Mid Wales Dog Training

03/03/2025

Thinking about getting a Doodle, Cockapoo or any Poodle mix? Have you been told they "don't need grooming until 1yrs old" or "coat maintenance is easy"?

*PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING piece written by a groomer..in the pic that's known as a pelted coat /Pelting. A dog’s fur gets so matted & tangled it will come off in one piece. It's outs tension on the skin, can damage the skin causing horrible infections and sometimes renders the dog helpless,unable to move and it can then cause fatality
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Poodle crosses (cockapoos, doodles, maltipoos etc.) are not "easy breeds" to maintain. The photo attached (shared from another groomer) shows how matting forms at the skin. By looking at this dog's top coat, you may not see the knots and you may not feel them as you would a knot on the ends of the fur but under that fluffy top layer this is going on. Once it starts its very difficult/ impossible to brush out... and even if you could it would be cruel to put the dog through it. Maintenance at home has to be more than a quick once over for these dogs if you want to keep them in that fluffy coat which was probably one of the reasons you chose a poodle cross in the first place. You really need to sit down with a brush and then a metal comb and make sure you can get it through the entire body at least 2 to 3 times a week.

I often feel like owners don't believe groomers when they say their dog has to be clipped very short. I always hear "I know he/she is matted, but leave as much as you can". You cannot clip through matting, you can only clip under it. As this photo shows, clipping under the matting means taking the coat back to the skin.
I promise you, your groomer really doesn't want to do this but they won't hurt your dog by putting it through dematting, they also don't want to hurt their reputation when the clients go around complaining about how the last groomer "scalped" their dog but there really is not any alternative. Instead of being angry with your groomer if they clip your dog very short please respect their commitment to do what is in your dog's best interest, accept responsibility for not having brushed your dog properly at home, and work with your groomer because, together, you can prevent this happening again. All groomers will be very happy to demonstrate a technique called line brushing which will help make your grooming at home more effective. Just ask! We all want owners to know how to do this

Poodle crosses are easily one of the highest maintenance dogs in reference to their coats. The combination of the soft coat they are mixing poodles with these days is a coat that is extremely prone to matting.

If you like a fluffy pup, you probably need to consider no more than 3-5 week intervals between grooming and set aside time for regular brushing AND combing at home.

Please know, if you bathe your poodle cross you really need to blow dry and brush out right after. Moisture, be it a bath, rain, swimming, snow etc are all going to make matting worse. If you know your dog is already matted-- bathing is only going to make it worse! Brush out before the bath.

Lastly "breeders" who say these dogs can't or shouldnt be clipped and not to give them a hair cut until they are one year old are misleading potential owners in order to sell$$$$ puppies and setting them up for a sad day when they finally take their pup to the groomer!!!

If this hasn't put you off buying one please schedule your puppy's first groom immediately after they've had their vaccinations and then be prepared to do the maintenance at home between regular professional grooms.

02/03/2025

Support people in social housing

25/02/2025

Veterinarians have observed that animals facing euthanasia often exhibit confusion and fear, desperately searching for their owners – the familiar faces they rely on.

It's heartbreaking to imagine the added fear and confusion they might experience if their beloved human, their source of comfort, suddenly leaves the room during this already frightening procedure.

While it's a common and understandable impulse to want to shield ourselves from the pain, and many owners find incredibly difficult to be present during euthanasia, I urge you to consider your pet's perspective.

I totally understand the emotional struggle. It's sad and painful to witness your pet's death, I can tell you. But think of the comfort your presence can provide them. Your voice, your touch, your familiar scent – these can be anchors for your pet during a frightening and unfamiliar experience.

Don't let their last moments be filled with confusion and a sense of abandonment. Stay with them. Hold them. Whisper your love like a lullaby. Let them know they are not alone and say, "We will see again." A promise whispered from your heart to their heart.

The unconditional love they gave you is worth every bit of this heartache.

Image Source: Unknown

We Are Human Angels
Authors
Awakening the Human Spirit
We are the authors of 'We Are Human Angels,' the book that has spread a new vision of the human experience and has been spontaneously translated into 14 languages by the readers.

We hope our writing sparks something in you! See less

25/02/2025

This is an X-ray of a dog’s bent front leg. See that tiny white spec? That’s a microchip! It has migrated down the leg....far from where it was inserted, between the dog’s shoulders. This is actually quite common.....

When lost pets are scanned, the entire body SHOULD be scanned to catch any that have migrated. But, as an owner, IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY AT THEIR YEARLY VET EXAM, to ask for a quick scan to make sure that: (1) the chip is still working, (2) the location of the chip is good, and (3) that the chip info is correct.

Remember microchips save lives and reunite families with their pet.... just have it checked regularly!

23/02/2025

Can you help locate this ? An adult male Chihuahua named piglet and missing on the grand union Canal Harfield March 2024 please watch the witness appeal video there is a link in the bio above thank you.

23/02/2025

DIY PALLET DOG BED...what a great idea I saw on the tedooo app & looks so easy to make!

23/02/2025

21/02/2025

HIP DYSPLASIA and using progeny test data wisely - without sacrificing character and conformation.

THE way to seek to improve hips is to hip score all breeding stock and as many litter mates as possible. The fact that a dog is not used for breeding does not mean that his records would not be useful information to the breeder.

Having scored breeding stock, one should seek to mate suitable animals that are as low in scores as one can get without sacrificing character and conformation. Then, as more of his progeny becomes available, one should modify one’s use of a sire (or dam) in the light of what the progeny are doing hip wise. Table shown here - shows the results for BMD sires with 10 or more progeny scored.

Reliability increases with progeny number and those sires with 20 plus progeny are more reliable than those with around the 10 mark. Look for a low progeny mean and a high percentage in the low categories of score and low percentage in the high categories.

The * indicates I have a score sheet for the dog (the sire). Progeny relates to progeny scored and dams to different dams with a Best and Worst being the progeny range seen. As intervals, I will publish updates with more detailed progeny. This listing gives an idea of what we look for and shows the range of progeny that can be seen.

(MB Willis extract 2000)

HEDW 2025

17/02/2025

✨Did you know that if you have a pacemaker, you can include it in your Will to be donated to a dog in need after you pass away?
Although pacemakers cannot be used for another human, they can help dogs with heart problems and potentially save their lives. You can arrange for the pacemaker to be sent to a vet of your choice.
Many pacemakers are simply thrown away, and dogs may die because people do not know about this option.
Donating the pacemaker can even save the dog's owner the cost of a new one, which can sometimes make a crucial difference in affording life-saving treatment.

17/02/2025

NO UNWANTED LITTERS, we all agree with that goal; it's the surgical technique that should be reevaluated. Hysterectomy and vasectomy can be performed as early as 8 weeks of age with no negative side effects, rendering dogs sterile AND hormonally balanced.

Study: "A systematic review was conducted based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. In March 2023, peer-reviewed articles were collected from three databases (CAB direct, Web of Science, and PubMed). […]

Results: Of 232 articles obtained from the initial database search, 13 articles were found to meet the inclusion criteria. Six out of the thirteen papers selected found no evidence of a protective effect of early spaying against mammary tumour development."

17/02/2025