Hairy Poppins

11/03/2024

Some of last week's walkies . Mainly dry but still 🥶🧊, ready for some sunshine please 😁

03/03/2024

Back walking tomorrow after a week off . Looking forward to seeing all my furry friends 🧡 😁

25/02/2024

A lovely thankyou from a customer...... plus it gave us a happy few moments discussing all things Cornwall & St Ives 🥰

25/02/2024

When your walking buddy insists on taking his monkey on the walk ........ then drops it 5 minutes in and you end up carrying it 🙄

17/01/2024

Some from this week's walks ... sorry if yours isn't on them , I take pics when I remember 🫣

12/01/2024

Some helpful info. Personally I prefer walking dogs on a harness however a correctly fitting collar is fine . I am not an advocate of extenda/ flexi leads
We’ve had a few people asking this week about walking their dog on a collar versus a harness, so I thought I’d pop in with a Top Tip on this topic for you!
Let’s start off by having a look at a few pro’s and con’s of collars and harnesses
Collars
✅Often relatively easy to fit
✅Often relatively affordable
❌Poses a strangulation risk if it gets caught on another object, or even on another dog’s jaw during play
❌Distributes pressure over a small, sensitive area (the neck)
❌Some dogs, especially those with smaller heads, are able to slip out of collars
❌Car seatbelts designed for dogs should never be attached to a collar due to the risk of injury this poses if you are involved in an accident
Harnesses
✅Distributes pressure over a large, less sensitive area (the chest and back)
✅Generally offers a secure fit, which dogs cannot slip out of if fitted correctly
✅Many harnesses are considered safe for use with car seatbelts designed for dogs (but not all have been crash-tested)
❌Can be tricky to fit
❌Can be expensive
The most important point from the pro’s and con’s discussed above is the distribution of pressure. Because a collar concentrates the pressure in a small and sensitive area when a dog pulls, it puts the dog at risk not only of suffering pain and discomfort whilst pulling, but also of potentially suffering injury and long-term damage, including:
- Skin damage
- Nerve damage
- Ischaemic necrosis (the death of tissue due to reduced arterial blood supply)
- Vision loss (due to high intraocular pressure exerted when pulling on a collar)
- Damage to the trachea, laryngitis and/or oesophagus
(https://bvajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/vetr.1627)
If your dog tends to pull on leash, you may find that walking them in a collar as opposed to a harness reduces their tendency to pull. This is due to the discomfort that pulling in a collar causes. A safer and more humane approach would be to teach your dog, using force-free and positive-reinforcement methods, to walk calmly on leash (have a look at Deb’s top tips for Loose Leash Walking from Monday’s Masterclass if you missed it!).
If you decide to purchase a harness for your dog in place of their collar, here are a few tips for choosing the best harness for your dog:
- Look for designs which do not inhibit shoulder movement – Y-shaped harnesses are generally the best design for this
- Look for designs which you can completely unclip to fit over your dog’s head, rather than ones which need to be pulled on over their ears
- If you feel you need a bit of extra control when walking your dog in a harness, look for a design which includes a D-ring for leash attachment on the chest as well as the back
My all-time favourite harness is the PerfectFit harness – it ticks all of the boxes above and you can purchase each of the harness components separately to create the perfect fit for your dog. Some other great harness brands to consider include Ruffwear and Dog Copenhagen.

Image credits:
Image showing the sensitive structures in the neck which a collar exerts pressure on https://raisingageniuspuppy.com/2016/08/06/harness-vs-collar/
Image showing the restriction of the shoulder area caused by Norwegian/saddle harnessed compared to Y-shaped (also sometimes called H-Shaped) harnesses https://www.dfordog.co.uk/blog/why-h-shaped-dog-harness.html
Also, Lucy proudly modelling her PerfectFit harness which is almost entirely hidden under her fluff 😝

A note on head-collars
Head-collars are often recommended as a training tool to prevent pulling on leash. The premise behind this is that they exert pressure on the nose to turn your dog's head towards you - and it is very difficult for a dog to travel with any particular force in a direction in which their nose isn't turned! There are, however, several problems with this approach. The biggest problem, from a behavioural point of view, is that physically preventing your dog from pulling is not addressing the behavioural and emotional reasons as to why they're pulling. If they're pulling you in excitement towards another dog, they're still going to feel excited when they see that other dog, even if they can no longer pull you towards them! Not only does this then act as "putting a Band-Aid" on the problem as opposed to actually addressing the problem, but can also lead to a build-up of frustration in your dog which may worsen reactivity. Furthermore, if your dog does lunge forwards when on a head-collar, this exerts a twisting force on their neck and spine as their head is pulled to the side, and thus can also cause serious injury.

