Auntie Daxies Pawsome Adventures

21/11/2023

Happy 1st birthday Monty Moo, I love you more than you will ever know❤️ Forever thankful you came into our lives and became our big baby and Dobbys best friend 🥰❤️ Today we celebrate not only your 1st ever birthday but your 1st birthday of many with us full of love, cuddles, kisses, treats and presents and the 1st family birthday in our new home!!🏡😍❤️

05/11/2023

Sausage sitting Sundays 🐾🥰

I’ve been super quiet the last couple of weeks as life has been so crazy!! We are in the process of moving house, along with studying and working, so unfortunately the social media drew the short straw when it came to time!

Whilst it is important for me to be able to show you what I do here at Auntie Daxies, the actual job itself is more important than posting on social media, therefore sometimes you’ll get daily posts and other times there won’t be many!

My posts are more to give you tips and advice, to show my clients photos of their doggies, and of course the platform is used to promote my business. I will be writing more blog posts on my website soon as well!

This week I have the delight of looking after Phoebe and Theo. Theo has grade 1/2 IVDD so I feel very honoured to be trusted to care for him. He is doing amazing and on week 4 of crate rest, we have been going for 5 minute wees and he isn’t very wobbly which is great, it just goes to show how much crate resting your dog can help massively with their recovery!!

Fingers crossed for Theo that all gets better from here! Pheobe is just such a flirt, full of kisses, cuddles and tummy tickles! We have had lots of fun playing with our snuffle mats, other games and Phoebe had a run around the field this morning!🐾💜

26/10/2023

Zoomie mode: Activated🚀🦹🏻‍♂️

Always time for zoomies on our walks so the doggies have lots of fun getting all that extra energy out. My walks are more than just a walk they are interactive and fun! We sniff lots, practice training, play games and I take toys and treats too. If you ever see me out and about you’ll often see me having a chat with a dog!

As the colder and darker days are approaching, visit my website for details about walks, pop ins and pet sitting!!🥰🐾💜

26/10/2023

Everyone has good and bad days and sometimes our animals are a great help, other times they are not!

Auntie daxie is here to help support you on the good and the bad days, please feel free to reach out for support whether it's mental health related, childcare related (I have a degree in Early Years) or doggie related. I'm more than just a service but a friend, someone to talk to and support you through whatever it is you're going though. Together we have got this, noone is ever alone💪🏼❤️

The world is a little chaotic and heavy at the moment 💙
I hope you are doing ok.
We all feel it.
You are not alone.
Keep it simple.
Switch off the news.
Grab a book.
Ground yourself in nature.
Breathe.
It's ok to slow down and "just be".
Lay quietly with your pet.
Breathe again.

Loves and hugs,
Chrissy x🩷x

25/10/2023

24/10/2023

Landry the distinguished gentleman🎩😌

Always lots of fun having walkies with the big saus! He is such a poser😂 I promise most of the photos I get of him, he stands there looking at me like “take my photo then?!” 🤣

Also with fireworks night fast approaching I wanted to give some of you a tip if you’re worried about how your dogs will be on bonfire night (and the surrounding weeks).

✨ Desensitising to firework sounds can be done gradually, it would be a good idea to start now if you haven’t already. Play fireworks on a continuous YouTube video at a very low volume so that your dog doesn’t react and gradually increase the sound, you can give them treats for listening! Notice what they are doing, most of us know when our dog is about to bark, instead of waiting for the bark and telling them quiet, quickly throw a treat during the build up and the bark won’t happen. Why? Because you’ve given them food. Keep this up and they will learn, “oh ok so when I hear these sounds it means good things, I may get food? But it’s nothing to be scared of because I remember something good happens when I hear this sound, so I know I don’t need to bark.”

