http://www.parkerandpooch.co.uk/

Parker and Pooch - Dog Training & Solo Walks, Todmorden (2025)

19/11/2025

SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO NOW…

What should you do when you're faced with an incoming off-lead dog?

For us folk who share our lives with dogs who aren't fans of other dogs, it's a question that we unfortunately have to navigate on a semi-regular basis.

Your options are varied, but they basically boil down to: 1) get the hell out of there, or 2) stay and mitigate the sh*tshow that’s about to unfold.

Let’s be honest, option 1 is rarely possible. And sometimes it’s not even the best option.

Like when me and dog walking doggo Juno were up on Heptonstall moor in the summer, and a dog rocked up out of nowhere, owner nowhere in sight. We tried walking in the opposite direction but he followed us - he just wanted to play, and he wasn’t taking Juno’s petrified barking and lunging as anything but a signal that she too was really really keen.

She was not.

But then lo and behold: the owner eventually appeared in the distance - in a panic to be fair - and called her dog back. Who ignored her, because who wouldn’t when you’ve found a new best friend 🤷‍♀️

And so even though every fibre of my being wanted to just get Juno out of there, the best thing to do was to walk towards the owner, so that the dog who was still harassing Juno would follow.

(Once we caught up with each other, we then had another 10 minutes of her trying to get a lead on her dog, during which time me and Juno still couldn’t leave, otherwise he would have just followed us again, but that’s a whole other saga we don’t have time for right now 🙈)

Long story short, sometimes you just have to deal with the sh*tshow.

But there ARE things you can do.

What you choose to do might depend on…

▶️ your dog - what they’re likely to do

▶️ the other dog - what they’re likely to do, which might be hard to figure out, but their body language and behaviour as they approach might give you some clues

▶️ the other owner - whether you can even see them, whether they’re paying attention, whether they look like they give a crap that their dog is approaching another dog

▶️ the environment - is there something you can use to create a visual barrier, or better still a physical barrier, between you and the other dog

Potential options:

⭐️ Shouting over to the other owner and asking them to call their dog back. Some people genuinely don’t realise that it’s not fair or sensible to let an off-lead dog approach an on-lead dog. Or they do understand, but just haven’t been paying attention to their dog and spotted what’s going on. (I’ve found that “please call your dog back” works much better than “please put your dog on a lead” as that seems to be more likely to get people’s backs up)

⭐️ If your dog is small enough, and it will make them feel better not worse, you can pick them up. The whys and wherefore of that are a post in itself, which is handy as it’s one I’ve written before:
https://www.facebook.com/ParkerAndPoochDogServices/posts/406624465447979

⭐️ Before now I’ve grabbed a dog by the collar and held onto them until their owner has arrived, and meanwhile let out Alice’s lead so she could move away and get the distance away she wanted. (I’m confident in judging whether this is a good idea or not - based on the other dog’s body language - but if you’re not, don’t). I’ve also tried doing this and the dog has run off because they didn’t want to get grabbed - great, job done.

⭐️ An umbrella to use as a barrier ?? I see this recommended sometimes. I don’t know how many hands these people have, but if you have a dog on a lead who is about to bark and lunge, I’m not sure which spare hand you’re using to open and wield the umbrella…. I would have thought you were much less likely to be able to remain in control of your dog doing this. Also one of them might get injured by the pointy bits, plus the novel sight might make the other dog more excited or scared, and become more volatile. Having said all that, if it works for you - go for it.

⭐️ Throw treats for the other dog ?? I see this recommended a lot. Again it feels like there’s more risks than benefits here - your dog may want to get to the treats too, then there’s a competition for resources and a potential escalation of the situation. Or if you do get away while the other dog is eating the food, they’re more than likely to run back to you looking for more snacks when they’ve finished.

⭐️ One thing I do love, and highly recommend, is an policeman's stop. A policeman's stop is when you stand tall with your arm/hand out in front of you like a policeman and yell “STOP”. It works best with bigger dogs and those approaching at sp*ed.

