Puppies & Moore (2024)

26/08/2024

Happy international dog day! 🐶

Please give your wonderful dogs some extra love from me today 🥰

19/07/2024

Are you or somebody you know getting a puppy this summer?

If so, you might like to take advantage of this summer offer!

10% off our popular puppy bundles which includes either:

Our 90 minute pre-puppy consultation+ our 90 minute puppy problem solving session + a 60 minute 1-2-1 training session

Or

Our 90 minute puppy problem solving session + 2 x 60 minute 1-2-1 training sessions.

If you’d like to know more about the individual services or to take advantage of the offer, please get in touch.

31/05/2024

Double trouble!

There is never a dull moment working with these two lovely chaps.

19/04/2024

This little cutie did so well at his first 1-2-1 training session.

We worked on:
-learning to respond to his name
-introducing a recall cue
-eye contact and focus on caregiver
-sit and down positions

05/04/2024

The dog you call stubborn might be:

-scared
-anxious
-confused
-distracted
-painful
-tired
-not motivated by the reward on offer

Before you label a dog ‘stubborn’ think about the reasons they might not be able to carry out the action you’re asking them to do.

Labeling them stubborn won’t help. Instead, start by making the task easier for them, trying in a different environment, or reconsider the reinforcement you’re using.

22/03/2024

Top tips for puppy’s first nights at home....

A puppy’s first few days in their new home can be a little worrying for them. They’ve been taken away from their mother, litter mates, known humans, and rearing environment; basically, everything they know as safe.

Bedtime can be an especially worrying time for new puppies but with a little bit of forward planning, kindness and reassurance puppy will soon be snoozing without a care in the world (like Mabel pictured)

-if possible, try to collect your new puppy in the morning so that they have most of the day in their new home to settle in before bedtime. Picking up a puppy late in the day and expecting them to be able to settle and sleep is asking a little too much.

-make sure you have prepared a safe space for puppy prior to their arrival. A crate lined with comfy bedding with a blanket or crate cover over the top is the perfect spot.

-Use an Adaptil or Pet Remedy diffuser in the room your puppy will be sleeping in. Make sure this is switched on before puppy comes home.

-For at least the first few nights you will need to be with puppy so that you can reassure them if they wake up and panic in the night. Either camp out on the sofa close to puppy’s crate, or start off with the crate in your bedroom and over the course of a few nights move it closer to where you want puppy to be sleeping longer term.

-Please don’t leave your puppy to ‘cry it out’, it’s mean! Puppy needs to learn to trust you and leaving them to panic and get distressed is damaging to this trust.

-Set your alarm for once in the night to take Puppy out for a toilet trip, they won’t be able to hold it all night to start with.

-Don’t be tempted to play with puppy just before bedtime to tire them out, this is likely to have the opposite effect. Instead let puppy participate in a calming activity such as a chew toy or snuffle mat filled with a small amount of food.

-Try to keep the first 2-3 days following puppy’s arrival nice and quiet. Trying to introduce them to too much at once could overwhelm them.

-Remember that puppies need a huge amount of sleep and rest- 16-20 hours a day!

15/03/2024

March is pet anxiety awareness month.

It is thought that up to 82% of our dogs might suffer with a type of anxiety (PDSA PAW report 2018).

A dog might exhibit signs of anxiety in a number of situations including when travelling in the car, meeting new people or dogs, visits to the vet, and any changes to their environment such as a new pet or baby in the household.

It is important that you can recognise signs of stress and anxiety in your dog. These may include hyper vigilance, panting, pacing, trembling, refusing food, and hiding away.

Please seek professional help if you are concerned that your dog is showing symptoms of anxiety, fear, or stress.

08/03/2024

Question:

What equipment do I need to have ready for a 1-2-1 training session with you?

Answer:

-a well fitted harness or flat collar and 6-8ft lead.

-lots of tasty food rewards, a variety is best (always prepare more than you think you’ll need)

-a special toy that you only get out to play with your dog I.e not one that’s left lying around at home all of the time. I love Tug-e-nuff tug toys!

-water bowl- learning can be thirsty work

-weather permitting, all sessions are held outdoors in your garden (or safe space of your choice) so suitable footwear and attire.

-you may wish to prepare a stuffed kong or lick mat for your puppy to keep them busy whilst we are chatting.

