Pawfect Manners & Pawfect Agility

07/02/2025

I had the pleasure of meeting Blake as a puppy in puppy class. I had the fun of training Blake as an adult in agility and wow was he good! Martin may have entertained us with his art of falling over 🙈🙊🤣 but they achieved so much! He was so speedy and had fabulous skills. 🌟🌟

I had the joy of getting to know Blake’s owners, see his family grow and be so proud of what a wonderful companion he was to everyone who knew him.

A few weeks ago I had the heartbreaking honour of holding his paw as we all said goodbye. Blake you were amazing. So special to so many people. You were loved so much.

Blake was there on your wedding day, on your holidays, walked alongside your children and even joined you on your surfboard - he was a bit of a pro at surfing! What an amazing life you gave him.

Blake it was an honour to have met you - and through puppy classes be part of your life.

I am sure you’ll all join me in sending so much love to Annelise Dack and Martin and the boys - my heart breaks for you but we will remember Blake fondly, forever 💔 x

07/02/2025

Have you ever considered whistle training your recall? When trained properly the whistle can really power up your recall - watch the video below of my dogs to see how effective it can be. Also let’s take a moment to awwww over baby Bisto and one of his best friends, Arya. So cute!
I will be sharing my top tips over the next few weeks. Part one starts this week.
Have you any recall videos of your dogs?

06/02/2025

This goes for all types of training - from puppy skills, scent work, agility, flyball.
Set your dog up for success and then reap the benefits later!

WHEN NOT TO TRAIN YOUR DOG

More training isn’t always the answer. In fact, pushing through at the wrong time can do more harm than good.

Here’s when you should hit pause instead of powering through:
🚫 Your dog is tired or overstimulated.
🚫 You’re feeling frustrated or impatient.
🚫 The environment is too distracting for success.
🚫 Your dog is showing stress signals (even subtle ones!).

Training isn’t just about repetition—it’s about timing. If the conditions aren’t right, take a break, reset, and try again later when you and your dog are in a better place to succeed.

03/02/2025

With so many dogs lost every week you might want to consider a tracking device.
I have tractive for my dogs as it does not need a phone nearby to locate them - it works off gps. The tracker works in dense woodland and on the Norfolk Beaches too. My dogs have fabulous recall but this gives me piece of mind in case they get stuck or are injured and are unable to get back to me. I love tracking their rest and activity levels too.

GPS tracker & activity monitor. Locate your dog on your phone in real-time. Battery life up to 1 month. Unlimited range. 100% waterproof.

02/02/2025

Sunday = time to enjoy our most favourite walk which was even more beautiful in the winter sunshine today.
For me, my dogs recall is very important, without it these walks just wouldn’t be the same for us as my dogs love to run, splash and play in these open spaces.
Where’s your favourite walk?
Do you need to sharpen your dog’s recall skills?
Lots of tips coming soon!
Please share pics or details of your favourite walks below!

30/01/2025

Sending Katie and Freddie all our love as they retire from our Tuesday agility group. Freddie the Norfolk Terrier has been loving his agility lessons so much that when he could no longer jump Katie decided to still come along and run him through wings with no poles instead. He flew round! Anything for a bit of sausage!!
We’ve loved training with you, you’ve made lots of friends and you will both be missed. Please pop by and say hello! We love you Freddie! Isn’t he a cutie!

29/01/2025

Tuesday agility classes had these delicious cakes as extra energy today! Always lovely to celebrate wins into a higher grade and especially when Sophie is doing the baking!
Just what we needed on a wet day.
Despite the weather we were all still smiling!
Extra special when the cakes match your colour scheme!

25/01/2025

☠️☠️🍫🧅🧄🍇🥃🥑🌽☠️☠️
Love this video (see below- it’s worth a watch ) - it makes me smile but also gives me the perfect opportunity to remind you all to always check any human food you offer your dog is not toxic to them.

Did you know the following foods are toxic/ can cause serious illness:

According to the Veterinary Poisons Information Service (VPIS), some of the most toxic foods for dogs include:

Chocolate
Grapes and dried fruits
Onions and garlic
Macadamia nuts
Alcohol
Xylitol: An artificial sweetener found in sugar-free gum, toothpaste, and peanut butters and many other products.
Corn on the cob: Can cause a blockage in the intestines.
Avocados: Contain persin, which can cause vomiting and diarrhoea - the stone can cause a fatal blockage.
Cooked bones: Can splinter and cause constipation or a perforation of the gut
Blue-green algae: Most common in stagnant fresh water such as lakes
Mouldy foods
Rhubarb
Potato leaves and stems
Tomato leaves and stems
Bread dough
Tea and coffee in pure form or large quantity.

