Happy Pets Services

Happy Pets Services Dog Training 1:2:1 training, Agility Scentwork Tracking and Trailing
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If you are unable to run as much as you used to teach your dog some distance work. Here are some tips for getting starte...
15/08/2024

If you are unable to run as much as you used to teach your dog some distance work. Here are some tips for getting started with forward focus.

Brachycephalic dogs have got a real struggle coping with the hot weather we are now experiencing more and more of.Brachy...
13/08/2024

Brachycephalic dogs have got a real struggle coping with the hot weather we are now experiencing more and more of.
Brachycephalic means short headed and dogs such as these often have a very squashed or flat looking face .
Ruby my little rescue Tibbie has the classic squashed face, big bulgy eyes and yes she does look very cute but what does looking cute mean for her ?
I have to be careful and plan outings so we do not put her under extra pressure in the heat.
You can see how hard it is for her, an example was last night when it was humid I could see the anxiety in her eyes, as she panted constantly whilst the other dogs were not panting at all.
I keep her as fit as I can, keep her weight down, groom any dead coat out as she also has a thick coat, use cool mats and fans. She won’t wear a cool coat unfortunately.
None of this though will change her conformation and the pressure this can bring on the dogs body.

One thing that is obviously seen are the stenotic nares making the dogs nostrils either look pinched or sometimes completely closed . This means there is less air able to get through making it difficult of the dogs to take in a sufficient amount of air. Often this will cause the dogs to pant, snore or snort. You can often hear these dogs coming from a mile away.
I am lucky with Ruby that my vet says her stenotic nares are not too bad and she does not snuffle and snort and only pants in excessively hot weather. Again I think it has also helped with her fitness level and correct weight.
Another problem often seen in Brachycephalic dogs are soft palate problems which can lead to the dog having to work far harder to breathe. This in turn can lead to digestive problems and pressure in the chest, reflux being a common problem.
On the outside their big bulging eyes can get damaged quite easily, often getting scratched causing painful corneal ulcers.
The skin folds can become a breeding ground for infections and bacteria as they have excess skin whereas other dogs do not.

I am not a breeder and never will be but I do think we should be looking at breeding practices for dog breeds that are classed as brachycephalic. Why anyone would want to produce dogs with the flattest of faces is beyond me.
Last night I felt so sad for Ruby , just being able to breathe shouldn’t be so hard……
I am grateful today that the temperature has dropped.

I bought one carrot toy and Ivy JoJo and Ruby all wanted it so I bought 2 more . Ivy wants them all 🤣. £4 from Sainsbury...
05/08/2024

I bought one carrot toy and Ivy JoJo and Ruby all wanted it so I bought 2 more . Ivy wants them all 🤣. £4 from Sainsbury’s if anyone thinks their dog might like one too 😊

30/07/2024

Lots of cats and kittens looking for homes

After an early walk Ruby is being sensible and keeping cool
29/07/2024

After an early walk Ruby is being sensible and keeping cool

Hi everyone I have 2 spaces left for mantrailing in August if anyone would like to book them before I advertise them. Th...
25/07/2024

Hi everyone I have 2 spaces left for mantrailing in August if anyone would like to book them before I advertise them. They are for Saturday 31st August at Oxshott 5-7pm. Oxshott is a lovely place to search ( and walk your dog if you've not been there before ) The link to book is here https://happypetsservices.co.uk/book-classes-online/ola/services/beginners-mantrailing-oxshott-heath-saturday-31st-august-5-7pm

I also only have one mantrailing workshop left available for booking in September on Saturday 28th at Banstead 2-4pm.

Halloween mantrailing dates coming soon 🧙‍♀️

Service announcement. I am regularly receiving phone calls and messages at 1am or 5am about agility spaces or ‘my dog ha...
15/07/2024

Service announcement.
I am regularly receiving phone calls and messages at 1am or 5am about agility spaces or ‘my dog has done this ‘….. As I am a carer for my seriously ill partner and my mum is 85 the first thing that goes through my mind is something has happened. Going forward I now have another personal phone and my work phone will be switched off after 7.30pm and switched back on at 8am when I will be more than happy to help you . Thank you for your understanding. Sue

Beginners Mantrailing Saturday 10th August Banstead Woods 4-6pm
13/07/2024

Beginners Mantrailing Saturday 10th August Banstead Woods 4-6pm

This is a two hour workshop for those who are completely new to mantrailing or have done a little and want to progress their searches .

