The Pet Behaviourist - Vanessa Ward

20/01/2025

Raising a puppy can be very overwhelming!

Look at this pups little white toes 🐾❤️

I recently got to help this adorable pup and his mum, we discussed lots of puppy raising advice - including the dreaded puppy nipping!

Puppies nip when they’re overstimulated, overexcited, overwhelmed and overtired. Make sure your puppies getting enough sleep, this pup actually took himself off for a nap during our consultation 🤣 What a great skill! 😴

Nipping doesn’t make them ‘bad dogs’ and it’s usually not a sign of aggression, but it can be very painful and scary! This pup didn’t have a solid bone in his body during our consultation 🤣 loose body language is a good sign.

We also discussed socialising, how to stay loose lead walking and what to focus on first. There’s a lot to cover 😳

If you want to feel confident raising your puppy and you want help knowing where to start with your training goals get in touch 👇

I look forward to hearing from you,

Vanessa - The Pet Behaviourist

🐶🐱🐰🆘

20/01/2025

Just a bit of cuteness to help with any blue Monday feelings!

I am beginning to miss the sun 🌞 BUT longer days are coming 🎉

14/01/2025

3 spaces left - set them up for ✨success✨

Covering prevention and management of common problems so they can grow into happy confident adult dogs!

We'll look at socialisation, handling, body language, listening, nipping, toileting, recall, loose lead walking, calmness, useful cues and more 🎉 

Training is all done at your dogs pace with a focus on their well-being and yours ❤️

All are welcome!

All the skills I chose to teach in my puppy classes are essential life skills, or incredibly useful for helping your puppy develop into a happy confident dog - and you to develop into a happy confident dog owner!

Any questions just ask ⭐️
Tag a puppy owner below or share with them 👇
Booking link in comments☺️

Next round of puppy classes info:
🐶 fully vaccinated puppies under 10 months
🐶 4 weeks consisting of 4 hour long classes in person
🐶 Trainer in your pocket - message me with questions
🐶 Limited spaces to keep class size small - lots of 1:1 attention
🐶 Training handouts and support throughout - refer to if problems arise in the future and no need to take notes in class

Location: Stocktonville Hall Stocktonville Hall, Gelli Road, Tredegar (opposite Lidl)
At: 1900-2000
Dates:
Mondays
20 Jan
27 Jan
3 Feb
10 Feb

Here’s what Ceri said about attending:
Highly recommend Vanessa, Willow my Cocker Spaniel and myself learned allot in the puppy classes. Gave good lessons in recall, wait, sit and to lie down to mention a few. Very patient lady who has lots of knowledge and is amazing with pets and people alike

13/01/2025

I want everyone to be able to enjoy their dog walks! Pulling on the lead is such a common problem I see all the time, and it can really ruin a lovely walk.

I’ve met guardians who dread and even avoid walking their dogs because they’re scared they’ll get pulled over or spend the whole walk feeling stressed and out of control. This is why I’m declaring 2025 is the year to start enjoying your dog walks!

I want to help as many people as possible in 2025. Whether you feel they’re too big and strong, don’t pay attention or they’re hurting themselves and you by pulling, here’s how I can help you master walks:
• in puppy or life skills classes
• 1:1 sessions
• remote course you work through in your own time

Message me with your dogs age and your location and I’ll send you all the relevant options and information 🥰

09/01/2025

A story of Bear and the Anthony Gormley statues 🤣

09/01/2025

Learn all this and more in my puppy classes!

The next round of my popular puppy classes is starting, spaces are limited to keep class size small

All the skills I chose to teach are essential life skills and incredibly useful for helping your puppy develop into a happy confident dog - and you to develop into a happy confident dog owner!

Any questions just ask ⭐️
Tag a puppy owner below 👇
Message me to book ☺️

Next round of puppy classes info:
🐶 fully vaccinated puppies under 10 months
🐶 4 weeks consisting of 4 hour long classes in person
🐶 Trainer in your pocket - message me with questions
🐶 Limited spaces to keep class size small - lots of 1:1 attention
🐶 Training handouts and support throughout - refer to if problems arise in the future and no need to note take in class

Location: Stocktonville Hall, Gelli Road, Tredegar (opposite Lidl)
At: 1900-2000
Dates:
Mondays
20 January
27 January
3 February
10 February

08/01/2025

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ahh such a lovely review!

This dogs family worked hard and reaped the rewards 🥰

Its true - you can teach an old dog new tricks and there are no quick fixes, but knowing what to do and being consistent can create real change.

If, like this family, you need help with jumping or overexcited greetings then get in touch!

06/01/2025

Hello!

I am officially now back open!

Although as a business owner it’s hard to ever reallllly be off 😅 I’ve snuck in a client already this year, been organising classes in the background as well as all the usual bizmin and lifemin (business and life admin! 🤣) Happy new year everyone!