And you need to practise this when no-one is around, because I can guarantee you will feel like a dick doing it the first time 🤣 But I can also guarantee when you do it for real and the dog that’s charging towards you shudders to a halt, you will feel ten feet tall and downright invincible 💪👊

⭐️ And the other thing I do thoroughly recommend - even though it’s bloomin’ hard sometimes - is staying calm and not losing your 💩 with the other owner. Your dog will thank you for it, and it will make the whole situation less fraught. Not gonna lie, I don’t always manage this 🙄

What have I missed? What are your other go-to moves when the inevitable happens?

18/11/2025

Sometimes a walk turns out so bad it’s just funny.

I could see the armageddon-esque black sky coming from Bacup as me and Aslan (not his real name, but if you know, you know 😉) turned round for home.

The rain started again, with wind so strong it was whipping the drops against my face.

Aslan’s permanently waggy tail stopped wagging.

I called the weather a di****ad and he - clearly he was male today 🤣 - retaliated with hailstones.

Stabby stabby f*cking sideways hailstones.

Aslan ran and hid behind me bless him, so we had a little cuddle while the worst of it passed 🥰

And then we hotfooted it back to the car, apart from the bit when I stopped to take a selfie while he looked at me like what are you actually doing 🤷‍♀️

But you know what? I’d still rather be out there than sat behind a desk all day ❤️🤣

11/11/2025

And this is one of the many reasons why I love working with training clients on longer term programmes these days 🥰 Not everyone ends up working with me for as long as Lora and Helga did - but, having….

⭐️ the space and time (and support and guidance) to make real and lasting change for you and your dog
‌
⭐️ the chance to learn about your dog - what’s really going on for them and what makes them tick - and the opportunity to practise and develop your skills, all at a pace that works for you
‌
⭐️ someone to check in with along the way, troubleshoot any niggles in between sessions, celebrate the teeny tiny wins (that by the way, aren’t tiny at all) and commiserate with the not-so-great days too

… that’s where the magic happens 🤩

Want to find out more about working with me, and how I can help you?

Book in for a free call:
https://calendly.com/parkerandpooch/discovery-call

or

Send me a message on 07866 404866
https://wa.me/447866404866

or

Head to my website https://parkerandpooch.co.uk/
.. and let’s get you started 🤩

04/11/2025

The F word.

Let's talk about fireworks.

Even though I'd rather not, as I've had more than enough of them already.

But I've seen that much well-meaning and not-so well-meaning nonsense in facebook groups in recent days, this post has been bubbling away in my head and now it's going to have to explode out. Like a firework if you will.

I’m not expecting this to educate anyone who has a difference of opinion to me. Because - fun fact - that’s never happened a single time in the whole history of the internet.

What I am hoping it will do is to help some of those people who have spent the last few nights (or weeks, depending on where you live) - to remind you that it’s not your fault, and you’re not alone.

So, here goes.

If your dog is scared of fireworks, you didn't make them scared because you don’t like fireworks.

I’m just going to put that again in capitals in case you missed it the first time.

IF YOUR DOG IS SCARED OF FIREWORKS, YOU DIDN’T MAKE THEM SCARED BECAUSE YOU DON’T LIKE FIREWORKS.

If your dog ISN'T scared of fireworks, it might be because you put in the time and effort to get them used to the sounds they make.

And if you did that, all credit to you.

But there are also tonnes of people that did that and their dogs STILL ended up scared of fireworks.

And there are also tonnes of people that didn’t do that and their dogs DIDN'T end up scared of fireworks.

Then there’s also the: “I’ve had dogs all my life and none of them have been scared of fireworks - you just need to train them”

If you’ve had dogs all your life - and by the way, any time you start a sentence with “I’ve had dogs all my life and…”, the rest of the sentence isn’t scientific evidence, it’s just your anecdote. I’m not doubting that it’s true, but it’s not relevant or helpful to anyone else.

I digress.

If you’ve had dogs all your life and none of them have been scared of fireworks, then I envy you greatly for never having to witness a dog panting, drooling, and shaking, with their little heart beating so hard and so fast it feels like it’s going to pop out of their body.

