Cotswold DOGS

17/08/2024

I've found that creating systems for myself allow me to consistently bring out the best in my dogs and protect their confidence. Today I share my 5C Pyramid which is a formula for success.

16/08/2024

Having spent many many years in Veterinary practice, I’ve seen a few mycotoxocities, and they’ve required some pretty intensive treatment.

If you’ve got a bin-raider dog, it’s definitely something to be aware of.

We have had a few cases of mycotoxin poisoning recently. Its not a poisoning that folks are generally familiar with, so we thought we'd share the information to raise awareness.-

Ingestion of mouldy food from the bin or a compost pile puts dogs, cats, horses, livestock, and even wildlife at risk for toxicity due to tremorgenic mycotoxins. These toxins may be found in MOULDY bread, pasta, cheese, nuts, or other decaying matter like compost. Clinical signs include vomiting, agitation, incoordination, tremors, seizures, and elevated body temperature. A specific mycotoxin called aflatoxin can even cause liver failure. Be sure to keep mouldy food and compost out of your pets reach!

14/08/2024

A couple of spaces still available on Saturdays trail in Evesham if anyone would like to join us!

Booking via the website here:

CotswoldDOGS is the sister company to Cotswold Animal Therapy, an established Veterinary Musculoskeletal Therapy business, with a specialism in working with both operational and retired working dogs.

06/08/2024

Well, yesterday was an interesting day for trailing!

The wonderful Gardeners Arms in Alderton was our location, and its was quite a breezy day. Unfortunately we also picked the same day as some road resurfacing in the village! Whilst we were away from the area being worked on , there was a lot of heavy traffic coming and going around the whole village.

The dog and handler teams worked remarkably well amongst all this chaos, and with the wind.

Little Chip deserves a special mention- he’s proof that you can be a teeny daxie with a history of physical problems and still smash mantrailing!!

Well done everyone- absolutely brilliant work, and thank you as ever to the amazing dog-friendly Gardeners Arms for allowing us to work there.

28/07/2024

Spaces still available on the Mantrailing progression at Hayles Fruit Farm on 4th August

Head over to www.cotswoldDOGS.net to book!

One of the most popular venues with excellent trailing and a great cafe

CotswoldDOGS is the sister company to Cotswold Animal Therapy, an established Veterinary Musculoskeletal Therapy business, with a specialism in working with both operational and retired working dogs.

24/07/2024

The spaniels and I have spend the morning with the lovely Fran at DforDaycare checking out their new site and doggy daycare facilities

Fran has set up a small, personalised daycare service where dogs can have a fun and relaxed day in a beautiful setting.

If you’re local and need someone experienced, sensible, and qualified - Fran is your woman!

Head over to their page or give Fran a shout for a guided tour. We will hopefully be collaborating for some mantrailing sessions later in the year, getting more dog enthusiasts hooked on this fun dog sport!

20/07/2024

Epic fail on the photo front today 😂

All I managed to get was this one solitary photo of Chester, and I even missed the moment when he gave his trail layer a snog! 💋

Despite my shocking incompetence as a photographer, all the dogs did brilliantly today, working with both longer and more technical trails. And all the handlers and trail layers did very well running up and down all those hills!

Obviously we all excelled at eating lovely food from the cafe 😂🤟🏻

Well done to all today’s dog and handler teams, and a huge thank you as always to the brilliant Hayles Fruit Farm for so kindly accommodating us…..this is such a popular venue for working with the dogs, so we’re eternally grateful.

18/07/2024

August dates for Mantrailing and introduction to scent work are now available online.

Hoping to also add a couple of additional dates where time allows, or private sessions can be booked directly with me if there’s a group of you wanting to have a go at mantrailing or scent work.

Head over to the website for booking!

CotswoldDOGS is the sister company to Cotswold Animal Therapy, an established Veterinary Musculoskeletal Therapy business, with a specialism in working with both operational and retired working dogs.

17/07/2024

Well done to all the dog and handler teams this evening, negotiating a series of double-blind trails.

These are trails where only the trail layer knows where they are- the dog and handler, plus myself, have to find them using only the dog’s nose and our ability to conduct a search.

