Maven Dogs

11/05/2024

Sorry (not sorry) for sharing trash off social media but, this made me laugh out loud 😂😂😂

04/05/2024

Just got an amazing review from a recent client. Totally brilliant dog owner, one of the best in terms of openmindedness and commitment to the welfare of the dog. Makes it all worthwhile 🥹

"Maeve is an amazing dog trainer. She is really insightful at understanding both the dog's behaviours and also us as owners. She went above and beyond to support me and my family with our English pointer puppy when he was about 8 months old. She helped establish a practical routine and training that was realistic and right for us a family and our dog breed. She was always on hand for advice and worked in partnership with us. I would definitely recommend her."

★★★★★ "Maeve is amazing dog trainer. She is really insighful at understanding both the dogs behaviours and also us as owners . She went above and beyond to support me and my family with our English pointer puppy when he was about 8 months old . She helped establish a practical routine and ...

10/03/2024

(wo)mantrailing today in Surrey Hills with Best Pup Academy great fun, good exercise and my dog was in his element 😁😁😁

06/03/2024

We can't go over it
We can't go over it
We can't go under it
We can't go under it
We'll have to go THROUGH it!
🤯😅😂

25/01/2024

Love stories like this 🥰

The indomitable Camberley Kate, aka Kate Ward, and her stray dogs in England 1962.
Camberley Kate was born on June 13, 1895 in Middlesbrough. Orphaned before the age of ten, she was raised by an aunt in a strict religious atmosphere. As a young girl she went into service and eventually found her way to Camberley. In later years she once claimed to have been head cook at the RMC at the time of the Battle of the Somme, even though she was only 21 years old.
She also mentioned that she knew what it was like to be homeless.
In 1943, Kate bought a cottage in Yorktown and soon took in her first stray, a dog that was about to be euthanized because of lameness.
Over time, the number of dogs in her home grew - some tied to her door, others left in carriers, others brought to her by police or other authorities. By the end of her life, she estimated that she had cared for more than 600 dogs.
Kate and her olive green handcart marked "STRAY DOGS" were a familiar sight in the area as she pushed it from Yorktown to Camberley every day.
She died on August 4, 1979.

23/01/2024

Lockdown meant less opportunity for dogs to time spend time apart from their owners and for owners to socialise their puppy - leading to issues such as separation anxiety, aggression, pulling on the lead and excessive barking. The study in this article has also shown that many dog owners are finding training their lockdown puppy (now a young adult dog!) hard. There is a lot of information online but how do you know if it's any good? If you want to do it yourself then I recommend following these guys:
- Dog Training by Kikopup
- Chirag Patel
- Patricia McConnell, Ph.D.
And if you'd like some hands-on guidance then please hire a local trainer for some one-to-one sessions (call me on 07878584302) or book a class! 😊🙌

Problems such as pulling on lead, clinginess or aggression were most prevalent among the pets studied

13/01/2024

Hi there, what's new?! I've got an online calendar that let's YOU take control (woo!) so, feel free to plop yourself in there for some highly engaging, one-to-one training that will help transform your 🤩 https://calendly.com/mavendogs/one-to-one From £50 per session 🤗

11/12/2023

Dogs will often communicate their feelings very subtly so it's useful to know a few signs and what these might mean for your dog. Whale eye, as demonstrated beautifully by my own dog in this photo, usually means that your dog is uncomfortable with you being so close or what you're doing and it wishes that you would stop or back off. In simpler terms, it usually means "Give me space". If you fail to heed the signal, your dog may feel the need to communicate more clearly, by growling or biting, so it pays to know your dog's communication style. I know my dog quite well and I can say with a high degree of certainty that he is trying to communicate his extreme disappointment in my failure to give him some turkey Bolognese - he had some yesterday and he'd like some today as well! He watched me like this for at least 15 minutes 😅 and no, I didn't give him any! 😂

06/12/2023

I just wanted to share this still from a video made by a really great dog trainer Arisaig Gundogs because I want to highlight how much control he has of his dogs. But notice the young dog in his arms. She's only 6 months old. Dogs learn so much from watching older dogs, which she's doing, but her feet aren't even touching the ground - so she's not going to be making any mistakes. I think so many owners of pet dogs make the mistake of giving their young dogs too much freedom too soon. The young dog really doesn't know what to do with it and so of course they'll make mistake after mistake. I'm sure this trainer will give this pup lots of opportunities to learn how to do her job but, in situations like this, he's got full control of her and she's still having a great time and learning. 🙂

22/11/2023

Isn't it interesting how we can understand the emotions a dog is feeling by its howl (or bark)? They understand our emotions too! Try different tones of voice to get your "message" across and see the difference 🙂

426.2K likes, 3485 comments. “1,2,3,4 or 5? 😊”

20/11/2023

...now just got to find Buster a few friends 🤣

Looking for the ultimate way to celebrate your pups birthday, special occasion, or the moment they passed that tricky doggy training? Party hats, a card, a special dog ice-cream sundae, with a £1 donation to dog charity Street Paws.