Eventually your dog will become more used to the sound. This does not mean your dog won’t react to the real thing, some may not, and some will. It may help to play the sounds of fireworks during the night so your dog may think it’s just the continuous noise from your phone and a load of low calorie treats, this is great if your dog is a veggie!!🥕

The colder, winter weather is definitely making its appearance now and I’m so excited for frosty mornings ❄️

23/10/2023

Weekend woodland walkies 🐾🥰💜

So sorry for how quiet I’ve been the last few days. I have been working a lot on my canine anxiety course, completed 4 out of 12 modules now with a 90+% grade in each module, exciting stuff and super interesting!!🤩

I love learning, that may seem weird, but I love learning more about things that interest me, I’ll read and research and seek advice from professionals and put things into practice and write about things because it’s not that I want, but I NEED to know more😂

I’m hoping to start my own research study (soon) regarding Dachshunds, asking some questions and using the answers I get to correlate with my studies and my own practice, stay tuned for this as I’ll be calling all daxie owners for their help!!😆

In life you don’t get anywhere unless you do it yourself and the reality is that you can do anything you want to in life, so what’s stopping you?🤔

Horses and dogs (especially daxies) are my passion in life, the thing that makes me happiest and putting all my time and effort into volunteer work, studying and working is tough! But it’s definitely possible if it’s something you’re passionate about!🥰

Sunday (yesterday) is my hydrotherapy day where I get to go and shadow at the Animal Rehab Centre. I am learning so much here and it’s giving me lots of ideas about facilities I can provide for you and your daxies in the future🤩💜

I can’t thank the people supporting me enough, and also the ones that don’t! It just pushes me to do better! Take the negatives and make them positive for you💪🏼

This weekend we enjoyed a walk in the woods on Saturday and yesterday we had a chill day!🍂

It doesn’t hurt now and then to give your dogs a day off from walkies! Sometimes it may be just what they need. Humans need a break now and then right? So do our doggies!☺️

Hope you all had a lovely weekend, we are ready for the new week🤩

20/10/2023

Rescues need our help more than ever! Every little helps 🥰💜

Dachshund Rescue UK - Emergency Fostering Rehoming Adoption, Permanent homes for Dachshunds whose owners can no longer keep them.

18/10/2023

The sausage that taught me the most 🥰💜

Landry for me was like my “dummy” when it came to learning more about canine behaviour and training! A task that I found extremely difficult but I dread to think what Landry thought. Some things I trialed really didn’t work, he probably thought “wtf is she trying to do? I have no idea goodbye!” And he was right to think that!

Not listening to me was also frustrating! But then it clicked, why on earth would he want to come back to me anyways when I’m virtually screaming at him now red in the face? The key is to remain calm and confident, walks should still be fun for you both otherwise they won’t listen and will run the opposite way where fun probably is, or isn’t, but who knows? Where they are right now isn’t fun, the person they are with is screaming their name and not looking very happy at all, your dog thinks “I don’t like it so I’m gonna keep going.”

This is essentially you trying to be the ‘alpha’ - an outdated theory. I will keep saying working with your dog as a team reaps much better rewards than trying to control them through their fear.

Landry is probably the only daxie in the world I completely trust. I have worked extremely hard with him, his recall and behaviour on walks. Now I never have him on a lead, he comes back to “here, Landry, come on then, this way” and sometimes all I have to do is whistle and he comes running straight back. If we see other dogs on their leads he goes back on his, if he is off lead and other dogs are off lead, then this is a scenario when I don’t put him back on a lead as I know he feel much safer when he’s able to go around them. He feels much more uncomfortable in this situation if he is on a lead and he can’t get away. He is always watching me and listening to me so I know he won’t run away from me, but he may keep a distance or play with the other dogs - it just depends how he & they feel!

I’ll upload a video of my superstar Landry and his excellent recall just to show you all it is most definitely possible to train your dog and it can be so easy!

Now I can enjoy listening to podcasts without the stress of worrying where Landry is and when/if he will come back!🐾🥰💜

17/10/2023

🥰🐾💜

16/10/2023

Too many times we have had off lead dogs coming over to us, especially recently! They may be super friendly but we use yellow leads with nervous written on them for a reason!! We are in training and take super quiet routes so when we do come across other dogs we always try our best to move out of the way so my little ones don’t become flooded.

Your dog may be super friendly and 9x out of 10 they are I can see it in their faces and their body language! But mine however are terrified and it’s not fair for them to become more scared due to being put in a situation they can’t escape from. Imagine you’re sat on the floor minding your own business and some huge person comes running over directly to the spot your sat in, would that make you comfortable? Then to have said person towering over you whilst your sat helplessly on the floor not knowing what’s coming next?

