Livs Doggy Adventures

15/12/2024

LULU

Lulu has been walking with me since June this year. She loves her walkies with me and her favourite thing to do on her walk is chase the other doggos and spectate on the outside😂 She also loves her cuddles, she’s the sweetest pup!

15/12/2024

ZIGGY

Meet Ziggy! He’s a Bedlington Whippet Lurcher and he has been walking with me since just November this year! We’ve been slowly making friends and although he never wants to leave his mummy, I do think he secretly likes me a lot😂 His favourite dog he’s met so far is Barney the black lab!

13/12/2024

MOLLY

Molly has been walking with me since January 2023! Shes very vocal on her Walkies so you always know when Mols is about. She is really a big cuddle monster and number 1 fox poo roller!😂

12/12/2024

CASH

Cash has been walking with me since September 2022. He’s another doggo I rehomed while at the RSPCA so I’ve known him since he was a little puppy! So nice to see dogs that I’ve rehomed later in life. Cash in his adolescents struggled with some on lead reactivity towards other dogs, but since I’ve walked him we managed to integrate him into group walks, which was amazing progress for Cash. So glad to have him as part of the gang🥹❤️

12/12/2024

OTIS

Otis has walked with me since September 2022! When I first started walking Otis it took us a few sessions for him to trust me, but now we have an amazing bond. He mainly keeps himself to himself on walks but he does love all the fluffy doggos, his best mate he walks with is Ziggy! This will be our third Christmas together this year!🥰

11/12/2024

BEAR

Bear has walked with me since August this year. He was very nervous to start with but quickly came round and loves is group walks now! Although he does like to play games when it comes to going back in the van at the end of the walk😂

11/12/2024

BARNEY

Barney has been walking with me since October 2022, one of my longest clients! He was 8 months when I started walking him🥹 Barney has perfected his head tilts for pictures, after all he’s had 2 years of me constantly taking picture of him!

10/12/2024

DAISY AND BENJI

Daisy and Benji are 2 mini Poodles. They have been walking with me since January 2023. They are such a cute duo, and they have the best recall. They have seen my business through all its van difficulties and struggles, and always still jumped straight into whatever vehicle I came in😂

10/12/2024

MOGGIE

Moggie started walks with me August 2023, but I have known Moggie for years. I rehomed Moggie to her lovely owner when I worked at the RSPCA back in May 2021 after 2 months of fostering her. She is the sweetest little soul and always provides lots of kisses and cuddles😍

09/12/2024

DAISY AND COOKIE!

I have walked Daisy since May 2023, and then Cookie joined us November 2023.

Right, better late than never. Starting my Christmas pics, was supposed to post one per day of December but we are 9 days in and this is my first!

Starting off strong with my girls❤️❤️

27/11/2024

16/11/2024

Let’s talk DESENSITISATION

Sadly fireworks are here to stay and are used throughout the winter months for Diwali, Bonfire night and New Year Eve.

For many dogs this can be terrifying but you can help them by starting a SYSTEMATIC DESENSITISATION PROGRAMME

This programme is likely to take many months so please start doing this NOW to help your dogs cope with fireworks in the future.

The two main things that I want to get across is that you will need to take your time to introduce the stimulus slowly and positively.

Firstly, you will need to make time for a 15 minute training session twice per day. You will need to download a variety of firework noises onto your phone or laptop, have a selection of high value treats, activity toys and chews and some brand new toys.

Let’s get started.

✅Making sure that the volume is very low, start playing the firework recording whilst your dog is relaxed and calm in a part of the house that they are comfortable and familiar with. As it plays introduce something your dog enjoys such as a stuffed kong, licky mat or tuggy game. This is called counter conditioning and means to change your dogs emotional response.

✅If your dog is agitated and unable to focus on the resource/game, reduce the volume of the recording to within your dogs coping threshold.

✅Once your dog is relaxed enough to happily respond to the resource/toy, interact and get them excited so they have fun.

✅To ensure that their learning has been effective spend 3/4 days at this volume before turning it up.

✅You will need to make gradual increases in the volume of the recording, spending 3/4 days at each level. If you dog shows any sign of anxiety then reduce the volume to the level they could previously cope at and try again making a slower increase.

✅Once your dog is able to interact with you and the resources whilst the recording is at a high level you will be able to take the training to other rooms/areas of your house.

✅When you move to a different room/area you will need to restart the programme from the beginning i.e the recording at a very low volume.

Well done you have cracked it………now you will need to take the training outside into your garden, in your car and out on a walk. You never know when and where they will hear a firework so you will need to desensitise them in every location to help them generalise that the sound of fireworks is ok.

Whilst working through the programme it is absolutely essential that you do not:

❎Get frustrated or cross as this will cause your dog to worry and shut down

❎Rush the programme as this will be unfair on your dog and cause “flooding” which means a negative exposure to a scary stimulus

❎Cut corners as it wil not be effective

****Please remember these important things****

⚠️You must work at a pace that your dog can cope with, there isn’t a time scale so you will need to be mindful of your dog and their own responses

⚠️If you have multiple dogs you will need to desensitise each dog individually

⚠️You must make it positive

⚠️You must work through the programme in every area of your house and outside

⚠️You must be patient

⚠️Your dog must be calm and relaxed when you start every training session

***Key words/phrases to help you understand***

‼️Stimulus - scary noise i.e fireworks

‼️Counter Condition - make something positive

‼️Coping Threshold - the level at which they can stay relaxed

‼️Resource - Stuffed kong, licky may, activity toy

‼️Flooding - An unfair over exposure to something scary

‼️Generalise - Understanding that’s is ok in every location

You owe it to your dog to help them cope, please dedicate the time needed

06/11/2024

🍁🍂🍁🍂

05/11/2024

How adorable🍁🍂

05/11/2024

5/5 looking for once🫶🏼😍

05/11/2024

Always one dog not looking😂🦮🤍

02/11/2024

Our stormy boy🤍