ABC for PETS

04/02/2022

31/01/2022

We are devastated to have to let you know that Melissa lost her battle with cancer yesterday afternoon, the 30th January.

We can’t thank you all enough for the support you have given her since her diagnosis. It has meant such a lot to her and spurred her on in her determination to beat this.

Determined and positive to the very end as she was her body decided no more.

Val, Brian and Suzanne

If you need to contact a member of Melissa’s family you can reach Suzanne (sister) on 07791894066

24/01/2022

OFF LEAD CONNECTION AND RECALL HELP

When you let your dog off lead do they race off with hardly a glance over their shoulder to thank you for the taxi ride to the beach?
Is it hard to call your dog back when you come across a dog on lead so they don’t cause a nuisance?
Is your dog easily distracted by wildlife?
Do you find yourself reluctant to let your dog off lead in some environments?
Do you find yourself having to nag at your dog a lot on an off lead walk to keep them from ranging too far from you?

If you can answer ‘Yes’ to any of the above and would like to improve you and your dogs connection and recall when on an off lead walk then help is at hand from the Gundog Trainers Academy with their free, yes free, e-book. Follow the link below. Those of you that have done my puppy classes will find lots very familiar but having it explained by someone else with links to video tutorials is never going to be a bad thing.

https://www.gundogtrainersacademy.co.uk/f/recall-the-missing-link

Helen Phillips and Jules Morgan reveal the ultimate steps to help you teach your gundog a lasting, reliable recall, starting with the ability to focus on you in distracting environments.

23/01/2022

Anyone looking for beginners agility classes locally?

Beginners Agility sessions starting 4th and 6th February
Dogs must be 12 months of age
Message me to register your interest and for more info 🐾
6 week starter course max 4 in a group - £72
Friday afternoons 4.30-5.30pm (FULL)
Sunday mornings 10-11am (FULL)
Sunday mornings 11.30-12.30am (FULL)
(weather dependant)

Limited spaces left

Hewas Water area

20/01/2022

Wonderful advice here from Helen at Social Paws for anyone looking to help their anxious dog build confidence.

/// Your anxious dog is NOT naughty or bad ///

"How can I train my dog to STOP being naughty"

First of all let's try rephrasing the question:

"How can I help my dog to be more confident"

I personally don't consider anxious dogs behaviour as naughty or bad.

For many, this may seem an unpopular opinion...

You dream of a walk where Fido doesn't bark or lunge. A walk where you don't have to feel like you are dragging him/her out of the house.

🐶 It's embarrassing and frustrating

It's embarrassing, it's frustrating, it puts pressure on your relationship.

You just want him/her to be a good dog.

But he is a good dog, just trying his/her best to cope despite being scared, worried, frustrated or fearful.

🐶 Confidence building?

You can't 'train' him/her to be a good dog, but you can build his confidence.

Doesn't that sound better "confidence-building"?

Doesn't it feel good to know your dog is not purposely trying to make your life hard?

So today I just want you to think about times you consider your anxious dog is being naughty on his/her walk.

Was he/she really being naughty or perhaps trying to tell us something?

Was he/she really trying to ruin yet another walk?

Perhaps you asked him/her to walk by your side, look you in the eyes, but he/she couldn't.

I mean is it really that hard to ask Fido to simply look at you instead of going crazy at that other dog?

🐶 Your dog needs to feel safe first

But your dog doesn't need to be trained to walk nicely on the lead or gaze lovingly in your eyes.

He/she needs to feel safe first.

He/she needs to cope.

Safety first - training later.

By understanding how our dogs think or feel, we begin to unravel the picture.

We begin to see things clearly, we begin to get results.

🐶 A happier, more confident dog

Not just temporary solutions, a quick distraction.

A happier, more confident dog, who now walks by your side as he/she doesn't feel so anxious anymore.

Before he/she needed one eye on the dog one eye on you. He/she needed to pull as a quick exit strategy.

He/she couldn't relax. He/she needed to be alert and ready.

So how can you build your dog's confidence?

🐶 Relieving the pressure

Confidence building is about first relieving the pressure.

You wouldn't feel safe having a picnic with a herd of cattle running towards you. But imagine if you sat at a distance from a cow, maybe you're on the other side of a fence. Now you start tucking into your sandwich, making light conversation.

So, how can we first make your dog feel safer?

Maybe we find areas that there are fewer dogs, we do some scent work before leaving the house (sniffing out a few sausages, placing them in the outside bushes).