All info from the veterinary poison information service.
If you think dog has eaten something toxic you should call your vet or call the Animal poison line (01202 509000) for advice immediately.

The sooner you act the sooner medication or preventative measures can be taken to prevent or decrease the effects of the toxin. Always act quickly.

Occurred on May 2021 / Pensacola, Florida, USA"Wade and Lola love sharing whipped cream."Contact [email protected] to license this or any ViralHog video...

24/01/2025

💨🍃💨 Wind stops play this morning! 😫
I have had to cancel my morning agility lessons today as it’s too blowy to even keep poles on jumps!

So, a slow start to the day for us - Bisto isn’t impressed and the coffee cup says exactly what we are all thinking!

Whilst windy walks can be fun for some, many dogs get spooked in the wind and run off, or can not hear you when you recall. Look at the lost dog Facebook feeds on windy days - they are full of missing dogs.

Why not consider indoor training/ activities whilst waiting for the wind to settle, or, if you do need to walk whilst it’s blowy stick to lead walks only.

Remember to check your fencing too!

For dogs that are worried indoors due to the noise of the wind try the following:

🐶 Provide a safe space - some dogs will like to settle with you for extra security, others may prefer a hidey hole such as a covered crate. Provide blankets for the dog to dig and snuggle into. Make sure water and chews are available within it. Place the crate somewhere quiet and where they're likely to use it. If they choose somewhere else to hide - do not remove them from their chosen space.

🐶 If your dog wants to be close to you that’s fine - provide calm reassurance..

🐶 Play background noise to muffle the sound of the wind - TV, radio etc.

🐶 Provide chews, lickimats to distract them and help them settle.

🐶 Remember to keep them on lead if you head outside.

🐶 Use calming products such as Adaptil pheromone spray.

What did you do in the wind today? Did you embrace it and go for a blowy walk or did you do something else instead?

23/01/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/1EwT7Yb9Kz/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Sharing the link to this important message regarding the link between behaviour and pain. This highlights the importance of a veterinary examination to rule out medical problems that can cause behavioural changes. Behaviour changes in all dogs can be medical related but we need to be especially considerate of this in our older pets.

Pain and Behaviour ⚠️

Let’s talk about why there is such a strong correlation between dogs in pain and behavioural problems 🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐

As I have talked about before, many of our dogs suffer from “Silent pain” - their natural instinct is to hide pain, to carry on, to pretend all is ok (bless).

When it gets to the stage where a dog is showing physical signs of chronic pain, this pain is usually well established and has been ramping up for a long time.

Chronic pain will often initially manifest as changes to behaviour before any clinical signs appear as the dog tries to cope with what he/she is feeling.

I see many dogs in my clinic that have been referred to a behaviourist for problem behaviour involving a wide range of issues including reactivity, anxiety, resource guarding, repetitive or obsessive behaviours, sensitivity to new things like noise or traffic or hyper-vigilance.

Before working to address their behaviour the first thing to do with these dogs is to be sure that pain is not the cause or at least a contributing factor.

We know that up to around 80% of behaviour cases can be pain related - that’s massive 😱

However, chronic pain is notoriously difficult to assess and issues causing such pain often won’t show on up on an X-ray.

To add to the complexities, studies have shown that when owners are asked if they think their dog is in pain they will generally focus on changes to movement and have difficulty associating behavioural changes with pain in their dogs.

A common phrase I hear from owners is that …if it hurt, their dog wouldn’t do it……….this is simply not true‼️

Dogs will often still be performing activities they are highly motivated to do such as play, run, chase, jump etc. despite having underlying pain.

The only changes that may happen might be to their general behaviour or demeanour. This may include subtle things like restlessness, excessive sniffing, licking, yawning, air licking, scratching or frequent body stretching or shaking or it could be the more obvious changes like aggression or reactivity.

So why do these dogs have these behavioural changes ❓❓❓

At a very basic level- dogs do not have the ability to distinguish between acute pain that may kill them and chronic pain that won’t. They therefore assume that the pain they feel is dangerous and as a result can feel constantly under threat.

They live in this heightened state of stress until we take that pain away .

