Hound Solo

21/03/2025

Our beautiful boy is 12 today 🥳🐾🐾🖤🎂

Still a puppy at heart, silly as ever, and the light in our lives 😍

Happy Birthday Bocca, may you celebrate many more with us 🤞

17/03/2025

Sunday morning sunshine with my boy 😎🐾🐾

Had a few days off visiting my very elderly parents last week but back to work today and looking forward to this week’s client sessions 🐶

01/03/2025

This handsome young lad has been having regular 1-2-1 sessions for the last few weeks and he’s doing so well thanks to the commitment and loving support of his human mum 🐾🐾❤️👣

He was adopted as an adolescent with an unknown history and, like so many adolescents (not just dogs 😜) he becomes frustrated easily and struggles to manage his big emotions.

I asked for some vet input, as his owner and I felt that something wasn’t quite right with his health, and he was diagnosed with a parasitic infection known to impact on behaviour. With prompt treatment he’s now able to respond much better to his training plan and I had a lovely message from his owner yesterday telling me how proud she was of him on their last walk 😇🌟

I’m super proud of them both as they’re a fabulous example of the power of commitment and a good relationship supporting positive behaviour change 🐶❤️

21/02/2025

“What do you mean, you’re giving me homework to do?!!” 🐶😳😄

Yesterday’s new 1-2-1 client is soooo handsome isn’t he?! 😍🐾🐾

And yes, I do give personalised homework for you and your dog to work on between sessions - because that’s when the real magic happens 💫😉

If you’d like a behaviourist/trainer who gives you achievable tasks to work on with your dog, and who’s happy to answer any questions that arise between in person sessions, as many times as you need to ask them, then I could be the one for you 🐶 Message this page or send me an email to tell me what you and your dog need help with

15/02/2025

For Valentines weekend 🐶❤️
(is that a thing even?🤷🏼‍♀️)

Which language does your dog use to express their love? Mine’s a snuggly toucher AND a giver of ‘gifts’ 😁

🐾🐾❤️👣

12/01/2025

If you know me you’ll know I love learning, especially if there’s a dog involved!

Today I’ve renewed my Canine First Aid Certificate with the fabulous Rhodes2Safety K9 1st Aid 💚

Kerry’s sessions are superb, engaging, hugely informative and highly recommended by me to anyone with a dog 🐾🐾 I also recommend having a look at her website for some excellent, well researched, blog articles about all sorts of canine health and well-being topics.

Kerry’s lovely assistant Dice the ridgeback was the star of the afternoon, he’s been beautifully trained by her to be the ideal demo dog and super sociable 🌟all with positive reinforcement methods of course ❤️

09/01/2025

It’s a bit cold out there today ❄️🥶
My little hound solo, Bocca, is a senior spaniel so I’ve declared it’s too cold and icy for a walk this morning. He’s enjoying a fleece blanket for now and I’ll do some in home training refreshers with him later if he fancies something to do.

Take care out there 🐾🐾

🐾 Doggy Blog Day 🐾

Wooflinks is here to provide some light reading for dog lovers on this snowy, cold day!
Ever wondered how cold is too cold for your dog? Or felt a pang of guilt for not wanting to go out in the freezing conditions? This one is for you 💛

Share with your clients or friends to ensure our doggies stay safe and happy in the cold 🥶

➡️ https://wooflinks.co.uk/blog/keeping-your-dog-safe-and-happy-in-the-cold/

15/12/2024

Is it just me or does this little lad look like he’s smiling at the end of his last 1-2-1 session on Friday?

He’s such a quick learner and made huge progress during the session - he’s been learning ‘go to mat’, targeting his mum’s outstretched hand with his nose (a great way of moving dogs without invading their personal space), and sit/wait 😇

08/12/2024

Sunday vibes at Hound Solo dog behaviour consultancy 🐶

It was great to get out and blow away some cobwebs this morning 🌪️🐾🐾 but after some admin time at my desk, Bocca and I finding it hard to motivate ourselves to leave our fleece ‘comfies’ this afternoon 😂

We may just entertain ourselves with some trick training and indoor scent games instead…….

If you and your dog don’t fancy going out this afternoon then I 💯% give you a ‘Behaviourist’s Prescription’ to do the same 😆

Time to get those snuffle mats out, set out a treat treasure hunt indoors, and/or spend some time brushing up on your dog’s life skill behaviours ahead of Christmas 🐾🐾😇

However, if your dog’s behaviour is causing you stress, frustration, or concern, my diary for January is open for new clients 🎉

Message the page or use the contact form on my website if you’d like to know more 🐾🐾❤️👣

21/10/2024

Yes, we're approaching that time again......... 🥺🎆

I know that lots of us humans love watching fireworks, not all though........ my 19 year old will be keeping their headphones on throughout, and they'll probably have ear defenders close by too! I love seeing the colours and sparkles but I do wish we didn't have the bangs going on all night, for several nights......

Anyway, even if you're a firework lover, your dog may not be such a fan There are many reasons why puppies and dogs might find fireworks frightening, and sadly it can be a complex and serious issue for some, including my boy Bocca 🖤😔

Although there's lots of information out there on how to manage firework season safely for your dog, we don't always remember to go and find it, or we save it to read later but then forget until 3pm on 5th November.......

So, I've created a free to download information sheet that you can access directly from Google Drive right now! No need to leave your details, just download it, share it, and hopefully find it helpful The link is in the comments as I think Facebook likes it best that way!

