Wiggle Wags

Wiggle Wags Dog walking and pet sitting in Northampton, UK Qualified and fully insured, DBS-checked. Experience with a wide range of animals.
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Some really helpful information here. Koko and I are having a chilled day. The last two days have been pretty exciting f...
26/12/2024

Some really helpful information here. Koko and I are having a chilled day. The last two days have been pretty exciting for him. Time to reset and recharge. Happy Boxing Day all ๐Ÿ˜Š

โš ๏ธ BOXING DAY : EXTRA CAUTION REQUIRED โš ๏ธ

Your dog or puppy may be over stimulated, tired, sore and irritable ๐Ÿ˜  ๐Ÿฅฑ ๐Ÿ˜ฉ ๐Ÿ˜ตโ€๐Ÿ’ซ

Take extra care today, please keep in mind that sometimes the first symptom of a dog or puppy being too tired, sore or over stimulated is behaviour change. Behaviour change which, in some instances, can appear to come from nowhere.

โ€ผ๏ธ A dogโ€™s usual levels of tolerance may be at risk of lowering.
โ€ผ๏ธ Their startle responses may increase.
โ€ผ๏ธ Their sensitivity to stimuli, including being touched, may heighten.
โ€ผ๏ธ Their ability to recollect prior learned information (their training) may decrease.
โ€ผ๏ธ Their social skills may become compromised, which may result in them failing to read the room or being more irritable.
โ€ผ๏ธ They may be quicker to fatigue on walks.

Nick and I travelled to see my step mum on Monday. Christmas Eve, we spent the first part of the day cleaning the house and Christmas Day we travelled to see Nickโ€™s parents.

My dogs donโ€™t sleep deeply in the car and despite taking their beds to both family homes, they didnโ€™t sleep for as long, nor as well as they would have at home. They were understandably easily disturbed by the activity and were even following me to the bathroom each time.
Our cleaning related hustle and bustle on 24th would have also interfered with their usual sleep quality.

Yesterday Amigo also dedicated a good hour of his day on his feet putting pressure on kitchen door activity - hoping for a management slip up that would get him access to the food being served and the plates being cleared away from the dining room. You can take the stray off the streetsโ€ฆโ€ฆ ๐Ÿ˜†

So all in all, across three days- I would guess that my dogs are about 15 hours in deficit (of sleep).

During sleep, stress hormone levels are lowered, the brainโ€™s toxins are removed, cellular repair across the body occurs, and the immune system gets a boost. The body is given an MOT that helps regulate its responses to stimuli the next day.

This includes regulating the perception of pain and of course, quality rest supports the reduction of any inflammation.

My dogs were on their feet - getting up and down more than normal - across the past three days. Any muscular or skeletal pain can become heightened- especially for my senior dog Kanita.

Additionally, during sleep information is processed and stored. Whilst relevant for all dogs, those with young puppies should be especially considerate to the fact that thereโ€™s only so much sensory stimuli the young brain can process. A high intensity of stimuli (noise, sights, scents, and touch!) parallel to compromised sleep can lead to an over stimulated puppy- this usually results in a puppy that jumps and mouths more!

Lastly, most of us humans get tired from all of the activity. The usual level of management and โ€˜toleranceโ€™ of our dogs and puppies may start to slip.

Contexts in which to be cautious:

โ˜‘๏ธ Visitors arriving to the home- caution letting dogs greet them at the door or in narrow hallways!

Also be cautious of your dog accidentally escaping out the door or gate left open. Stay vigilant and remind guests to keep the usual doors and gates closed.

โ˜‘๏ธ People touching your dog or puppy! Does the dog WANT to be touched? Have they asked to be touched? Is touching the puppy leading to them jumping and mouthing? Is the dog and puppy being touched and/or picked up too often?

Make sure everyone, especially children, leave a resting puppy or dog well alone and that there's understanding of what 'no thanks' looks like (they don't approach to interact when asked, or look away, move away or tense up when being interacted with).

โ˜‘๏ธ Monitor anyone playing with the dog/puppy very carefully. Normally, it's the humans that struggle to regulate their behaviour intensity or duration - and the dog/puppy simply responds to that.

โ˜‘๏ธ People (including children) behaving in an animated way (loud noises and sudden or unusual movement).

โ˜‘๏ธ How WE humans respond to undesired behaviour. Are we appearing confrontational? Are we intensifying the level of stimuli or calming things down?

โ˜‘๏ธ Leaving dangerous foods and items around. Keep things out of reach of your dog or shut them away from your dog.

If your puppy or dog 'steals' an item that they 'shouldn't have', trade it for treats. Don't rush to grab things off them and ensure everyone present knows to do the same (or better yet, alerts you to do it). You'd be suprised how many bite incidents happen towards people who aren't the dog's primary carer and who go to take things off the dog/puppy.

โ˜‘๏ธ Interacting with unfamiliar dogs on walks (or even their buddies!). Dogs who are tired or in pain may be more quick to be defensive, over stimulated dogs and puppies may be more likely to socialise inappropriately- which may result in them being the target of defensive behaviour.

