Daniels Dogs

21/08/2024

Beautiful and peaceful start this morning

16/08/2024

My favourite butterfly on the verbena just now 😍

13/08/2024

🌟 Proud to Renew My Yappily Membership! 🌟

I'm happy to share that I've renewed my membership with Yappily, The Ethical Dog Care Directory and have attained another year of accreditation.

This badge is a symbol of my dedication and support for the dogs and their guardians in my care ❤️

11/08/2024

Sharing this again

Individualised enrichment during periods of enforced confinement or exercise restriction can decrease a dog’s stress and boredom levels

11/08/2024

I had a lovely update this morning from a client I did puppy training with a few years ago now. Nellie is even more stunning now that she was as a pup. I'm so grateful I get to work with such committed canine caregivers 😍

11/08/2024

Hot dogs?

It is HOT out today!! We were back at the car after a quiet wander by 7 30am and both our dogs were feeling the heat more than I would have intended.

The humidity is 85% which is definitely having an effect on heat perception here in the UK

It’s likely too hot in many areas for dogs to be safely exercising today. Some tips to stay safe and cool:

*you don’t need to walk your dog Collect some sniffs on a walk by yourself - pick up some leaves, some sticks, bits of loose soil, perhaps some sheep fleece, animal hair on fencing etc … and bring it home and place in a box or two or on some dog towels or in a garden area, and let them sniff. Or pop to a car boot sale, a friends, a neighbours and get a few old baby toys, some worn clothing, other dogs toys or harnesses etc and bring them home for an investigation

*do a toy or sniffs or treat (or combo) search … by placing little tastes or scents in places found the house or garden and let your dog treasure trail at home

*biscuit bob - washing up bowl, bucket, paddling pool etc with water and float some kibble amongst some floating toys and let them enjoy getting them out (do this when they re not hungry to avoid frustration if they re not experienced bobbers!)

*make some cool pastes - you can soak kibble and make a mash, or add water to meat foods, or add flour and water to herbal tea or marmite or peanut butter or yoghurt and place in fridge. Once cool, put smears in a muffin tray or on different plates or bowls and let them investigate the different cool flavours

*keep the curtains / blinds closed!! Less sun in = less heat in. Consider setting up a fan if you don’t get much breeze in the hottest parts of the day

*damp some dog towels and place in fridge or freezer then lay them out in the hottest parts of the day to see if your dogs would like to lie on them

*avoid water play eg hosing, water pistols etc as whilst the dog gets wet, the exercise intensity is creating much muscle heat so they ll be hotter after, not cooler. Also grabbing too much water can cause health issues like low sodium if excessive, which can be really dangerous

*take care with natural swimming - seems a good idea but can be hot getting there and back and again, creates a lot of muscle heat for many dogs to recover from. Also HUGE issues at the moment with blue green algae in many places of the UK which is extremely toxic to dogs if swallowed

*have different sounds on the TV or speakers throughout the day - plenty of relaxing waterfall sounds, rainforest sounds, farm yard noises, classical music, pop / rock and other genres to enjoy … or audio books too!!

Plenty of cool, calm options to have a chilled out but interesting day! Stay cool and safe

(And don’t forget horses / rabbits/ cats / other furries too … give shade, give choice … )

09/08/2024

This is me today

04/08/2024

Chika has decided she's a cat today 😁

30/06/2024

24/06/2024

SILVER PAWS SERIES
Part One

“Growing Old[er] is mandatory, growing up is optional”. Carroll Bryant

In some more medical circles, it has become popular to discuss the “success” of an aging individual.
I m not sure I m on board with terms like “successful ager” as to me it somehow implies failure by the individual who isn’t.

As our pets age we can consider three categories:
- limited / mild physical (including sensory) and cognitive change

- increasing physical OR cognitive change

- increasing physical AND cognitive change

Over this series we ll consider what these may look like in our pets, predominantly dogs and cats.

“Age is but a number” as reportedly said by Joan Collins.

When are our pets considered to be “aged” or “senior” or even “geriatric” (as someone who was labelled a “geriatric mother” when I was pregnant at 40, don’t get me started on the impact of age labels!) ?

This is complicated and something we ll explore more in the series.
As an overly simplistic “rule of thumb” we often consider cats over the age of 10 to be “senior” (affected in part by breed) and dogs, well, in the main, the larger they are, the earlier they are aged/ senior. So a small breed dog like a Jack Russell terrier might not be considered senior until they are 12 or over, however a large breed dog such as Labrador may be considered aged from 8 years. A giant breed (over 45kg as an adult) perhaps from 5 or 6 years of age.

To be honest it’s complicated and we see that in humans too.
I prefer to look at the individual in front of me. To consider their health, their physical comfort or limitations (including sensory changes /abilities) and their cognitive and emotional states as well.

As we age, even from juvenile years into adulthood, our bodies change.
The older we get, the more likely physical including sensory changes away from the “norm” become, alongside cognitive and emotional change too.
It can be for the individual’s “better” and it can be a limitation or even potential source of suffering to that individual.

