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Smartstart Dog Training Mantrailing, Scentwork and Puppy Training Courses and Online Breeder Courses and Puppy Owner Courses

30/01/2025

Licensing Review LIVE

28/11/2024

CIDBT - Ross on Why the RIGHT breed is so important.....

27/11/2024

Temperament Testing via DNA

26/11/2024

How does this effect us as breeders?

National Dog Breeder Convention 24

www.pupstartsbreeders.com

25/11/2024

www.pupstartsbreeders.com

14/11/2024

Not long now until National Dog Breeder Day, and the National Dog Breeder Convention.

National Dog Breeder Day is a day that provides a platform for all those breeders out there that are ethical, responsible, perform health and temperament testing and provide whole life care for the puppies they breed, and do you know what? There are lots of them out there! Sadly they are drowned out by the noise of the puppy farmers, the back yard breeders and those people who just want to breed one litter because "it's a nice thing to do".

The convention, is in it's fourth year this year and we have a brilliant line up, from vets to behaviourists, who are joining us to share their knowledge and expertise with the breeding community.

We will be talking about Immunity, the Pet Abduction Bill, DNA Testing for Temperament, Breeder & Owner Communication, Breed Selection and Kids & Dogs and I literally can't wait!

It is about education, community and growth.

If you are a dog owner, dog lover, pet professional or of course a breeder then please join us for a week of magic! It is completely free and you can jump in here:

https://pupstartsbreeders.com/national-dog-breeder-convention/

25/11/2023

Today is a special day… BIG shout going out to all those breeders who are ethical, responsible, and put welfare first when breeding the dogs of our future. ❤️

Help me to celebrate their excellence today and support this movement by tagging a quality breeder and sharing this post!

17/09/2023

This week's news surrounding XL Bullies is yet another example of legislation, that in my opinion, will not be fit for purpose.

To bring positive change to the entire canine sector particular attention needs to be paid to the education and knowledge that goes into the breeding decisions that ultimately affect all dogs, across all breeds. It also affects the lives of the humans that those dogs live with and interact with.

The past and present learning, the environment, the genetics, and close analysis of the individuals being used as breeding animals are all factors that have to be considered prior to breeding a litter.

There are still far too many litters of puppies, being bred without the significant breeding decisions being taken into consideration. From both a health and temperament perspective many, many breeders have no real clue about the ripples their breeding choices make.

When we consider the potential implications of this, especially when we are talking about a breed as powerful as XL Bullies, it comes as no surprise that tragic accidents happen.

We all know there are good and bad in all breeds, and anyone who owns a Bull breed will vouch for their unwavering love and devotion to their people. However, anyone who has been bitten by a Bull breed will have a different tale to tell. I have been both.

Just as not all Bulldogs are aggressive, not all Bulldog owners are thugs and not all Bulldog breeders are criminals, so I refuse to engage in those conversations.

This legislation is a broad brush stroke, and I fear that once again, just as it was with Pitbulls, it is the canines that will be the casualties.

It feels like a sticking plaster to patch over the wider problem that is yet to be tackled effectively. That problem being illegal, ill educated, unscrupulous, breeding practices that continue to happen day in and day out.

Stamping out a breed will not solve this problem.

Actively investing in the prevention of these back street breeding practices is how we protect all dogs and their humans for the future.

It is time for change. ✋

04/11/2022

Hey guys... please copy and paste the text below, into your breeding groups, training groups, owner groups... if your people love dogs, then they are most welcome!

⭐️ I’m attending the National Dog Breeder Convention and you can too!

This is your special invitation to the National Dog Breeders Convention 2022!

The National Dog Breeders Convention is especially for Breeders, enthusiasts, and pet professionals to get together for a virtual conference that will change the lives of dogs everywhere.
Not only will you be able to expand your knowledge and skills to be the best breeder you can be at this convention, but you'll also get PDR. This is a similar thing to CPD, which you may be familiar with.

And the best part? Attendance is FREE!

Don't forget the 21st-25th November at 7.30pm each night!
Grab your spot here!

pupstartsbreeders.com/national-dog-breeder-day/ ⭐️

The National Dog Breeder Convention is on 21st-25th November, culminating in a celebration of ethical breeders on National Dog Breeder Day on the 25th November.

12/08/2022

I hold my hands up! It was a tech disaster! I was mortified at the time, and felt hugely embarrassed, but hey, we soldiered on and had a great evening in zoom instead of the planned FB LIVE!

Thanks for baring with me on that, c**k ups happen everyone!

For those of you who missed the launch, here is your link to the FREE program.

www.thepuppypie.co.uk

Whether you are a breeder, pet professional or an owner this is a fabulous tool designed to help navigate people to the right breed.