For any dog, cat or rabbit behaviour or training problems - get in touch for a free discussion on how I can help 🐶🐱🐰🆘

06/01/2025

Look at this face 🤣

Believe or not this big pup is only 16 months old!
His mum called me because she’s having trouble walking him on lead, he’s become a bit destructive in the house and he can get a bit nippy.

In our consultation we covered everything from diet to behaviour to his poo!! 💩

In order to get my behaviourist PGCert I have had to learn how food impacts behaviour (you are what you eat!) and how to help this. Sometimes the food, amount of food or feeding times can be contributing to the unwanted behaviour.

In this pups case, a diet high in carbohydrates and low in meat and veg is a factor in his excessive unwanted behaviours. He is starting a new diet and his mum is equipped with enrichment advice, calming techniques, environmental advice and training to help them live their best lives - together in harmony! 🥰

I love it when dogs feel comfortable enough to be their silly comical selves! Good kind dog guardianship leads to this ☺️

If you want advice on feeding your dog from a qualified dog nutritionist I recommend ❤️ definitely check out her page!

01/01/2025

🥳 Happy New Year 🥳

I think you can only post 10 slides so these are the 10 best months 🤣

Personally 2024 was the year I got married 👰‍♀️❤️🤵‍♂️ hence the wedding prep photos, including hair and make up trials. It’s normal to go for a walk on a beach just after your make up trial right?🤣

Business wise, I saw so many wonderful 1:1 clients and ran many filled classes 🥰

Here’s to this year 🍻 wishing you all health and happiness!

🐶🐱🐰🆘

#2025 #2024

25/12/2024

Merry Christmas from me and Bear!🎄☃️🎅🏻

29/11/2024

The dangers of rawhide 👇

It's that time of year again where the pet store shops will be FULL of different chews so you can spoil your pets.

However a lot of the chews are 100% rawhide, or contain rawhide.

Rawhide has so many dangers associated with it, is undigestible, a choking hazard and not even classed as animal food!

This year, before you pick up the rawhide, consider something more natural for your dog, such as deer antler, beef tendos, pizzles, yak milk chew or vegitable chews.

29/11/2024

Time for a game! Guess the breed 🥰

This is Bentley, who is stunning! I met him this month in my Life Skills classes - but what breed is he? 🤔

I’ll let you know on Tuesday #!

27/11/2024

💊🐾 Behaviour Medication 🐾💊
It’s ok to have some feelings when these are suggested for your pet!

If you’ve ever worried about how behavioural medication might affect your pet, you’re not alone. I’ve created a free guide to help answer some of the questions you may be having.

This guide is here to help you feel more confident in making the best choices for your pet’s happiness and health.

Download your free copy now: https://thepetbehaviourist.wixsite.com/website-5/services-9

26/11/2024

I was on today's episode of Dog Training Bytes, by Mattison of FreedbyTraining!

Here’s what Mattison said and where you can listen ☺️:

Listen here:
https://freedbytraining.wixsite.com/dogtrainingbytes/listen

Vanessa Ward, known as The Pet Behaviourist, is a certified practitioner specializing in dog, cat, and rabbit behavior. With expertise in calm dogs, cat toileting issues, and rabbit welfare, she helps people build harmonious relationships with their pets. Vanessa holds a degree in Zoology from the University of Aberdeen and a PGCert in Companion Animal Behaviour and Welfare from the Odisee - Online Postgraduate Programme in Companion Animal Behaviour and Welfare. She offers group classes, private training, behavioral consultations, and online and in-person courses to address common behavior challenges with compassion and expertise.

Dogtrainingbytes episode 22 is streaming on your favorite platform! Follow so you don't miss an episode!

05/11/2024

The biggest lies most people believe about dog training!

1. Your dog isn’t food motivated - if a dog can’t take treats, it’s probably because they are too overworked or over stimulated. Very few dogs are truly not motivated by food. If your dog can take treats sometimes then the situations where they won’t are too hard.

2. The right tool will fix your dog pulling - I maaaaay have mentioned this before, but this is not true. Training, wellbeing and the right emotional state will help with dogs pulling.

3. Your dog is too stubborn to train - honestly dogs don’t really do ‘stubborn’ that’s a very complicated human emotion. If a dog isn’t training it’s probably because they don’t want to right now, don’t understand what you’re asking of them, are too distracted by the environment or aren’t motivated enough.

4. Using treats means you’re bribing your dog - in good training we actively avoid bribery! If the reward comes after the behaviour it isn’t a bribe, it’s payment. When using the training technique called ‘luring’ it can look more like bribing, but again the reward comes after the behaviour.

04/11/2024

Time for a game! Guess the breed 🥰

This is Dave, who is absolutely adorable! I met him this week to help him bond with his new sister- but what breed is he? 🤔

I’ll let you know on Friday!