Award winning business. Now known as St Paws Training Academy. Dog training & puppy classes. Ethical. Dog walking and pet care. A Princes Trust supported business.
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Check out St Paws Training Academy for dog training.
🐾Lisa Sinnott🐾, local canine coach, will be hosting event in the library next month (3rd April). This interactive event will be suitable for children, aged 4-8, who want to learn about caring for dogs.
Find out more and get tickets here 🐕🦺 http://bit.ly/3LzOPwm
Mum's guide to St Albans Mum's guide to Harpenden stalbansmums
Happy Mothers Day to all the wonderul Mumma's out there! ❤️🐕🐕🦺🐩
Our new page is St Paws Training Academy - come and say hi!
Good morning 🐕
Photo shows a Shiba Inu wearing a red jacket on her walk
Some of the beauties Jess Alex and Sara have worked with this week! Photos show a vizsla, cocker, staffie cross, norfolk terrier and shiba inu
Did you know Leeanna's Wish CIC run Friday evening socials every week? 8pm-10.30pm.
Below is our upcoming schedule. Please share with your friends, family and community and those who aren't on Social Media.
These events are made possible thanks for the support of Hertfordshire Community Foundation
January is walk your dog month!
Let's see your photos of your dogs enjoying their walks below!
Happy New Year! ⭐
We know, you know that fireworks can be scary for your pet:
-pop on some music
-allow them to settle in a place with small or no windows with a bed (such as the bathroom)
-give them a kong
-allow them to settle in their crate (door open)
-create a den for them so they can huddle underneath blankets
-shut the curtains
-talk to your vet about products such as pheromones
-make sure their microchip details are up to date.
⭐️Tonight
Bring in your pocket sized pets - the fireworks are likely to scare them. 🐰
Ensure microchip details are up to date incase your dog gets out the door.
Talk to your vet about phermone products 🐈⬛
Wishing all our clients non -human and human a very Happy Christmas!
We hope you have a lovely day resting, eating, playing and doing what you love!
Jess, Alex and Sara will be back on 3rd Jan.
Photo shows a dog and snowmen in winter wonderland.
Last chance to enter our Christmas comp over at St Paws Training Academy
🐶Ladies and gentlemen. It's Day 12 of our Christmas Competition and your last chance to win a 🐕Puppy Kong🐕!
This Kong will help your puppy to bust some mental energy and learn problem-solving skills, boosting canine enrichment. With this in mind, why not check out this wonderful Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/canineenrichment/?
Like, comment and share this post for a chance to win!
We'll announce the winners on 29th December and send the prize either to you or if you have gifted them to a dog in a shelter - you generous soul ❤️ - directly to the charity.
Thanks for your amazing support so far - let's end this festive season on a high! Remember you can still enter on past posts till 11:59pm tonight ❄️💫✨
Photo shows a kong filled with something tasty!
Remember if you need them the nearest 24 hour vets are The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) in Potters Bar and Village Vet Hertfordshire. 📞 ahead so they know youre coming.
Leave the cat carrier in an accessible location.
Wishing everyone who works in vet practices a lovely Christmas. Thanks for all the care, comfort and support you give pets all year round ❤️🤶🎄😇
Advice from the British Veterinary Association
Exciting announcement 😃.
Our new business St Paws Training Academy will focus on training. Come over and say hi!
Its nearly time for the Kimpton Christmas Market! 🎅
We will be getting involved and holding a stall with lots of lovely knitted items, decorations, cat and dog lucky dips and much more! Our stall will be located on the village green just off of Church Road on the high street. Come stop by to say hello 👋🏻✨️
Happy St Andrews Day! 🏴
Here is a photo of a gorgeous cairn terrier , a breed which originates from the highlands.
Show us photos of your dogs and if you know their breed, let us know where it originates from!
🐕🦺🐕🦮
Sarah has been speaking at the International Society of Feline Medicine conference Feline Fine today. She has been discussing the importance of listening to cats with our eyes and understanding the subtle body posture and facial signals that feline patient give. She discussed the importance of understanding emotional motivations and enabling cats to select and succeed with their behavioural responses to protective emotions.
What an ace day at Cat Care ‘s Feline Fine Conference! 🐈 . A lovely bunch of warm and friendly people flying the feline flag!
Linda Ryan VTS RVN CCAB Inspiring Pets , Sarah Ellis , Sarah Heath and other cat experts presented some amazing content! Training a cat to co- operate with their own health care with with an inhaler, tips to help reduce stress stacking and the tree and sink analogy Wowza. 🌳🚰.
https://icatcare.org/app/uploads/2022/07/Training-for-comfort-with-inhaled-tx-1.pdf
It’s the 10 year anniversary of cat friendly clinics which have been set up to help felines friends stress less in the vet clinic. This is important As physical and mental health are related. If a cat is stressed it can affect the test results.
