Happy November everyone!
Three things to say about this month!
First, it’s Senior Dog Month, and everyone knows how much I love my senior dogs! For this month, any dog over the age of 8 is welcomed for two swims at the price of £20 per swim!
Swimming can be so good for our oldies, especially when the weather starts getting cold - a nice swim in a warm pool? Just what the doctor ordered to keep those muscles moving and the joints in check!
Next, having had the pleasure of meeting a whole army of sausage dogs last month, I’m super excited to launch “Sausage Sunday”! On the third Sunday of each month, I’m opening the door to dachshunds to come and have a quick dip in the pool! The swim is only 15 minutes long, and costs £5 per dog.
As always, only one dog at a time can be in the water, and these sessions are only for fun purposes! If your sausage needs fitness swims for weight loss, or hydrotherapy for anything mobility related, please get in touch and we can arrange a longer session!
Finally, keep an eye out for information relating to Christmas!
Have a great month everyone! See you all soon!
Gorgeous Goose began his swimming journey with me three weeks ago!
We fitted him with a life jacket for the initial part of the session, and even then, Goose was not a happy boy!
The first 15 minutes or so, Goose panicked, and thrashed around, soaking everything he could reach!
We worked with him, using our signature patient and gentle methods, and towards the end, Goose found his confidence, calmed down, and took off - like a Goose on the pond!!! (😬😬😬)
He’s been back since, and is swimming more than one length at a time - calmly and with minimal splashing! (CHEESE IS LIFE!!)
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Some people might remember the gorgeous Nova, one of my gorgeous XL friends.
Nova began coming to Puddleducks after the ban kicked in, and after a few not so successful attempts to swim in other places!
Within her first session, we had her in the water and swimming - not very delicately, but swimming nonetheless! Her owner was delighted with that, and decided to keep visiting to build her confidence up!
After a few months of not coming (Nova and her mum live quite a distance away, so have to travel by train to reach me), here is Nova’s latest session - out of her life jacket, and chasing her ball as though she’s been doing this all her life!
I’m so proud of this gorgeous girl - she uses public transport to get to and from the pool, and overcomes a different fear each time!
I love seeing my XL friends, and this girl is no exception!
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I’m going to start a sausage dog club I think!!
The latest member of the Puddleducks family, Wilfy, started with me last week for swimming lessons!
Wilfy’s mum decided to see how he got on with swimming, to help him with anxiety both around water, and in general.
Being a nervous boy, both mum and grandma came along to cheer him on, however, chose to leave and get a coffee while enjoyed a nice swim in our warm pool!
Within 20 minutes, we’d calmed down, and Wilfy swam along like a duck from Stanley Park! He was even giving kisses during our rest breaks!
Since we now know that he doesn’t panic in water, or when he’s left with me, is going to come back fairly regularly, to fit in with his mum’s shift pattern - and they enjoy our NHS discount to make things even better!!
I’m sure he’ll be out of his life jacket and swimming in a harness in no time!!
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If ever I needed concrete proof that our swimming lessons can help even the most frightened dogs - this is it!!
Gorgeous Dorrie is a rescue girl, who came to me completely terrified of even getting her toes wet! Dorrie had been working with my friends at KRRs Training - part of KRRs Canines to overcome other fears and traumas, but it was over to me for the wet stuff!
We worked incredibly hard with Dorrie, letting her take her own time to get used to things, and gradually, she became comfortable swimming in her harness instead of a life jacket.
On Sunday, her amazing owner sent me this video! From severe hydrophobia, to this!! I’m so proud of this little girl!!
I have to say thank you to her owner for trusting me, the process and not giving up on her! I think this might just be our biggest ever swimming lesson success story!!
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Everyone meet Finn!
Finn and his brother, Lionel, enjoy racing in their spare time, so are already very active boys in their day to day lives.
Since earlier this year, however, the boys had a few months off, and their owners decided that they might benefit from some fitness swimming to help them get back into peek racing condition before the season started!
Both boys have been regular visitors to Puddleducks, and m, I think I’m safe to say, the swimming has definitely helped with their other activities - as the season has been starting, they have been getting better and better during their races, and I hope I hear of them both winning within the next few weeks!