Understanding the expected behaviours of a breed deepens the level of understanding for owners prior to purchase, and for people who are struggling to understand why they dog behaves in particular ways. The Puppy Pie sets expectations at the right level, and stops dogs being homed to the wrong families.

We all want to see less dogs in rescue, so share your slice of The Puppy Pie, far and wide!

I am signing off after a long, hot week! Enjoy the sunshine guys,

Much love,

Rebecca ###

11/08/2022

I've got ONE question...
Who's joining me for The Puppy Pie launch?? 🥧
A FREE program that helps new owners understand and consider the 'ingredients' for their perfect “Puppy Pie” before welcoming that puppy into the family.
Let me know in the comments if you're joining me!
Date: TODAY! (Thursday, 11th August)
Time: 7.30pm
Location: In The Whelping Box Facebook group! 👇
https://www.facebook.com/groups/899891920620854

14/07/2022

https://www.facebook.com/462964430523283/posts/2376604892492551/?d=n

16/05/2022

Really interesting study… how many of our dogs “shake it off”…

https://youtu.be/J6f4P-m6N3A

23/03/2022

Happy National Puppy Day!

Lets see your beautiful babies!

24/01/2022

I am excited to be releasing tickets for the first bundle in a series of webinars we are bringing to you in 2022!
We will be covering:
👉🏻 The Importance of Semen Analysis
👉🏻 AI versus Natural Matings
👉🏻 Progesterone versus Cytology
Interested in the nuts and bolts of the mating process? Then this series is for you!
Each session will be around 1.5hrs long, with a Q&A session at the end of each topic. These webinars will be packed with crucial information that you guys need when breeding dogs.
Following her popular LIVE on Cytology we have asked Rebecca Macpartland back to teach you more! Rebecca is an experienced Reproduction Practitioner and owner at Shropshire K9.
It is only £99 for all three, you will be hosted in a private zoom room that you will receive the link for once purchased!
They will be held on the the 28th of Jan, Feb and March 2022 7pm.
If you can’t make any of the dates, don’t worry, we will send you recording so you don’t miss out!
Grab your spot, limited spaces available!
https://pupstartsbreeders.thinkific.com/courses/canine-reproduction-webinar-series

Three part webinar series on Canine Reproduction

17/01/2022

Sally is LOVING these new fish flakes from Fish4Dogs… I love making sure she has plenty of brain food and joint lubricant for her ling term health and well being and she just Can’t get enough of them! I literally add a pouch to her Fish4Dogs kibble. It keeps her dinners interesting too 😊

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Monday	09:00 - 17:00
Tuesday	09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday	09:00 - 17:00
Thursday	09:00 - 17:00
Friday	09:00 - 17:00

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http://www.smartstartdogtraining.co.uk/

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Love this doggo! 💥

What a day! We had a blast searching the school for stashed drugs 😜 Teaching our teams to work “together” for a better outcome, a more fulfilling type of search/indicate/reward system that highlights play and connection between dog and handler 😍 Huge thanks to Ali Harper-Dudding for sorting the venue. Top job Mrs! And to Victoria Robinson for unleashing the beasts ♥️ You were all mega. I can’t wait for the next one 😍 #bringingonthefunstuff #playplayplay #finditfido #smartstartdogtraining #scentwork #whereisthatball?

One of the search teams in the chopper! Go River and Joleen Carter! Looking awesome there girlies! Astrid Lowe check this beauty out! #puppygrownup #swdi #smartstartdogtraining #surreysearchdogs #yelldog

For those of you who are curious about Scentwork and think it maybe too difficult or complicated for your dog have a look at this... these guys are literally looking for their ball! But they are looking through their noses! It is a natural behaviour, that our dogs love to do and it is far more effective for zapping energy on our more energetic breeds than trying to satisfy them with walking lots. For those of you with puppies who need limited exercise it is also a fabulous way to stimulate their mind, whilst preserving their bodies!

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My story.....

Hey! I want to welcome you to my site and take some time to explain to you a bit about the dogs that have shaped my knowledge and experience so far. Anyone who works with animals will tell you that you do not learn about animals in a book or a classroom. You learn about animals by working alongside them. I have been fortunate enough to have spent my adult life surrounded by dogs and I wouldn't have it any other way. So, before I get my metaphoric soapbox out, pour a cuppa and put your feet up! This is how Smartstart began....

My family are not "doggy" people and as a child I hankered after a dog of my own. Eventually, after years of nagging my Mother relented and bought me Gizmo the Shih Tzu. He was my best friend. I walked him for miles, so much so that I lost loads of weight, got fit and my PE teacher from school phoned homed asking if I was anorexic! He was my shadow and I adored him. He taught me about dedication and responsibility, we had such fun together.

