Note to self: Don't take your shoes off at the door when popping in on Rosie 😂🤣😂🤣
#shoelessinthesnow #coldfeet #monkeydog #crazycockapoo 🤦🏼♀️
Who's watching 'Britains top 100 dog breeds live' on ITV? Spencer approves!
#keepinghimquiet #bingewatching #britiansfavouritedogbreeds
Fun was had by all today at Rosie and Bobby's play date ❤️ Rosie zoomed round like a crazed whirlwind, and Bobby did his best to keep up 🐾🐾 we had 2 very sleepy puppas afterwards
#cockapoo #bordercollie #playmates #chaseme #doggydate
Scarlett and Booshka loved running around while the snow started falling today! Glad that puddle wasn't big enough for Scarlett to take a mud bath in 🙈❄️
#snowdogs #staffsky #choccylab #mudfacial
Rosie loves being a dog 🐶💖
#naturalinstincts #naturalbehaviours #kindtraining #funtraining #cockapoo #speeddemon
Can your dog respond to cues in all different situations??
Unlike us, dogs don't generalise well. If a dog learns how to 'sit' in the living room, it doesn't necessarily mean that the dog knows how to sit in the kitchen, or the garden, or on a walk. To solidify your dogs learning, you must practice each cue in all different environments. Different rooms in the house, the garden, on a walk, in the fields, at friends houses, in the car...
Rosie and I did some training on our walk today. We practiced some simple cues on a pavement with light traffic going past. She did really well ❤️
#cleverpup #cockapoo #dogtrainerlife #contextuallearning
It's that time of year again...the pavements are coated in leaves and all the dogs want to do is play in them 🙈 So let them! There is so much enrichment in a pile of leaves. So many interesting smells, textures, noises! They'll "leave" happy, relaxed and warn out 💖 pun intended 😂 (sorry!)
#funwalks #toomuchfun #canineenrichment #cockapoo
Pet sitting dairy ❤️ 🐕🐈🐈
What a pleasure to look after these guys while their mum and dad were away 😊 they were all so well behaved and never failed to make me smile. Bobby, the beautiful border collie, is such a character. He loves nothing more than playing with his toys and running around a big, open field. The cats just wanted a lap! 💕
#petsittingdiary #summerholiday #bordercollie #kittycats #petsitterlife
Pet sitting this cheeky one this week ❤️ Bobby is such a gorgeous boy! As you can see, he loves his toys 🐕
#petsitter #bordercollie #playtime
The girls love exploring along the canal. So many interesting smells and even the odd duck to watch 🦆
#canineenrichment #theadventuresofscarlettandbooshka #staffsky #choccylab #canalwalks
Spencers summer holiday diary 🐕
He's not been able to do too much since we've been away due to hot temperatures and his joints playing up. But today the temperature dropped, so we took the opportunity for an outing! We took him in a sight seeing tour on this little train and then on a boat, meaning he didn't have to walk too far. As you can see, he LOVED it 💕 we did squeeze in a run on the beach and a dip in the sea before home time.
#canineenrichment #cantwalkwontwalk #trainride #beachpooch #summerhols
Rosie and Barnaby are both part spaniel (cockerpoo and springador). What do spaniels do best?? SNIFF!
It's so important to let dogs use their natural instincts. These guys love a snuffle, so we incorporate that into their walks. Both of them love a treat search in new locations with new smells to investigate. Snuffling for treats in close proximity to traffic creates positive associations with these strange noises. Using boxes and crinkly paper for a snuffle feed also builds confidence. You can actually see them relaxing and calming down when they're snuffling, so a little treat search works wonders if they get a bit over excited during a walk!
Research your dogs breed. What behaviour characteristics are they bred for? Are they bred to do a certain job?
Use these behaviours to your advantage by allowing your dog to use their natural instincts. Incorporate these behaviours into training. Play games when out and about. You're dog will feel happier and relaxed if allowed to do what they do best 💗
A new, enclosed, dog-safe paddock in the Bradnop area. Perfect for recall training or just letting your dog run free 🐕 Paddocks For Paws book and pay online...then drive straight in!
We booked an early slot yesterday while temps were cool so the girls could have a run. Booshka (husky x Staffie) is an amazing escape artist!! She can't be let off lead as she can sniff out livestock from miles away! As you can see, she loved stretching her legs and having the freedom to explore.
Scarlett had a fab time building her confidence in the paddle pools and bobbing for chicken! She's such a happy lady 💗
The Adventures of Scarlett & Booshka 🐕🐕
#theadventuresofscarlettandbooshka #securedogfield #freedom #exploring #doggypaddle
How are your doggies coping with the heat? Are they bored being stuck at home?