So lovely to bump into -Claude Griesser-Delacrétaz who is on my course and had come all the way from Switzerland! 🐱🐈
What a great day! I won a raffle prize too 😊
Well done to our puppy class graduates! 😀
Well done to our puppy class graduates! 🤩
Our December class has sold out so we've added a new one. 🐶
You can book here: https://calendly.com/albanypetservices/5-week-polite-puppy-training-class-clone-1?month=2022-12
Lisa at Albany Pet Services has kindly donated a course of puppy or dog training classes worth £125 to help you become a more confident and happier pet owner. Lisa has a host of outstanding reviews and lives and breathes supportive, gentle dog training. She’s beyond passionate about helping children be safe around dogs and you’ll struggle to find a more friendly or approachable trainer for your four-legged pal!
Your pup will thank you if your name gets pulled on this prize :) Definitely give her a follow and check out her range of classes.
Raffle tickets went home in book bags and extras are available in the school office. Pay for yours online at pta-events.co.uk/windermere or leave cash in the school office by 30th November.
Check Lisa out at: https://www.facebook.com/albanypetservices.co.uk
List of full prizes: https://www.pta-events.co.uk/windermere/index.cfm?event=Raffle%20Prize%20Sponsors%20-%20Christmas%202022 #.Y3vW0y-l3yh
TOMORROW 🐕🦺
Post puppyhood class starts tomorrow.
This is for dogs 20 weeks and older.
We’ll be focussing on:
🐕 supercharging your dogs recall
🐾 mental stimulation games
🐕 impulse control
🐕🦺 advice on the fear period 🙌🏻
Secure your spot here https://calendly.com/albanypetservices/post-puppyhood-course-clone-2?month=2022-11
What do we cover in our 5 week post puppyhood classes?
Our next class is tomorrow at 6pm. You can secure your spot here: https://calendly.com/albanypetservices/post-puppyhood-course-clone-2
Most people know that I love dogs (and cats). To be honest they are better than a lot of people. So, when they are trying to tell us something through a change in behaviour or a change in capability, we really should take the time to listen as they aren't liars!
Monday vibes! 🐕
Great morning delivering a talk about dogs and safety to Alban City School and meeting this little lady! 🐾🐕 Then an afternoon visit to the lovely Prae Wood School Association.
💙Our nearest Blue Cross centre is in Kimpton, Hertfordshire.
The Blue Cross have been helping supporting animals for over for 125 years! Pets in the Blue Cross centre will be there because of lots of different circumstances: family members could be made redundant or really struggling because of the . There’s lots of ways you can support if you’d like to including fundraising, adopting, or donating to their food bank.
🐾🐕
Have a burning question about our post puppyhood classes? Not sure if they're right for your dog? Join me at 7pm tonight and I'll be there to answer your questions.
Sign up for our free live session here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/q-a-session-post-puppyhood-classes-tickets-472570730777
“DRINK!”
A favourite word of Father Jack’s…
💧Here are some tips on drinking and your dog..💧
🐾if you utilise a crate or pen then make sure there is water available. If you’re worried about the dog knocking it over and getting it on their blanket then purchase a bowl you can attach to it https://www.amazon.co.uk/clip-water-bowl-dog-crate/s?k=clip+on+water+bowl+for+dog+crate
💦Fresh water on a walk is important to help keep them hydrated even in the colder months.
🐕🦺 Water in different locations around the home is a good idea for dogs who are less mobile. Raised bowls are also a good idea so they don’t stretch their neck.
🥣 there’s been a lot of kennel cough reports lately so use your dogs own water bowl rather than ones outside shops.
🐕 some dogs may find the clinking noise of the collar annoying / scary on their bowl so a flat collar tag may be more suited if you can.
Smol dog, big scary world
People often think of very small dogs as being anxious and reactive and to be honest, quite a few are. It’s easy for people to ‘blame the owners’ or say that they have ‘little dog syndrome’ or even that they are ‘bossy’ 🙄 Really though, we need to be understanding of what life is like for really tiny dogs.
Tiny dogs often don’t have much control over their lives- they can be picked up easily (even if they don’t want to be) and they can be made to do stuff; people notice if a 40kg dog is worried about going into a busy park or a cafe and plants their feet and refuses to move but with a tiny dog, you can just make them do it even if they don’t want to ☹️
Tiny dogs often get overwhelmed before they’ve even got through puppyhood- big dogs may run up and knock them over, lots of hands reach down to touch them and yes, there it is again, strangers may also pick them up (whether they like it or not). Physically they may be delicate (my yorkie’s legs are made from matchsticks 😂) and may be hurt accidentally during normal dog interactions.
Everything is big and potentially scary when you weigh a couple of Kg and are about 8 inches tall. The world can be a scary and overwhelming place.
