Active Dogs NZ

17/02/2025

Thank you Carey and your gorgeous spaniel, Douglas! It was a joy to show you the games and skills that build a confident and happy pup!

13/02/2025

Here's a fun game to play with your pups to build focus and the value of play!
Use treats to play food-follow games, chase the treat or catch or if you have a dog that loves to tug, catch or retrieve use that instead!
Mix it up for a fabulously enriching time with your furry four-legged friend!

Does your dog choose you or the environment? The Pick Me Game is a fun way to strengthen your bond and boost engagement using play! - Start by playing with y...

09/02/2025

Pups to Teens class - Confidence Week!
So much fun to be had building your pups confidence letting them have choice and work through any worries they might have.
Take all these out on the road and see what you can find on your walks and around the home!
Post comments & pictures of what you find with your dogs!
Come and join us at:
www.activedogs.co.nz

09/02/2025

🐾 Train, Bond & Thrive with Your Dog! 🐾

Looking for fun, engaging training that builds real-life skills? Whether you’ve got a playful puppy, an energetic teen, or a dog ready for new challenges, Active Dogs NZ has the perfect class for you!

✨ Open Enrolment – Join Anytime!
🐶 Active Puppies – Give your pup the best start! Build confidence, focus, and essential life skills in a fun and positive way.
🐕 Pups to Teens – Navigate adolescence with ease! Strengthen your bond while mastering recall, loose lead walking, calmness, and focus.

🚀 6-Week Courses – Starting Soon!
📍 Rapid Recalls (Sunday 23rd Feb) – A reliable recall means more freedom for your dog! Build a strong, fast, and enthusiastic ‘COME’ in any environment.
📍 Trick Training (Wednesday 26th Feb) – More than just showing off! Teach fun tricks that also build focus, confidence, and real-life skills like vet care and enrichment.
📍 Intro to Scentwork (Thursday 27th Feb) – Tap into your dog’s natural sniffing superpower! A fantastic mental workout that boosts confidence, teamwork, and fun.
📍 Fun Beginners Agility (Thursday 27th Feb, 6pm) – Jump, weave, and run! A great introduction to agility, building teamwork, confidence, and body awareness.

🐾 Book your spot today! Enrol now:
https://www.activedogs.co.nz/classbookings

📍 Small class sizes for personalised coaching.
📍 Positive, reward-based training for real results.
📍 Held in Ohau, Levin – Spaces are limited!

🐾 Led by a trainer with over 20 years of experience in dog training and sports!

07/02/2025

Wairarapa Summer Agility!
Champ show in the sun. 💖
💯 Comitted to fun! 💯

06/02/2025

Karaka Berry season!

Here's a short blog on these native berries that can be lethal to our dogs.

Add locations in the comments to help others on their walks. Let's keep all our dogs safe out there.

Karaka trees (Corynocarpus laevigatus) are a native treasure in New Zealand, providing essential food for wildlife and playing a vital role in the ecosystem. However, their bright orange berries pose a serious risk to our canine companions.Why Are Karaka Berries Dangerous for Dogs?Karaka berries con...

29/01/2025

✨ Dog Training Classes, join any time!
✨ Set Your Pup Up for Success!
✨Whether you’re starting out with your playful puppy or navigating the tricky teen stage, our Open Enrolment classes are here to help! 🐾💖

✅ Active Puppies (Preschool): Tuesdays at 10am or 6pm
✅ Pups to Teens: Mondays at 10am or 6pm, Wednesdays at 6pm

🐶 Why join?
• Build a strong bond with your pup through positive reinforcement and games 🎯
• Lay the foundation for lifelong manners and confidence 💡
• Get the support you need during those challenging adolescent phases 🐕✨
• Flexible start dates – jump in when you’re ready!

🌟 Give your dog the best start in life and enjoy every step of the journey together. Let’s make training fun and rewarding!

📍 Ohau, Levin
📍 Limited spots available – enrol now at: https://www.activedogs.co.nz/classbookings

26/01/2025

This is a great post with more info on why throwing a ball for your dog may not be in their best interests. Alternatives are mentioned in the article.

The truth about repetitive ball throwing.

So often I see dogs with knee injuries or knee pain and when I ask the owner about their activities, ball throwing is regularly high on the list.

The action of running at full speed, then suddenly breaking to catch a ball, or jumping and twisting to catch it in the air, can leave us in awe of our dog’s agility. But when they do this repeatedly - 10 or 20 times over, day after day - it’s going to have a big impact on the joints and can lead to painful conditions such as arthritis or even torn cruciate ligaments which might require expensive surgery and rehab.

There's also the mental impact of repetitive ball throwing: over-stimulation, obsessive behaviour, hyperactivity, but I won't go into that in this article.

