your day.
Get in touch if you would like to find out more ☺️
we’re quite thankful for as it’s been a hot & humid summer 🥵!
However, summer does mean I’ve been busier with our weddings and pet sitting. Content will be posted soon I promise!! 😁🙏🏼
Some consultations have still to be booked in and I will get there once availability is confirmed.
If you’re interested in our group walks, pet sitting or wedding services. Please get in touch by popping us a message.
(I have removed our consultation forms as it was becoming a little too impersonal for my liking. If you’ve enquired through the form and haven’t had a response - please give me a nudge).
Did you know even although harnesses are often considered gentler for dogs, improper fit or unsuitable design can lead to irritation and cause your dog to actually pull more?
Sometimes you just need to strip it back to the basics, ditch the fancy equipment and go back to the good old classic collar.
Once we had Beau on his collar, we spent our walk working on leash communication and went back to basics and he absolutely nailed it!
We are still working on Beau’s confidence around strangers but he has came on absolute leaps and bounds and is now becoming the confident Retriever he was born to be 😍
Some of the “anti pull” equipment might help you slightly manage your situation but it will never “fix” or “solve” the issues without your dog actually understanding what you’re asking from them in the first place!
Link in bio to enquire for 2024.
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Did you know some of the benefits of hiring a Dog Walker?
A dog walker who is committed to professional development is likely to have…
- The knowledge and skills in handling different breeds.
- Up to date on the latest training methods, ensuring your dog receives an engaging and enjoyable walk.
- First Aid trained and prepared to deal with unexpected incidents, providing a safer walk for your dog.
- Commitment to your pets wellbeing.
- Skills to communicate effectively with your dog and notice changes in their behaviour.
- The ability to ensure group walks are well structured and controlled, promoting positive interactions improving your dogs socialisation skills and reduces the risk of unwanted behaviours.
Hiring a dog walker who values their professional development, means a higher level of care, safety and personalised experiences for your pet. The commitment to continuous learning shows dedication to providing the best service possible, making them a valuable part of your dogs wellbeing.
If you are interested in your dog joining our walking services, please pop us a message with any questions you may have!
Who said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?
Our curious 11-year-old Beagle, Willow, learning the fine art of walking beside us. Usually, her nose is a compass to the ground (typically beagle 🤣) and our leash becomes a tightrope act. But today marks a special milestone - our first walk together in 2 months and both girls smashed it out the park!
Its frustrating that Im not fit enough to have our full groups out yet but we’re taking advantage of this time, and it’s a luxury we’re embracing. Our walks aren’t just about exercise, they’re about building a deeper connection. By mastering the ‘heel’ command, Willow gains more freedom to explore the world around her, while we can enjoy a calmer, safer walk together.
Why is teaching your dog to walk to heel important?
First, it’s a safety measure - keeping your dog close reduces the risk of unexpected tugs and potential accidents. 🚫🦮 A necessity for us whilst I’m still building up strength on my ankle.
Secondly, it’s a foundation for better communication. As Willow learns to walk in sync with us, we’re strengthening the bond of trust and understanding. It’s much easier to communicate with a dog that’s beside you than in-front of you.
Ahhhh, it was a good first day back!! 😍
A remarkable transformation from our own dog Henrik, once confined indoors for 8 weeks due to an injury at a critical time in his life, he can now confidently roam the busy city center of Glasgow without wanting to say hello to everyone he sees 🥳
Chrissy had to tackle this on his own after my injury, I was blown away by the improvements 🩼😃 We are still working with him around other dogs but this has been a big milestone on our journey 🎉
Henrik’s success has been based on careful socialisation and gradual exposure to busy environments. Starting in less crowded areas and gradually working up to city centres is crucial. ‼️
Chrissy’s consistent training routine played a huge role in shaping Henrik’s behavior over time, creating good habits in the household and gradually training them outdoors, now allows him to settle even during lunch outings with lots going on around.
Do you ever take a step back and think about how many distractions you’re actually asking your dog to behave around? Is it fair to expect them to be calm? Sometimes we need to lower our expectations to succeed in the long run. 🤔
Understanding our dogs psychology and knowing that perfection doesn’t come overnight, especially for an adolescent Labrador, has allowed us to set realistic expectations.
You will pass many hurdles when training any dog (like breaking your ankle 🤣) but remember, patience and perseverance will help you along the way 🍃 💭
The Power of Impulse Control 🧠🌪️
Teaching your dog to “wait” before mealtimes is a great opportunity to reinforce their impulse control. By learning to manage their excitement and develop self-control, they develop a skill that extends to beyond the kitchen door, into other areas of their lives.