-lots of enthusiasm and patience!

And that’s about it, I’ll bring anything else we might need.

I’m looking forward to working with lots of new and existing clients alike this month 🐶🤩🐾

02/03/2024

We just about managed to dodge the rain this afternoon 🌧️

This gorgeous girl is Twiglet, and she was a super star during her 1-2-1 training session ⭐️

22/12/2023

Merry Christmas to my lovely Puppies & Moore clients past, present, and future.

I look forward to working with your gorgeous canine companions in the New Year!

We are now closed until Saturday 6th January, and I will reply to all messages on my return.

In the mean time, I'd love to see some festive photos of your canine friends, feel free to share them here...

14/12/2023

Some really important advice here from Fear Free..

Don't let Christmas and New Year be a stressful time for your pet.

For further advice on how you can help to make the festive season as fear free for your pet as possible, please get in touch.

01/12/2023

Bouncing into the weekend like Charlie...

Who's planning an adventure with their canine friend this weekend?

09/11/2023

When all the photos are blurry because you just can't stop wagging your tail!

Puppy training should be fun, if they are not enjoying it, you're not doing it right!

02/11/2023

More than just a training session….

Here at Puppies & Moore the first thing we work on before any training starts is making sure that your dog’s environment and routines are setting them up for success and fostering positive physical and emotional wellbeing.
We look at four main areas- Sleep and rest, physical exercise, mental stimulation, and safe outlets for natural behaviours.

We help young dogs like the gorgeous Lottie here by setting them up for success on their training journey by getting the basics right first.
We will make recommendations based on your dog’s breed, age and temperament and work with you to put these things into place at home so that you can both get the most from your training sessions.

If you’d like to find out more about the services we offer, please get in touch!

22/07/2023

Hi cutie 🥰

This is Willow on her 1st of three 1-2-1 training sessions.

It might look like she’s just rummaging through the recycling… because she is.. she’s finding hidden food.

Why is this type of activity beneficial for puppies?

-it teaches them to interact with novel objects with ⭐️optimism ⭐️
-it gets them used to different textures, noises and objects
-it helps with ⭐️confidence⭐️ building
-it gets them using their nose. Having ample opportunities for ⭐️sniffing ⭐️and exploring is vital for a puppy’s development and emotional well being.
-it’s ⭐️fun⭐️
-it provides ⭐️mental stimulation⭐️
-it provides a safe, appropriate, way to exhibit normal canine behaviours

(Always supervise your puppy during this type of activity)

29/06/2023

How cute is this little guy?!

This puppy's caregivers are being really proactive with his training and behaviour.

Today was his second 1-2-1 training session and he is coming on leaps and bounds.

We've been working on:

-Crate training & teaching him that good things happen when people approach the crate.

-Focus on caregivers

-Basic recall training

-How to deal with stealing items

-Prevention of resource guarding

If you'd like help setting your puppy up for success from day one, please get in touch.

23/06/2023

TOP TIPS FOR TOILET TRAINING PUPPIES

-Set them up for SUCCESS by taking them outside at very regular intervals. Every 1-2 hours is a good place to start. Frequent trips outside equals a higher chance of SUCCESS.

Remember that in addition to regular scheduled toilet breaks you should take your puppy outside immediately if they have just woken up, had a play, or eaten.

-REWARD. Remember to take some tasty treats outside with you so that you can immediately reward your puppy when they go to the toilet. Don’t wait until you get back inside to reward them!

-SUPERVISION. Young puppies need constant supervision. Watch your puppy closely and you will start to spot the signs that they need to go to the toilet.

If you are unable to actively supervise your puppy, make use of a short-term confinement area such as a crate or puppy pen, this will greatly reduce the likelihood of any toileting accidents.

-STOP punishment. Your young puppy hasn’t yet learnt where they should toilet, it is unfair to punish them for having an accident inside.

Punishing your puppy for toileting in the house could make them scared of toileting in front of you and therefore could cause longer term problems with toilet training.

-Put it on CUE. Introduce a verbal cue such as ‘toilet’ so that you can prompt your puppy to toilet as soon as you take them outside.

27/05/2023

This handsome chap had his 2nd 1-2-1 training session today.
He finds it hard to stay calm around food preparation and is a serial counter surfer. We started working on helping him remain calm in the kitchen by building value in lying on a boundary.
As you can see, he is doing very well!