โ˜‘๏ธ The walk itself! Pay attention to the environment, something thatโ€™s harder to do when walking in a group!
Be aware and considerate of others, but also towards livestock and wildlife if youโ€™re walking somewhere different to usual.

Keep your dog on lead if youโ€™re not sure their recall is up to the usual standard! Remember, memory recollection AND sensory processing is compromised when dogs are tired.

Lastly, if your dog doesnโ€™t normally go on epic, long hikes, then stick to a distance similar to their usual walk duration. Please donโ€™t exhaust your dog by taking them on an endurance hike theyโ€™ve not built the fitness up for, or that they may be too old or less physically able to enjoy.


Today we are meeting my brother, his wife and my two young nephews at the pub for lunch. Kanita doesnโ€™t like children too close and Mohawk gets a bit nervous of their excitement- so we have opted to meet away from the home so my dogs arenโ€™t put in a situation they may struggle with more than normal.

Itโ€™s just not worth the risk! Iโ€™d rather be labelled as too cautious than there be a concerning or serious incident. My dogs will be happier at home resting.

Be your dog's advocate โค๏ธ

Merry Christmas Milly ๐Ÿ˜ป
25/12/2024

Merry Christmas Milly ๐Ÿ˜ป

Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas with love from Koko, Frankie & Me. Koko is having the best time ever destroying t...
25/12/2024

Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas with love from Koko, Frankie & Me. Koko is having the best time ever destroying toys. Happy boy ๐Ÿคชthank you so very much for the wonderful gifts and cards and more importantly for trusting us to care for your little treasures throughout the year. We love them all. Merry Christmas!!! ๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ…๐Ÿป๐Ÿคถ๐Ÿป๐ŸŽ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ

Christmas Eve Eve walks. New introductions Merlin, Juno, Bertie & Koko. ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜„๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ
23/12/2024

Christmas Eve Eve walks. New introductions Merlin, Juno, Bertie & Koko. ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜„๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ

Weekend walks with Juno & Koko ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ
22/12/2024

Weekend walks with Juno & Koko ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ

Archer & Bertie had so much fun making new friends ๐Ÿฅฐ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ
20/12/2024

Archer & Bertie had so much fun making new friends ๐Ÿฅฐ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ

Just a few more pictures from Wednesday & Thursdayโ€™s walks. Fun fun fun!!! ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ
19/12/2024

Just a few more pictures from Wednesday & Thursdayโ€™s walks. Fun fun fun!!! ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ

Frankieโ€™s fun walks with Archer, Lenny, Teddy, George & Kaiser ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ
19/12/2024

Frankieโ€™s fun walks with Archer, Lenny, Teddy, George & Kaiser ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ

Lovely walk with the girls, Leia, Poppy & Juno. ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ
19/12/2024

Lovely walk with the girls, Leia, Poppy & Juno. ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ

This weeks group walks so far. Happy doggies ๐Ÿถ๐Ÿถ๐Ÿถ๐Ÿถ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ
17/12/2024

This weeks group walks so far. Happy doggies ๐Ÿถ๐Ÿถ๐Ÿถ๐Ÿถ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ

Maddie, Kaiser, George, Lenny & Teddy have had wonderful walks with Frankie ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ
17/12/2024

Maddie, Kaiser, George, Lenny & Teddy have had wonderful walks with Frankie ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ

Koko supervising the wrapping of all the dog toys. Heโ€™s never seen so many. Heโ€™s sniffed them all and gives his approval...
15/12/2024

Koko supervising the wrapping of all the dog toys. Heโ€™s never seen so many. Heโ€™s sniffed them all and gives his approval. Donโ€™t worry have saved one for him ๐Ÿ˜‚๐ŸŽ๐ŸŽ…๐Ÿป๐ŸŽ„

Fridayโ€™s fun with Archer & Koko ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ
15/12/2024

Fridayโ€™s fun with Archer & Koko ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ

13/12/2024

Hereโ€™s a little training exercise you might like to try. A great trainer to follow or even buy one of his books.

Thursdays fabulous dogs ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿฅฐ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ
12/12/2024

Thursdays fabulous dogs ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿฅฐ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ

Double trouble!! ๐Ÿคช๐ŸคชTwo walks today for Clyde & Eddie. ๐Ÿ•โ€๐Ÿฆบ๐Ÿ•โ€๐Ÿฆบ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพmore pics to follow ๐Ÿ˜
12/12/2024

Double trouble!! ๐Ÿคช๐ŸคชTwo walks today for Clyde & Eddie. ๐Ÿ•โ€๐Ÿฆบ๐Ÿ•โ€๐Ÿฆบ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพmore pics to follow ๐Ÿ˜

Address

Fairfield Road
Northampton
NN27ED

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 7pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 7pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 7pm
Thursday 8:30am - 7pm
Friday 8:30am - 7pm
Saturday 9am - 2pm
Sunday 9am - 2pm

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