Happy Buddies - Dog Training & Walking

15/10/2025

Puppy Maple:

She might be nailing her loose lead walking training but she definitely needs to work on her eating etiquette!!

Serviette Maple? 🤣🤣

14/10/2025

🎉🐾 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻! 🐾🎉

I'm bursting with pride tonight for our most recent Canine Hoopers graduates!

We celebrated not one but TWO amazing groups - our Beginners Course and our Level 2 Course!

Each and every one of them also earned their Progress Awards, showing off their growing skills, teamwork and enthusiasm for the sport I thoroughly love teaching!

Whether it was their first time learning the ropes or they were building on their foundations, I am SO proud of their commitment, progress and determination.

A huge round of applause for:
🎓 Our fabulous Beginners - welcome to the world of Hoopers and
🎓 Our determined and talented Level 2 teams - onwards and upwards!

Thank you to all the wonderful handlers and their superstar dogs who brought a smile to my face each week! 🥳🐾

14/10/2025

Puppies love playing with toys and it's really beneficial for them ... but are you doing it correctly? Here's a great little video from Puppy School! 🐶

14/10/2025

This little Pocket Rocket graduates with her fellow Level 2 Hoopers friends tonight! She's an absolute pleasure to watch when she's running her courses and puts a huge smile on my face and her mums!

She's SO fast!! Can't wait to see her and the rest of the Level 1 and Level 2 Hoopers teams tonight! Gooooo Team Sienna!! 🐩

14/10/2025

🎃🧨🧟‍♀️ 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗧𝗼 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗗𝗼𝗴’𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗽𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 🧟‍♂️👻🔥

Halloween, Bonfire Night and dare I say it, Christmas and New Year are approaching. Whilst since of us like these celebrations, please don’t forget about the traumatic affects these events can have on your dogs and other pets/wildlife.

The costumes worn by trick-or-treaters at Halloween and the loud bangs and flashes of fireworks on Bonfire Night and New Year are exciting for us humans (well, some of us) but they are very frightening for dogs so please plan ahead for these events and keep your dog safe.

Here's a blog I wrote some ago on how to prepare for these events including some steps you can take to minimise your dog’s stress levels. 🐶

That time of year is approaching again. Halloween, Bonfire Night, Christmas and then New Year. Most of us like these celebrations (I am one of those people), but I still wish fireworks weren’t part of them!

11/10/2025

⛑️ 𝗗𝗼𝗴 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝗶𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 ⛑️

Happy Buddies Dog Training is hosting a 𝗗𝗼𝗴 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝗶𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 run by Dog First Aid - Surrey. It's designed to empower dog owners and dog professionals with the knowledge and confidence to deal with situations that require basic first aid for their canine companions in a range of emergency scenarios. It will help you to help your dog immediately following an emergency in the moments before you can get them to a vet. 𝙄𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙖 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚!

I really do believe every dog guardian should do this course. Hopefully you'll never need to put the learning into practice but at least you'll be prepared in the event you do.

The course is being held on:

📅 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟵 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿
🕙 𝟭𝟬𝗮𝗺-𝟮𝗽𝗺
📍 𝗟𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀𝘄𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗖𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗹 (just off the A217 near the 𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙤𝙛 𝙍𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙃𝙞𝙡𝙡).
🔖 £𝟱𝟵.𝟵𝟱

If you'd like to find out more and to book your place, click the link below.

https://www.happy-buddies.co.uk/canine-1st-aid

09/10/2025

Hey folks!

I've had a few enquiries asking when our 2026 course dates will be available to book and I wanted to reassure everyone that I'll be working on that soon (I'm still trying to get my head around the summer only just finishing 🤣)!

I've ordered my 2026 diary though and once it arrives I'll be sitting down and planning our 2026 courses!

So please bear with us - it won't be long before you can book - just keep checking our website over the next 2-3 weeks 😃!

Thank you - we love your enthusiasm! 😃

08/10/2025

💡 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗶𝗽 💡

𝗣𝘂𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

One of the most valuable things you can do for your puppy is to prioritise early socialisation. It sets the foundation for a calm, resilient and well-adjusted adult dog.

❓𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄𝙨 𝙋𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝙎𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣?
Socialisation means positively introducing your puppy to a wide range of experiences including people, animals, environments, sounds and textures. The goal is to help them learn that new things are safe and enjoyable, not scary or overwhelming.

The critical socialisation period is roughly between 3 and 16 weeks of age. During this window, puppies are naturally curious and open to learning about the world.

🐶 𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙎𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨
Proper socialisation helps prevent common behavioural challenges such as:

🐾 Fear or aggression towards strangers or other dogs

🐾 Anxiety in new environments

🐾 Reactivity to noises, objects or movement.

Well-socialised dogs are typically more confident, adaptable and easier to train. They tend to cope better with everyday life, from vet visits to walks in busy areas.

🌟 𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙤 𝙎𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙋𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙒𝙖𝙮.
𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙀𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙮 — 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙎𝙖𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙮
😊 Begin with gentle exposure:
For outside exposure use a puppy sling or carrier if they aren't yet fully vaccinated. Within the home introduce your puppy to household sounds such as the vacuum, TV, doorbell and safe visitors.

🐾 Go at Their Pace:
Start small by introducing one new environment or experience at a time. Let your puppy approach new things when they’re ready. Forcing interactions can backfire and create fear. Watch their body language - relaxed and curious is good but if you see a tucked tail or backing away, take a step back and go slower! Remember, don’t rush it- think quality over quantity. Let your puppy set the pace.

🤩 Make Every Experience Positive:
Keep it positive by rewarding curiosity and calm behaviour with treats, toys and praise to build positive associations. If your puppy hears a loud noise or meets someone new, reward calm curiosity straight away.

👩🏼‍🤝‍👨🏻🐩🐕‍🦺 Meet a Variety of People and Dogs:
Encourage polite, positive interactions with calm, vaccinated dogs and friendly humans of all ages and appearances but remember not to overwhelm your puppy and choose your people and dogs carefully to keep things positive!

🌍 Expose Them to Different Environments:
Take your puppy on short trips including car rides, park visits, pet-friendly shops and quiet cafés. Introduce them to different surfaces (grass, gravel, wooden floors, sand etc) and settings (quiet trails to start with and then progress to busier streets).

🩺 Handle with Care:
Gently touch your puppy’s paws, ears, tail and mouth during calm moments. This helps them get used to grooming and vet handling later on. Continue to go at their pace and keep things positive for them!

🔄 Carry on Beyond 16 Weeks:
While the critical period is short, socialisation is a lifelong process. Continue to expose your dog to new experiences in a positive way throughout adulthood.

😟 Worried or Fearful Puppies:
If your puppy seems fearful or worried don’t push them - create distance and try again at an easier level. Confidence grows through gradual exposure, not through flooding or forced interactions. 🐶

Amanda Childs
Happy Buddies - Dog Training & Walking & Puppy School