Dundee Dog Walks

11/01/2024

A good start, need culture change now

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-67920167

11/01/2024

If you come on the client walks you'll be very familiar with this. I practice this daily. We move the pack to the side to allow other people/ dogs to pass. Why is this important? Safety is the number one reason. If you don't allow your dog to approach passing people and /or dogs without your permission you keep your dog and other people and their dogs safe. This also allows other people to feel more relaxed. Passing a pack of dogs is not an easy task for everyone. Particularly if you happen to have a fear of dogs which some people do. Respect for others is the another reason. We generally don't approach other random people in the park and just start walking with them, so why would we allow our dogs to do this?.
Ruby has in recent times developed a stick obsession which her owner is finding challenging. I have taught her the "out" command which means drop it and come see me. You'll see Stephen in the video calling her with no impact on the beginning. This is because at this time she's fixated on a stick. I then give the "out" command and watch how quickly she responds. Obviously it takes a bit of time to get this level of obedience but she's nailed it

06/01/2024

Hi guys, as far as I know everyone is back to normal next week. If you're not and not needing a walk can you let me know asap please as I've done the diary but can move things around if needed.

I've been inundated with new clients, in particular people who have acquired puppies or new dogs over Christmas and are now needing help with walking and training. To accommodate this I will be running walks earlier. This means times will change for some clients on the morning walk and pick up will be earlier than normal. If this effects you I will let you know.

Earlier times will effect everyone on the afternoon walks and pick up will be closer to 11am.
One to one training sessions will be running in the afternoons from 2pm. DM to book this if needed.

Available spaces next week are ...

Thursday afternoon (earlier time) - space for 1 dog
Friday afternoon (earlier time) - space for 1 dog.
Limited space for one to one training sessions available on request.

Have a great weekend and I'll see you next week xx

04/01/2024

It's not unusual for the dogs to pick activities on walks. Today was swimming and paddling. I've always said dogs have life figured out and teach us valuable lessons all the time. Every dog I have owned, worked with or encountered has taught me this. Investigate everything that looks interesting, never pass up an opportunity to have fun, live everyday like it's your last and be here now. They don't teach this in schools. We learn so much from our dogs. We just need to pay attention to the lessons.

25/12/2023

Quiver wishes you all a very merry Christmas! Hope Santa was good to you all and we'll see you on the 27th. If you're normally booked in on a Wednesday but not requiring a walk can you let me know asap please if you haven't already! Merry Christmas! X

13/12/2023

The body language of the dogs and watching the dynamics and how they interact never gets boring. Here Boss, aka, the fun police, is telling Doris (boxer) her energy is too high. Doris is not really getting this and has taken this as a game and is attempting to engage Boss in play ( notice the play bow). Boss being Boss and the master of discipline is having none of it. The conversation from his side is very much "stop your nonsense, lower your energy levels and calm down." My dogs have spent their lives walking in packs and with me. They know the rules and what's expected and will enforce this. The joys of zero tolerance dogs 🤣

08/12/2023

Teaching your dog to take food from you nicely without snatching is important. Basic manners and learning to slow down and wait matters because it saves your fingers and stops accidental bites. Particularly important for those with small children

04/12/2023

Cheers for the heart failure!! She's fine, just chilling. I now need to go lie down in a dark room!

03/12/2023

Hey guys, see below squeeze me in spaces for next week

Tuesday Morning - space for 1 dog
Tuesday Morning - space for a client walk

Thursday Afternoon - space for 2 dogs

Saturday Morning - space for a one to one training session

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I'll see you all next week x

27/11/2023

Dates for your diary: Hi guys, so it's that time where I post holiday dates for the festive period. This year I will stop on the 23rd and be back on the 27th. I'll then stop again on the 30th and be back on the 3rd. I will be working on the days I stop but those will be my last days until I return x

27/11/2023

Ruby's owners struggle to allow her off lead because she's reactive with other dogs. As you can see she's not with me, so why is that? I'm completely relaxed and confident when I'm walking dogs which means I'm not giving out protection signals which can trigger a dog to attack another person, dog or animal. We need to be very intune with own own emotions because dogs pick up on these. If I was to suddenly see a dog and become nervous around Ruby she wouldn't pick up that I was nervous about how she may react, but she would pick up that the dog appeared and my energy changed from confident to nervous. Therefore the dog is a potential threat and Ruby may see it as her job to get rid of the dog. High energy levels when playing, particularly in reactive dogs, can trigger high excitement which can lead to aggression. Safety is always a priority. Had other people and or dogs been present in the park I wouldn't have allowed play at as high a level as this. It would have been much calmer and much more controlled to keep others safe.

