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 ❤️❤️❤️

25/12/2022

R E L A X ........ number one rule at the bach

23/12/2022

The 5 hour drive was worth it. Our little slice of paradise for the next 10 days. Every day will be beach day ⛱️⛱️🌊🌊

18/12/2022

Thanks to the team at in Sylvia Park. Marty was stung by something and had an allergic reaction with some swelling and hives all over his body, so we were there at 3am this morning. Gauge is keeping him company at home while he gets better ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

09/12/2022

Marty, assessing the weather outside, does anyone else feel like we'll be having a wet Summer in New Zealand

07/12/2022

Marty: Our rescue boy Marty from Saving Hope foundation, left abandoned with worms, fleas, starving and left to die 😢😢😢

He is one of the sweetest dogs but has a distrust/fear of humans that he doesn't know and I don't blame him after his start to life. We have been working with trainers to help him with that and if you've ever had a dog with reactivity it can sometimes be a long process. You just have to take the small wins along the way.

He used to be extremely scared to be in the front yard, now he will happily play in the yard and can sometimes completely relax there.

We used to only be able to walk 5 to 10 metres on the street, because he would get so stressed. Now we can get right down to the end of the street relatively easily.

In the house he would hide under the bed with even the smallest sound outside, now he easily relaxes in the house.

We still have some way to go with him, but every week he is a little less scared and that's what makes all of the work we do with him worth it ❤️❤️❤️❤️

05/12/2022

When love takes over. Mr Spud stayed with us for the weekend 🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕. These two are pals for life ❤️❤️❤️

05/12/2022

They each have their own crate, but like to squeeze into one

03/12/2022

Mr Macintosh - a delightful boy who loves our mini paddling pool and games of chase with Marty. Next week we are going to practise some jumps and tunnels 🐕🐕🐕

02/12/2022

Today is the day, our handsome little Chonk is off to his new home with Nick and Sam. He is an amazing pup, follows me around like a little shadow and loves to be around people. He'll be going into the office with his new famil and I'm sure he'll love that. We will miss you Chonk ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

02/12/2022

Dogs also like to plonk themselves down on piles of washing.

30/11/2022

Marty and Chonk: When they are not running through the house playing chase or making a pool out of their drinking bowl, there are precious moments like this ❤️❤️❤️❤️

26/11/2022

Taffy has been staying with us at Wooferton for 7 days and today is her last day with us. Day 1 - she was very nervous of us, sat at the front gate and wouldn't come into the house. Day 7 - it's just like home 😀😀😀😀. Thanks for staying with us sweet girl 🐕🐕🐕🐕.