The Canine Lifestyle

16/06/2024

This crazy lot did amazing this weekend Super Hoopers UK hoop and seek

Dawn Mott and Bramble 3rd overall
Nikki Barber and Henry 4th overall
Vee Garner Richardson placed in all classes with Jasmine and Murphy 🙌🙌

05/06/2024

Spent a lovely day Medical Detection Dogs seminar on Tuesday with the BoA sniffing class. A lovely inspiring charity carrying out really worthwhile work. Great to see how well all the dogs are treated and the enthusiasm they have for their job.
I am hoping to run a Scentwork competition later in the year to raise funds. Watch this space 😃

26/05/2024

Super proud dog mum. My boys are featured in the new Vetz Petz Antinol for Dog information booklet 😍
They have been on this supplement for a couple of years and can’t recommend it enough.
Thank you Ginger & Black Photography

25/04/2024

Keep your doggies safe everyone

19/04/2024

Love this 😊

14/04/2024

Congratulations to Karen Bond and Timber taking fourth place in their Scentwork UK L2. A great team going from strength to strength 🙌

01/04/2024

Congratulations to everyone who took part in the Easter nosework games today Watercombe Dogs great results.

04/03/2024

***Can I please ask everyone to share this post so that we can spread the word. ***

Did you know we are running 3 CHUK Hoopers shows this summer? 18th & 19th May, 16th & 17th August and 28th & 29th September. Running alongside Pawsability Dog Training agility shows in Somerton, Somerset. TA11 7JH

We will be set away from the agility show with 2 rings so will benefit from having a quiet corner. Rings will be fenced. Camping is also available. The May show is now open to book via Agility Plaza.

***We are also running a Tunnellers qualifier across all 3 shows with the final being held at Bath & West show May 2025!!!***

22/02/2024

22/02/2024

So tonight we started our UK Scent Sport journey.
We began with which involves the dogs using their short term memory to find the scent rather than storing it and building an association as they do for traditional scentwork practices.
All the teams nailed it. Assessments to follow congratulations.
Very excited about this new discipline and all the elements.

19/02/2024

Huge congratulations to Dawn Mott and Bramble and Lorraine Wilkins and Rosie who place 2nd and 3rd in their L4 Scentwork UK trials this weekend. And Jodie Bennett and Athena who passed their L1 receiving the judges special award 🙌🙌

09/02/2024

Pleased to announce I have just become one of the first trainers in the UK to pass their UK Scent Sport instructor assessment. Can’t wait to start teaching this dynamic new sport.

03/12/2023

Scented Candles: Seasonal Smells, but Harmful to Everyone’s Health 🕯️⚠️

As appealing as scented candles are, they also produce dangerous indoor pollutants that dramatically affect the health of your entire family, including the furry members. 🤧❗

I don't recommend using air-scenting products, especially if you have pets in your home that can’t step out for a breath of clean, fresh air, if needed. ✖️

For safe, nontoxic ways to keep your home smelling fresh, read today’s free article: https://bit.ly/3sR4sbR

11/10/2023

Part of getting better scentwork results is understanding where you can make improvements. Here are 5 common issues:
1. If you put your needs above your dog's you won't be in partnership. Remember, you're not scentworking to save lives or find contraband. You're doing it to build a better relationship with your dog. To have fun together. So put your ego to one side and start being a true team player.

2. When you're excited and keen to crack on to more challenging searches it can be super tempting to rush ahead. But woah - slow down. Enjoy the process. You love scentwork. Your dog loves scentwork. Don't spoil it all by skipping steps or moving on before you've practised your current stage.

3. I can't tell you how often I've seen dogs indicating just at the point their handler turns away or takes their eyes of them. This can result in dogs assuming that since you've not responded that you didn't want to know they'd found the target which can cause a drop in confidence. Or they don't tell you again because they've told you once and now they're off searching the rest of the area, causing you to miss that find.

4. Planning prevents p**s poor performance. Lack of planning leads to inefficiency. Time and energy can be wasted. Goals are missed, along with finds. You're in the wrong place at the wrong time. Plan your searches without your dog. Only when you've planned and safety checked should you bring your dog into the search area. Find out more about planning in my Essential Scentwork Skills course.

5. Not recognising when your dog is giving you information or failing to understand what your dog is telling you is a problem not just inside the search area, but in your every day life. Learning to talk dog will help you and your dog. Learn more about body language and scentwork in my Masterclass on indications. For example, do you know the difference between interest and indication? What are your dog's indications? This course will answer these Q's and so many more.

29/09/2023

Sniffer dog Cooper helped uncover the haul, which had been hidden inside a brick-built barbecue in the back yard of a shop in Gateshead. | ITV News Tyne Tees

29/09/2023

When training scentwork I always use shells to contain the odour so I am not contaminating the search area. However dogs and handlers can begin looking for these as a clue and indicate / call an alert incorrectly taking the shell as their cue.
Tonight I included blank shells (no odour) clearly visible without telling the search teams. There were a few wobbles from the handlers but the dogs nailed it.
Remember to trust your dog they are far superior to us mere mortals 😊

29/09/2023

Absolutely ❤️

Enjoy the process. Let your dog enjoy the process. Don't rush through piling skill upon skill before each has been maximised, absorbed and is now second nature. Don't compare yourself or your dog to others. Everyone is on their own journey. They're not better than you. They're not you. Their dog is not your dog. Enjoy every moment just as your dog enjoys using her nose, finding treasure, working WITH you not FOR you. Scentwork is a beautiful thing. Don't rush it. Don't demean it for the sake of point scoring. Instead work on building confidence, trust and pleasure at you and your dog's own pace. There's nothing better.

25/09/2023

I am very excited to be holding my first nosework games. A great format that tests varying skills required for scentwork teams.
Lots of great prizes and lovely rosettes up for grabs.
To enter email me [email protected]
For more information on the games check out the website https://noseworkgames.org

12/06/2023

Did you know smell is your dogs primary sense. 30% of your dogs brain is dedicated to analysing odour. This is 40% more than in humans.
In this warmer weather scentwork is excellent stimulation for your dog.

16/04/2023

Wow wow wow what a weekend we have had.

Firstly scentwork Vee Garner-Richardson and Dawn Mott taking a clean sweep with first and second respectively with Murphy and Bramble.

Then Hoopers first time out and Pam Randall takes a fourth with Pasha and Anne Krabbe bags a clear round with Luckea.

Vee and Murphy also qualified for the Canine Hoopers UK national finals so we will hopefully be attending together.
Amazing to watch all of these partnerships blossom and a privilege to help them on their journey

30/01/2023

Bradford on Avon 4 x 1 hour lessons over six weeks delivered by a UK College of Scent Dogs The course covers the basics of scent work including odour recognition, indication, equipment searches and handler technique. Price includes mini scent kit to practice your skills at home. Suitable for dog

03/11/2022

The boys enjoying their new job reviewing dog friendly holidays.
They say it’s a hard life but someone has to do it 😃
Widemouth Bay