You could even do some simple focus exercises in a nice quiet area first.

Then we help create some positive associations, at a distance. Again give them time and space. Some nice outlets so he/she doesn't feel pressurised to focus on the dog. Find an area with lots of bushes, trees, lots of sniffing. Let him have a good old sniff when he/she sees a dog at a distance paired with a nice treat.

🐶 Outlets and positive associations!

We aren't asking him/her for a behaviour, we are allowing him to do simple dog things to take the edge away, we are given him/her an outlet. But we are also creating positive associations, when you see Fido good stuff happens.

As his/her confidence grows, you can get closer to the other dog, there's less tension on the lead. You both feel more relaxed.

🐶 Something VERY special happens!

Then something very special happens, he/she starts walking to heel or looking at you by default. We've not asked him/her, they've chosen to do so.

You don't have to keep asking him/her to look at you or heel. They are now doing this naturally, by default.

So I feel we move into dangerous territory when we talk of simply training a dog, this isn't training a dog, it's confidence building.

Thanks for reading,
Helen Motteram

16/01/2022

100% this ⬇️

Too many people have been taught that the goal of Dog training is to achieve obedience, here’s some truth: The goal of Dog training is to learn how to be a better learners, better teammates, better at communicating together and to enjoy being a Dog, and sharing our lives with Dogs.
Guide, nurture, and shape, problem-solving flexible thinking Dogs.

15/01/2022

Sadly, effective immediately, I am having to take some time off for medical reasons. It is unlikely training sessions will be available until at least March.

If you are a potential new client who would like alternative recommendations for 1-2-1 trainers, group training class providers or behaviourists please send me a direct message and let me know what you are looking for.

If you are an existing client with a question I may be able to answer without seeing you face to face or who would like recommendations for an alternative trainer whilst I’m out of action please send a direct message.

15/01/2022

11/01/2022

Christmas Eve I shared a scent detection challenge on this page which was originally set by Scent : Detect : Find Ltd. Today I received this video from Hilary with Martha who took up the challenge and absolutely aced it. I present to you Martha the Springer Spaniel finding the Springer Spaniel card. Great work guys.

10/01/2022

All set for a day of Scent Detection 1-2-1’s.

04/01/2022

Whilst two group courses started last year finish this week, the new 1-2-1 sessions for January 2022 start.

At the moment everything scheduled for January is fully booked. If you would like to be put on my waiting list to be contacted if anyone has to cancel a session please either send a message from this page or email [email protected] and let me know if you want a general training session, a scent detection session or either.

I hope to be able to release a schedule for February for booking online mid January.

Whether you have any sessions booked for January or are practicing at home this attached post from :Detect:Find Ltd is well worth a read. It’s all about how the power of the generosity of your rewards affects how easily distracted your dog is. It’s written from a scent detection point of view but how about we swap out scent training for recall training, “the more generously your dog has been rewarded in the past for [recall], the more resilient this behaviour will be to any [distractions] in the future.”

If you need a dog training New Years resolution perhaps it should be to be more generous with your rewards. Don’t forget a reward has to be something your dog enjoys and actively seeks more of, plus it doesn’t always have to be food for some training exercises.

🎄The Scent : Detect : Find Advent Calendar of Scent Detecting Snippets🎄

Day Twenty-Three - Generosity and the Behavioural Momentum Theory (BMT).

There's a strong evidence base in support of rewarding your Scent Detecting dog very generously both in terms of quality and quantity of food reward. Giving your dog a single piece of dry kibble after a good performance just doesn't cut it with SDF!

I advise using moist, generously sized, meaty chunks and ... steady yourself while I say this ... at LEAST 5 pieces of food at a time. Yes, a MINIMUM of 5 pieces. FEED. FEED. FEED. FEED. FEED.

There are numerous, evidence based, reasons for this degree of generosity but I'll highlight just one in today's Scent Detecting Snippet. The Behavioural Momentum Theory (BMT).

BMT is a model that describes the strength of a behaviour in terms of it's ability to withstand some kind of disruptor.

Using Scent Detecting as an example, how well can your dog continue searching (behaviour) if another person (disruptor) walks through the area? Whilst, in this situation, a novice dog might struggle to continue searching, a more experienced Scent Detecting dog would be expected to be far less concerned by this disruptor. And, here's the thing, it's not all about "training"!