Take them on a SNIFFARI 🐕👃💗
Spencer's suffering with a double whammy at the moment - not only is he bored being around the house, he's also suffering with his hips so on short walks anyway. He just LOVES sniffing EVERYTHING when we go out. So today, I brought the outside to him 🌿 I collected bits of grass, straw, ferns, sticks and rocks from various locations while dog walking this morning. I even included the clothes I'd been wearing which smelt of all the other dogs.
He spent a good 10 minutes intensely sniffing and exploring all the bits. As you can see, at the end he was totally warn out and relaxed 💕
#sniffari #canineenrichment #nature #naturalinstincts
Recall Wednesday!
Here's a short video of me and Bobby doing some focus work and recall training on our walk yesterday. I'll explain a few techniques to work on to develop a reliable recall. When just starting out with recall use a long line to keep your dog safe and under control. Once you are CERTAIN your dog will return when called they are ready to be let off leash, but training still needs to continue.
Click on the video to see it in full 👍
Firstly, you must be the most exciting rewarding thing in your dogs environment! Decide what your dog finds most rewarding (high grade treats, cuts of meat and cheese, a ball game, a squeaky toy, a game of chase... Please read my previous post (this afternoon) for some information on removing the leash.
1. Call and send away.
While walking your dog, take time to call your dog back to you, reward for returning, and then using your release cue to allow the dog to continue exploring or playing. If you only call your dog back to you at the end of a walk they will clock on to this! "I'm not returning because I don't want to go home yet!". So keep them guessing! Returning to you means nice things happen and doesn't necessarily mean play time is over.
While you're treating your dog it's a good idea to hold their collar/harness. Again, this shows the dog that a harness grab doesn't necessarily mean that the leash is going back on. This stops the dog from backing up every time you go to grab the collar/harness which will not only make your life easier, but will also keep your dog safe if you suddenly need control.
2. Hide and seek.
This is a great game and your dog will get so excited when they find you!! Its a great training tool for your dog to feel that excitement and euphoria when they find YOU. You'll find that your dog will look back for you more often on the walk to check you've not disappeared again! Having this attention from them makes recall much easier.
3. Chase me.
A fantastic game to play as you unleash your do
Bubbles bubbles bubbles 🤩🙌
#canineenrichment #springadorpuppy #mentalandphysical #pop
Carrying on with the snuffle feeding theme 🐕 It's my mums birthday today so I took advantage of all the left over wrapping paper. I scrunched up the paper with Spencer's breakfast and some tasty pieces of chicken. He loved snuffling around trying to work out how to get it out....and shredding the paper at the end 🙈
#cheapenrichmentideas #canineenrichment #snufflefeeding #happybirthdaymum
It's all about snuffle feeding today 💗 Barnaby's been showing some noise sensitivity recently and is in his second fear period. Its important to link potentially fearful situations with positive experiences to nurture a happy, confident dog.
Barnaby was fed his morning meal in a cardboard box filled with scrunched up paper. It gets him used to the noise of the paper when he's snuffling and enjoying his meal. Even just the actions to sticking his head into a new, small space can be daunting. He was a little weary of the box at first, but once he'd pulled out some paper to check it out he got stuck right in 💗 well done Barnaby! 🐕🌟
Rosie's holiday
Rosie's been to stay with us this weekend while her mum, dad, and sis visited family down south. We've had the best time 💗
Photoshoot by E.R Photography
#cockerpoopuppy #balloffluff #cuddlesallround #dogsitter #wereallwornout
**Sorry for wobbly filming, I was trying not to fall over (and failed...cue 1:05)**
I set up a small confidence course for Barnaby today. Confidence courses are great for all dogs, especially puppies or nervous dogs. They involve hiding treats in novel items to get the dog exploring them with confidence. I like to place mats on the floor to get the dog used to stepping on weird surfaces, using things for them to climb into, things for them to rummage in (boxes with paper packaging in are great as this rustles in their ears and builds confidence with noises), items involving water like bobbing for treats, and items to jump/climb over. Using everyday household items is perfect so the dog starts to build positive associations with them.
The only rule is 'never force your dog to do anything'. We may think we're helping by 'helping' a dog into the situation it's not sure about with treats, but would you be any less scared of a gun in your face if someone offered you ice cream? Let your dogs explore at their leisure and if they want to bypass an item that's fine. Maybe they'll feel up to it next time 💗
On our test run Barnaby was terrified of the brush. It's been standing up against a wall outside...but once it was lying on its side it was a different story! He avoided it at all costs at first, but as you can see he built the confidence to sniff it, then a little step over, and ultimately jumped it with ease!
#canineenrichment #buildingconfidence #springadorpuppy