But just because none of your dogs have been, it doesn’t detract from the reality that literally millions of dogs (and cats and horses and wildlife and vulnerable people) ARE scared of fireworks every single year.

And there is a whole lot more as to whether a dog is sensitive to noises, and how resilient they are to that sensitivity - than just whether you've “trained them not to be scared” or not.

Off the top of my head: genetics, the temperament and disposition of the parents, stressful experiences of the mum during pregnancy, early learning history, single event learning, breed characteristics, the presence of pain or discomfort … all these things and more can play a part.

So the fact that you’ve had dogs all your life and none of them have been scared of fireworks? It’s not because you’re a dog whisperer. It’s just that when you rolled the nature and nurture dice for each of your dogs, you hit a six each time. It's just that you were lucky.

It saddens me that some people are also still trotting out the “if you reassure them then you're reinforcing their fear” line…

If you don’t comfort a sentient being who is petrified, if you just ignore them while they scrabble and scratch at the door in desperate panic because they think it’s safer outside, if you just ignore them while they spin and twist on the other end of lead because you took them out for a walk before it got dark and then some f*cking numpty set off a rocket in broad daylight - well I don’t honestly think you should be responsible for that sentient being anymore. I don’t think you should be responsible for any sentient being. Or probably even for tying your own shoelaces. And you definitely shouldn’t be giving out advice to anyone else.

I’m not hating on fireworks. Ironically I actually love a good firework display - it’s just I haven’t been able to go to one for the best part of ten years because we can't leave Alice by herself.

(She was fine the first year we had her, she used to sit on the window sill and watch them, not a care in the world. The next time bonfire night came round, she didn't like them at all and she's been the same ever since, regardless of what we've tried. This year she’s not been as bad in the house when she hears them - I do think her hearing might be going a bit with old age - but outside it’s the worst she's ever been… she doesn't even want to go out for a wee in the morning anymore, and if I carry her out she just stands and trembles 😭)

I'm not a firework hater. But personally, I would prefer it if the sale of fireworks to the public was banned, and there were only displays run by professionals, so you knew when and where they would be on, and could make arrangements to avoid them. Like we did on Saturday night when we parked up on the moor for half an hour to miss the big display at the cricket ground.

Alice’s physio made a stunningly good point at the weekend. How do we live in a country where you have to demonstrate your competence before you’re allowed to use a ladder at work, but yet the general public can buy explosives and set them off in their back gardens? I would say sign a petition, but I’ve signed so many of them that make the rounds this time of year, I’ve lost faith that any such legislation is ever going to come into force.

So instead, we will continue to camp out in our bedroom each evening, as for whatever reason that's the room that Alice feels most comfortable in (thank god she didn't pick the bathroom 🙈) with the laptop turned up loud, meds from the vets and peanut butter laden lickimats at the ready. And wish the week away til Friday night, when we're going away to a cottage in the middle of nowhere on Anglesey.

Ooof I feel better for writing / ranting that 🤣 I hope some of you feel better for reading it 🥰

30/10/2025

If I had a pound for every time someone said to me “I'm thinking of getting a puppy, what breed should I get?” … well I wouldn't be a millionaire but I would have a LOT of spare change for parking.

But I'll be honest, I hate being asked that question. Because all I can think of is breeds they shouldn't get 🙈

Because depending on: their lifestyle, their home environment, their family situation, their available free time, their commitment to ongoing training, what they really want from having a dog in their life… depending on all those things - there are usually WAY more breeds I can think of that they shouldn’t get, than ones that they maybe should.
‌
So, with that in mind - here are some top tips of mine if you ARE thinking about getting a puppy:
‌
1. Don't get a spaniel

(Pause while I take cover from all the spaniel lovers… But if you do love spaniels, you will know EXACTLY why if someone doesn’t know what sort of puppy they want - they probably don't want a spaniel)