13/04/2023

Just a reminder that management IS training.

It may feel like management isn’t ‘fixing’ the problem but…

Management strategies form an important part in the prevention of behaviour problems and play an important role in both training and behaviour modification programmes.

Implementing management protocols helps to prevent rehearsal of the unwanted behaviour and/or break the cycle of the behaviour.

Here is an example of how implementing a management technique might help prevent, or reduce the likelihood, of problem behaviour and why..

Using a harness and long line when walking an adolescent dog who has started to ignore their recall cue because they are running off to play with other dogs/ chasing wildlife/having a generally fabulous time ignoring their owner (delete as appropriate!)

We don’t want this dog to learn that running over to people and other dogs/chasing wildlife is more fun than hanging around with their owner. If this dog learns to ignore their recall cue the cue will lose its meaning and become a ‘poisoned’ cue, we don’t want this to happen as the recall is a very important and potentially life saving behaviour.

This dog is self-rewarding by running over and playing with other dogs/chasing wildlife- the dog enjoys this behaviour, and so is likely to repeat it because it feels good. We need to prevent rehearsal of this behaviour, so that the dog doesn’t get better at it, practice makes perfect after all!

We also want and need to stop this dog getting themselves into trouble. Some dogs find an off-lead dog charging over to them worrying or frustrating, this could result in trouble (for both you and your dog).

The use of a harness and long line ensures that the dog still gets to enjoy plenty of freedom on a walk but in a safe and controlled manner. The long line prevents rehearsal of the behaviour and helps set the dog and caregiver up for success during the training process. The caregiver of this dog may also consider hiring a secure dog walking field in which to practice their re-call training in a safe and minimally distracting environment.

Other examples of when we might use management include:

-Puppy proofing the home environment to stop a puppy stealing items (and learning that this is great fun)

-Using baby gates/stair gates to restrict a dog’s access to certain areas of the home, for example if they are likely to jump up at guests that come in the front door (preventing accidental reinforcement)

-Closing curtains/blinds to prevent a dog from barking at passers-by (preventing rehearsal of the behaviour)

Although in some cases implementing management strategies is all that is required to prevent or stop a problem behaviour, generally management is just a small (But very important) part of a training or behaviour modification programme.

06/04/2023

❤️Beautiful Bess❤️

I've had the pleasure of working with this lovely girl and her caregivers over the past few weeks.

Bess is a cross between two breeds, can you guess which?

23/02/2023

This is Goat, isn't he handsome!

What a difference a few weeks make!

Puppies grow and develop both physically and behaviourally at an alarming rate.

Those first few weeks at home with you should be about:

-Bonding with your puppy.

-Letting your puppy explore and gain confidence at home and in their immediate environment.

-Helping to teach them that the world isn't scary, by positively and safely introducing them to sounds, objects, noises, people, places and other animals (socialisation and habituation)

-Setting them up for success by providing a puppy proof environment at home and being kind and clear about what you would like them to do.

-Sleeping! young puppies needs lots of good quality rest and sleep.

-Cherishing moments- they don't stay small for very long (As Goat here has demonstrated perfectly!)

If you'd like to know more about how to set your puppy up for success please get in touch.

26/01/2023

To neuter or not to neuter…

This is a question I get asked a lot from the caregivers of young male dogs. Sadly, they have often been misinformed and told that castrating their dog will resolve all of their training problems, which is often not the case. Castration alone is very unlikely to resolve a training or behaviour problem.

Gone are the days when all male dogs were castrated at 9 months of age, there is now scientific evidence and studies that show this can be detrimental to the dog’s health and behaviour.

There is no ‘one size fits all’ answer when it comes to if or when the right time to neuter might be. Each dog should be treated as an individual and an informed decision should be made based on several considerations.
Some things to consider when deciding if you should neuter your male dog:

-Physical maturity. Have they finished growing? Are they well muscled? Testosterone contributes to the fusing of growth plates in the young dogs skeleton and is responsible for secondary sexual characteristics such as muscle development. Neutering a dog that is not physically mature could lead to musculoskeletal problems.

-What breed is your dog? Large and giant breed dogs take longer to reach physical maturity (and therefore should be neutered later)

-Personality. Is your dog confident and social? Or are they fearful or anxious in novel situations? Testosterone contributes towards confidence, especially in novel situations, therefore neutering an anxious or fearful young male dog might make this worse and could cause the behaviour to escalate.