It’s the same for our dogs!

✨ A YELLOW lead is used commonly for nervous dogs. If you see someone else walking their dog with a yellow lead and yours is off of theirs and may be so friendly it wants to go say hi to that dog, then please pop it back on the lead just until you’ve gone past, I promise you the other owner is extremely grateful even if they don’t say so.

When I am training my dogs, I will shout at you what I want you to do with your dog if I feel you’re not in control or paying attention, this is not because I am trying to be an annoying or argumentative person, this is to protect my dogs ONLY so please please listen!

✨ Flooding your dog is forcing them to do something they are not comfortable with that triggers fear and anxiety, my dogs are not comfortable enough yet to have other dogs bounding over to them, they find it much less worrying when they see the other dog is on a lead. This then enables us to move our dogs safely out of the way, both puppies I currently have are rescues one of which I am fostering (failing) they are both reactive, it is a breed trait the barking anyways but they never had a chance to have positive interactions in their young lives.

Please to all those friendly off lead dog owners, would you allow us to help our dogs to build the trust and confidence in other people and other dogs by just putting your dog on its lead.

You may never know which dog your going past, how it feels, what it’s been through etc, it’s just the same in people. Humans wouldn’t like other people running up to their faces to say hi really excitedly so why is it okay for dogs?

Also if your dog is still bounding over to mine when they are very clearly warning them not too, it clearly isn’t picking up the “leave me alone” behaviour and it just takes them to run over to one dog that has a tendency to actually bite and then your dog could be in trouble, this could also then cause your dog to become frightened and reactive on walks so please be careful!!

Putting your dog on a lead to go past others is just common courtesy and this should definitely be information wider known.

16/10/2023

Autumn vibes 🍂🧡

Autumn and winter are my favourite seasons, I love wrapping up warm and being in my fluffies!🥰🧣

The woods are feeling much more autumnal now becoming more orange, red, yellow and brown I always love the contrast in colour at this time of year 😍

Today was great fun taking my babies out and Landry for a walk this afternoon! I can’t believe how cold it’s been too!! We always go for walks with Dobby and my foster early in the morning because my darling sausages always wake me up at 6.30/7am, but we are also training ours so the earlier the better! I was literally frozen this morning and so were the woods! Crazy to think how different the weather is now❄️🍂

I am looking forward to colder days and warmer clothes for sure! I am also looking forward to taking your pooches out for their Pawsome Adventures no matter the weather ❄️💜

16/10/2023

Seen LOTS of mushrooms in the woods this year and lots of different types, they've even been popping up in my garden and all around my horses field! Never seen so many before😳

I'm a big fan of fungi and love finding mushrooms, taking photos and reading about them, fungi is something I find fascinating! If your not familiar with toxic fungi you can find out more on the link on this post 🍄🐾

‼️Some poisonous fungi include: fools funnel, death cap (the deadliest), funeral bell, angels wings and fly agaric.

If you're not sure google them, our phones have amazing features now to allow you to search for things online using your photos! This is how I find out more about plants, fungi etc that could be toxic to dogs.

‼️Some symptoms of fungi toxicity could imclude: sickness, diarrhoea, loss of balance, lethargy, excessive salivation, seizures, loss of motor control and collapsing. In worse cases these can cause death.

If you suspect your dog has just eaten a mushroom, take a sample of the mushroom with you or a photo and get to the vet ASAP, especially if they start showing toxicity symptoms quickly!!🍄🐾

Dog owners - watch out for toxic toadstools!

It’s that time of year when different fungi pop up. Some are edible, some are mildly toxic and others are deadly. Talk to your vet immediately if your dog eats wild mushrooms or toadstools. Find out more at thekennelclub.org.uk/toadstools.

15/10/2023

Worth a read if you’re looking to adopt 🐾💜

*** THINKING OF APPLYING? PLEASE READ THIS FIRST!***

We know it's really easy to see and fall in love with a dog you see pictured on our site but please take time to read the post in full AND think about whether he or she really will fit in with your lifestyle BEFORE you apply. All too often, those chosen to adopt leave it until the last possible moment before saying things like "now we've had a chance to think about it..." followed by all sorts of reasons for why they no longer want to adopt the dog - and whilst the reasons may be legitimate, it would be so much better if the thinking had been done before rather than after applying.