Dogs don’t have the long-term foresight that we do, so they don’t tend to associate things in the present with things that might occur later in the day. They certainly can’t connect that great game of chase on the beach with the knee pain they might experience later. While it is encouraging that the dog still likes to play, if it is followed with pain a few hours later then something needs to change.

Maybe your dog isn’t displaying signs of pain, and that’s great. But do think about the impact that intense, repetitive exercise like ball throwing can have and perhaps consider reducing the amount or changing up your routine.

What can I do?

‘He literally lives for catching the ball. If I take that away then it will make him so unhappy’.

I get it. It can make you feel guilty and mean when your dog is looking at you with those big puppy-dog eyes, just begging for you to throw that ball. So let’s look at a few ways to modify activities to help keep your beloved fur friend pain and injury free:

1. Ball throwing into water – slows acceleration, supports joints, encourages swimming action which is a great, low impact, muscle toning exercise.
2. Hide and seek with the ball – activates the hunting instinct which is also great mental exercise for your dog.
3. Rolling instead of throwing – limits the distance and therefore the speed and keeps them guessing about direction.
4. Visiting trails and tracks as an alternative to wide open spaces – encourages sniffing and exploration and reduces excessive running.
5. Practice tricks while out for a walk – a great way to encourage obedience and bond with your dog.

Wishing you all happy trails and fun times with your dogs!

Follow me for more hints and tips: Coastal Canines Massage Therapy

Photo by K. Mitch Hodge on Unsplash

26/01/2025

A great set-up not only for car chasers, but also for letting your dog associate calmness when viewing any trigger
- Dogs, people, cyclists, skateboarders etc.
Make sure you start (park up) at a reasonable distance away from their triggers.
This is the distance where your dog can stay calm while they watch the triggers without reacting. If they react you are a little too close this time.
Over time you will be able to move closer to the triggers.
This is a process that will take time, so go at your dog's pace.

Car Chasing: The Car Crate Training Edition! 🚗🐾

One of our current clients is Odie, a Border Collie who barks and lunges at cars.

How can a crate be helpful with his training?

First, we started by teaching Odie to relax and feel safe in his crate at home.

Then, we added the crate to the car. Now, traveling in the crate helps prevent reactivity, creating a calm and controlled environment.

Training sessions in the car crate are also a fantastic starting point for visual training. By parking at a safe distance and starting in quiet locations with slow-moving cars, we’re setting Odie up for success.

✅ Why this works:

* Odie already associates the crate with being calm and safe.
* The crate helps minimise visual stimulation, reducing stress.
* Starting in a controlled environment builds confidence before progressing to more challenging situations.

I'm feeding Odie when he hears and sees a car to replace stress with positive experiences—one car at a time!

💡 If your dog struggles with lunging or barking at cars, starting with a setup like this can make all the difference. 🛑🚗

23/01/2025

All great info!! Thanks ThinkDog by Hannah Sadgrove!

23/01/2025

Agility 1:1 coaching setup (plus adapting for evening Skills class) and the challenges of dealing with our fluffy locals who come in every day to dig as many holes as possible!! 🐇🐇🐇🐇🐇🐇

18/01/2025

Wow!
What a start to the agility year with another couple of wins today at DAWGs champ show in Tītahi Bay. (Jumpers A 1st & 3rd in Whanganui 2 weeks ago)
1st in Intermediate 2 & 1st (+ a challenge) in Senior 2. The first 2 runs of the day were both 5 faults due to Dogwalk errors. Otherwise lovely runs.
Great day, great company (thanks Joy!) and lovely weather too. 😊🎉

15/01/2025

🎉 Start your puppy off on the right paw! 🐾.

Did you know the first few months of your puppy’s life are crucial for shaping their behaviour and confidence?

Whether they’re 8 weeks or 8 months old, early training sets them up for a lifetime of good habits and a stronger bond with you.

🌟 Active Puppies Preschool (8–16 weeks) focuses on:
✅ Building confidence.
✅ Social skills.
✅ Foundations for calmness and focus
Tuesdays - 10am or 6pm

🐾 Pups to Teens (4 months to 2 years) tackles:
✅ Those tricky adolescent behaviours.
✅ Loose lead walking, recall, and more!
Mondays - 10am or 6pm
Wednesdays - 10am

🌟 Join anytime! The classes are Open Enrollment, so you can start whenever suits you for your 6-week block.

With 20+ years of experience, I’ll help you navigate every stage of your dog’s life.

My classes are small (max 5 dogs) and packed with fun, games, and real-life skills.

💡 Book now—set your pup up for success today!

https://www.activedogs.co.nz/classbookings/

🗓️ Limited spots available.