Everyone did brilliantly, and no trail layers were lost forever in the wilds of Gloucestershire….always a bonus!

Thanks to Just Paws for allowing us to use their farmland- a venue that lends itself perfectly to sessions like this.

12/07/2024

A CPD I put together a few years ago now, explaining osteoarthritis and the physiology of pain, as well as why it’s so important for us to manage these patients correctly.

Managing these dogs - whether they are working or pet dogs - is a big part of CotswoldDOGS and Cotswold Animal Therapy

07/07/2024

🐶 dog appreciation post 🐶

Ok…this dog is a challenge 😂

0-100mph in 0.002 seconds. Faster than your average F1 car. Asleep, or going at 100mph. Zero dimmer switch. Lead walking? It was lesson in how to be felled like a tree as she tied the lead round and round my legs in the beginning….its slightly
Improved these days 😂

BUT…..

I love her!

she can do a sit (or down) & stay reliably now. She can do a ‘head down’ now. She has the best recall out of all 3 spangles. I am constantly pleased with her confident response when I take her places. She’s slooowly learning to occasionally just take a breath. It’s taking time, Patience and she does need clear boundaries. (Which I often get wrong with my handling mechanics when I’m working with her)

I’m learning so much from her, she’s my little wriggly spangle mate.

She’s taking a lot of time. And effort.

So to those of you who are 16 months into owning a dog whose eyes regularly look like this 👇…..

I’m right there with you….😆

🐶Stick with it
🐶Follow your gut with your training and your trainer
🐶Keep it fun
Focus on what you CAN do together
🐶Take what they do as information- this will help you work with them.
🐶Think about concepts such as calm or confidence- this can help everything else. (We’ve not quite sussed calm yet….😬)
🐶Don’t lose heart ❤️

Sometimes you get a little dog that was meant to pop (or explode….) into your life and teach you a load of stuff you never knew you needed to learn!

01/07/2024

Here’s a brilliant Monday morning blog for you all.

I’m constantly revisiting the basics, and am always working on basics with my own dogs.

This helps to explain why!
It’s all about keeping dogs happy and motivated, with that ever important achievable reward!

''MASTERY IS ACHIEVED THROUGH DELIBERATE PRACTICE'' - Author UnknownFOUNDATION TRAININGThe strength of a building lies in its foundation. The main purpose of the foundation is to hold the structure above it and keep it strong and upright. If we progress our training without the correct foundation in...

25/06/2024

Supplement order going in when I’m back from Cornwall, about if you need anything!

23/06/2024

Dog appreciation post!

This dog and me were meant to walk the earth together.

Feral as she is (really she’s just an independent thinker with the confidence to get what she wants) she does cheeky things with absolute charm and a waggy tail. Trained without ever an angry word (maybe the odd exasperated one….) Loved by everyone who meets her.

This week has been a wonderful chance to just spend some quiet time with her.

I see lots of people, throughout both businesses, that have struggles with their dogs.

If this is you, remember to just take 5 minutes and sit quietly with them, think about everything they have taught you and how far you’ve come together.

All of a sudden, one day they will be 8 and you’ll be sitting looking out at the sea together wondering where the last 8 years have gone.

21/06/2024

💥🦮🌍Veterinary Task Force are so proud of this new course - Expedition Veterinary Medicine - developed in conjunction with World Extreme Medicine. If any of you out there in my veterinary world or wider fields wants to take a look then follow the links; or listen to the podcast with WEM. This is going to be an amazing 2-day course, and is not just for vets - vet nurses, medical professionals, charity sector, military, search and rescue, etc, etc. Join us for the first course of its kind as we revolutionise this essential topic and promote animal welfare in austere, resource-poor settings on charity, humanitarian, expeditionary deployments, but also build a skill-set that will enhance personal development back home in your clinics and offices! 🦮🩺

Elevate your expedition skills with a focus on veterinary care through our immersive, 2-day Veterinary Expeditions Medicine course in Somerset, UK.

02/06/2024

If you’ve been to a CotswoldDOGS mantrailing or ScentSports session and would like to be added to the WhatsApp group for early bird booking info, short notice sessions and other mantrailing and scentwork related info, then please do PM me with your mobile number and I can add you.

