Petted Lugs

25/06/2024

Just a reminder that I'm currently not offering any services as I'm on maternity leave.
Please use the website contact form rather than my personal number (late night/early morning calls are not appreciated 🙈), but I won't be much help with answering enquiries!
Thank you.

18/06/2024

Last remaining vet bed available - £10 each (normally £15).
Medium size only - 30" x 20".
Local delivery available (Udny, Ellon, Pitmedden etc).
Or collection from Udny.
Edit - pink pigs, 2 x pink paws and brown paws sold.

10/06/2024

SALE

I have some medium vet bedding still available that I would like shifted so offering it at a discounted price. Great for dog crates, back of the car, on sofas etc etc as it's easy to put in the wash machine.

30 x 20 inch - £10 per piece (normally £15!).

Designs pictured available and free local delivery (Udny, Pitmedden, Ellon etc but may deliver to Aberdeen depending on location).

05/06/2024

Well that's my last puppy classes done for now, I'm officially on maternity leave! 😲
What a lovely bunch of pups and owners to finish with - thank you so much for the cards and gifts 🥰
This lot all worked very hard and the results were great to see!

29/05/2024

Howdy there partner. 🤠

18/05/2024

I love having cameras around my house, because it makes me feel at ease knowing my dog is comfortable when left alone (he will literally sleep in the same spot for hours, but I don't ever leave him more than 4 hours). Even though I know he sleeps when we leave the house, it's handy to keep an eye on him now and again, because if his behaviour ever changes it may indicate a problem.
If you have a puppy it gives you a great insight into understanding if they are struggling to cope when you leave. Being destructive, pacing, whining, panting are clear signs your dog is distressed.
I always recommend a camera when you first start to leave your dog alone in the house, even if they are in a crate.

16/05/2024

Dogs are usually much more relaxed on a harness. I think the majority of owners I've taught see an improvement when they switch. My own dog is the exact same too.

14/05/2024

JUST SHAKE IT OFF
Dogs constantly communicate through their body language.

A “shake off” is one of the many types of body language and is one of the easier ones to notice.

The shake off can provide us with important insights as to how our dogs are feeling.

Besides being a very effective way to get rid of dirt, pesky bugs and water - dogs can remove up to 70% of water in one single shake off - the shake off is often seen just after something that a dog needs a mental reset from.

It’s a way to flush out adrenaline and could be compared to us taking a deep breath to reset our nervous system and calm ourselves down.

Dogs instinctively know they feel better when they just shake it all off!

It’s their way of saying “Phew, I’m glad that’s over, now I can put it behind me and move on”.

Shaking off is a positive way to calm down, reset and cope with stress – be that negative or positive stress.

Sometimes a shake off could be due to an underlying medical reason like an ear infection, allergy, itching or pain.

If you notice a shake off, look at what has just happened beforehand. This will provide a good clue as to what it is that your dog needs to reset from.

03/05/2024

Great post. Always surprises me that rice and chicken is still recommended as there are far better alternatives - it is far too inflammatory.

First it's important to take your dog to your vet if he/she has 1 or 2 of these additional symptoms:
-Loss of appetite or no interest in food
-Not drinking, or he appears dehydrated (tacky gums, drawn appearance, decreased urination, decreased skin turgor)
-Abdominal pain
-Blood in the stool (dark, blackish or bright red blood)
-Vomiting
-Failure to urinate or reduced urination
-Lethargy or weakness

Other reasons to make a vet visit:
-A puppy, young or very small dog
-Older or senior dogs
-A dog with chronic health issues like diabetes, Cushing’s or cancer

HOME TREATMENT is appropriate for mild diarrhea secondary to dietary indiscretion or mild stress colitis.

Be sure your dog has access to fresh, filtered WATER so that he/she does not become dehydrated.

FASTING for 6-12 hours is recommended to allow the intestinal tract to rest and give the gut time to heal.
It is NOT recommended to fast a puppy, a very small dog or an elderly dog.

My diarrhea fix:
-For the first 1-2 meals feed a COOKED SWEET POTATO (¼ lg dogs under 20lbs, ½ dog 20-40, whole potato for dogs above 40lbs or organic plain canned PUMPKIN (not pumpkin pie filling) 1 tbsp per 10 lbs body weight.