The disappointment. The pet shop has moved
07/07/2024

The disappointment. The pet shop has moved

Waiting for me to exchange daddy’s garden shoe for a treat . Thankfully she is so much better than she used to be ...
04/07/2024

Waiting for me to exchange daddy’s garden shoe for a treat . Thankfully she is so much better than she used to be

A very happy 5th birthday to my little Ruby. Another year older already. Looking forward to more adventures together for...
22/06/2024

A very happy 5th birthday to my little Ruby. Another year older already. Looking forward to more adventures together for the next year ahead which I am sure will include more shopping 💕

Ivy loves retrieving so much she’s gathering up all the squirrels to play with 💕
18/06/2024

Ivy loves retrieving so much she’s gathering up all the squirrels to play with 💕

I have one space left for Beginners mantrailing at Morden Park on Saturday 6th July 4-6pm and one space for Cheam on 9th...
12/06/2024

I have one space left for Beginners mantrailing at Morden Park on Saturday 6th July 4-6pm and one space for Cheam on 9th July 6.30-8.30pm.
Dates for August are now available to book online
Saturday August 10th at Banstead Woods 4-6pm
Wednesday August 21st at Morden Park 6.30-8.30pm
Thursday August 29th at Cheam Park 6.15-8.15pm
These are likely to be the last weekday evening workshops as the nights start to draw back in.
To book click on the link and choose the date and time that suits you. 🙂

https://happypetsservices.co.uk/book-classes-online

As soon as I say we will do some practice they all want to take their turn at the same time 🤣
11/06/2024

As soon as I say we will do some practice they all want to take their turn at the same time 🤣

For anyone struggling with a Collie and inherited traits. Kay is a breed expert and really knows her stuff how to harnes...
30/05/2024

For anyone struggling with a Collie and inherited traits. Kay is a breed expert and really knows her stuff how to harness those traits into everyday life

Sheepballs® is about what we can learn from collies. Not what we can teach collies …

29/05/2024

Working on loose lead walking with your dog

Personally, I think loose lead walking is something that many dog owners struggle with more than anything else and get very disheartened by.

A dog who has got into a habit of pulling on lead or harness will have a really strong neural pathway which, to enable loose lead walking we need to unpick and create a new neural pathway that is stronger for loose lead walking than for pulling.

Unfortunately, it is one of those training things that can take some time for the dog to learn, weeks or even months. This often depends on your commitment to training and I think this is where it fails, as because it takes time owners become despondent that it’s not working and so they give up or they become patchy with their training.

A lot is going to depend on your consistency, the dog’s motivation, your skill level to train it and how long your dog has practiced pulling on the lead. The longer the pulling has gone on, the stronger the neural pathway.

Ideally, we would not be letting the dog pull at all, but that is not living in the real world. So, while you work on it there will have to be management and some level of compromise as well as realistic expectations.

You may need to teach LLW on a collar instead of a harness that the dog already pulls on.

Over time this should be transferred more and more to the collar until the harness is no longer needed.

Do not expect LLW on the way to a walk as the dog is unlikely to be able to think of anything other than its walk at first. This should come later.
If the dog is pulling only on the way to a walk, could you drive the dog to the park or a field, let them have a good run and then practice LLW somewhere without distractions?

If the dog is over excited and that is causing them to pull would a longer lead work? That way they can move more quickly around you.

Practice heeling irregularly in the garden, without a lead, rewarding for being in the correct position, then when you add a lead they should find the correct position much easier.

Keep both hands waist height as per the video and take small steps changing direction. The lead should be long enough that you have a ‘smile’ in the length and should not be taut.

