About the Dog - Wilberfoss

21/09/2024

Absolutely!!

So easy for some people to judge reactive dogs. ‼️
What those people fail to understand is they can be just ONE incident away from exactly the same.
That is all it takes for some dogs to become reactive.
Please... have some empathy and understanding for just how exhausting it can be for people who have a reactive dog.

Give them a small wave as you give them some SPACE.

Sometimes the kindest gesture you can make is just recognising that the person at the end of that leash is often doing everything they can.

21/09/2024

20/09/2024

Little BOOTS has had a rubbish week and isn’t his usual cheery self 😢 We need to get a smile back on his face 💙

He has had an ear infection which was really getting him down, so that meant a trip to the vet for Boots (where he was such a brave boy 🥰) 💙

And then things looked a bit brighter for him as he had a meet and greet, but it wasn’t the right match (no negative comments - it just wasn’t to be) … and to top it all off, he is not a fan of the cold and rainy weather bless him ☔️

… SO… Boots is still patiently waiting to find a home of his own 💙 He’s small and stocky most likely a Staffy x Frenchie 💙 He is very sweet, can be shy of new people at first, but quickly makes friends and then he’s all about the tummy tickles and bully zoomies 🤪💨 Boots is not dog friendly, so needs a home who understand that he needs his space from other dogs 💙

He’s getting increasingly sad in kennels now, and we really need to get his smile back … and there’s only 1 way to do that - we need to get Boots into a home 💙🤞💙

20/09/2024

Help Alex Drinkall raise money to support St Leonard's Hospice, York

20/09/2024

Trying to get Bertie and Margo to face the same way, and fit into a picture can be a bit like plaiting fog 🤷‍♀️😁 I don’t know how I did it, but look at this beauty 😮🥰

20/09/2024

This is incredibly important. There is someone commenting on a lot of posts telling people that any hedgehogs 450g or under need to be overwintered right now.
This is WRONG. We've just started autumn, tonight's night temperature is 16°!

Please do not scoop up juvenile hedgehogs out at night to weigh and pester your local hedgehog rescue to take them in, unnecessarily handling hedgehogs causes parasites to increase due to stress, inadvertently forcing them to have to be treated. No one needs to be weighing any hedgehogs out at night unless you can quite clearly see they're the size of a small apple, squeaking for their mum or there's noticeable issues ie wounds, ringworm, tick burden.

WHILE ITS MILD LEAVE THEM WILD

We also don't partake in overwintering anymore, we ensure they are 650g and over in winter and as long as the weather is favourable we release into supported areas so they can be wild. Keeping them in captivity for over 6 months is of no benefit and can cause captivity stress and unhealthy weight gain.

The females are now producing their second litters of the year and it'll be those being birthed into October/November that 'may' need rescue support to get up to a good weight, but that all depends on the weather, the temperature and access to their natural diet. There are no strict rules anymore when it comes to their behaviours because of climate change and how our seasons vary.

19/09/2024

Not dog related, but mind blown 🤯

The eyes of sheep, goats, horses, and other grazing animals have horizontal pupils to help protect those animals from predators.

19/09/2024

🍁AUTUMN DOG ADVICE - CONKERS🍁

On autumn walks your dog may come across conkers that have fallen from a horse chestnut tree, but these shiny seeds are poisonous to dogs!

WHAT IS A CONKER?
A conker is a shiny, round, red-brown seed from a horse chestnut tree (Aesculus hippocastanum). Conkers are often found on the ground in autumn after dropping from the tree encased in a green or brown spiky fruit.

HOW MANY DOES A DOG HAVE TO EAT?
The amount of toxin in each conker is different, so it’s impossible to know the amount of conkers that your dog would need to eat to make them unwell.

Conkers actually taste quite bitter, so it’s unlikely that most dogs will eat enough to make them very ill. But if enough is eaten it can produce more serious effects, and in rare cases can be deadly.

How your dog is affected by this toxin will also depend on their size, when they last ate, how much they chew up the conker and if they have any other health issues.

OTHER RISKS
Poisoning is not the only risk from these seeds. Conkers are large and hard and could cause your dog to choke on them or could block their stomach or gut.

HOW CAN I PREVENT THIS?
If your dog is prone to eating conkers, then keep them on a lead when going for autumn walks (especially in areas where you know there are conker trees). When walking near ‘conker trees’, bring along a ball or a chew toy to help keep their mouths occupied.