It’s easy to see then why so many littlies end up worried by the world and particularly by other dogs.
Tiny dog’s signals that they need space are also ignored often; people take notice of a GSD showing it’s teeth or growling and give them space but many people would laugh or totally ignore a tiny dog’s identical communication asking for space. It’s not rocket science that they may then escalate to actually biting - and they get called ‘snappy little dogs’ and again, misunderstood 😢
Small dogs can often miss out on having their species-specific needs met: their need for exploratory behaviour, for social contact; their needs for enrichment and physical exercise too and this impacts on them and their ability to cope. They are still proper dogs
I’ve been really lucky with my handreared yorkie, she’s fabulous with people and absolutely loves dogs but it’s been a bit of a mission to make sure things have gone right. I haven’t socialised her in the same way I have my other dogs, I’ve let her meet loads of dogs but I’ve been really careful and it’s been almost all onlead and with dogs I know will be nice to her. We frequent loads of national trust places as she can meet lots of sociable dogs there who are all under control. The last thing I wanted was for her to be really scared by another dog or physically hurt (she has deformed back legs that put her at huge risk of injury). She goes to offlead places too, but generally with one of my big dogs there too (she has big body guards) 😄
I’ve had to make adjustments to life to keep her safe and make sure she has a happy life and that she doesn’t become reactive. It’s been worth it as she has stayed so sociable (but as an adult she loves small dogs best). If I’d just walked her where I walked my big dogs all the time I would think that by now she would have been flattened or overwhelmed and may have become dog reactive. It’s totally understandable why so many tiny dogs are fearful.
My tiny dog also wouldn’t have had enough repeated, safe and positive controlled interactions with friendly dogs right throughout adolescence if I hadn’t carried on with all the cafe/pub/NT visits and that would have been detrimental. It’s not enough to just do this stuff when they are tiny puppies and then stop at 14 weeks old as adolescence is when if can often all start to go wrong. (It’s also a good justification for my many pub and cafe visits with Twig 😂)
We can’t forget the impact of genetics too and that’s a factor in why many small dogs are reactive; some genes for small body size are linked to fearfulness and reactivity and there may also be epigenetic factors too.
We can all be a bit more understanding too with small dogs and their owners. Don’t berate them for picking their dogs up if that’s what makes their dog feel safe- it won’t be what’s caused their anxiety and it might be what they need to feel safe right now. Don’t let your dogs overwhelm them (even in a friendly way). You’d also think it’s common sense to not pick strangers small dogs up without asking but people try to do it all the time 🙄
We have lots of anxious tiny dogs who absolutely thrive in our reactivity classes, we can keep them safe and make sure they aren’t overwhelmed and also help them to feel more confident around other dogs again.
Laura McAuliffe 2022
Photo shows my yorkie meeting two other small dogs in a cafe
Saint Albans
| Monday | 8am - 6pm |
| Wednesday | 8am - 6pm |
| Thursday | 8am - 6pm |
| Friday | 8am - 6pm |
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Happy St Andrews Day! 🏴 Here is a photo of a gorgeous cairn terrier , a breed which originates from the highlands. Show us photos of your dogs and if you know their breed, let us know where it originates from! 🐕🦺🐕🦮
What do we cover in our 5 week post puppyhood classes? Our next class is tomorrow at 6pm. You can secure your spot here: https://calendly.com/albanypetservices/post-puppyhood-course-clone-2
Just so you know... 🐶Drop in sessions £15 every Friday 4:30. Power up your dog's recall. https://calendly.com/albanype.../pups-in-the-park-verulamium 🐾Post puppyhood class £125 for 5 weeks for dogs over 20 weeks old.. NEXT WEDNESDAY 6PM. Stop struggles on dog walks 🐾 ✔️ Reduce stress & prevent injuries ✔️ Bond with your dog during the adolescent period ✔️ Learn games to engage them so you're the most exciting thing in the park. Enroll in our post-puppyhood course today! ⏩ https://calendly.com/albanypetservices/post-puppyhood-course-clone-clone
🌎💙 It’s World Kindness Day. How can we nurture young children to be kind to animals from a young age? 💦 young children can be given a small daily task such as topping up a pets water bowl. 🥱 they could pop the dogs bed (when they’re not laying on it) in a bag ready for trips out and about so they have some where comfy to rest. 💗 they can brush them with your help and check for any lumps and bumps and be told about the important role of the vet. 🎤 they can use their indoor voice when your pet is having a snooze so they’re not disturbed from their slumber 💤 👃 they can create a sniffari for their pet by putting treats in the long grass/snuffle mat/destroy box so they can hunt them out. Or play their favourite game. Check out the amazing Susan Friedman https://www.behaviorworks.org/htm/kidsworks.html
Last chance to book on to our polite puppy class starting tonight! https://www.albanypetservices.co.uk/my-services/puppy-classes. I’d love to meet you and your puppy! Lisa x
🐾We caught up with Melissa from Paws In Earnest to talk about her enrichment, her products, and why enrichment can be a wonderful activity to add to your dogs lives. 🎇Giving your dog something to do while the fireworks happen may keep their brains occupied. 🐦Foraging enrichment has been suggested to reduce feather plucking in parrots. (Lumeij et al., 2008) 🐕Studies of some breeds have shown that when dogs interact on kongs and have them removed they experience an increase in cortisol. (Hiby et al., 2005). 🐱Food puzzles can allow a cat to hunt for their food and use up energy resulting in improved body condition. (Dantas et al. 2016) References Lumeij, Johannes T et al., (2008), Foraging 'enrichment' as treatment for pterotillomania, Applied Animal Behaviour Science. Rooney, Nicola et al.. (2009), A practitioner's guide to working dog welfare, Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research. Dantas L et al (2016) Food puzzles for cats: Feeding for physical and emotional wellbeing, Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery.