Be Prepared, your dog will thank you for it!! 🐾🐾❤️👣

11/10/2024

This is an amazing offer from Holly Dwyer Photography - Photographing pets & their people she’s taken some stunning images for me in the past so I highly recommend her!

01/10/2024

I can't believe we've reached October already! 🎃🍁

The 1st October is National Black Dog Day and in recognition of how awesome black dogs are (not just the black ones if we're honest!), I'm sharing my two black spaniel boys' faces with you 🖤🖤

On the left, gazing off into the distance (I seem to remember that biscuits were involved in the capturing of this image 😄) we have Murphy, our first spaniel who sadly left this world in July 2016 but left everlasting love behind him.

On the right, staring straight at the camera (I definitely remember roast chicken being present at this photo shoot 🤣) is our current mischief monster, Bocca!

Black Dog Day started to highlight the plight of all the black dogs (sadly cats share this issue too) who often have to wait longer to be adopted than their lighter coloured friends 🙁

But did you know that black dogs can often have a hard time around other dogs on walks? It seems that their facial expressions can be harder to interpret at a distance; add in floppy spaniel ears that don't show emotions as clearly, and things can get a little confusing and stressful all round...........

Allowing extra space for unknown dogs to pass by at a comfortable distance is always wise when encountering dogs of any colour or coat pattern. Similarly, if you're approaching an on lead dog when yours is off, call them back to you and keep your dog close by until the other has passed. Having some yummy treats in your pocket can help to keep your dog's attention focussed!

If you have regular difficulties when encountering other dogs on walks and would like some professional help, why not use the contact form on my website to get in touch. Tell me a bit about your dog and I'll be happy to let you know how I can help to make walks much less stressful 🐾🐾❤️👣

20/08/2024

I’m really proud to part of the Wooflinks - The Home of Dog Professionals community 💛

The fabulous Lucie Culley visited me recently and this is what she created to showcase Hound Solo 🐾🐾🐶

I just love it, especially because, as ever, Bocca’s the star of the show 😍

29/06/2024

Yes this post is longer than many of us would stop scrolling to read but if you’re thinking about getting a puppy or an older dog, or you have a puppy right now, please do read it 🙏🏼 Jane Ardern is hugely knowledgable so her words can be trusted 🐶

Puppies are not clean slates !
You often hear people say 'get a puppy they are a clean slate'

As a behaviourist and breeder I can confidently tell you this is not true. Both nature and nurture has a huge impact.
A puppy will inherit genes from its parents and these genes will impact the puppies genetic potential to behave in a particular way.
Such as :
Using aggression as a strategy to deal with difficult situations
Sociability towards people and dogs
Fearful responses
Sound sensitivity
Strong instinctive behaviour to hunt, chase, grab, hold and guard.
Trainability which includes the ability to learn self control as humans desire it.

When people breed dogs they sometimes select for specific traits and sometimes not. If someone is breeding for a particular look, colour or just money then these traits can become altered becoming stronger or weaker or unbalanced. This can make a dog dangerous for example breeding a dog with gameness and reducing human sociability.

Then the puppy is born and the first 8 weeks learning with the breeder will have an huge impact on the development of all these genetic traits.

My five puppies have all come from the same parents and been reared in the same environment. They have very individual personalities. The training and socialisation they receive in their new homes will only influence the genes and first learning, it won't change their personalities.

So if you are looking for a puppy
Firstly learn about breed traits and instincts and make sure you pick a puppy that will suit your lifestyle. For example there no point getting a breed that is 'aloof with strangers' if you have 3 young children and lots of friends visiting.

Secondly meet the parents or (genes), see what they are like. Make sure you are meeting the actual parents, some people buy in puppy farmed litters and then 'hire' an adult of the same breed to pretend the puppies were bred there!!

Thirdly make sure the puppy has had plenty of early neurological stimulation and learning before it leaves the litter. Ask these questions.
1) What have the puppies seen?
2) Who and what have they met?
2) What have they learnt?
3) How have they learned to play?
4) What do they do if they get frustrated?
5) What do they do if they get bored?

A professional trainer can help support and guide you on the process of looking for a puppy. Don't wait till afterwards for help.

Prevention IS better than Cure. This goes for training and socialisation too, get a professional to help and guide you.

Puppies are building neural pathways with every experience, every day, make sure they're building ones you like.

First Learning is the strongest, make sure you get it right first time.

Written by Jane Ardern BSc (Hons) KCAI (WG)
WaggaWuffins Canine College
Bury Lancashire

*Permission to share this post from this source. No cutting and pasting please and pretending you wrote it yourself 🙄

20/02/2024

Double Trouble 😍🐶🐶

Litter mate puppies can be a challenge, for many reasons! But these two are doing well with their dedicated owners working hard to train them separately as well as together 💙💙

Today’s session was all about taking turns and feeling happy putting new harnesses on and off, plus lead walking tips and a refresher on using a marker word to help the puppies with low frustration learning 🐾🐾

Really happy with their progress in just two sessions, as are my clients 😊 came home feeling good about my job this afternoon!

14/02/2024

Whoever you love this Valentine’s Day, whether they’re right next to you or somewhere far away 🌈 hold them close in your heart always ❤️

31/12/2023

A bit last minute I know but in case anyone needs some ideas to help their dog cope with the bangs later, this is a good quick read 🐶

With New Years Eve approaching, we have some TOP TIPS for keeping your pet safe this firework season.

Dogs:https://www.apbc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Fireworks-Series-Behaviour.pdf

Cats:https://www.apbc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/APBC-How-to-prepare-your-cat-for-fireworks.pdf