For our volunteers that spend every day trying to do their best for every dog we can, it is soul destroying to spend hours reading through what can often be hundreds of forms to create a shortlist, then spend hours making follow up calls to those on the shortlist in order to choose the successful applicant, invite that applicant to adopt, take the time to arrange and sometimes even complete a home check only to then have that applicant change their mind at the last minute - please understand that this isn't just a waste of our time it also means that a dog that could have been settled in its' forever home, now has to spend longer in foster than necessary.

The harsh reality is that whilst the dog remains in foster, another dog that is waiting for that space and that we could have saved may be put to sleep before we or another rescue can offer it a place.

So please understand that whilst we love that so many of you want to adopt, we really need you to think carefully before you apply. We deliberately leave applications open for a good while so you have time to think, do your research and consider the implications of taking the dog on before applying. Please, for the sake of the dogs we already have and the many that still need our help, only apply if you are genuinely 100% ready to take them into your hearts and home.

15/10/2023

Princess Dinkle Winkle (Dinky) appreciation post👸🏽💜

Little Dinky was my second daxie, a rescue from Pro Dogs Direct that my mum fell in love with and didn’t inform my dad before the journey to collect her 🫣

Dinky is the most beautiful tiny daxie I have ever seen. In the short 2 years of her life she had been abused and bred from in a puppy farm. She was taken to the vet with a broken leg to be pts.

Out of all my rescues Dinky was probably in the worst state. Kept locked away, abused by people and her puppies taken from her, no doubt she was a puppy taken from her mother to young as well. The first few weeks and months of their lives are the most vital for forming the brain connections of how to behave. Dinky had no positive canine or human interaction which is vital for this time in their lives.

What Dinky actually got during this time was fear and anxiety, when she came to us she was terrified of everything, especially men but she was so fearful she had completely shut down, never aggressive just always cowering to the floor and wetting herself😞. This poor tiny little soul desperately needed some love and good humans and canines in her life to slowly help her learn how to be a happy doggo.

It has taken years for Dinky to behave even remotely close to how a dog should behave but even still she doesn’t behave normally with everybody (except my mum). She still cowers with us now and then if we’re too quick but these behaviours are just ingrained in her now. Dinky is the most special little daxie I have ever come across and she has come such a long way in 5years. She still has triggers, she is still anxious sometimes and reactive on walks. Not always but it just goes to show some love, good training and positive reinforcement goes a long way, even for those who missed the vital socialisation stages in their early life with canines and humans. It takes so much time and nothing is ever an overnight fix. We know now that Dinky has her forever home and we are so grateful she came into our lives. I can’t imagine what she went through in life but it’s amazing to see what a sweet little angel she really is and how she always just needed some love🐾💜

14/10/2023

Am I too honest? Absolutely not! Your dogs best interest is at heart always 💜

I very often find that I ruffle some feathers in life because I can be so brutally honest about things that other people find offensive or are too afraid to say. My aim is never to offend, some of my posts may seem a bit of a reach or could feel like I'm saying owners are bad etc - this is never the intention.

I just believe that brutal honesty and clarification rather than beating around the bush is more effective in the long term. When it comes to your dog, the quicker we face up to problems and learn why some behaviours may be happening, for example digging the garden or carpet up, the better. You can make a plan and get going. I spent a lot of time in life procrastinating and hiding behind societies rules and being too lenient with others who tried to force their opinions on me. I have suffered anxiety, ocd and depression… and dogs aswell as horses are my absolute passion in life. I have studied the brain within humans and canines focusing on fear and anxiety and continue to learn more and more everyday but studying these things unlocked a way for me to be able to speak up for myself and understand how to communicate and control my emotions better, not letting others influence my brain in a negative way anymore!

I had a variety of reactions to my Dog Walker post - if you're not familiar check my page. Mostly positive but also shockingly other dog walkers that accused me of bringing other businesses down etc. Whether I get good or bad opinions then I'm glad, because it's being noticed and bringing more awareness to how unregulated the dog walking business is.