Veterinary professionals (VPs) are often the first source of advice for clients struggling with their dog's behaviour, and pulling on the lead is a commonplace undesirable behaviour VPs will encounte...

08/01/2024

A very cute new walking buddy had his 1st walk with me today 😍

07/01/2024

A few of this weeks doggies. A gentle but very wet start to the new year. Looking forward to next week, some dry days hopefully and welcoming a new furry walker to Hairy Poppins 😁

02/01/2024

Normal service resumes today . Wishing you all a happy & healthy 2024. And a big thank you for your continued custom

22/12/2023

Well that's it, all walks done now until after Christmas.
Thankyou for the gifts I've received, they're all under my tree until the day . A huge thankyou to you for trusting me with your doggies, it truly is a privilege & I feel very lucky. Wishing you all a very merry Christmas and a fantastic 2024 . Take care & have fun xx

16/12/2023

A few from the many 1000s on my phone . Such a privilege to walk these beauties 😍

27/10/2023

I do walk some real sniffers. We don't ever seem to get very far but they do enjoy their sniffing 🤣. They all need sniff time , it's not ( and should NEVER be) all running about or ball throwing.

20/10/2023

Water, water everywhere

20/10/2023

Today's walks consisted of .....

13/10/2023

Just a pup on her 1st walk with Hairy Poppins . Very inquisitive and a bundle of energy ✨️

21/09/2023

After my week off all my walking buddies greeted me with wagging tails and big smiles 🥰. Most have been OK but there have been some casualties 😒 One of them had an a**l abcess removed and is feeling very sore. And these two are confined to the house & garden . One with a sliced paw and one limping . Get well soon doggos

10/09/2023

Closed this week for annual leave . Take care all 😁🍹🍹

24/08/2023

Reminder. Bank Holiday Monday ahead so no walks. Enjoy yourselves. You know what the next bank holiday is don't you ! 🎅 😳

26/07/2023

A new walking buddy for Hairy Poppins today, another handsome Jasper 😍. We had a lovely first walk together, walking nicely on the lead and checking his peemails . And he got his two rich tea biscuits at the end (his mum tells me he will remind me if I ever forget to give them him 🤣) . Welcome Jasper, I'm already smitten 🥰

13/07/2023

Jasper's precious find 🥰

13/07/2023

No rush Harley 🤣

13/07/2023

Guest appearance from Chester 🥰

13/07/2023

Checking his peemails 🥰

12/07/2023

Gosh I hadn't realised how long it is since I posted on here. I have gazillions of photos of my doggy walks on my phone . I will just dump a few now and try to keep more up to date . Sorry ... enjoy these beauties for now 😁

13/06/2023

Ted enjoying his week off , his mummy has got him a pool to keep cool 😎. Lucky Ted , I'd love to dip my feet in there 😀

13/06/2023

Another glorious day ahead.
Too hot for 'normal' walks so we will try to find shady areas, although even my 'go to' cool spots were getting a bit hot yesterday . 32 registered on my van yesterday afternoon !!! Back gardens and canine enrichment are also in the mix.
If you want to cancel walks please message me ASAP so I can plan my day . Thank you. Enjoy the sunshine but don't forget the sunscreen

27/05/2023

Aww goodnight, sleep tight to this old lady Beau. Always a gentle walk with Beau except when it was raining and then she didn't want to walk at all 🤣. You will be missed 😢

19/05/2023

Photo dump from recent walks. I forget to post or forget to take photos . Must try harder 🙄🫠