The interesting thing is that the degree to which your dog's behaviour can be disrupted is "inversely related to the richness of the reinforcement history for engaging in the disrupted behaviour" (Hall, 2017). In other words, the more generously your dog has been rewarded in the past for searching, the more resilient this behaviour will be to any disruptor - the person walking through the search area - in the future.

According to the BMT, in a training situation, the performance of differently rewarded dogs - "generous" vs "mean" - can look identical ... until the dogs are, in some way, "challenged" in the real world. At this point, the behaviour of the poorly rewarded dogs will break down.

So, go and have a long hard look in your training pouch.

Take-home message ...

"Generous rewards VACCINATE your Scent Detecting dog against behavioural disruptors".
.. and it applies to all other training activities too!

PS ... and your dog won't get fat! Another myth dispelled.

Copyright: Scent : Detect : Find Ltd 2021.

31/12/2021

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year 🥳 🥂🍾

Yesterday Frodo and I took on one of the Scent : Detect : Find Ltd Christmas Eve challenges. I shared the challenge post here on this page if you scroll down.

Find The Aces - Is Frodo Phychic or a Super Scent Detective?

It’s all in the scent. We’ve been learning with Scent:Detect:Find Ltd about finding multiple scent sources recently but Frodo has never before been asked to find something that the target scent had been transferred to rather than the original scent source. Transferring the scent diminishes the strength of the scent source he is searching for making it harder, the 4 ace cards had been in a sealed tin with his usual scent source for about 24hrs to transfer the scent. As far as Frodo is concerned the scent source could be absolutely anywhere in the unit, that’s how we usually play, this is why he searches the whole room rather than just the cards. He has no idea what ‘find the aces’ is, he knows that wearing that harness and me saying ‘Search’ means find the source of his specific trained target odour and to tell me where it is by holding his nose still to source until I acknowledge I’ve got the memo. How he searches the area is entirely up to him, when I don’t know where the scent source is the job of finding it is much better left to Frodo’s amazing sense of smell than me trying to influence where he searches and potentially leading him astray and disturbing the environment. I am super proud of his performance 😍

There are still a couple of ‘One to One Scent Detection’ training sessions available towards the end of January if you would like to learn how amazing your own dogs nose is. There’s a lot of time gone into Frodo’s training to get to a search like this challenge but it all starts with introducing them to the target scent and teaching them how to communicate to you where it is. There are so many benefits for the dog in scent detection as long as the training and reason for doing it is thoughtfully structured and taken at the dogs pace with no pressure for speed. Plus, at this time of year it’s the perfect rainy day activity for when you don’t want to go out and get wet again on another soggy walk as it’s mentally exhausting for the dogs. To find out more about scent detection training sessions and to book online please go to www.bookwhen.com/abcforpets

29/12/2021

In January I will only be offering 1-2-1 sessions rather than groups but don’t despair. With the reduced distraction and no waiting your turn we can cover more per session in a 1-2-1 than in a group plus the session is personalised completely to you and your dog.

There are still a few sessions available for booking towards the end of the month. You have two options, ‘One to One (not scent detection)’ or ‘One to One Scent Detection’:

‘One to One (not scent detection) - 45 minutes with Melissa focussed on your personalised, individual training plan at the ABC for PETS training shed on St Austell Bay Business Park.
IDEAL FOR ANY AGE OF DOG AT ANY STAGE ON THEIR TRAINING JOURNEY:
🐶 Foundation training for a puppy or older dog new to training
🐶 IMDT Partnership Awards - with 5 levels to work through mixing up life skills exercises, tricks and search games there’s something for everyone
🐶 Wag It Smart Dog Games - exercises and games with props to enhance team connection and skills
🐶 Wag It Shadow Skills - add focus, fun and tricks to walking together

One to One Scent Detection - These 45 minute sessions for one dog at the ABC for PETS training shed on St Austell Bay Business Park are for anyone who has worked with Melissa before on Scent Detection but beginners are also very welcome that want to discover how amazing their dogs nose is.
You will teach your dog to locate a very specific scent source and indicate to you where it’s located using a sustained nose touch. This starts by teaching the indication. Once that’s done you can have fun with gradually increasing complexity searches. Your dog knows what to do, they use their nose to search for stuff every day, the beauty is in teaching them how to let you share in that experience.

Find more details and book online at www.bookwhen.com/abcforpets

February sessions will be made available for booking no earlier than the middle of January and whether there will be group sessions is unknown at this time, it depends on the outcome of Melissa’s hospital appointments early January.

