Wooferton NZ

07/03/2023

Exploring together. Dogs are pack animals and do enjoy doing things as a group and will often instinctually seek to join whatever pack is nearby. In this case Juno is joining Rio around the garden. My mate Rio is growing in confidence every day 😀

02/03/2023

Nacho: Had a little accident and so had to have a cast put on, which is that blue thing with a heart ❤️❤️. The vet said that this was the smallest cast that she's ever had to fit in her career. Even though he's got the cast attached, it doesn't slow him down much

07/02/2023

Tilly: This gorgeous girl was with us for the day checking out the Wooferton house.

Tilly loves treats, she's a very good actress and is able to look like she's about to die if starvation at any moment. She also had the cutest snoring that I have ever heard.

We did a bit of scent work with Tilly today, they say that 15 minutes of scent work is equal to an hour or running around. It's such an easy was to tire your dog out in small spaces

28/01/2023

Herr Busy (Bismark) is boarding with us for the weekend. He's just catching a few zzzz before it's time to play again. He likes to know exactly where the humans and dogs are at all times 🤣🤣🤣

26/01/2023

More cuteness, with Diego. Something to brighten up your day when it's wet and wild outside. This boy is hilarious, has the Cavalier nose that takes him all around the garden all the while his tail flicking like crazy. I'll be interested to see what happens when he discovers birds 🤣🤣🤣. SOCIALISATION: Socialisation isn't only about other dogs and humans, it's about exposure to as many new things as possible. Things like new environments, roads, cafes, motorbikes, cars, runners, beaches, umbrellas, this list could go on and on. Go at your puppy's pace and try to make all of the experiences positive

25/01/2023

How many of us are guilty of this one 😅😅😅😅.

Our spoiled little babies 💆‍♀️💆‍♂️

24/01/2023

This little character "Chico" - he is cute, cuddly with a very extra personality. He'll be heading to his new home on Waiheke Island tomorrow ❤️❤️. TOILET TRAINING: Everyone has their own ways of teaching this and each dog is different. What I like to do is never leave the puppy unattended on the floor of the house by itself. The puppy should be in it's playpen or a crate if you're unable to watch it. As soon as you take them out of the crate, as soon as they wake up from naps, as soon as they finish meals, after training and play sessions, take them out to the place where you want them to go to the toilet. I do like to say "toilet" and when they go, give them some praise. Be patient, be consistent. Remember that they aren't peeing or pooing inside to spite you, they just haven't learned what you expect yet.

23/01/2023

Herr Rio, welcome to the Wooferton pack. A standard doggy daycare wasn't Rio's journey, he prefers a quieter environment where he can interact if he wants to and have his own space if he needs that too. Today we spent time getting to know him and introducing him to Gauge and Marty. He's the sweetest boy ❤️❤️

21/01/2023

Expexctation vs Reality 🤣🤣🤣. Marty looks like a cartoon character in the shot on the right.

FEEDING: I'm definitely not a fan of leaving kibble down for the doggo to free feed throughout the day. I prefer to use meal times for training and these can take as little as 5 minutes.

Sit your dog and make them wait, call them to you, mark it and give them a handful of their food.

Practise your place command, mark it and give them a handful of their food.

I play a game where I throw 4 to 5 pieces of their kibble away from me and say "search", the dog runs off to find the pieces and just as you see they've found them all, call their name and mark when they turn to you for name recognition (Susan Garrett)

Practise walking positions, marking when they're where you want them to be and giving a little kibble.

18/01/2023

Happy Birthday Archer🎂🎂🎂 - the big 3. Her mum cooked some banana cup cakes with red kumara and yoghurt frosting. How cute. LICKY MATS: Speaking of yoghurt, mashing pumpkin and yoghurt on a licky mat with a scattering of ham is a great little activity for your doggo!

16/01/2023

Photo shoot with Yogi at the park. Not really though, he was having a rest in the shade and looking very handsome. HEAT: Just like humans, dogs can overheat when pushed too far in the heat. Try to walk your dogs outside of the hottest parts of the day, OR, if you are walking them in the middle of the day, make sure you have plenty of water available, make sure there is shade, or take them somewhere that they can swim.

15/01/2023

M O N D A Y, am I right? These three are a whole mood! Have a good week everyone 🙂🙂.

12/01/2023

Sniff sniff sniff: A dogs sense of smell is their super power. Their sense of smell is over 1000 times better than a human. Dogs recieve a tonne of information about the world, through their noses. Therefore games where they need to use their noses are great ways to keep them busy. I hide items for them to "find" or "seek" around our yard and house. Make it tougher by putting the item inside or under something 👍👍👍

10/01/2023

Miss Archer: Welcome to the Wooferton crew. I wish I'd taken a picture of her outfit from yesterday. Archer hasn't spent any time away from her mum and dad before, so we are doing a few one to two hour visits to build a relationship and trust before her first full day with us. I know that she's going to fall in love with me eventually 🤣🤣🤣.

10/01/2023

Holiday throw back, before we had to go back to work and the weather packed in ⛱️⛱️⛱️⛱️

06/01/2023

GAMES: Games are an essential part of our relationship with our dogs. They give us an opportunity to spend quality time together ❤️❤️, learn new skills and have lots of laughs along the way. Whether we're playing fetch, tug or hide and seek, there are endless possibilities for fun. Every dog is different so find the games that your dog loves the most 🐕🐕🐕🐕.

05/01/2023

REACTIVE DOGS ON HOLIDAY: It can be quite a handful taking a reactive dog on holiday with you, I was quite nervous that Marty may be pushed too far over his threshold at the bach, but we all had an awesome time. Here are a few tips that I recommend.
Crate: It's a hassle, but remember that it's a place of solace for a reactive pooch. You can put them in there when they need to decompress.
Longline: Keep a longline on them in the new environment, they don't know this place and many dogs get lost when they get startled and run off.
Bedtime/Naps: Keep a bedtime routine, even if you're staying up until midnight and make sure to put them in crates for naps throughout the day
Games: Keep up tug and fetch games in the new space.
Explore quieter spaces or during quieter times: Take them to quieter places to explore and take in the new environment, or take them out early mornings or later evening/afternoons.

04/01/2023

Post holiday feels, back at home to take on 2023 ❤️❤️❤️