I've spent lots of time studying childcare, canine behaviour, combining these together and creating my own theories and research. I specialise in those dogs that are a little more fearful/ anxious, have had injuries or health conditions, are rescues and putting all this together in practice with the breed dachshunds really highlights for me that not all dogs are the same, they are each individuals and this needs to be recognised more widely. Your dog going out with many other dogs every day may not actually be having the best time and it could be the cause of some unwanted behaviours, for some it's fantastic but for others it's a nightmare, not to mention for other dog owners and people out on bikes/ horses/with children, it causes an anxiety in humans, it does in dogs and horses too! Learning about canine behaviour and studying intently on body language can help with this. If you're looking for brutal honesty, advice and clear communication with the care of your dog as an individual and being my main priority then you've come to the right place!

‼️Auntie Daxie is here to help fix your problem not just manage it‼️

I will apply your training methods that are already in place and offer suggestions to help and keep your dog safe by limiting myself to 2 dogs per walk MAXIMUM. I can also offer advice on which behaviourists and trainers to look for advice from amongst a variety of other things like catering a rehabilitation plan with you after IVDD surgery or crate rest, enabling you to feel less stressed by doing daily pop-ins with your dogs massage routine/toileting routine, walks and exercises based on their level of recovery and help finding hydrotherapy facilities and even taking them to these facilities for you, which is something I am also studying/ volunteering for and is a great aid for rehabilitation after IVDD. I also just offer advice and a helping hand to those going through the IVDD journey so feel free to pop me a message 🐾💜

So in advance I am sorry if I offend you but I am not intending this. I am thinking of your dog and your dogs feelings primarily, not yours, this is what my service is for at the end of the day - your dogs wellbeing and happiness and if I can offer you better advice for behaviour management, especially if I am walking them then I will. I want to help in the most efficient way I can and passing on my knowledge to other dog owners is important so that we can all learn more about our fur babies and make communication better between the two species 🥰

Now please enjoy a photo of Dobby and mummy cuddles to lighten the mood 🤗💜

14/10/2023

‼️ Pet Poisons‼️

Its super important to know what you have laying around your house, mainly your kitchen and garden that may be toxic to your dog, even diffusers can be toxic and cause health issues and behavioural issues can be linked to the inducement of toxic plants, fruits, veg, fragrances amongst a whole host of other things.

I think this is a very useful page for outlining poisonous things to our animals! Give them a follow to learn more!🧅😊

⭐A-Z of pet poisoning - O⭐

Onions, garlic, leeks, shallots and chives all belong to the same group, known as Allium species. They can cause toxicity in animals even when cooked.

The onset of signs of Allium toxicity is variable and can take days. Initial signs include inappetence, vomiting and diarrhoea but can progress to signs associated with anaemia as the red blood cells become damaged. These signs may include lethargy, weakness, pale mucous membranes, bruising and an increased heart rate.

☎️ Pet owners can call Animal PoisonLine on 01202 509 000
🤳 Veterinary professionals can call VPIS on 0207 305 5055

14/10/2023

Winter is coming ❄️🥶

I think most people would prefer to miss a day out walking their dog in the rain, cold wind or bitter breezes, snow, mud, especially wet and muddy doggies getting in your car or ruining your carpet with their paw art🐾 and the darker mornings and evenings. It’s a wonder where we get the time and energy when winter comes as all we want to do is get in bed all warm and cosy with our sausages and a nice cup of tea!

Well my service actually can cater this for you!! You get your nice, warm cuddles in bed with your pooch at the beginning and end of everyday, whilst Auntie Daxie takes them for a lovely walk or comes round for some mind games so that you haven’t always got a pooch with too much energy!! Perfect for winter months!

Not every dog owner likes to go out in all weathers and that okay! But your pooch may not agree and you may be pulling your hair out with an under stimulated dog during the winter period! If so look not further! I am here to solve your problems and help make your life easier for you and your doggies!!🐾💜

The clocks are due to go back soon meaning we lose even more light and walks with our pooch may seem like more of a chore than a fun, relaxing plod around the park, it could become more of a rush to beat the darkness full of less enjoyment for not just you but your fur baby too!

The weather conditions I mentioned above are my favourite weather conditions to walk in, my sausages definitely didn’t agree with this (as you can imagine🤣) at first but with lots of encouragement, fleeces and treats they now love their winter walks 🐾❄️

✨ I highly recommend for rain and mud proof fleeces, they lock in heat and my sausages wear them always on their winter walks!!