24/12/2021

Scent detection students that have a solid indication here are a couple of ways to impress your friends this Christmas with your ‘psychic’ dog. Thanks Scent : Detect : Find Ltd I’m off to find a pack of cards to play with Frodo over the weekend.

🎄The Scent : Detect : Find Advent Calendar of Scent Detecting Snippets🎄

Day Twenty-Four - Christmas Eve Card Tricks

Over the festive period, why not impress any visiting friends and family with your dog's pSycHic (I mean, olfactory 🙄) powers?

There are innumerable ways of playing this game. Here are just a couple to get you started but, before you do ...

1. Do you have an experienced Scent Detecting dog?
2. Does your dog have a highly reliable passive indication (nose touch) with duration?

If you've answered NO to any of these questions then save this game until you can answer YES. Train your dog. Don't test your dog!

Version One - Single card. Single Scent Source.
* You'll need a pack of cards.
* Select one card from the pack (take a note of which card it is eg: King of Diamonds) and "scent it up".
* Depending on the odour you're using, and the process you use, it may only take a few minutes. If in doubt, leave the card, overnight, with the target odour.
* Spread the remaining cards, face down, on the floor and place the King of Diamonds amongst them. You can refer to the photo attached here.
* Inform your audience that your pSychIc dog is going to find the King of Diamonds.
* Cue your dog to work and, if successful, low and behold, he'll find the King of Diamonds!
* A big turkey reward for your dog 👏

Version Two - Multiple cards. Multiple Scent Sources.
* You'll need a pack of cards.
* Select any of the following card combinations. All the Kings. A whole suit. Just the Aces. Or any other combination you fancy.
* Scent the cards up as before.
* Spread the remaining cards, face down, on the floor and place the scented cards amongst them.
* Inform your audience that your pSychIc dog is going to find x, y or z ... depending on what combination of cards you've selected to use.
* Cue your dog to work. If successful, low and behold, he'll find one of the scented cards. At that point you should remove the card he's indicated and cue him again to continue working. You'll need to do this on multiple occasions.
* Remember to reward your dog GENEROUSLY after he finds each card and before you set him off to find another 👏

After you've finished, remember that you now have a lot of cards that are carrying the target odour. STORE THEM AWAY FROM THE "CLEAN" CARDS.

Although this is "just a bit of fun" - please don't cut any Scent Detecting corners. This is as much a training exercise as any other Scent Detecting task. Enjoy 😁

Copyright: Scent : Detect : Find Ltd 2021.

24/12/2021

Merry Christmas 🎄

If you find yourself with a few minutes to spare over the Christmas and New Year here are a few dog related games for you, there’s one where even your dogs can get involved and practice their stays.

https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:9aaedbd2-b00d-4014-87b5-2cdbd0811e3b

You will just need an adobe reader on your device to open the link to the pdf.

(Many thanks to the Empowered Dog - Trainers Community for creating this for sharing)

22/12/2021

What will your dog be eating on Christmas Day?

Without going crazy, and of course being careful to check what is and isn’t good for them, mine will definitely be enjoying a little bit of turkey and veg for one of their meals on the big day.

Stir Fried Turkey, Sprouts and Cranberries. 🍽️

Ingredients:

🎄 500g Diced turkey breast and thighs (leftover turkey bits from Christmas dinner)

🎄 200g Halved brussel sprouts (or any onion free Christmas leftover vegetables)

🎄 50g Fresh cranberries

🎄 2 Teaspoons ground flax

🎄 150ml water

Method

Bring a heavy bottomed, deep sided frying pan up to a medium to high heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil and a splash of water. Add your turkey and sprouts, stirring occasionally until the turkey starts to take on some colour. Fry for ten minutes, mix the cranberries through, turn off the heat and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Remove the cooked mix from the pan, leaving behind the juices to make gravy. Add the water and bring to the boil to deglaze the pan, add the flax and simmer until thickened. This is your dog friendly gravy.

20/12/2021

Because I’m not going to see all the wonderful clients and dogs that I would like to this year due to my reduced schedule, rather than buying a gift for all your dogs this Christmas I have donated money to buy a Teddy Bear 🧸 for a child with Cancer who will spend this Christmas in hospital or hospice. Some Teddy’s are being sent to Royal Cornwall Hospital and Childrens Hospice Southwest.

https://cancersupportuk.org/cuddles/

Will you send a ted to a hospital bed, and give a child like Omarni some comfort at Christmas? Teddies can bring a child comfort when they need it most – and we want to send 1,500 of them to children’s cancer wards across the UK this year.