WHEN SHOULD I CALL THE VET?
If your dog has eaten conkers, then you should contact your vet for advice. If you’re unsure whether your dog has eaten them, but they’re showing some of the common signs, then you should speak to your vet. Never try to make your dog sick as this can be dangerous and may cause other problems.

19/09/2024

And sniffy walks for Appa & Ash 😊🩷

19/09/2024

A spot of showjumping and vertical search work for Carson 😊🩷

19/09/2024

Squirrel hunting for Mac and a field walk 😊🩷

19/09/2024

A trip to the Buddhist centre for Reginald and I 😊🩷

19/09/2024

Phew! A busy old day today 😁 I had 2 holiday covers for Sophie, who were: Chester and Ginny!Chester was worn out! 😊🩷

18/09/2024

My floofs today 😊🩷

18/09/2024

17/09/2024

17/09/2024

Newbie floof alert 🔔 this pretty girl is Ellie, a 3 year old Retriever. Ellie is going to be joining me for some training walks to refresh loose lead walking. Welcome Ellie 😊🩷

17/09/2024

When your lunch is calling and no one’s opening the door 🤦‍♀️

17/09/2024

Sun out shorts on 😎 my partners in crime and I have all had a lovely day 😊🩷

17/09/2024

17/09/2024

THE IMPORTANCE OF TRUST

Trust that our dogs have in us is probably more important than the trust that we have in them.
I always use the analogy “within the 1st 10 minutes of us meeting…would my client feel enough faith in me to do a trust fall?” The answer is always “No”.
When I ask the same question on the 2nd session, they always say “Yes”.
What does this tell us? That trust is essential for our dogs to feel safe, and trust is slow to build and unfortunately is quick to break.
So, when we don’t feel like our dog is listening to us (especially in more stressful/anxious situations) I think we need to ask ourselves whether our dogs trust us enough to make them feel safe? Remember, trust (as per my analogy) is not automatic. Just because we know our dogs can trust us, doesn’t mean they feel the same.
We need to spend time and patience earning trust.

16/09/2024

We have 15 dogs in kennels and 5 dogs in emergency boarding until we have space…emergency boarding is where dogs are kennelled short term to save their lives as they are pound dogs whose time there has ran out and they are then at risk of being put to sleep.This is not even touching the surface of the dogs who desperately need help but we just don’t have space to help and it’s heartbreaking.All our dogs except Kami and Kay-Lee are bull breeds and we are reaching out once again for fosters…our dogs are strays with no known history so we need you to have rescue dog experience, we don’t place our dogs in homes with children under 14 or with cats.We also rarely foster outwith Glasgow / Ayrshire/ Stirling / Renfrewshire areas…if you feel you could help please message us…Fostering genuinely saves lives 🐾

16/09/2024

And then it was Mac, Ginny and Robyn 😊🩷

16/09/2024

Well, it’s been a gorgeous day 😎 I have been doing some holiday cover Sophie who is away on her jollies, and so I started with Bertie and Margo 😊🩷

14/09/2024

A 2nd session with Oscar today. He really struggles with anxiety/stress/arousal and under confidence when he is outside of the home and so this session was all about improving his confidence so that he can manage his emotional state when in the presence of his normal triggers/stimuli. What did I do?

Change of lead length, using a longer lead to give him more space to make better decisions.

Giving Oscar lots of breed appropriate search work on his walks to allow him to do the “job” he was bred for.

Teaching him to have the confidence to acknowledge another dog, but disengage himself.

Showing him how to greet another dog with a 3 second “hello” and move on with a loose lead.

Showing Oscar how to walk near his handler on a loose lead, making walks less “pulley.”

What happened? He had a fun walk with lots of enrichment and Oscar was having oodles of fun!! His Mum and Dad were really pleased with the change in him before, during, and after the walk 😊
And all this progress was achieved without using a slip lead/choke chain/Martingale collar or using any aversive techniques. Remember, you don’t have to hurt your dog to teach your dog!!
I am going to step back for a week to let Oscar and his guardians practice 😊
Excellent work Oscar, Mum & Dad 😊🩷,

14/09/2024

We are recruiting for a new vet to work with the Birchwood team four days a week to help us grow our independent, family run practice.

Please get in touch if you'd like to know more about the role.

Please help us spread the word about the vacancy by sharing the post with your networks. 🤍💚

13/09/2024

This….

An ethical dog trainer will explain how your dog is seeing the environment and help them to cope with it better.

An ethical dog trainer will gather information, use rewards, avoid intimidation and never put a nasty collar on your dog to make them do something more convenient.

Get my book here: https://amzn.to/4gbSBsD