Walkies Dog Walking Services

12/07/2025

🌈 Bilbo Dean crossed rainbows bridge this morning 🌈

A legend in his own right, the king of schnauzers 👑
10 years of walking and caring for you has flown 😔 we are truly heartbroken and will miss you feisty little man, you were a big part of our daily lives💔🐾🐾💔 rest in well deserved peace gorgeous boy. Our hearts and thoughts are with his Dad Philip Dean at this sad time.

19/05/2025

April 2025 saw the furkids enjoying nicer weather🌞🐾🐾

26/04/2025

Team Walkies minus the dog hair, mud and wellies 😂 congratulations to our lovely Toni on her impending marriage 🥂

22/04/2025

19/04/2025

Absolutely !

16/04/2025

March 2025 - Bouncing into Spring🪻🌷🌱⛅️Walkies style 👌

11/03/2025

💯

01/03/2025

More phone clear out 😉

February 2025
Nice to see a little sun on their backs 👣🐾🐕🐩🐕‍🦺

01/03/2025

Dog found in Fairfield Road Area Widnes, please share, owner must be worried…

Do you recognise this lovely dog? We are trying to find the owner. The dog was found in the Fairfield Road area of Widnes. We have given it some food, water and t.l.c - and hear it pining for its owner 😥 Do your best Widnes - call 101 and quote incident IML2037700

01/03/2025

Phone dump coming up, huge apologies for being a little late, our family has grown with the much anticipated arrival of our first Grandson🩵🥳
January 2025 saw the puppers having fun in the snow on their return from Christmas break ❄️ ⛄️

21/02/2025

Post 1 of 2, today we celebrate our youngest and oldest pupstars starting with beautiful Grace, a long serving member of Walkies at almost 16 years of age 💕💓💕

13/08/2024

What is puppy socialisation?

It is a stage of development in your puppy. It starts at 4 weeks and ends around 16 weeks. However actual socialisation should continue well after 16 weeks as your puppy will go through other development stages having different experiences.

The first thing to consider is your puppy will go through their first fear stage 7/9 weeks old. It's important not to overwhelm them. It's also important if they're struggling to be left alone not to leave them.

During the socialisation stage of development, it's not about socialisation in the context that we understand it. It's about exposure to the world. It's so important that the exposure the puppy gets is positive emotional experiences. So a nervous or sensitive puppy needs less. They can see the world but they don't need to interact with everything in it. They need exposure that they as an individual can cope with. Doing more will not turn them into a confident social butterfly it will probably make them more fearful, even reactive.

It's needs to be a slow steady pressure free pace. Slow down your walks, stop and give them time to take in the environment, there's new sounds, sights and smells. This can be a sensory overload for some. Let them sit and watch, take your time so they can take it all in and then process it.

We used to call it a critical stage of development but it's now a sensitive, because it's flexible. Your puppy is sensitive to experiences so make sure they are positive.

If your puppy is scared support them and help them. This won't reinforce or reward negative behaviours that are driven out of fear, apprehension or caution, it will cause them to relax and feel safe and then those behaviours will stop.
Yes the puppy will become a little dependent on your support but once they feel safe you can teach independence and reward brave choices. Feeling safe will activate exploratory control processes in the brain and your puppy will choose to explore and approach. This is much more powerful than being lured to something they're scared of. Luring with treats to scary things causes pressure and conflict which are negative emotional and stressful states. Timing is key and reinforcement should happen in safe places for it to be emotionally reinforcing.

Forget behaviour and think emotions and experiences at this time.

Work at the puppy's pace, don't rush 🐾❤️

Jane Ardern BSc Hons
Kennel Club Accredited Instructor in Working Gundogs Kennel Club Dog Trainer of the Year
Gundog Club Accredited Instructor and Assessor
Author of Mission Control How to Train the High Drive Dog