Happy Hounds Hexham

30/12/2024

Building a Strong Relationship with Your Dog

You can walk them, feed them, provide water, and let them out into the garden—but these actions alone don’t create a strong relationship.

A great bond with your dog requires more than meeting their basic needs. It’s about sharing love, play, cuddles, meaningful interactions, and quality time together. Eye contact, engaging in activities they enjoy, and showing affection are key. On the flip side, too much isolation, frequent scolding, frustration, shouting at their barking, avoiding their presence, or failing to respect their space can damage the connection.

Just like us, dogs need emotional care and attention. Life can get busy, and it’s easy to overlook this, but prioritizing quality time with your dog is one of the most essential parts of being a responsible and loving owner.

When you nurture this mutual respect and bond, it positively impacts all areas of training—whether it’s lead work, recall, listening, or general behavior. A dog that feels valued and connected will naturally want to be with you and work alongside you.

So, what can you do to strengthen your relationship with your dog and enjoy a better partnership?

28/12/2024

Sometimes dog just have extra bags of energy.

Born a live wire and training to slow down can be difficult. This can make training extra tricky and you might need some extra help.
I do walk and train for people that have had an extra hard time with their dogs. To help jump start some learning.
Like Ciara who is now off lead around other dogs and can have good long patches of walking nicely. As she grows up they will only get better now she knows how.

27/12/2024

Toryn update date

22/12/2024

Toryn update
Shes ok. Scans on Tuesday to find what's going on.

18/12/2024

Very long video up date on Toryn and her leg

But in short if anyone has a medium crate or a soft crate spare please let me know.

16/12/2024

Puppies, juniors and adolescence.

Now Toryn has hit 16 weeks and weighs over 14kg!

She is no longer a baby, she now in a junior phase. Her needs in training are very different.

2 to 4 months - baby pup:
Knows nothing to start.
Needs toilet training
Learn sleep through the night
Collar, harness and lead training
Injections
The most important social period.
Chewing everything
Bitey
Can learn: sit, down, settle, heel, recall, food manners and car travel.

4 to 8 months -Junior:
Learning more advanced social skills
Pushing more boundaries
More explorative
More keen to see dogs
Teething - grumpy and chewing
Mad evening zoomies
Can walk more and be out longer.
I'll need to add more impulse control, more lead time in busy places, leave her more.
More defined training. More training around distractions and holding on task longer.
Learns how to sleep in day by their own choice.

8 months to 24 months - Adolescence:
All training out the window
Mostly out of control
Breaking stuff
Things they could do they now can't.
Hormones all over the place

24 months plus - Adult :
Calmer dog dog
Remembers all training
Can suddenly walk on a lead again
You don't flinch when you bith see a dog anymore.
Actually know when they are tired
Some level of self preservation.
Best dog ever and you forget all the crazy (I might rehome them) thoughts you had.

Training can start from the day they come home!

09/12/2024

Guiding Toryn when she finds something a bit scary. How to spot stress signals with your dog so you know how much they can manage at different points.

09/12/2024

One of my favourite videos of M***a as a pup in the park. She is about 5 months old here.
This is how hard i work to try and stop her running after the little Jack Russell's and scaring them.
I make sure i made fun for her.
This is one of over 180 videos i have on you tube. Loads of content to help my clients but some are open to the public

5 month old M***a trying to run after others dogs and just about keeping it together.

04/12/2024

I have been rubbish at taking photos recently, but is doesn't mean I haven't been seeing dogs.

Training walks have been popular recently eith
Ciara the lab
Bobby the border terrier
Barney, the labradoodle.
Then Nala and Laurie on their mini group walk.
M***a has helped lots of dogs, and their owners have the ck fidence to come off lead. She did that with Nelly, the labradoodle, Loki, and Odin the Labradors. She helped Orla, the spaniel, create a good off lead relationship with her owner.
Freddie, the spaniel, started his journey with us, starting with engagement training.
Paddington, the bernidoodle, is starting his Dog AID assistance training.
Bowie the the incredible sized Spinone, has a great start to his training, catching on fast.
Barney labradoodle has been learning how to listen to a machine while training.
Bagel the Cobber dog learning lots of different tasks but after a tricky part of his teenagehood, he seems to be on recovery.
Dudley had a training walk helping interest or walk around other dogs.
Jemima, the pointer, has, among other things, mastered her crate training and can now travel in style in the car. Which as previous rescue is a big deal.
We had a great social walk where 2 dogs in particular who were usually reactive took the hour to become mates and walk with each other.
There was the Labrador social walk, which went well too.

I'm sure there is more I've missed. Plus of course, lots of puppy training with the not so little Toryn who is now 14 weeks old.

Next year, I'm looking to change my packages a little to help bring more consistency to clients' training and give even more support.
New calender and website is underway when I have some time!

28/11/2024

24/11/2024

Never thought we would end up like this.
This is my husbands doing!!

Toryn is now 13 weeks old!
M***a will be 5 in just under a month!

How's it going? Well a sharp reminder of the intensity of puppies but she is a very socialable and flexible pup.
Great with people and dogs. If a tad over friendly.
She sleeps through 10 til 7.20am on the dot weirdly.
Mostly asks to go out for toilets and goes out on her own.
Is off lead in the park, saying hello to dogs and coming when called.
Can sit in cafe.
Drops most of what's asked of her (mostly on recall)
Eats like a machine.
Play mate for M***a and they sleep together often.
She doesn't bite us or anyone and came out of the that stage quickly.
Travels well.
Can sit, down, settle, touch, fetch a ball.

What she can't do:
Be contained! She jumping baby gates already.
Hates a closed door.
If Toryn is "on one" she will charge around the house at full speed for over 10 minutes. Smashing into things (M***a wants away during these times).
Not great at being left.
Will stand in coffee table if unattended.
Is so cute it's hard to leave her.
Can pull on a lead, like a train
Hates her harness or jumpers she has had to wear for cold.
Tries to climb onto kitchen counter.
Gets easily frustrated and will bark!

All in all a cracking little pup and we are smitten. Work to do as always.

18/11/2024

No live tonight as I've got a cracking headache.
But will need to train crazy Toryn anyway.

But leave any questions below to future themes for lives below⬇️

What is that thing you like to crack in dog training?
What do wish your dog didn't do?

Pups on the beach this weekend.
M***a is hard to photograph compared to a blond dog.

14/11/2024

This Saturday!
Join us at Social Training Walk 16th November https://wix.to/EvtHKBR

14/11/2024

I'm that mad lady with dogs and crows following her...
I just feed him every time I see him (Velcrow), and now he's hangs out a lot. Maybe a bit too much