-Add plain PSYLLIUM HUSK (Breeds up to 20 pounds -half a teaspoon twice daily, medium dog breeds up to 20-40 pounds -one teaspoon twice daily, and large dogs breed above 40 pounds two teaspoons twice a day) and warm water.

-Next 2-3 meals add in a bland, cooked meat such as lean ground turkey.

-Once the stools become formed, you can slowly switch back over to the maintenance diet over the next 3–4 days. Keep adding psyllium husk to each meal until the stools have been formed for 3 days in a row.

Slippery Elm is another great remedy to add.
It is a tree native to the central and eastern United States and Ontario, Canada. The bark generates a sticky material known as mucilage, which is therapeutic and soothing. It’s safe and gentle on your dog’s inflamed digestive tract. Give slippery elm with food. Give ¼ tsp powder for every 10 lbs body weight.

If your dog has severe diarrhea, then a vet visit for fluid therapy may become necessary. This is most critical for small breeds of dogs.

Feeding your dog a species-appropriate, whole food diet you will help prevent future diarrhea episodes because it will support a healthy gut flora, unlike highly processed kibble.
When diarrhea does occur, follow these guidelines, and you should be able to get it under control very quickly. If it doesn’t improve within 48 hours, then it may be a symptom of something more serious.

Check out my full blog on diarrhea to learn about why not to use metronidazole and how probiotics can help. The link is in the comments

26/04/2024

New vet bedding delivery - Shepherd x Rough Collie modelling to show size.
These are hugely popular at puppy classes but I can deliver to local areas surrounding Ellon free of charge :) Easily washed and perfect for in the car or just as a cosy bed.
Medium (30" x 20") - £15 for one or £25 for two.
Large (30" x 40") - £25 a piece - only 3 designs available.
These always sell out fast so comment or PM to reserve!

26/04/2024

Totally agree. I do think crate training has its purpose and I used them when my dogs were puppies (I got rid of crates as soon as they could be trusted not to chew anything), but dogs should also not be subjected to long hours stuck in a crate.
Our dogs have such short lives and are sociable creatures.

Yesterday I read a post on a colleague's page which should have been entirely noncontroversial. The post stated that dogs shouldn't be regularly crated for 8 hours or more at a time. Incredibly some people pushed back hard on that point on the basis it excluded people who worked full time/long hours from having a dog.

And there's the rub. 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙙𝙤𝙜. Much as they might want one. Not everyone's lifestyle is compatible with dog ownership. Which can be a bitter pill to swallow if you desperately want a dog in your life but that doesn't make it any less true.

Dogs need social contact*. They need space to move*. To deprive them of these things has a detrimental effect on their well being, no matter how loved they may be. So if the only way someone can fit a dog into their life is to leave it alone & crated for 8-10 hours every day they really need to do some soul searching and consider the dog's experience, not just their own wants.

If you do work out of the home for long hours and still want a dog in your life then you have to be prepared to pay for support to help you care for your dog - a dog walker, pet sitter, day care etc. And high quality, ethical pet care costs.

Does that mean that those who work long hours out of the home and can't afford high quality pet care can't have a dog? Yes, very possibly.

Owning a dog isn't a right. It's a responsibility which means that you have to consider the dog's welfare ahead of your own wants. There will be many such decisions along the way and the first one is whether your lifestyle can meet a dog's most basic needs. And if it can't, the answer should be 'no'.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*𝘙𝘦𝘧𝘴:
• 𝘉𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘢 𝘉, 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘔 𝘉 𝘏, 𝘷𝘢𝘯 𝘏𝘰𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘑, 𝘥𝘦 𝘝𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘏 𝘞, 𝘔𝘰𝘭 𝘑 𝘈 (1998). 𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭, 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘢, 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘪 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘨𝘴, 𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘈𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘭 𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 58: 365-381.
• 𝘉𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘢 𝘉, 𝘉𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢 𝘞, 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘔 𝘉 𝘏, 𝘔𝘰𝘭 𝘑 𝘈, 𝘷𝘢𝘯 𝘏𝘰𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘑 (1999𝘢). 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘨𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘰𝘯𝘦: 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘴, 𝘗𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘳 66: 233-242.