2. If you disregard tip #1, then tip #2 is go work with a dog trainer who specialises in spaniels BEFORE you start getting into any issues with your pup

My recommendation would be the amazing Gemma at Wutheringhounds (who is actually an expert on all things gundog, not just spaniel)

3. Don't get a border collie

(Pause while I take cover from all the collie lovers… But just like tip #1: if you do love collies, you will know EXACTLY why if someone doesn’t know what sort of puppy they want - they probably don't want a collie)

4. If you disregard tip #3, then tip #4 is go work with a dog trainer who specialises in collies BEFORE you start getting into any issues with your pup

My recommendation would be the brilliant Ellen at The Urban Herder - Herding Breed Specialist who lives and breathes collies

5. If you listened to tips #1 and #3 and you got any other sort of breed of puppy instead - well done, go to top of the class 🥳 - and then follow tip #5, which is go work with a dog trainer BEFORE you start getting into any issues with your pup (are you sensing a theme here … 😉)

My recommendations would be the awesome Lizzy at Barkin' Mad and Cat at Cat And Dogs, both of who do 121s as well as classes for puppies.
The eagle eyed amongst you will have noticed that I didn't mention me 🤔

And that's because - despite the fact that they are possibly the cutest thing on the planet - I don't work with puppies anymore. Just not my bag 🤷‍♀️

What I do love doing: is working with those dogs that despite your best efforts, are struggling with the world, or maybe they're just fine with the world but you're struggling with them 🥰

The ones that pull you from pillar to post on walks, the ones that bark and lunge at other dogs, the ones that are too busy chasing squirrels to hear your frantic calls 🫣 That make you: hide behind cars to avoid other dogs or people, wish the ground would swallow you up after they've kicked off, and generally dread walk time 😭
So if that’s you, and you want to find out more about how I can help?

Head to my website https://parkerandpooch.co.uk/

or

Book in for a free call with me
https://calendly.com/parkerandpooch/discovery-call

or

Send me a whatsapp
https://wa.me/447866404866

and let’s get chatting 🤩

28/10/2025

Maybe it's the map geek in me, but is there anything better than finding a footpath sign that you don't know where it goes, and then going and finding out? 🤷‍♀️ Love a new walk… when I first started dog walking I found new routes all the time, but these days it’s a more of a rarity

After sitting in a ridiculously long traffic queue yesterday to pick up Tyra, and then having to cancel on poor Tess afterwards cos the 50 minute delay meant I didn’t have time after all that 😭 I feel like I deserved a cracking walk today, and that’s what me and Annie got 🤩

⭐️ Bonus points if you know where we were ⭐️

⭐️ Extra bonus points if you can guess which one of us spent most of our time sniffing all the sniffs coming in on the very breezy breeze, and which one of us ended up with a muddy arse after a not very graceful slide down some wet grass 🤣

22/10/2025

Things People Say That Really Get My Goat #8

"You need to show them who's boss"

I really don't think you do.

I have a theory. Now full disclosure - I do have a dog behaviour diploma, but I’m not a scientist. I do have a scientific theory though:

On the scale of domestication, dogs are somewhere between a child and a lion. Not a little human. Not a wild animal. Somewhere in between.

(Bare with me, I am making this up as I go along 🤔🤣)

I’d like to think we've moved beyond thinking we have to show children who’s boss - we don’t hit them anymore when they do something naughty. We know that children thrive and develop best when they feel they're in a safe supportive environment.

Another disclosure: I'm also not a zoo keeper. But I do know there's several good reasons why modern methods of handling wild animals are based on giving them choice and control. And I’m fairly sure that if you tried to show a lion who was boss, you’d realise very quickly why that was a terrible idea.

So… if we don't think that “showing them who's boss” is necessary or sensible for either children or wild animals - why on earth does anyone still think it makes sense for dogs?

Don't get me wrong, dogs need to learn that there are rules.