Being a Londoner I jumped at the chance to undertake my work experience at Battersea Dogs Home. I can honestly say that the time I spent there opened my eyes, broke my heart and exposed me to "the other side" of the dog world.

Errol was a 2 year old Staffordshire Bull Terrier. He had been a stray, and he had been in the kennels for a while. He was dog aggressive and anxious around men. He had little in the way of basic training and was a strong, muscled ball of energy. No one wanted him. Although Battersea Dogs Home do all they can to address issues with the dogs they have, they were, and still are, overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of unwanted dogs. Errol's issues were deemed too ingrained to be able to rehome him and Errol was put to sleep. He walked out of his kennel for the last time, wagging his tail and he was dead a few minutes later. No fuss, no drama, the end.

Errol had been failed on a number of levels. He was bred without thought for his long term well being, raised with no effort to socialise him and so his mental stability as an adult was compromised. Errol was then sold to an inappropriate and likely ill prepared owner. Finally Errol was dumped when it all got a bit difficult and they could no longer cope with a "problem dog".

By the age of 16, I had seen the good, the bad and the ugly. I set up a Pet Care company, and for 5 years cared for dogs while their owners worked; I walked them and trained them. It was then that I was contracted to run the London Borough of Waltham Forest's Dog Warden Service.

I spent my days chasing after stray dogs, trapping and neutering cats and kittens, I rescued a heron from a skip, helped the fire brigade get a horse out of a canal, seized and rehomed 7 iguanas, carried out the licence inspections on all boarding and quarantine kennels in the borough and inspected the pet shops including one that held a dangerous wild animals licence for a cayman crocodile that they housed in a huge glass tank in the roof of the building!! I headed up the early microchipping campaigns, dog fouling projects and of course handled the strays that were never claimed. In those days microchips were not compulsory, and strays had 7 days in which to be claimed. After those 7 days were up the dogs had to be found an alternative placement. That could be at a breed specific rescue, with voluntary fosterers, privately rehomed or they went to Battersea Dogs Home for further assessment and rehoming. I successfully rehomed over 45 dogs via my network of friends and colleagues. There is one in particular that I want to tell you about.

Alfie was a seven month old Border Collie who found himself in an East London kennel having been signed over to the Dog Warden Service by his owners who could not cope with him. He was in the kennels and day 7 was approaching. I had tried every avenue, all doors were closed except Battersea and I knew he would not cope there, never mind pass the assessment for rehoming. He had such life in those amber eyes, such vigour and intention. It was a no brainer. I took him home.

I worked with him for a period of a few months, re balancing his view on the world. I knew I could not keep him forever. That would deny the next "Alfie" a chance at life and there would always be another "Alfie". I wanted a quiet, but mentally stimulating home for him, with someone who would bond with him, accept him for what he could offer (which was a whole heap of aggro!) and love him anyway. Enter Harvey. A 30 something single male who was an experienced dog owner. He was looking for a "best mate" to accompany him to work, a dog he could train and love and spoil. Bingo! I think at this point I will save you all mushy stuff, but needless to say the rehoming went well. A little too well actually. Harvey and I were married 3 years later! I got the man, and the dog back!

Married life took us to Shropshire, where we now live. We have raised our children here and my dog journey has continued. Reflecting and linking the "standout" events of my early career I have concluded that the only way to tackle the continuous flow of unwanted dogs is to break the cycle. The Errols and the Alfies of this world, to name only two, deserved more. They deserved to be wanted, they deserved to be educated, they deserved to start their lives properly.

I have been breeding puppies and raising them using tried and tested socialisation techniques for over 15 years now. My puppies are bred from parents who have undergone selective health and temperament testing. My litters are then raised with love and science to ensure they are prepared for the world. They are then homed to well prepared owners, who have appropriate homes and lifestyles for a dog. They leave for their new homes having the "back up" of my promise that they will never have an uncertain future like Errol and Alfie did.

I have formed Smartstart Dog Training to complete the loop. I want to help breeders breed and raise better puppies. I want to help owners continue that essential good work through the formative months and then encourage owners to use Scentwork to naturally stimulate and fulfil their dogs mentally to ensure their longer term health and well being. I have long come to understand that you will not stop irresponsible dog breeding practises and a lot of what goes on is ignorance rather than intentional cruelty. I feel that the time has come to shape and educate the industry for the good of the dogs within it. I want to raise the bar.

My ethos around dogs and dog training is a fairly simple one. You get out, what you put in. Maximum effort in the early days and weeks results in endless gain for the years that follow. I hope you enjoy the journey as much as we do.

There are many dogs that have walked across my heart, but I want to thank Gizmo, Errol and Alfie. You were all such great mentors. You will change the lives of many dogs as result of just simply being you.