Do not expect an hour of LLW keep your sessions short to start with and let your dog have sniffing time or it will just become a battle of wits between you and your dog.

Plan your goals
Make them realistic
Don’t expect every day to be the same you cannot control the environment and that could produce far more exciting distractions one day than another.

Be consistent with your training 🙂

One minute she was a princess going shopping 🛍️then she got slightly disheveled on her walk.
28/05/2024

One minute she was a princess going shopping 🛍️then she got slightly disheveled on her walk.

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Worcester Park

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Monday 9am - 6pm
Tuesday 9am - 6pm
Wednesday 9am - 6pm
Friday 9am - 6pm
Saturday 9am - 3pm

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Videos

Working on distance with Jane and Zeus
Working on distance with Jane and Zeus

Jane is on crutches so we are teaching Zeus to work independently. He was a very good boy this morning doing lots of little sequences on his own 😊

Ivy’s retrieves coming along with multiple distractions 😊

I wanted to share this video with you as it is not some perfectly polished dog doing exactly as asked, (we all like to show case what our dogs can do) but I don't think that actually helps anyone learn anything. So I'm putting up Ruby just because she was the most distracted. Distractions included the farmer checking the fence on the perimeter, children playing in the woods to the right, ( Ruby loves children) a dog that came through our training area and rabbits in the bushes to the left. For Ruby the environment itself is extremely salient so I left her lead on so I could take hold of her if necessary as I do when the dog comes through. To start with she found it difficult to do her place board, so we worked through it. I worked on getting her focus on me firstly using her balls. You can see her start to engage with me, but to start with I had to work hard. Then I moved to food games and soon had her running after me. Once I had her focus and attention I then asked her for some whistle stops with a sit. This is a perfect example of having to work through distractions and lowering my criteria for distance or duration. They will build again as the distractions become less so. Ruby loves shopping, and I have always done lots of training (normally tricks) in areas of the garden centres we visit, and she does middle with paws up on my feet while we queue to pay, because she is used to that environment she would find this much easier there. The same for JoJo and Ivy going to agility shows. Although I don't compete as much as others due to home commitments, when I do, have heard many people saying my dog does far harder courses in training but they are struggling to get them round an easier course. Yes, because they are at the same training venue and see the same other 5 dogs every week. No food is being cooked, no noise of dogs they don't know barking, multiple rings running at once, no different smells on the ground. It's so much harder for them.... So whatever you a

Saturday afternoon searching 😊 I even climbed a tree 🌲 Music to accompany Jai Ho (You are my destiny ) 🎵🎶

Working on stillness on a place board with Ruby Ivy and JoJo . Distractions for this video were lots of little thrushes on the ground in the garden , neighbours in the garden next door who are always helpful 🙄 and make lots of noise whenever I’m training 🤣 I say thank you for the training opportunity 👍 and in Ruby’s case lots of planes going over which she would like to chase but she was a good girl and stayed put 👏👏👏Always lower the criteria for duration as you increase your distractions 😊

Rainy day trick . Play dead . Music Rock Goddess

Maisie searching really nicely in Super Sniffers this morning🙂

Sometimes we have to work with distractions of being barked at by naughty little dogs. They had already told me off for hiding 🤣.

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About Me

My name is Sue Ashforth, animals have always been my passion. I am a qualified dog trainer and Canine Hoopers World Level 2 Instructor and Assessor, and as well as training I have been professionally dog walking and cat feeding since January 2009. I have 4 lovely dogs of my own, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and 2 Romanian rescues and a Bosnian rescued puppy. From 2019 I decided to concentrate on dog training and walking and no longer offer a cat feeding service.

Prior to this I worked in a local veterinary surgery for 11 years. and before that for Cats Protection.

I am a Gold Member of the Pet Professional Network, having undergone a personal assessment, ensuring I meet their high standards and force free philosophy, I use reward based training incorporating games, that makes training with your dog a fun experience for both you and your dog. I run Lifeskills classes, Hoopers and Fun Agility as well as occasional Recall workshops when time allows.

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