Pets Ahoy Plymouth

05/07/2025

I’ve really been slacking with my social media posts lately but this was too cute to not share! 🫣

I love a good Instagram story post but have neglected my feed admittedly (but I feel like my story posts tend to get better engagement! So if you’re not following me on Instagram, do give me a follow as I tend to be more active on there and I’m unable to link the story posts to my page)

It’s been a busy few months behind the scenes at Pets Ahoy! I got a new car, been to a concert or two, gone back to London a few times for family milestones as well as studying in my free time (which is minimal!) to broaden my knowledge and skillset as a trainer, so that I am better prepared to support my reactive clients in the future 💛

Admittedly coming home and then worrying about keeping my posts up to date starts to feel like another job in itself, so I’ve just been trying to preserve my energy for the things that matter the most. I’m sure lots of other business owners will relate! 😅

28/05/2025

🎉 4 𝒀𝑬𝑨𝑹𝑺 𝑶𝑭 𝑷𝑬𝑻𝑺 𝑨𝑯𝑶𝒀 🎉

Today marks a special day in the Pets Ahoy calendar as it is officially 4 years since I took on my first ever client, Lumi! 🥳
To begin with, I was just doing petsits part-time and the odd walk while I was finishing my Animal Behaviour degree. Since then, I have formed strong bonds with so many wonderfully unique pets, and found I was a natural so decided to take the plunge and quit my job to fully commit to my passion.
This was one of the best decisions I’ve made, as I’ve made lots of meaningful connections over the past four years and have literally been there from the start for many of your pups! Since then, I have won an award for my business and branched out into puppy training, something I’ve always been interested in!
Thank you to all of you, past and present, who have made Pets Ahoy what it is today! Here’s to many more years!! 🐶🐱🎂

25/05/2025

𝑻𝑰𝑴𝑬 𝑶𝑭𝑭 👋

I am now out of office until Wednesday. Messages will be replied to from Thursday.

Please make a note of the dates above if you are usually booked in for those days.

July dates to be confirmed (EDIT 29/5: Mon 14th - Fri 18th NOW CONFIRMED)

See you all soon! Can’t wait to return to work next week with my new car!! ✨

- Sarah 🐶

24/05/2025

🌺 𝑷𝑹𝑰𝑴𝑹𝑶𝑺𝑬 🌺

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been doing some 121 sessions with Primrose the Golden Retriever pup and her family before she starts Puppy School with me.

She’s one gorgeous and clever little pup and I’m looking forward to continue working with her at Puppy School Plymouth.

We covered lots in our sessions together including:
🧀 hierarchy of rewards
🧦 resource guarding
😴 settle
🦈 play-biting
🦮 loose-lead walking
🗣️ recall
🦆 competing with distractions

In our second session, we put Primrose’s recall skills to the test at Walkies at Wixenford, where we tested her recall at different distances and with different rewards.

We also worked on her loose-lead skills and she has already proved herself to be a fast learner!!

Well done Primrose! Can’t wait for you to start Puppy School tomorrow!! 🐾

24/05/2025

𝑬𝑵𝑫 𝑶𝑭 𝑨𝑵 𝑬𝑹𝑨 🚙😢

Yesterday was the last day of service for my blue car, as many of you already know I am upgrading next week! (She’s not dead! It’s just time for an upgrade considering all the driving I do and I’ve already found her a new loving home!) 💙
I’ve taken many of your pups out on solo adventures, including my own Benji, and yesterday, Margo had the honour of being the last Pets Ahoy pup to travel in my car.
As excited as I am to upgrade, we’ve been through a lot together. I’ve had this car for 9 years (since I was a learner in college!) and it’s been reliable for many trips between London and Plymouth while I was at uni, and it’s also seen me through starting my business and moving house several times!
Many of you find it easy to spot me on the road and say how excited your pups get when they hear my car as they know it’s time for the best part of their day! Hopefully it won’t be too confusing for them next week!
Thank you for your service Bluey! 🚙💙

18/05/2025

𝑹𝑨𝑳𝑷𝑯 🐻

Last week, I met Ralph the Cockapoo for the first time to help with loose-lead walking and keeping engaged with his mum around distractions.

He is such a clever boy and was already learning that it is rewarding to walk by his mum’s side 👏

(Head over to Instagram to see his loose-lead walking) 🐾

𝑾𝑯𝒀 𝑫𝑶 𝑫𝑶𝑮𝑺 𝑷𝑼𝑳𝑳?

❌ “He’s trying to be dominant/the alpha/pack leader”
❌ “His harness makes him pull”
✅ The simple explanation is that dogs have more legs than us, walk faster than us and pulling gets them closer to where they want to be, and the more times this is practiced, the more the behaviour is reinforced.

𝑯𝑶𝑾 𝑫𝑶 𝑰 𝑺𝑻𝑶𝑷 𝑴𝒀 𝑫𝑶𝑮 𝑷𝑼𝑳𝑳𝑰𝑵𝑮?