10/11/2023

What breed is this lovely puppy? 🤔💭🐕

17/10/2023

Am in love...have to show off cos she's so gorgeous. And sharp as a tack! Fingers crossed, she's joining my Tues gang 😍

01/10/2023

Rui, Suki and Milly are looking for a new friend to join them for fun and adventures on Thursday mornings! Their new friend must be fairly well trained, over 2 years old, live in or near Twickenham or Richmond, and like cuddles/treats/long walks 🤗 If you think your floofball would be a good match, please contact [email protected] for more details or call Maeve on 07878584302 for a friendly chat. Thank you! 😊

29/09/2023

Everytime I read about XL type dogs at the moment, there's mention of muzzle training. I've seen plenty of trainers offering this as a service, either discounted or even free. For those dog owners who would rather do it themselves, do watch this video from the very talented Dogmantics Dog Training aka Kikopup. What I particularly like is how she couples conditioning the dog to the muzzle with calmness, and she's using a high drive dog with a history of dog and human reactivity. training your dog is a very loving and responsible thing to do, for any breed/age/sex/temperament of dog. 🤗🤗🤗

Train your dog to wear a muzzle. Teach your dog to find a muzzle calming. Video for teaching a chin rest behavior - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2lnaerPR5o

29/09/2023

Sharing this brilliant post I saw on another trainer's page. As she says, "Act now" 🤗

23/09/2023

Train With Me 😁 1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣ Game

If you've made it this far, you're outstanding. A truly devoted dog owner! Give yourself a pat on the back, and a biscuit 🍪

5th stage – Still in the garden and on a lead, repeat stage 2, and after a couple of
days repeat stage 3.

Tip: whenever you teach your dog a new behaviour/command, train it in several different environments but, each time, start from the beginning and progress at the dog's pace.

21/09/2023

As a mum of two, kids are often on my mind, so I was delighted to find these FREE workshops and webinars on dogs and children living safely together

Expert advice on preventing dog bites to children.

20/09/2023

Train With Me 😀 1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣ Game

4th stage – In your garden, with your dog ON LEAD (to keep them close), say just the word ‘three’ and then treat. Do this for a couple of sessions.

If you've made it this far - WELL DONE!! 👏 You're much more likely to succeed with your training because you've persevered 💛💚🩵

Next stage tomorrow! 🐩

17/09/2023

"Don't give up on the hard dogs. They will teach you something you never knew you needed."

- Kathy Kawalec

16/09/2023

Train With Me 😀 1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣ Game

I think you know what comes next...
Say "1, 2, 3" then treat!

Do this inside for a few more days. Next post will be on WEDNESDAY.

Tip: if your dog is more motivated by Play than food, then you could also experiment with producing a favourite toy from behind your back and having a quick game of tug, instead of a food reward. 😁🐾

13/09/2023

Train with me 😁 1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣ Game

We're on day 4 of our journey to brilliant new recall 🌟 Buster is loving the extra treats and our special time together. Let me know how it's going for you!

2nd stage – it's the same format (scroll down my page for stage 1 if you're catching up) but this time say ‘two, three’ then treat. Do this twice a day for 3 days. Simples! ☺️

(Next stage will be posted on Saturday).

12/09/2023

This 😍😍😍

Such a great video demonstrating lots of techniques to help your puppy cope with stressful situations, enjoy being groomed, and why it's SO important to start this at an early age.

39K likes, 237 comments. “How gorgeous is Winnie?! 🤩❤️”

10/09/2023

Train With Me! 😊 1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣ Game

My dog's recall is very good but...there are certain times and places when he's too distracted by something going on and can't hear me. Sound familiar? Want to do something about it but not sure how? Follow these easy steps to improve your dog's listening skills and recall (I'll be posting all the stages in the coming days, so make sure to follow so you don't miss out).

1st stage - Start this indoors. Have a handful of 10 treats, let your dog know you have them, so they are already paying attention to you. Say ‘three’ and give a treat after a 1 second pause. Repeat this until all the treats have disappeared (into his tummy). Do this twice a day for 3 days. 😀

Next post will be in 3 days, i.e. Wednesday. 🐾

10/05/2023

"Sooookeeeee!!!"

19/04/2023

Never too late to start crate training 🙂 Why bother? Well, if your house is burning down whilst you're out the fire person will check the crates for any pets; it's a "home from home" for your dog so when you go on holiday with your dog they'll be in familiar surroundings; dogs are naturally denning animals so they do like to sleep in covered crates; some dogs need to rest more, for instance, puppies, and crates ensure they get the sleep they need; if your dog has to convalesce or stay over at the vets they will need to be used to sleeping in a crate; many dog sitters won't board or care for your dog unless they're crate-trained - me included! It's a very considerate thing to do for your dog for all the above reasons. If you'd like some help crate-training your dog, please get in touch 😊

18/04/2023

An endless source of fascination and joy for me is, once we get home after our morning excursions, watching Lolly bash the hell out of Buster. He needs this weekly dose of pummelling! And fortunately, she seems to enjoy it just as much. I've deduced that there are a few rules. 1. I have to be in the room. If I get up and walk out they immediately stop playing and usually follow me. 2. Not very well depicted in this video but, Buster is the "supplicant" 80% of the time. I read somewhere that observational studies of dogs playing have concluded that the dog underneath is the one controlling the game. Interesting. 3. Regular sneezing ensures both players understand that this is JUST a game, as does mirroring of each other's body language.

17/04/2023

Has your dog got a "soft mouth"? If your dog likes to bring you things, try it with an egg. It's a neat trick - or a very messy one! 😂

(tip: you can boil the egg in advance and try once cooled down).

14/04/2023

Remembering December all of a sudden. We had some gloriously sunny days 🌞❄️

10/04/2023

Happy Bank Holiday! 😀

(this is a Belgian Malinois. I'd never own a dog like this unless I was going to train it for protection work, special military operations, stunt work or some badass sport🤯)