25/11/2023

So, I'm putting this post up because I'm getting people looking to come to me from other walkers because they don't train their dogs, then there's confusion about why I charge more. Just to be clear, here's the situation...
I walk and train dogs. I do both, some dog walkers don't, they simply walk dogs. That's it. You get what you pay for folks.
There's also been some confusion about why I allow dogs to learn from other dogs and not just humans. The answer to that is simple, any dog will always speak better dog than any human. From the day they are born they are taught discipline, social skills and pack mentality from their mother. Contrary to popular belief, they never forget this, it just doesn't get practised often enough. All animals communicate better with their own species than they do with humans or any other species. That's basic common sense. Hope this helps and clears up at least some confusion x

23/11/2023

Slip leads have finally arrived guys! There's a choice of 4 colours red, orange, purple and black. These always go quickly so if you have a colour preference can you let me know please £10 each x

22/11/2023

Perfect recall is important because it can stop your dog from being attacked by or attacking another dog, keeps wildlife safe and stops your dog from running up to other random dogs they do not know, which can cause fear and or alarm in the humans with the dogs your dog is approaching. This is enough to have your dog destroyed under the dangerous dogs act. All they need to do is cause unnecessary fear and or alarm in a public place to be condemned. Be safe, not sorry.

20/11/2023

New dog alert! Meet Murphy: This was Murphy's first walk with us. The goals for this young pup are walking to heel which we did some work on today, recall and good manners around people and other dogs. There was a lot going on for him today as I had 5 walkers with me and clients who joined us for a client walk. Murphy handled himself amazingly well and I can't wait to see his progress once he's learned everything we have to teach him

19/11/2023

Hi guys, squeeze me in spaces for next week are...

Tuesday morning - space for 1 client walk
Thursday afternoon - space for 1 dog
Sunday school - space for 2 dogs

Have a great rest of your weekend and I'll see you next week xx

16/11/2023

It's been a busy week and I'm definitely feeling owners have a touch of the winter blues. Stephen and I have been busy helping owners with their dogs on the client walks and there are definitely recurring themes. Blame, guilt, exhaustion and desperation. Note: These are all human issues, the dogs are fine. I've decided to reiterate here what I've been reiterating all week and outline my mini plan which I've handed out as homework as the likelihood is there are others who haven't been to see me who are feeling the same way. We'll break these down into manageable segments as together they are overwhelming and the result is an exhausted human being at the end of their tether...

Blame: Stop blaming yourself. You don't have recall, or your dog doesn't do x,y and z because you don't know how to teach this because no-one taught you. This is a knowledge and a skill set issue which you need to learn. You can't teach what you don't know. It does not mean your failing as an owner or you're a useless human being. If you're lacking in these skill sets contact me for help. Homework: Do as many activities as you can which make you feel good. You need to change these feelings because they put you in a weakened state and dogs don't follow instability. You're not crazy you just don't feel good. You need to change this for you and your dog. It's not a healthy place to be for either of you. You can only really fail if you do nothing.

Guilt: There's nothing to feel guilty about. You can't change what you did in the past, in the present you've learned new skill sets and you can use these in the future to create the dog you want. Homework: practice what you've learned in short training sessions, no more than 10 minutes at a time, as often as you can. Practice makes perfect.

Exhaustion and desperation: These tend to go hand in hand so I'll cover them together. You need to take time to relax. Homework: Do something that puts you in a relaxed state, whatever works for you. This could be meditation, reading a book, taking a long soak in the tub or taking a nap. Exhaustion means you need to recharge your batteries. Take care of your dog but don't forget to take care of you. Do this everyday and take time to rebuild your energy levels. There's no need for desperation. Reach out for help, build your knowledge and skills in whatever area you need help with and practice these daily. Problems can't exist without solutions. You don't need to raise your dog alone. Sometimes it takes a village.

Hope this helps some people. Remember to smile. It makes you feel good and hopefully I'll see you all more relaxed, happier, calmer and smiling next week. Relax, you've got this ###

12/11/2023

Hi guys, here's next week's squeeze me in spaces...

Monday afternoon: Space for 1 dog
Tuesday morning: Space for a client walk
Tuesday afternoon: Space for 2 dogs
Sunday school: Space for 2 dogs

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I'll see you next week x

11/11/2023

10/11/2023

A little training session today with a little cocker spaniel who gets angry when she sees toys. This is progress as she no longer wants to "kill" the frisbee as she did when she first was introduced. We're now at a lower level where the growling is still there but she's understanding this is not a threat and can now engage in a game. The next step is to be able to phase out the food rewards completely and have her just enjoy playing with the frisbee and a human.

05/11/2023

Forgot to mention phone still not working so if enquiring about squeeze me in spaces or anything else, please message on messenger or WhatsApp. Technical support are currently working on the service issues and this should be resolved by Monday afternoon hopefully but I'll keep you updated x

05/11/2023

UPDATE: Thursday afternoon space gone

Hi guys, here are the squeeze me in spaces for next week...