So first things first, health matters.

This is why regular check ups can be so valuable (whether with vets and/ or physios and/or other trained paraprofessionals)

This “tool kit” produced by BSAVA is a good starting point.
We ll be discussing all sorts of resources within the series.

Feel free to share your interests for information in the comments 😊

https://www.bsavalibrary.com/docserver/fulltext/bsava-petsavers-ageing-canines_booklet.pdf?expires=1716096262&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=E06A3D40AD8ED91FBD48AC2C08632165

10/05/2024

Getting a new puppy? Give them the best possible start with my personalised and bespoke one to one puppy training program. All done in the comfort of your own home, or on your local walks. No need to wait until after vaccinations are completed. Work with a properly accredited, fully qualified and very experienced Clinical Animal Behaviourist and Puppy Trainer. Can be done in person in and around Monmouthshire, or done online anywhere in the UK.

08/05/2024

Did you know you can book in a free discovery call to ask me about any aspect of my dog behaviour consultation and treatment process? Don't wait for problems to get really bad before seeking professional help with a Clinical Animal Behaviourist! Click here to schedule in a call:
https://calendly.com/danielsdogsuk/30min

06/05/2024

Old Dogs Rock!
My bestie is getting old. She's 12 in August, which isn't that old for a small dog, however she is feeling her age these days as she has some complicated medical issues. Every single second with her gets more and more precious. She still loves to play, lie in the warm sun, anything food related, and most especially cuddles. She still loves her walks, but I have to carefully manage what she does now as she will easily over do it. The house is full of the adaptations she needs now to be as comfortable as she can - lots of rugs and mats, ramps and steps to be able to access/get on and off things as she wants to for example. It can be hard work some days, but it's nothing compared to the years of companionship, love and fun she has given me. ❤❤❤

02/05/2024

Book a free discovery call - see link in the comments

30/04/2024

Socialisation is so important for puppies, but even more so for shy puppies. It needs to be done VERY sensitively and carefully, as it is really easy to overwhelm the more timid pups. Given the time, space and agency that they need, they can go on to thrive like any other puppy. Contact me to find out more about my personalised one to one puppy training program. I've had several very shy puppies on my program recently and all of them have grown massively in confidence and are doing brilliantly!
See in the comment for links to my website puppy page, or book in a free discovery call.

28/04/2024

Does your puppy or dog hate wearing their harness?

This is something I come across very frequently. There can be lots of reasons, and we need to think about it from the dog's point of view.

Check out my latest blog looking at some of the reasons why they may develop a harness aversion, and some simple things we can do to help prevent or overcome it.

Top tips on how you can prevent or overcome your dog's dislike or fear of their harness.

12/04/2024

One of my favourite ever feeding toys: https://www.roverskit.co.uk/collections/west-paw/products/west-paw-zogoflex-toppl-treat-toy

Here I've plugged the hole with half a cocktail sausage, then filled up with plain natural yoghurt. I often prep beforehand and pop into the freezer for when I need some ready made entertainment 🐕😍❤🥰

10/04/2024

https://calendly.com/danielsdogsuk/30min or go to the website: https://danielsdogs.co.uk/dog-behaviour/

08/04/2024

If you have dogs and younger children, this is a fantastic little fun video for the kids to watch:

28/03/2024

Did you know you can book in a FREE 15-minute discovery call to ask about my behaviour consultation package? Book in via the website or use the direct link below:
https://danielsdogs.co.uk/dog-behaviour/

https://calendly.com/danielsdogsuk/30min

27/03/2024

Love this! ❤❤

26/03/2024

Gorgeous Poppy ❤🐕🥰

https://danielsdogs.co.uk/puppy-training/

25/03/2024

Don't wait for problems to start! Raising your puppy is so much easier if you get the right help from the start.

https://danielsdogs.co.uk/puppy-training/

22/03/2024

This is why we can't just get rid of unwanted behaviour. Once those neural pathways are made, you can't just unmake them. You can stop practicing them (management), and try to strengthen new, more desirable behaviour instead.

Get more from Better Brain on Patreon

22/03/2024

Teaching your dog individual names for their toys is a great mentally stimulating game for them 😀

Your dog understands that some words ‘stand for’ objects, new dog EEG study from Eötvös Loránd University shows
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kL9VzMCfm8
Details: https://ethology.elte.hu/en/content/your-dog-understands-that-some-words-stand-for-objects-new-study-shows.t.39012

22/03/2024

If you need help with your dog's behaviour please get in touch.

https://danielsdogs.co.uk/dog-behaviour/

19/03/2024

Looking for puppy training? Want to give your new puppy the best possible start in life? Bespoke one-to-one puppy program done in the comfort of your own home and nearby walks. Get expert help from a properly accredited, highly qualified and very experienced registered puppy training instructor and Clinical Animal Behaviourist. All of Monmouthshire, Pontypool and Cwmbran areas covered. https://danielsdogs.co.uk/puppy-training/

18/03/2024

One of my favourite photos of Sophie ❤❤🥰🥰