Another beautiful spaniel girlie today (I think I should start a spaniels club!!)
Gorgeous Poppy came to Puddleducks initially for a hydrotherapy swim to see if we could help with a slight limp on one of her front legs - it’s not a regular thing, but every so often, poor Poppy gets a bit stiff when she’s been sleeping after a good old run!
As there is nothing diagnosed as being joint related, and its not a constant issue for her, we decided that Poppy would benefit from fitness swims - all the perks of being in the water and swimming, but no need for someone to be encouraging her legs to move normally, or helping to stretch out her leg to full capacity!
Poppy came for her first fitness session last week - and I THINK she even enjoyed it towards the end! We’re currently working on a monthly swim, just to keep her in check, but we evaluate this all the time, and she can always increase her visits if needs be!
This is the most beautiful Sprollie I have ever met - Suki!!
Suki is a gorgeous older lady (from Canada no less!!) who has started to struggle with arthritis in her twilight years! Her owners noticed her stiffening up, and decided that hydrotherapy would be worth a try!
Suki’s condition affects one of her front legs, and the opposite hind leg - which is quite common to see!
Since her treatment started, Suki has also started to have Librela injections; which are also helping her to feel more comfortable - her owners have noticed a big improvement in her overall mobility, and she’s also losing some weight!
Happy Days all round!!!
A beautiful little Bear has been seen learning to swim in the Puddleducks pool!
Bear and his owners are frequent visitors to the Lake District, enjoying kayaking on the various lakes through the summer months!
His mum thought it was a good idea to have him confident in deeper water, just in case he ever needed to be able to swim properly while they were away!
To say Bear likes outdoor activities, he’s not a fan of being in water - preferring to stand and look at water instead of play in it!
After our initial panicking when we first got in, he quickly got the hang of proceedings, and started to swim like a little fish!
I’m sure that we’ll soon have him out of his life jacket and swimming like a little dolphin!
It’s time to meet Strudel 💖💖
Strudel is a gorgeous little dachshund boy who was enjoying his Christmas last year when he was suddenly unable to walk, and had to visit the emergency vets!
On examination, Strudy’s vet suspected IVDD, or degenerative disc disease, which can cause dogs to become immobile if left untreated - some cases can be much much worse than others, and, as with Strudel, surgery is the best option to help!
Just after Christmas, he underwent major surgery to help to fix the problem, and then needed a period of rest and relaxation to allow his body the time it needed to heal and recover from the trauma.
Following that - it was time to rehabilitate him, and build him back up to whatever level of strength we can get!
Strudel’s vets were happy to let him come swimming, and so, hydrotherapy began! I think I’m safe to say he HATED it when we first started - Strudel would only swim widths of the pool, towards his mum; and would give her the most devastated looks I’ve ever seen during his rest breaks.
Gradually, and with the assistance of occasional visits from nanny, Sturdel is now swimming lengths of the pool, and his strength is coming on massively each session - both his mum and nanny have seen a benefit to him from starting his treatment - and I’m confident that he’ll continue to get stronger and stronger every week!
Another swimming lesson success!!
Beautiful Inka began her lessons only this week! Her mum had messaged to say she was very nervous around water, and had never been swimming before - could we help her?
In she came for her first ever lesson, and, yes, was very nervous at the start, splashing A LOT, but soon settled down, and away we went!
This video was taken at the very end of her first ever lesson!
Proud doggy, proud mum, proud teacher!!
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Please meet Bluebell 💙💙💙
Bluebell goes for agility sessions at KRRs Canines, and heard all about our swimming lessons from her friends there - and her mum decided that she should have some lessons to make sure she can swim, and keep her nice and fit for her jumping times!
Bluebell started coming to Puddleducks last week. At first, she was very scared, splashing A LOT, but she quickly settled down, and began to swim beautifully!
Yesterday, she was back for her second lesson, and again, she settled quickly into the routine of swimming calmly (ish!) a little later, and we were practicing getting into the water on her is ! As you can see, after only two sessions, she’s perfectly confident with this, and hopefully will be able to change from her life jacket into her harness soon!
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