Thursday afternoon - space for 1 dog
Friday morning - space for a client walk
Sunday afternoon - space for 2 Sunday school participants

Sunday school is a training session where you attend with your dog. Next week we'll be focusing on loose lead walking, walking to heel off lead and keeping your dog focused on you past distractions

Have a great rest of your weekend and I'll see you next week x

04/11/2023

Hi guys, there's a problem with my phone and i'm not getting any service which means currently I can't make or receive calls or text messages. If you need to contact me can you message on messenger or WhatsApp please. I'll update when this is resolved. Thanks

03/11/2023

Little refresher for Stephen in lead walking. He struggled a bit with Roscoe pulling today. We were able to get a video today for a change as the weather has been torrential lately. Sunday afternoons I normally do some work with my own dogs and Stephen to enhance and sharpen his skills along with teaching him new skill sets. Recently we've had a few people ask if the can come join in and this is becoming increasingly popular so I've decided to open it up to the public. £20 per dog, please bring a fixed length lead and plenty of food. I also don't want loads of people so will be limiting spaces so please PM to book, for location and time details x

31/10/2023

"LIKE A KID ON CHRISTMAS DAY" So, I didn't originally plan on using our little Sergi in a video but his behaviour here reminds me of behaviours I have seen in some dogs. What you're seeing here is classic overstimulation. When an animal comes from an environment where their needs are not met and fundamentals like mental stimulation are not present, when it suddenly is provided it can become too much. This is demonstrated by Sergi moving in circles at times and trying to explore everything at once along with being unable to pick a direction. At one point he becomes so overwhelmed he hides behind the wheel, suggesting he's so overwhelmed he now feels unsafe. I've seen this behaviour in dogs when various stimulators have been provided and they've been unable to focus on or choose which one they want to check out first leading some to want to run from the situation. What's improved in the short time he's been with us is that he doesn't hide for long, his confidence has increased massively although, me being me, I'd still like to see more improvement in this area. Previously he would try and hide in the playpen and I had to dim the lights or he wouldn't move. We've moved beyond that now. He's also a determined little critter and when I've presented problems for him to solve he'll keep trying until he's mastered it. You see this with the rat wheel, where he eventually learns he needs to be in a certain position to be able to push it. I could have pushed it for him but I'd rather he figured this out himself because he can do it. I have helped in other ways by lowering it and loosening it for him too. I suspect we will reach the point where Sergi "normalises" stimulation exercises and will settle down a bit. Robos are known for high energy levels (like some dog breeds) and as much as exercise is important we need to remember there's a mental aspect which also needs to be catered for.

31/10/2023

GOVERNMENT HAVE RELEASED WHAT AN XL BULLY IS DEFINED AS

General impression
Large dog with a muscular body and blocky head, suggesting great strength and power for its size. Powerfully built individual.

Height
Adult male from 20in (51 cm) at the withers
Adult female from 19in (48cm) at the withers
Head
Heavy, large and broad
The length from the tip of the nose to a well-defined stop (indentation between muzzle and the head) is equal to around a 1/3 of the length from the stop to the back of the head
Muzzle blocky or slightly squared to fall away below the eyes
Topline of muzzle straight
Prominent cheek muscles with strong, well-defined jaws and lips semi-close
Often having prominent wrinkles on face
Nose is large with well opened nostrils
Teeth
Level or scissor bite.

Neck
Heavy, muscular, slightly arched, tapering from the shoulders to the base of the skull
Medium in length
Forequarters
Shoulder blades are long, well-muscled and well laid back
Upper arm length is about equal to the length of the shoulder blades and joined at a 35 to 45 angle to the ground
Front legs straight, strong and very muscular with dog standing high on the pasterns (area between feet and ankles)
Elbows set close to the body
Distance from the withers to elbows about the same as the distance from the elbow to the bottom of the feet
Body
Heavily-muscled
Large, blocky body giving impression of great power for size
Broad, deep chest with well sprung ribs
Chest may be wider than deep
Topline level and straight
Loin short and firm
Generally appears square shaped from point of the shoulder to the point of the buttocks compared with the withers (tallest point on the dogs body excluding head and shoulders) to the ground
Hindquarters
Strong, muscular and broad
Thighs well developed with thick musculature
From behind, both pasterns are typically straight and parallel to each other
Muscular development, angulation and width in balance with forequarters

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/xl-bully-type-dogs-to-be-banned

29/10/2023

When they go missing they're always where you least expect them 😂

Best costume of the year🤣

29/10/2023

Ok guys, squeeze me in spaces available for next week are as follows...

Monday afternoon - space for 1 dog
Thursday morning - space for a client walk
Thursday afternoon - space for 1 dog
Saturday - space for a one to one training session

Have a great rest of your weekend and I'll see you next week x

25/10/2023

Don't let people get you down. Just rise to the challenge. Obviously Dundee is full of "expert" dog trainers. I don't mind negative comments but it would always be better if you could send videos of dogs that you have trained yourself. I love to see evidence of how it can be done better from those clearly more experienced and qualified than myself.