17/12/2021

With only a few 1-2-1 sessions and four group courses to finish, 2021 is rapidly coming to a close. I would like to take a moment to wish all my two and four legged clients along with their families a very Merry Christmas.

It’s been quite a year for everyone and I thank you all for supporting my little business through difficult times, following COVID guidelines and being very understanding most recently whilst I’ve been fighting Cancer which has meant no sessions for a few months and then only a considerably reduced schedule of available sessions and some last minute changes too occasionally. My fight continues but I will be opening up some January 1-2-1 training sessions and Scent Detection training sessions for booking soon, working with you and your wonderful dogs when I could has been a significant part of what has got me through treatment so far. I know I’m heading into more treatment in the New Year but not exactly what and when just yet therefore there may be subsequent changes to the schedule but I want to do as much as I can whilst I can and will definitely increase the schedule of availability as my body gets stronger.

Photo of my Scrumpy pup from last Christmas by AliKat Dog Photography at Pensilva, photo shoots available indoors or outdoors, resulting in bespoke photos of your dogs to be treasured. Highly recommended. Photo shoot packages for next year available to buy, perfect for a dog lovers Christmas gift.

16/12/2021

My plan is to resume running some Scent Detection Training workshops again in the New Year, it’s been too long. For any students that are already on the scent detection journey Scent : Detect : Find Ltd has been sharing an advent calendar of scent detecting snippets daily since December 1st which are well worth a scroll through.

🎄The Scent : Detect : Find Advent Calendar of Scent Detecting Snippets🎄

Day One - Snow

If you're lucky (or unlucky) enough to have snow on the run up to Christmas, make use of it.

Bury your dog's target scent source in the snow and get to work ... BUT ... be prepared for some subtle (or not so subtle) alterations in the way he works.

It's likely that he'll need to be much closer to the scent source before he picks up on any available odour filaments. To be successful, his searching will need to be much more thorough and detailed.

Snow provides a great developmental exercise if, and only if, you already have an experienced and very reliable Scent Detecting dog.

So, what's going on?

1. Odours are made up of gaseous molecules that have been released into the environment (water or air) from a source material.

2. Odours arise, primarily, from a range of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), both natural and man-made. As their name suggests, they're volatile; they can evaporate into the environment extremely readily.

3. Every target odour source material has a specific vapour pressure (VP) that will determine it's ability to produce odour - the odour availability. The higher the VP of a substance the higher the rate of evaporation and, hence, the greater the availability of detectable odour.

4. An increase in temperature will cause an increase in a substances VP which will increase it's rate of evaporation and, hence, provide a greater availability of detectable odour.

5. Conversely, in cold weather - SNOW - odour availability will be markedly reduced and harder to detect at any distance from the source material.

So, get your gloves on and give it a go ❄

Copyright: Scent : Detect : Find Ltd 2021.

16/12/2021

Dognostics Top 10 Tips For Keeping Your Dog Safe This Christmas:

1. Endeavour to maintain your pet’s normal routine. Walks, training, mental and physical enrichment, interactive feeding toys, chews, training & bedtime – Try to keep your pet’s daily routine as normal as possible.

2. If you’re hosting celebrations, remember to exercise pets before your guests arrive. This will help them de-stress and cope better when the festivities begin.

3. Create a safe, quiet place for your pet to relax away from the hustle and bustle. Even the most social pets need a break sometimes. A yummy chew, stuffed Kong, or LickiMat can help them relax.

4. Some Christmas food can be toxic for pets. Keep alcohol, chocolate, Christmas pudding, mince pies, Christmas (fruit) cake, grapes, sultanas, raisins, currants, macadamia nuts, onion, sugarless gum (or any product with the artificial sweetener xylitol) out of reach.

5. Keep Christmas decorations and presents safe.. A dog (especially a young puppy) or cat may think that a Christmas bauble, Christmas lights, or even the tree itself, would make a great toy! Securely anchor your Christmas tree so it doesn’t tip over and possibly injure your pet. Hang baubles away from lower branches. Wrapping paper, bows, and even some presents could pose a hazard for your pet. Please keep these items away from inquisitive mouths!

6. Avoid Mistletoe & Holly: Both can cause gastrointestinal upset and other serious health problems. There are many other plants that can be toxic for pets.