The benefits of teaching your dog to wait go beyond promoting polite behaviour. It plays a crucial role in keeping them safe, preventing behaviors like jumping, rushing through doors, or grabbing potentially harmful objects. ❌🚫
In addition, good impulse control reduces stress in our dogs, improves communication, and helps them to make better choices... The list goes on!! 🧘🏻🍃
Having a good “wait” within the house with Henrik has been a massive help whilst I’ve been hobbling around with him during the day. You never know when you’ll need it the most! 😅
The broken ankle may have stopped me from walking but it hasn’t stopped me from learning 🧠👩🏻🦽
We have had a very busy and exciting week in Edinburgh for the @theimdt Practical Instructors course 🤩 Such a supportive environment that allowed us to put our knowledge into practice and pick up invaluable skills along the way 🎾 Henrik also massively benefited from this week thanks to the brilliant instructors 🤎
If you have been on this journey with me from the start, you will know that training has always been a massive passion of mines and that the dogs safety and welfare has always been at the forefront of everything I do. 🍃
That is why it has been so important for me to continue my learning throughout my career to ensure I can only provide you with best support to succeed with your dogs ☺️
Sublime K9 training will be coming soon 🧡
Thank you Gina On The Radio 💚
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
-Harriet Tubman
Our boy Guinness’ last walk today 🥺💚
It never gets easier saying “bye for now” to our dogs. We know we will see Guinness soon though! We will miss having him on his walks every week and know all his buddy’s will miss him too, especially his mud rolling partner in crime Charley 🐾
Thank you @eiliddhwaddell for trusting us with your boy and being a dream client the past year! It has been a pleasure to be his dog walker 💚 #dogsofinstagram #dogwalker
Wild Saturdays with the Snuffle mat 😎
Henrik has stubbed his pinky toe and managed to break it so we’re on two weeks of no walks unfortunately! This means we need to find ways to curb his boredom and provide him with the mental stimulation he needs to burn all that extra energy he has. Ultimately we want to avoid all the unnecessary frustration that having no walks may bring. So Saturday was spent with a few rounds on the new snuffle mat.
Snuffle mats are a great tool to have in your pet cupboard, especially for high-energy dogs. With a range of amazing benefits, they are reasonably priced and range in a variety of difficulty levels which makes them suitable for every dog! Amazon have a great variety.
- They prolong meal times and prevent your dog from wolfing down their food which can come with a whole load of problems🤢. Typical lab, Henrik hardly chews his food before it’s in his belly so we rarely feed him from a traditional food bowl!
- Provides mental stimulation and in return creates a calmer, happier, more relaxed dog reducing the risk of destructive/unwanted behaviours. 😴
- Encourages your dog to tap into their natural instincts and use their sense of smell which is great enrichment for your dogs! 🐾
- Ideal for dogs who are on crate rest / reduced exercise. 🤕
Let us know if you have a favourite puzzle you like to play with your dogs!
I hope you enjoy these types of posts so we can continue helping you with your dog 💚 #chocolatelab #dogsofinstagram #dogwalker
Floyd and Bonnie 🐕
We love a spaniel at Sublime K9 if you can’t already tell 😍
This duo enjoy a walk together and naturally they absolutely LOVE playing a game of fetch, so much so they’d happily play it for the full hour. Typical spaniels!! 🎾 However, even although fetch can be mentally stimulating and good physical exercise for your dog, like anything, too much of it can be bad 😟 So we play other games with these two like “find it” and add waits into our fetch games to work on impulse control. This works well if your dog likes to jump up and try snatch the ball! ⚽️
Our walks are structured with a mix of on leash and off leash time, play, mentally stimulating games and practicing our basic commands. We always say safety comes first when it comes to our walks and if we do this, we can’t go wrong. 🍃💚
Muddy puddle dives are just a way of life when you walk so many labs/lab crosses 🤪🐕💦 #dogsofinstagram #dogwalkerproblems #labrador
8 weeks - 16 weeks (just for fun)
I finally thought I’d share some of our training journey with you guys since we have had our little man for 2 months now. All I can say is consistency is KEY! 🔑
We are setting Henrik up for success from the get go by teaching him the basic commands and socialising him correctly. We don’t want to be those dog parents that cant take our dog to the cafe with us or into a busy park without stressing if he is going to behave, or dreading every walk because he pulls so badly!! Teaching him these foundations young will help us have a much happier, stress free life together and make our training more enjoyable.
Engagement was number one priority then we taught him the basics like sit, wait, leave it, heel etc, first within the house and once he had that mastered we moved onto outdoors and gradually we are adding in distractions. We have been socialising him, exposing him to different environments early and not letting him say hello to every dog in the street, which he really wants to! Now he is by no means perfect and yes @iainmacfarlane @ladyandthehounds_k9services probably say he was the most intense dog in puppy class but every week we showed up and no matter how frustrating it is, we don’t give up and every week we are seeing improvements! Yes labradors are a family favourite but they are still working dogs and have those natural working traits that need to be fulfilled!
Don’t worry if things come up or you don’t get it first time, for us we’ve had everything from operations to house moves, to being unwell get in our way but you get right back on the saddle and go again right back into that training routine!! We can’t wait to see what the next 8 weeks has in store for the wee man 💚
Is it frustrating at times? Yes. Does he always listen? Hell no! Are we progressing everyday because of consistency, routine and proper diet & exercise? Hell yes!! 🤩
If you enjoyed this post and would like to see more in depth
A small bit for a big man. 🦮🍃🥹 #dogsofinstagram #dogwalker #dogwalkerglasgow
Good behaviour means good rewards… 😎🦮