🐕Feeling spontaneous? Come and join in the fun! 2 spots left - there is a maximum of 6 puppies in the class. You and your puppy can secure your spot with Lisa here: https://calendly.com/albanypetservices/5-week-polite-puppy-training-class-october?month=2022-10
🎉Testimonial Tuesday 👍🏻 Coggie is 2 years old.. You can always teach an older dog new tricks and life skills…. Well done to Coggie and Jules and Fred for doing their ‘homework’! There’s one spot left on our post puppyhood class starting tomorrow... secure your spot here: https://calendly.com/albanypetservices/post-puppyhood-course-clone-1?month=2022-10
🎃 Why seeing pets in costumes is scary for the wrong reasons.
🌎 world mental health day. 5 things. A grounding technique.
🐾Snuffling is good for mental health. With all enrichment we want it to be enriching and not frustrating. #EverydayImSnuffling
🌎It's world mental heath day. Too much work and no play makes Jack a dull boy! What does your dog love to do?
🐕🦺😬Animal welfare week : Freedom From Fear
The teenage period can be full of challenges.. dog's can embark on risky behaviour putting them in danger around roads. Recall training and repetition is imperative during these years.
It's a big wide world out there full of exciting things! It's important to let puppies know that good things get rewarded.. what gets rewarded gets repeated! Here is a good eye contact exercise to do with your pupper. Music: The Lounge by Driftmob Orchestra
Recall can be temperamental in adolescence...dogs can engage in risky behaviours which can be life threatening near roads. Here's a video on recall. Fallen out with training your dog? Why not join our post puppy hood course for refresher tips, support, and proven skills to help your dog get back to focusing on you. Music: Evergreen by Morgan Kibby https://www.albanypetservices.co.uk/dog-training-classes/
Children make excellent dog trainers! So impressed with the loose lead walking skills I saw in last nights puppy class! Well done 👍🏻 👏 . There’s a couple of spots left on our polite puppy class starting this coming Monday 7:15pm. Be there or be square 😉 https://calendly.com/albanypetservices/5-week-polite-puppy-training-class-clone?month=2022-09&date=2022-09-05
providing all your pet care needs from training, walks and holiday visits. We provide dog and puppy training, puppy classes, one to one dog walking, dog training, cat sitting, small animal care and house and pet sitting. Lisa is a member of the Animal Building Blocks Academy and Animal Training Academy. We are a family run, local business who’s pets wellbeing is our priority! We are not a franchise.
Albany Pet Services is an award winning, Princes Trust supported business. We won Global Health and Pharma’s 2018 award for best pet sitting company, won a St Albans Business’ Woohoo Achievement Award in the ‘dream achiever’ category, for fulfilling my dream for working with animals and made the finals of the Best Business Women Awards 2019. We are thrilled to be up for two awards at the SME awards - family business of the year and business women of the year 2020.
Lisa is passionate about learning all she can about companion animals and have completed courses including a canine coaching diploma, professional dog walking diploma, courses in recall and loose lead walking and a pet first aid course. She is completing an online professional development programme in clinical animal behaviour with the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies at the University of Edinburgh from September 2020.
We’re passionate about pet body language, caring for pets as the individual characters they are and providing bespoke personalised dog walks and dog training . Our one to one dog walking service means your dog has all of our attention when out on walks. Our cat visits mean your cat can stay in the comfort of their own home with all the familiar sights and smells - a lot less stressful than a stay in a cattery environment. Our pet and house sitting service is a stress free alternative to a stay in a cattery or kennel environment with the added benefit of our free home security service.
Albany Pet Services is available 365 days a year. We’re fully vetted and insured.
We’d be delighted to speak to you and your pets so please get in touch for a free initial consultation.