02/06/2024

Percy decided that his ball was sooooo valuable he was going to hide in the Wendy house 😂

Today’s ScentSports dogs have done some lovely work starting to build their searching and indications. Everyone has some homework to do and we’ve got some brilliant foundations to build on.

Well done Chip, Rupert, Gunner, and Percy!

If you’d like a 1-2-1 ScentSports session, or small group ScentSports or mantrailing session, give me a shout on here or via the website.
Www.cotswolddogs.net

23/05/2024

I’m now an Mantrailing Global Assessor, and able to assess dog and handler teams that are wanting to work through the levels.

If anyone wants to book in for an assessment at any level, please get in touch!

22/05/2024

As one of VTF’s team of Veterinary Professionals, I can really vouch for this course.
We’ve trained (and support) lots of operational dog handlers, including police and government agency handlers.

Spaces are rarely available for general booking to members of the public for these courses!

This canine first aid course is designed to be on a totally different level from the usual pet first aid courses.

Aimed specifically at working and operational dogs, this course has been put together by military veterinary surgeons and covers an awful lot in one day.

The course is suitable for:

Detection dog handlers of all kinds
Gundog handlers
S&R handlers
Those working with dogs in a professional setting
Those working in remote areas with dogs
Security dog handlers

VTF are also able to provide a full veterinary assurance service, fit for duty certification, exports for remote deployments, deployment planning, rehabilitation and retirement assistance, and remote support.

If you’d like to book on, please contact the VTF office on the email address below.

09/05/2024

2 x spaces on the Mantrailing Introduction for pet dogs at Just Paws on 25th May if anyone would like to get started with the addictive and fun sport of Mantrailing!

Booking is online here:

Www.cotswolddogs.net

If you need further info or want to ask any questions, please do get in touch!

CotswoldDOGS is the sister company to Cotswold Animal Therapy, an established Veterinary Musculoskeletal Therapy business.

26/04/2024

May dates are available for booking!

Visit www.cotswolddogs.net and click on ‘book mantrailing’ to book your space!

CotswoldDOGS is the sister company to Cotswold Animal Therapy, an established Veterinary Musculoskeletal Therapy business.

26/04/2024

This evening we set up some trails at Viaduct Meadow in Evesham, by kind permission of Wychavon District Council.

It was lovely to work with some other instructors, and of course with the bestest dog Floki and his owner ❤️

22/04/2024

One space left the mantrailing progression on Friday at Viaduct Meadow, Evesham if anyone is interested.

20/04/2024

Two spaces still available on the progression trail at Viaduct Meadow, Evesham, on Friday 26fh April, 3pm-5pm

Suitable for any level of dog, however this is a public area so dogs should be able to cope with that environment

Held with kind permission of Whychavon District Council

Booking is online here:

CotswoldDOGS is the sister company to Cotswold Animal Therapy, an established Veterinary Musculoskeletal Therapy business.

18/04/2024

One dog and handler space unexpectedly available
on Saturdays session at Hayles Fruit Farm!

This is one of the most popular venues for dog and handler training, with some absolutely amazing terrain to work with.

If anyone would like this space, please give me a shout.

13/04/2024

What a great morning we had up at The Valley this morning.

The dogs did some really amazing trails, with some working through the shopping area with lots of people, other dogs, and other distractions. Others stuck to the orchard area doing long trails around the lake and wooded areas.

The intro guys learned the basics of line handling and trail laying in their session, and we started teaching the dogs the process.

Everyone has homework to go away with (sorry guys!!!) to help with foundations and preparing the dogs for their onward training

Well done everyone- so proud of all the dogs today!

Thanks as always to The Valley for allowing us to hold sessions there- venues like this are so valuable for training.

08/04/2024

Any more takers for Saturday’s Mantrailing Introduction at Evesham Country Park?

Booking is online here, and there’s one (possibly two) spaces still available available.

Come and join the fun….warning: it’s addictive!

CotswoldDOGS is the sister company to Cotswold Animal Therapy, an established Veterinary Musculoskeletal Therapy business.