Everyone has different rules... off the top of my head, my key ones probably are:

🟠 Don’t p*e or poo inside, unless you can’t possibly help it

🟠 You can wake me up by bobbing your nose against mine (cos it's one of the cutest things you do) but you can't wake me up by jumping on my head

🟠 You can't have your tea til we've had our lunch

But we need to take the time to learn their rules too.

Alice's are many, but definitely include:

🟠 Don't stroke my tail

🟠 Don’t put the dishwasher on when I’m in the house

🟠 When I stand at the bottom of the stairs, it means I want you to carry me up to bed

If everyone understands and respects each other's rules, we're all good ❤️

But “Showing them who’s boss”? For the love of god please can we leave that one in the dark ages where it belongs 😭

17/10/2025

Last week I mentioned that I've recently made a change to the way I work with training clients.

And I thought I'd tell you about it - because even though I talk lots on here about dog training and the ethos of what I do, I never really talk about what I actually do and the way I work.

So…

In the past, I used to do pay-as-you-go training sessions and short packages - but having trialled some different options over the last few months - the only thing I’m offering now is a three month programme.

And what that gets you is all the stuff that’s listed below in the first pic.

But what it also gets you is this:

✅️ the space and time (and support and guidance) to make real and lasting change for you and your dog

✅️ the chance to learn about your dog - what’s really going on for them and what makes them tick - and the opportunity to practise and develop your skills, all at a pace that works for you

✅️ someone to check in with along the way, troubleshoot any niggles in between sessions, celebrate the teeny tiny wins (that by the way, aren’t tiny at all) and commiserate with the not-so-great days too

And then, not that long from now, you’ll be able to:

⭐️ walk your dog where you want, when you want… not tied to the same old familiar quiet routes at odd times of day when most other people won’t be out

⭐️ feel confident when you do see another dog (or any other sort of trigger) – because your dog probably won’t react, and even if they do, you’ve got simple strategies up your sleeve to respond with

⭐️ to know that your dog is living their best life again, and you’re finally living yours 🥰

So whether your dog is stressing you out with their constant pulling, their barking at other dogs, lunging at traffic, chasing cats and squirrels, all of the above, or anything else that’s making you dread walk times… if the programme sounds right for you and you'd like to know more - head to my website https://parkerandpooch.co.uk or drop me a message and let's chat 🤩

And if it doesn't sound right for you… stick around anyway for the dog training tips, the random rambly sometimes ranty thoughts that spill out of my head, and the pics of gorgeous doggos like this one ❤️ (who’s birthday it happens to be today, so happy birthday Tess my lovely 🥳)

09/10/2025

This video wouldn't look like much of anything to most people - just a dog mooching about on the moor…

But for Willow, and her awesome human, and me - it's flipping amazing 🤩

I started walking Willow two and a half years ago. From a pup she had struggled with hyper sensitivity and was easily overwhelmed by the smallest things. I remember that first walk together - I took her up to Sourhall as I knew we wouldn’t see a soul, and we could get to know each other in peace. But the big wide open space and all the smells were WAY too much for her. I learned my lesson quickly, and we stuck to more familiar routes closer to home.

But with Deb’s gentle perseverance, Willow’s confidence and resilience continued to grow, and bit by bit we made her world bigger. Then she got attacked by another dog, and we had to shrink her world once more. But gradually, she spread her wings again, and lately she’s made some massive steps in progress.

To the point that this week - I thought we’d try something bonkers. The road was closed where I planned to walk her on Tuesday, so on a whim, I thought we’d carry on up Bacup road to the wind farm. If she hated it, we’d come back down and find somewhere else to finish our walk.

Well she only went and nailed it 🥳

Huge wide open space, crackling pylons, gusts of wind, so many sniffs, noisy wind turbines appearing out of the mist… and none of it phased her at all. She was like a different dog from the one I first met a couple of years ago.