🦮 Asking your dog to slow down to a human’s pace feels unnatural for many dogs, and it’s unrealistic to expect them to do this for an entire walk, but we can help motivate them by using high-value rewards. Dogs pull because it gets them closer to where they want to be, so in order to stop them pulling, they must learn that pulling gets them nowhere.

❌ How do we achieve this? Not by yanking the lead, not by stopping, not by shouting at our dogs. None of these teach our dogs what we actually want them to do.

⏪️ Instead, we must teach them that pulling gets them FURTHER away from where they want to be by making ourselves exciting and running 4 steps backwards and “resetting” them into the loose-lead position with a treat on their nose every time our dogs create tension on the lead. This way, our dogs still have a choice to come back to us and eventually will learn that pulling doesn’t get them closer to where they want to be, and they are better off slowing down to their human’s pace.

02/05/2025

For any of my clients who have attended Puppy School or you know anyone that has, Frankie runs “The Training Academy” follow-on classes for any dogs that have previously attended Puppy School 🐾

Training Academy is back!!! 🏫🎓📝📚🐾🐶

Puppy School Plymouth Training Academy is our follow on programme for any puppies who have completed Puppy School!

At Training Academy we work through The Dog Trainer School Levels 1-5!

Each week we practice all of the exercises and then on week 6 we conduct a short, no pressure assessment!

All dogs who pass are awarded their Level badge and certificate!

The next Training Academy enrolment is on May 29th at Bittaford Village Hall.

The class starts at 7:10pm and runs for 6 weeks!

This programme is for Levels 1 and 2 and is suitable for any dog who has completed Puppy School.

Dogs must be friendly and sociable around other dogs and people.

To book your space get in touch today! Spaces will go fast! Or you can book directly by going to

https://bookwhen.com/puppyschoolplymouth =ev-sc0v-20250530191000

01/05/2025

🐾 𝑹𝑬𝑽𝑰𝑬𝑾 𝑻𝑰𝑴𝑬 🐾

Thank you so much to Flora’s mum for this lovely feedback for our 121 sessions we did together with little Flora before starting Puppy School!

So grateful for feedback like this! I’m so glad you found my sessions helpful! 🖤

18/04/2025

𝑶𝑼𝑻 𝑶𝑭 𝑶𝑭𝑭𝑰𝑪𝑬

I am now out of office until Tuesday! 🗓️

I’ll be spending this Easter weekend in London seeing Ghost at the O2 as well as spending time with family.

Hope you all have a fun Easter weekend! Remember to keep chocolate away from your pets! 🍫

If you want them to join in the fun, there are pet-safe Easter eggs available at lots of stores including Pets at Home and Aldi!! 🐣

Bye for now! Walks and visits will resume as normal from Wednesday 🐾

17/04/2025

🖤 𝑭𝑳𝑶𝑹𝑨 🖤

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been working with the lovely Flora the Cocker Spaniel and her family to teach her some Puppy Foundations before she’s old enough to start Puppy School.

I first met her at 9 weeks old and she is already such a smart little pup!

We covered lots in our sessions together including:
🍗 hierarchy of rewards
🚽 toilet training
😴 settle
🧦 resource guarding
🐶 gentle
🐕‍🦺 loose-lead position
🦈 play-biting
📈 dog body language
🗣️ recall
🚗 car travel

Her family feels much more confident in raising a puppy now that they have a better understanding of canine communication and how to provide outlets to fulfil her breed-specific needs.

They have already began to see progress with her being able to settle and feeling calmer in the car. This will hopefully open up more opportunities for them to go on more adventures together as a family and start her off on the right paw at Puppy School 🐾

12/04/2025

Freddie loved his adventures to Wembury Walkies
this afternoon!! 🐾

It’s so important that these spaces exist for reactive dogs so that they have somewhere they can feel safe and just be a dog 💛

06/04/2025

🐍 Adders 🐍

With the glorious weather recently, we have seen an expected increase in calls regarding adder bites.

The adder (Vipera berus berus) is the only venomous snake native to the UK, and is also found across northern Europe. It is a protected species in the UK. Adders are most commonly, but not exclusively, found on dry, sandy heaths, sand dunes, rocky hillsides, moorlands and woodland edges. The clinical signs of an adder bite can include rapid and progressive swelling around the bite site, pain, lethargy, vomiting, bruising, bleeding and collapse.

What should you do if your pet has been bitten by an adder?
❌Do not panic.
❌Do not interfere with the bite.
❌Do not apply a tourniquet.
❌Do not attempt to touch or catch the snake.
❌Do not kill the snake – it is a protected species.
❌If practical, carry your dog to your car and go to your veterinary surgeon - do not delay seeking advice even if your pet is well as things can change quickly.

Adders are not aggressive and generally only bite when provoked. They hibernate in the winter and as a result most bites occur in the summer. Pets are frequently bitten on the leg, head or neck. If your pet has been bitten by an adder (even if you did not see the snake or are not sure what happened) – contact your vet immediately. Your vet will examine your pet to determine the location of the bite and extent of the swelling.

Veterinary professionals can call us any time on 02073 055 055 if required for assistance with managing cases of adder bites. We also hold a list of antivenom stockists across the UK. Please note that antivenom is not indicated in all cases.