The Dog Walking Company

03/05/2024

Hope everyone has a good weekend. Good time to see the bluebells. Here is Teddy taking in the scent 😄💙

29/04/2024

I had a fab weekend looking after the lovely Liffey. Had some nice walks around the village, fields and to Birling gap 💕💚

26/04/2024

15th hour walk done for the week. Here are a few happy faces 💚🐶💗🌲

19/04/2024

New pup Archie 🤗 Dave having a chill out 😌 & rolling hills. Just a little snapshot of this week. Enjoy your weekends 💚

16/04/2024

Yay my favourite time of year! 💙💙💙

13/04/2024

I’ve been cat sitting this weekend but have also been feeding the local wildlife that visits her garden. Fox, hedgehog and badger!! How wonderful 😃 🦊🦡🦔

06/04/2024

Did you know walks with the Dog Walking Company are generally decompression walks? All my walks take place in the countryside with the same small group of doggie friends. This means dogs are able to relax & have time to do a LOT of sniffing.

Of course many of my dogs love to run and play with each other, but between these bursts of energy, there is plenty of time to be mentally stimulated and decompress.

Decompression walks engage their senses which can be enriching and exciting, but still calming too. A sniff-cantered walk also reconnects dogs with their nature of being hunting and working dogs. Walking in forests is proven to release endorphins and lower cortisol levels in people, so imagine what it does for your dog! 🌳🌲💚

05/04/2024

Friday morning funny photo. Lucy at the front doesn’t look too impressed 😆💚

28/03/2024

Well, I can’t quite believe it’s been 20 years I’ve been walking Dogs at the dog walking Company! Thank you to Cathy who took me on age 21. 20 years later, I own the business which I have done for the last 10 years. I wonder if I’ll still be doing this in another 20 😄Thank you to my wonderful customers whom without you, I would not be able to continue my journey. Looking after your animals is a real gift. 💚🐾

13/03/2024

What a better day for walking! 💚🐕

09/03/2024

I have seen so many sad videos on social media recently of dog trainers working with anxious and reactive dogs. These trainers are dragging dogs towards their trigger and only allowing the dog to move away when they offer desired behaviours. Some dog trainers have the cheek of convincing clients that this is positive reinforcement. In reality, this is negative reinforcement, which simply means to remove a unpleasant or aversive stimulus ( reducing exposure to feared trigger) to strengthen or increase a desired behaviour.( In this case calmness around the trigger)

Fully exposing a dog to something they fear and expecting them to learn how to cope is a very controversial training method called flooding. Flooding is forcing an animal or person to be in the proximity of a feared stimulus without any option to escape or end the situation. Flooding is considered an effective therapy in people but there's a significant issue that needs to be addressed. People can give consent to this training, but dogs can't. They don't have the option to take breaks or beg for the training to stop. Their options are twofold: Continue to react fearfully or emotionally shut down.

Worse yet, punishment is often added to the mix by applying pain and discomfort to speed up the process. What you're left with is a dog that has learnt you don't make them feel safe, the trainer causes pain, horrible things happen in the presence of the trigger and there's no point communicating how they feel.

This is known as learned helplessness, a phenomenon observed in people that have been held captive against their will, for prolonged periods. They've tried escaping so many times and failed, so when the option to escape presents itself, they are unable to do it. They have emotionally shut down and are not capable of helping themselves. In dogs, people often see this as a calm dog because the dog is magically not barking and lunging anymore. In reality, the relationship and the dog's resilience, has been decimated, and it's only a matter of time until the guardian appreciates the real fallout of flooding.

Ironically, flooding is commonly used by unqualified dog trainers to address anxiety and reactivity, but it often sensitises dogs to their triggers to an even worse degree. It's a very much sink or swim situation, and often dogs figuratively drown.

So, If a dog trainer tells you that your dog needs to "face their fear", or "get over it", see it as a red flag and find a trainer or behaviourist that is qualified to offer what your dog deserves, stress management, systematic desensitisation and counter conditioning.

Remember, when we force dogs to face their fears, we remove everything they need to conquer them . -Holly Leake

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09/03/2024

Only took a few photos this week. It was lovely to have dry weather! Rain or shine, all our walks are an hour long & your dog is always in the company of other friendly dogs 😌

04/03/2024

I wanted to share Ruby’s story with you. The first photo is when Ruby was picked up off the streets in Romania. The second photo shows her enjoying the rolling hills of Sussex! Her pet parents have given Ruby a wonderful life and I’ve found her a pleasure to walk.

What a lucky girl she is. There are many doggies with similar stories out there. Ruby was rescued by Paws2rescue. Check them out 🐶

01/03/2024

Well what a wet and muddy week. Still enjoying the company of the dogs and getting out in nature though. Here’s Coco posing on a fallen tree ❤️

09/02/2024

Fridays last walk. Love them! 🥰 🌿

29/01/2024

Amazing view from up here this morning 😂

19/01/2024

Some faces (and bottoms!) from walks this week and also from the weekend dog sitting the lovely Rufus and Blu ☀️

16/01/2024

We were loving the blue sky today. Freddie was admiring it too 😄☀️

16/01/2024

Brrrr 🧊 bit cold this morning 🥶 Very pretty though 💙

10/01/2024

I used to walk Rebecca’s dogs. She’s so lovely and a fab photographer. Take a look at her page 👀 🐶

28/12/2023

https://veganuary.com/

Since 2014, Veganuary has inspired and supported more than 2.5 million people in 228 countries to try vegan for January - and beyond!

25/12/2023

Merry Christmas to my wonderful customers and followers of my page. This is my Binky, he’s 15 & a 1/2 and love’s Christmas and we love him.
We’ll be enjoying a Vegan Christmas roast later and spending time with this boy. Enjoy your day with family, friends and animals 💚💕

22/12/2023

That’s it for another year. Was a bit difficult at the end there with van troubles and sickness but a new start next year. I want to thank my amazing customers for letting me take care of your precious animals & for keeping me in a job I love. Thank you for all your cards, kind words and gifts 🥰

20/12/2023

Not only is my van still poorly but now I am too! Sorry to everyone I had to cancel today and yesterday. I’ve cancelled a few dogs tomorrow as I know I won’t be up for 4 walks but I’m hoping I’ll get to some of you. I’ll let you know if any different x

13/12/2023

❤️ A splash of colour on this dull morning ❤️

09/12/2023

PetRehomer. Fabulous rehoming charity for anyone thinking of adopting. The charity work with the current owner to find the perfect home, so you get to know a lot about the animal you are adopting.

There are so many innocent animals at the moment needing homes due to their owners financial situation.

There our thousands of puppies bought each year while thousands wait in rescues or have to be pts.

https://petrehomer.org/

07/12/2023

We walked up high this morning 😮‍💨

Every walk with the DWC is fun. We climb hills, trudge through forests and wander through woodland. Always an hour.

07/12/2023

So sad to hear the news of Benjamin Zephaniah. He was a massive animal lover. His turkey poem was one of my faves & appropriate as Christmas approaches 🦃

06/12/2023

Feeling grateful to live in such a stunning place! This morning was beautiful ☀️

05/12/2023

Aww great posing Eric! 🐶