24/04/2024

23/04/2024

May Puppy Classes - reminder emails have all been sent out which contains information about what to bring. Please make sure to read them before classes start next week.
If you have booked a space and don't have an email, check your Spam or get in contact.
Thanks 😃

23/04/2024

WHAT COLOURS DO DOGS SEE?
Contrary to popular belief, dogs are not colour blind.

A dog’s visual world is certainly not as vibrantly colourful as ours, but they do see a range of yellow, grey and blue shades and have better night and peripheral vision than we do.

Colour is interpreted and discerned by nerve cells in the eyes. The retina has two main types of cells called rods, which detect light levels and motion and cones which differentiate colour.

A human’s eyes have three types of cones which can identify combinations of red, blue, and green.

Dogs have only two types of cones that are only able to discern shades of blue, yellow and grey – this perception of colour is called dichromatic vision.

An ophthalmology professor at the University of Washington discovered that dogs could see blues and yellows but not reds and greens. This information would have been confirmed by anatomical investigation of a dog’s eye.

It would make more sense if manufacturers of dog toys would take a dog’s colour spectrum into account when producing dog toys.

Toys are usually made to visually appeal to people, not dogs.

Shades of yellow, grey or blue are far more appealing to your dog than a bright shade of red or another colour.

21/04/2024

Just 1 remaining space on Ellon Puppy Class starting on Wed the 1st of May (8-9pm).
My last block for a while due to maternity! Eek that's come around so fast 😱
www.pettedlugs.co.uk/book-online

21/04/2024

Anyone interested? Looks like it will be fab, especially for the collies 🤩

21/04/2024

A good video to show why certain harnesses are better than others.
Those that go around the shoulders like Julius K9 really restrict movement which could cause issues with your dogs joints in the long run.

17/04/2024

Well that's another puppy class block over already 😓 But everyone did fantastic and such fun 🤩🤩
Thanks to all for your hard work, all amazing pups!
Just a few spaces left for MAY classes in Ellon, Wednesdays 8-9pm.
www.pettedlugs.co.uk/book-online

16/04/2024

He's got a hard life 😂❤️

12/04/2024

It's so refreshing to get some sunshine.
Why not head to Scentral Bark to let your dogs have a secure run around ☀️☀️

05/04/2024

I was hoping to do some 1 hour Loose lead and Recall workshops again at Scentral Bark this month, however the constant rain is making it impossible to plan any of these. With baby due in summer, it looks unlikely that I'll be holding these this year now, as I'm struggling to be as active as I was.
Sorry to those that were interested and asking when these would be, but the weather has just been terrible for about 6 months solid, and booking the park and having to rearrange due to weather causes a headache for everyone.

30/03/2024

Arcy did me proud today at his first ever KC agility show! 🐶

21/03/2024

😆

19/03/2024

May puppy classes are half full so only a few spots left for both the earlier and later class.
Don't leave it til last minute because they always fill in advance :)

Book puppy classes in Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen with Petted Lugs

15/03/2024

These two used to hate each other. It's taken a while but we got there 🥰

14/03/2024

🥚The girls are laying a lot of eggs again, so if anyone wants let me know. I'll only be delivering to Ellon or Udny/Pitmedden. Can also take to puppy classes.
Very low on egg boxes if anyone has.

10/03/2024

MAY puppy classes are booking up fast - this is my last block before going on maternity.
Ellon Victoria Hall - Wednesdays 7-8pm and 8-9pm.
6 week block course and a small class size.
Structured course with notes and a pop up shop.
www.pettedlugs.co.uk/book-online

05/03/2024

Just a reminder that I'm still in Canada and won't be back until Friday.
Those booked onto March classes starting next week - I will get a reminder email sent out over the weekend with what to bring. But the main thing is plenty of treats and a suitable lead (no extendable leads please).
Sorry if I take longer to get back to anyone but I am 8 hours behind so I often lose track of messages and emails. Just remind me if I have forgotten to get back to you.
Thanks 😊