Ashley’s Adventures

12/27/2024

Friendly reminder to also keep your pups off the ice 😊

There have been reports of people falling through the ice, please stay off the ice. It is less than 2” thick.

12/26/2024

❄️ Meet Fritz
🌲 This guy loves spending time outdoors

12/25/2024

Happy Holidays! ✨

12/23/2024

Meet Mr. Barlow 🐈
Ashley’s Adventures focuses on canine care but we take care of other critters too!

12/22/2024

Happy Holidays from Ashley’s Adventures! Wishing you and your loved ones joy, peace, and safe travels this holiday season. 🎄✨❄️

12/16/2024

Things to keep in mind when having guests over this holiday season 🎄🐶

SAFE SPACE- a simple thing that could prevent behaviourists up and down the country getting calls and emails over Christmas from desperate and upset dog owners who are suddenly dealing with a bite incident.

🐶 By a safe space we mean a separate area (or room) that your dog can be in where they won’t be disturbed by visiting people or dogs. Safe spaces can be useful for ALL dogs, not just anxious or reactive dogs, ALL dogs- even the ‘bombproof’ ones (who can also get pushed to the point of not coping).

🐕 There are loads of different ways to make a safe space and it can help to have a couple of options. I have a long stairgate on my kitchen that I use, I have stairgates on other rooms too and I’ve also used puppy pens and room dividers and they can all be really useful.

🐯 If you have a dog like tigger who could jump even a tall dog gate then you can hang a second dog gate above one at floor level- I’ve added a photo of this as I used this with my first inuit who could easily hop a tall gate! Take great care though doing this to make sure dogs (or kids) can’t get stuck in the gap between gates if you have one (use your common sense!)

💡Having an open plan house doesn’t mean you can’t have a safe space, you might just have to be creative (puppy pens can be used as a ‘fence’ room divider and stairgates can be long, mine is nearly 1.5m wide). Please see the photos of options I’ve used for more ideas.

🚪 Using a stairgate or puppy pen is normally better than a shut door as dogs then don’t feel excluded and can see what’s happening and still feel part of it all but they have a safe zone too. Some dogs may be better where they can’t see visitors though if they are very stressed and then an upstairs room where they can be away from it all may be better for them- as always, it depends on the dog!

Shutting a dog in a crate generally isn’t the best option as they may then feel restricted and unable to escape; a crate with the door open inside a puppy pen (or behind a stairgate) can be an option if you have a dog who loves a crate (but remember that many dogs don’t love a crate and prefer to be high up).

🛋️ It really helps if you make the safe space in a room your dog already likes being in and would choose to spend time with but if that isn’t an option then you need to put in quite a bit of work to help them love the place you’ve chosen for them. Make sure they really like being in their safe space.

🍼Safe spaces can be useful, even for dogs who aren’t reactive to visitors- when people arrive, when you are eating etc, when children are playing with noisy scary toys etc, when you have visitors with babies etc. They are also useful if you need to keep dogs apart from each other for whatever reason.

Whatever safe space you choose to use there are TWO crucial rules:

1. Get your dog USED to being in their safe space WELL in advance of having visitors.

✅ Help them to LOVE being in their safe space. Initially sit in the kitchen/whatever room you’ve chosen WITH them and spend time with them while they do something they like (activity toy with food in etc).
❌ Don’t just shut them in there and walk away- you need to build up to them being in their safe space and gradually and at their pace. They might need you just the other side of the stairgate to start with.
✅ Make sure they always have rewarding things to do in there (Toppl/Kong etc) and a bed they love (or a chair they like etc).
✅Add items of your worn clothing etc to make it a place they feel safe and that smells of you. Experiment with plug ins (adaptil/pet remedy etc) to see if they like them.

2. Make sure the safe space is SAFE.

❌ Make sure that people cannot wander into that area, don’t put it in a room people (especially unattended children) could wander into.
❌ Be careful that your stairgate (if you use one) can’t fall over or be knocked over.
❌Make sure the room is safe for your dog- nothing in there that could harm them or scare them (don’t put the washing machine on if they are scared of the spin cycle for example!).
❌ Make sure that children are never left unattended to attempt climb or get in your stairgate or pen (sounds like common sense but you’d be surprised!) and that they can’t get caught in the gate

I know it sounds like a bit of effort to make a safe space but when you’ve done it and your dog is totally happy being in there, it’s a huge relief and so much better than trying to manage an anxious/excitable dog onlead around visitors.

🏠Starting with your dog separate doesn’t mean that your dog can’t meet visitors (if that’s appropriate for them)- it can just mean that it’s easier to manage the initial period when people arrive as it’s generally an exciting/scary time for dogs when lots of people arrive at once and everyone is standing up in a narrow space like a hall. My dogs all absolutely love people but I still find it useful having a safe space (as not all people love dogs!)

I would be really happy to be out of work in January if it meant dogs and children had been keep safe over Christmas x

Please use the share button if you’d like to share this info rather than copy and paste x

Laura McAuliffe Dog Communication 2024

12/10/2024

12/05/2024

This handsome guy is Banjo! He is boarding with us and is the newest addition to the pack for the weekend 🩵

12/05/2024

Awesome present idea for the animal lover in your life 🩵❄️

Check out our limited-edition holiday shirts! One of our incredibly talented volunteers made this adorable design based off Bob and P**f. They are ONLY available through our Bonfire link. Don't get ripped off by scammers!
https://www.bonfire.com/cchs-holiday-shirt/

12/01/2024

We hope you had a great holiday weekend. All of the pups here enjoyed the snow, including this handsome guy 🩵❄️

11/28/2024

Happy Thanksgiving! I’m truly thankful for each of my clients and their pups ♥️🐶

11/25/2024

Happy Monday! ❄️🤍

11/18/2024

Just as a heads up for everyone 🐶