7. Don’t leave lighted candles unattended. Pets may burn themselves or cause a fire if they knock candles over. Candles should be out of reach and, if you leave the room, remember to put the candle out! When possible, we also advise you to opt for organic soy, coconut, or beeswax candles, as this will avoid the release of harmful chemicals into the air.

8. It’s time to dress up. Whether it’s a new coat to keep warm, , boots to protect from gritted roads, a new harness to enjoy walks together, or perhaps a cute Santa outfit, with hat, glasses, and tinsel to show your holiday spirit – dressing up your pet may be fun for you, but your pet may feel differently. Many dogs will happily oblige if items are introduced gradually with lots of positive reinforcement, but we also see lots of photos where pets are clearly not enjoying the experience. Please pair the new clothing item with lots of treats to help condition a positive (happy) emotional response. Ask your training professional to show you how!

Endeavor to maintain your pet’s normal routine. Walks, training, mental and physical enrichment, interactive feeding toys, chews, training & bedtime - Try to keep your pet’s daily routine as normal as possible. If you’re hosting celebrations, remember to exercise pets before your guests arri ....

14/12/2021

Congratulations to Nikki with not one but two dogs for completing all the elements yesterday in their 1-2-1 session to achieve their IMDT Partnership Awards Level 1 certificates. Onwards and upwards to Grade 2 for the New Year.

14/12/2021

I think I can safely say Frodo (fluffy dog at the back of the photo) does a whiplash turn on a recall 😍

12/12/2021

Please remember not to attend your training session if either you or your dog is showing any signs of illness - particularly any symptoms of or exposure to Covid for yourself or Kennel cough for your dog.

Please wear a mask on entering the training shed and until you leave unless you are exempt.

Please use the hand sanitiser provided at the door or bring your own.

Please socially distance from anyone not from your own household.

I will clean contact points between each session, wear my own mask, use hand sanitiser, maintain social distancing and monitor my own health for your benefit.

Let’s all stay as safe as we can so I can continue to offer the dog training services I do.

10/12/2021

To say ‘don’t do that there, do that here instead’ applies to so much more than digging - chewing, shredding, zoomies … these are dogs being dogs behaviours that are only a human problem when deemed to be expressed in an inappropriate location. Provide an outlet and fulfil the need and you might just find problem solved.

09/12/2021

Congratulations to Jill with Eva for completing the required criteria for their IMDT Partnership Awards level 2 during a 1-2-1 session last week. We made a good start on level 3 as well, keep up the good work and see you in the New Year.

09/12/2021

“Play is the beginning of knowledge.” -George Dorsey

Who’s training who? Plan your dogs training to maximise their success and be generous with your rewards and your dog will think they are training you 😉 Training that’s fun for you and your dog, a game, is most likely to succeed. If either of you are not having fun, stop and reassess.

07/12/2021

KENNEL COUGH - please be vigilant, I have had a few people let me know over the last couple of weeks that their dog either has or has been in contact with Kennel Cough.

If your dog seems to be trying to clear their throat repeatedly, particularly after resting or during exercise, he may have caught Kennel Cough from somewhere. This can be as easily out on a walk as at training class and they don’t have to have been in kennels. It can be passed on in the environment so your dog doesn’t even need to be in direct contact with a dog with Kennel Cough to contract it.

KC spreads easily as dogs can be contagious before they show symptoms but generally it's a lot like us catching a cold and problems only arise if they get any secondary infections. Your dog can have a nasal vaccination for Kennel Cough but like the flu jab for us it doesn't guarantee immunity to all strains. Please discuss vaccination with your vet if you want more information. If your dog has been vaccinated be vigilant for even mild symptoms.

If your dog does ever get Kennel Cough, to stop the spread you should ideally avoid your dog mixing with other dogs or going out to places other dogs frequent until at least 14 days after the coughing stops. I think we might all have a good understanding of the benefit of self isolation after the recent human pandemic. If you know your dog is exposed to a dog that shortly after comes down with Kennel Cough I would again avoid other dogs and areas frequented by other dogs for at least 14 days to be sure your dog hasn't caught it and isn't passing it on further before showing symptoms.

If your dog ever shows symptoms of kennel cough within a week of attending a class please let me know and I can take measures to ensure that it doesn’t spread through everyone. If your dog contracts or is in contact with another dog with kennel cough then please do not attend a class until they are 14 days cough free.