We know that heightened stress levels results in reduced serotonin and increased levels of cortisol.

Cortisol is the primary stress hormone and increased levels can be linked to such as hyperactivity, reactivity, compulsive behaviors, and increased aggression. Serotonin is the hormone that helps regulate emotional responses. A reduction of serotonin has been linked to aggressive behaviour in dogs. These stressed dogs have increased levels of fear and anxiety which in turn makes them more nervous and reactive 😣

Sadly, we can’t teach our dogs to not see pain as a constant threat like we can with people.
As a human physiotherapist when patients come to see me with chronic pain, I can reassure them and I can tell them their pain won’t kill them.

We don’t have this ability with dogs so the only option we have is to take their pain away .

The right medication and treatment can do this.

Adressing the pain can then lead to improvements in problem behaviours as the dog starts to relax, the cortisol levels drop and the serotonin levels increase 😃

We can then work on what caused the pain in the first place .

📣 So please please always consider pain as a potential cause for your dogs behaviour and seek the advice of your vet or physiotherapist 📣📣

Thanks for reading - please share to spread awareness and just to finish- a picture of my beautiful arthritic girl living her best life 💕💕

22/01/2025

Let’s talk sleep …. 💤 💤💤

The importance of sleep is well documented in regard to health and wellbeing in humans and the same goes for our dogs.
Did you know that dogs (especially puppies), need a lot more sleep than we do.
They need sleep to process information and without sufficient sleep you may notice an increase or appearance of the following behaviours:

Mouthing
Barking and vocalisation
Attention seeking
Reactivity
Restlessness
Lack of focus
Irritability
Frustration

Things to consider:
Where is your dogs resting place?

How often does your dog get disturbed because they’re trying to sleep in the middle of a busy house?

Is the bed comfortable? Can they stretch out fully? Is it stable to walk on? Easy access? Supportive?

One of the reasons why our dogs do not sleep enough is because we don’t let them. The environment is either too busy, or, (as is quite often in puppies) we do not teach them to settle and rest.

Overtired pups are difficult! Is your pup getting enough sleep and rest?

What to do:
Make sure they have their own space where they can go and sleep in peace. If they can’t regulate their sleep themselves then you can help by:

Teach them how to settle.
Make sure they feel secure and safe.
Provide somewhere quiet and safe to sleep. Do not involve them in every activity of the day or over stimulate them in an attempt to constantly exhaust them.

When considering problem behaviours we are quick to think of lack of exercise or lack of stimulation as a possible cause. As well as addressing these common factors we also need to ensure they are able to sleep regularly and they have a quiet space to be able to fully relax and rest.

Sweet dreams 💤

Doesn’t Viva look cute sleeping on her breeders lap in this photo - please share photos and videos of your sleepy puppy/ dogs below!

20/01/2025

Today was groom day for Viva and Bisto - they go to visit the groomer every 6-8 weeks to keep their coats fluff free and in good condition. See their before and after photos in the comments 🪮✂️🫧🧽🛁
Molly’s Mutz takes extra good care of them and has a wonderful set up .. have a look for yourself in this video.

19/01/2025

Preparing your puppy to cope with sounds is really easy with the sound proof puppy training app. It has over 30 different sounds you can play at low level in safe environments and associate with great things such as feeding, treats, play time, lickimats and cuddles.
Don’t wait for your dog to become fearful - make desensitisation to sounds such as fireworks, vehicles, thunder, lawnmowers , etc part of your puppy training.

https://www.facebook.com/share/182ZEYNW96/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Dog training App - Conditioning dogs & puppies to sound! 30+ essential sounds for new puppies & for

16/01/2025

Puppy training - Set them up for success - create the habits you want and understand pups will be pups! Love them always. It’s our job to teach them and guide them using kindness, patience and positivity.

15/01/2025

Look who’s been at puppy classes this week … can you guess the breeds / breed mix?

14/01/2025

Winners!
I wasn’t able to compete this weekend due to car issues but loved hearing of everyone’s success! Another jumping win for Sophie and Ivy - such a great team, congratulations! So pleased with your progress and love training you both 🌟🐾🌟

31/12/2024

As we step into the New Year, I would like to give my heartfelt thanks for your support in 2024. May the year ahead bring more fun times, success and happy, healthy dogs for us all.
I have thoroughly enjoyed training you all and your amazing dogs. Happy New Year!