If your sausage isn’t a fan of the cold winter weather, I can help build up their confidence for you to take that stress off those who may already be rushing to walk their dog in daylight and don’t enjoy the cold weather themselves, super helpful for those working full time and will also make home life easier for you as they are having a nice slow, calm and fun walk during the day to activate those happy hormones and release any extra energy!!🥰💜

13/10/2023

🎄🎅🏼 XMAS POST 🎅🏼🎄

I know it’s super early to be thinking about Xmas but I know some of us already are 😉😉 (especially my mother) and we may be thinking about what to get for our dogs! Well if you check out my last post my daxies dressed up in Santa hats to show your their new yummy advent calendars from Pooch & Mutt 🎅🏼🤤

You can get 30% off the site by using Landry, Dinky and Bellas code ⬇️

✨ POOCHPACK-GNMA ✨

Merry early Xmas everybody, go get your doggies advent calendars asap! 🥰

12/10/2023

Thoughts as a dog owner within the dog walking industry 🙇🏽‍♀️💭

Today I had the opportunity to reflect, as I have many times before, on how I would expect my dog to be treated whilst out with their dog walker.

First and foremost I would like them to be having fun, but not overstimulating fun, and I would like them to be the priority of the dog walker and to have eyes and ears on them and their surroundings at all times.

There are many great dog walkers out there, but there are also sadly those that don’t have your dogs best interest at heart and sadly today I met one of those and it made me reflect on how I would expect my dog to be treated as a dog owner myself.

I am such an advocate for dogs well-being and believe they deserve as much love and attention as children do! I have worked and studied in the childcare industry and in comparison they are both very similar.

Today, I met a dog walker who had a variety of dogs all shapes and sizes, 8 of them in her car. It took her a long time to unload them and we had to wait a while before getting my dogs out (no way in hell was I going to put my puppies in training through that stress). Eventually she headed off, unable to control them all and leaving their faeces on the path as of course how is she able to pick up their 💩?

We took ours and walked through the woods and had a great time, we were out for around 45 minutes and when we came back she was in the car park with all the dogs in the car, on her phone. It takes us a while to clean the dogs, undress them, give them water/treats etc and when we left she was still there.

I want to highlight the fact my service does not run like this at all. Your dogs will be treated like my babies! I limit myself to 2 dogs per walk maximum as I want to provide the best care, safety, attention and love to your dogs. My routes are calculated to certain amounts of time- 1hr, 45mins etc and however long your walk is booked for does not begin until we arrive at the woods and get back to the car!! I am not in a rush, my service aims to help you. I am studying and this business just allows me to learn more and earn a bit too, please check out my website for more info 🐾💜

11/10/2023

Couldn't have said it better myself 🥰

11/10/2023

My dog walking service!! PRICE LIST💜

I offer walks for Dachshunds and small breed dogs. If you have a larger breed with your Dachshund at home I’m happy to help you out with this too😊

📍I am a small business based in Hertfordshire/ Essex and have such a passion regarding dogs. I love learning about them and reading, I volunteer at rescues and rehab centres to find out all I really can about dogs!

I am more than competent with all shapes and sizes of dogs but as I am studying canine behaviour with a focus on daxies, amongst a range of other things I would love the chance to learn more whilst helping you guys out with your pooches too!🐾

Everyday is a learning day for me and the aim of my business it to be different, to cater to everyone’s individual needs, to be a support system, educator and to learn more about dogs myself, also to start putting things I have learnt into practice more! I can support with anxious dogs, dogs with injuries, dogs with IVDD or in recovery that need 1-1 attention that not all owners can give in their busy life schedules such as working themselves, help with puppies and any other type of daxies/ small breed dog! Especially as the evenings and mornings get darker now, get in touch asap to book your pooch in for their daily or weekly adventures 🥰

Please check out my website for more information or send me a message to find out more, to book in or to ask some advice☺️

My DM’s are always open 💌

💜 https://www.auntiedaxiespawsomeadventures.com/services1 💜

Pet sitting price list coming soon 👀 to get the jump on this, visit my website to check out my services!😝