And this is why I love working the way I do - whether it’s training dogs or walking dogs - working with clients long term and building relationships... I don’t do adhoc dog walks, and recently I’ve made a change to the way I work with training clients too. I’ll tell you more about that next time… but for now, this video is a beautiful reminder - as if I needed one - of why I do what I do ❤️

Edit: I’ll put the video in the comments (as facebook has decided in its wisdom that you can only post videos as reels now) otherwise you wouldn’t have been able to read these words very easily 🙈

30/09/2025

Car swap and tunnel ticket finally sorted for Thursday 🥳

We do have our suspicions this whole thing has been orchestrated by the fluffy one… she was sporting a suspiciously dirty muzzle shortly after we discovered the leaking brake line - we didn’t check it for teeth marks, but maybe we should have 🤔

Having thoroughly completed her logistics research, she quickly identified the following (unforeseen to us) consequences:

✅️ Not being allowed on ferries if her humans were vehicle-less resolved her newly discovered issue of not liking ferries

✅️ She had to go to the pet shop to get a replacement seatbelt restraint as we left the other one in the van by mistake… a pet shop where she happened to find bones from I-don’t-even-know-what animal that were twice the size of her head

✅️ And then she booked the cutest little gite with a secure garden to laze in the sun offlead for her last few days in France, rather than slumming it being tethered to a van on a campsite

This saga would have been much simpler without a dog 🐾 But then where would we be without her? ❤️

24/09/2025

I'm a natural born worrier, and I worried about lots of things before this trip:

🙄 Whether Alice would get overwhelmed or stressed by being in new places all the time

🙄 Whether there would be too many dogs for her, especially at campsites where we couldn't just up and leave

🙄 Whether we'd end up accidentally walking her too much and making her arthritis worse

🙄 Or whether we'd not be able to walk very far and be restricted in what we could do

🙄 And whether it would be too hot to leave her behind in the van sometimes

Turns out van life suits her perfectly 💕

She's loved spending so much time outdoors, and she's settled so well at every single campsite, even the busier ones.

She's been grumpy with a few dogs, but just ignored most of them, even ones kicking off at her. (When the other dog starts it, she tends to look at them disdainfully like - “Moi? I would never lower myself to bark at other dogs 🤷‍♀️”) And she's actually had some lovely little sniffy hellos with a very select few 🥰

And finally - at the age of 12 (or 13, who knows) - she's become a dog that chills in bars and cafes 🥳 Often because she's been too tired to care, but I'll take that.
One thing I didn't worry about before we came away… the possibility of the van brakes failing mid-trip, and the repair job being estimated to take at least two weeks 🙈

I also didn't worry about discovering that you can't take a replacement hire car out of France, but neither can you take a dog on the Roscoff-Plymouth ferry as foot passengers 🙈

In fact you can't take a dog as foot passengers on any cross channel ferry (except Dieppe-Newhaven, which doesn't have dog-friendly cabins). Nor can you take a dog on Eurostar, or be a foot passenger on the tunnel 🙈

So the latest plan is to re-route via Calais instead, and see if we can either swap hire cars there (the AA say we can, I remain sceptical) or else get a pet taxi through the tunnel.

Anyhow, it's all part of the adventure 🌏

And there are lots of things to be grateful for:

⭐️ European breakdown cover for a start, otherwise this would have turned out to be a very expensive trip 😬

⭐️ Claire Kirkpatrick / Trio of Tails genius recommendation for a sling big enough for the fluffy one… especially a lifesaver yesterday when we had to walk nearly an hour to find a shop big enough to sell USB chargers so we had enough battery to keep ringing the AA call centre (because why would you think to bring a plug converter to France when you're going to be staying in a UK van 🤷‍♀️)

⭐️ And whether it's in a van or a B&B, I am very grateful that we've been able to spend all this time making memories with our little monster ❤️
[Pics of saying bye bye to the broken van two days ago, and then us having a snoozy cuddle this morning in Quillan while we waited for Chris to get a taxi all the way to Carcassone to pick up our hire car and then come back for us… dogs weren't allowed in taxis, dogs weren't allowed on buses, dogs are allowed on trains but they stopped running ten years ago 🤣]

19/09/2025

Would it be so hard to just look at me both at the same time 🤷‍♀️

Parker and Pooch - Dog Training & Solo Walks

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