-Lifestyle. Does your male dog live with an entire female dog and there is a need to prevent unwanted pregnancy? Does your dog need to attend a day care or similar where it is a stipulation that they are neutered? In these situations, you may need to consider neutering, however, there is usually an alternative solution to surgical castration.

As a general rule, castration should only be considered from 12 months of age onward, and only after the questions above have been considered, along with discussion with your veterinary surgeon and/or a canine behaviour professional.

05/01/2023

Happy New Year to you all!

I want to let you in on a little secret..... All the best dogs are hooligans when they are puppies.

We just need to provide them with the guidance, patience, learning environment, and life skills to help them develop into calm and confident canine citizens.

27/11/2022

Preparing your puppy for a trip to the vets should be a priority in your training plan.
It’s not just about getting your pup used to the veterinary environment; there are so many aspects of a trip to the vets that we need to prepare our puppies for including:
-The car journey
-The waiting room
-The presence of unknown people and animals
-Being handled and touched.

The good news is that there are many ways that we can plan, prepare, and train for these events and help set your puppy up for success right from their very first vet visit.

If you’d like to know more, please get in touch.

10/11/2022

How peaceful does little Twiggy look?

Did you know that puppies need between 16-20 hours of sleep a day?

Good quality sleep and rest is vital for your puppy’s emotional and physical development.
It’s important that your puppy has somewhere safe and quiet where they can rest undisturbed.
A lack of good quality sleep and rest can result in behaviours such as excessive mouthing and ‘hyperactive’ behaviour.
Puppies and adolescent dogs aren’t always great at self-regulating their rest, especially if there’s lots going on at home, so it’s important that you incorporate rest breaks into your puppy’s daily routine.

Happy snoozing Twiggy!

20/10/2022

Are you or somebody you know bringing home a new canine addition soon?

If so, our pre-puppy advice session is the perfect way to help ensure that you set puppy up for success from the very start; from the first night in their new home to toilet training and beyond.

Topics covered include:

-Creating an environment that helps reduce fear and stress for your puppy.
-Crate/pen training
-Toilet training
-Puppy’s first nights at home
-Canine body language basics- what is your puppy trying to tell you?
-The importance of socialisation and confidence building.
- Basic training tips

27/09/2022

Happy birthday to Puppies & Moore crew member Maple. She’s 14 today!
My soul dog and inspiration 🐶❤️

22/09/2022

Myth- Puppies are a blank canvas

Truth-

By the time your puppy comes home with you part of their personality and temperament will already be developed. In fact, a puppy is born with some pre-determined personality traits and characteristics.

This will be influenced by:

•Genetic factors. A puppy will inherit behavioural characteristics from its parents.

•Maternal influence. The way the puppies mum interacts with and acts around the puppies may influence their behaviour. If mum is stressed during pregnancy this could also be transferred to the puppies.

•Early environment and experience. The environment a puppy is raised in can affect their behaviour longer term. The critical socialisation period in dogs starts at around 3 weeks of age- a whole 5 weeks before you bring them home!

•Breed characteristics and personality traits. Specific behaviours and personality traits have been artificially selected for hundreds or years.

This is why it’s so important to:

-Research breed characteristics and needs before you choose a breed.
-Pick a breed that suits your lifestyle
-Take time to find a good breeder that has bred for temperament and invested time in gently exposing their puppies to everyday sights and sounds and has regularly handled the puppies.
-Meet the puppy’s parents and if possible, individuals from previous litters.

30/08/2022

*Important information for current clients*

We've had a super busy month here at Puppies & Moore, I've loved meeting lots of new clients and their canine family members.

As stated in our terms and conditions we aim to get all reports and 1-2-1 training notes emailed to you within 10 days of your appointment. However, there may be a slight delay for the next few weeks and I ask any clients that had an appointment during the second half of August to allow up to 14 days for reports or notes to arrive. I really appreciate your patience and understanding.

In the meantime, Have fun with your dog!

26/08/2022

🐶 Happy international dog day from the Puppies & Moore hounds🐶

Two very different dogs- both very special in their own way ❤️

Pop a photo of your pup in the comments below and tell me what you love about them…

Puppies & Moore