Willow's Walks and Dog Services

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Willow's Walks and Dog Services

Christopher McKeown (MGoDT) Dog Trainer and Behaviour Consultant in Welshpool, Mid Wales. Certified and award nominated.
(14)

*PBI Insured*
*Level 3 Award in Canine Emergency First Aid*

Willow's Walks and Dog Services provide dog walking, training and socialising (including group socialising and pack walks) in Welshpool, and drop-in visits for your canine companions. Some of my services include:

* Dog Walking
* Dog Training
* Drop-in visits (includes feeding, interaction and toileting)

Incorporating Reward Based Trai

ning, my aim is to meet the emotional and mental needs of the dogs that I support, as well as making sure that what motivates their breed is also being encouraged in recreational ways. When you strip away basic obedience training and teaching dogs to behave in a way that you desire, the training I essentially provide is about helping you learn more about your dogs than they learn about you. They're a non-verbal animal that still communicate in so many amazing ways, and it's our responsibility to learn how to understand that so that we can make sure their needs are being met before expecting them to engage in ways that we prefer. I don't work towards "fixing bad dogs", I work towards helping you understand what your dogs are expressing to you and towards their environment. The idea that a dog is bad is driven by our own dislike of a dog's behaviour, but it doesn't determine that a dog deserves that label. That's the stigma I aim to break with my clients. When you understand your dog's needs and what they're communicating, you can help them overcome obstacles that are expressed through various behaviours. Prices vary depending on services you would like provided. All services are centred around each individual animal and to ensure that their needs are met and that they achieve fulfilment.

13/12/2024

Paul and Alice, of Evans' Happy Hounds, are making a donation to Broken Biscuits in memory of Alice's beautiful dog Peppa who made her way over the rainbow bridge last week.

To quote their post, "Broken Biscuits charity are the only rescue in the UK that take on people’s paralysed pets with suspected IVDD at the point of crisis when they are either going to be euthanised or need to be rehomed".

I do encourage you to read the original post for full details on how donations can be made. I will be making a donation in memory of the sassy queen that was Peppa.

Alice and her partner Matt poured their souls into making sure Peppa lived the most fulfilled life that she could have, and I'm sure she is watching over them with her leapord print angel wings (Peppa's signature style).

12/12/2024

Milo and Maisy were the best walking companions during my second and final day of home visits!

My morning was spent with Milo going over his leash walking and socialisation training, followed by off-leash adventures this afternoon which Maisy joined. I was determined to not leave her beautiful face out of my post today. She gives lovely cuddles 🐕🐾

11/12/2024

I had such a fun time with Milo during his walk today! I enjoyed a morning outing with him as he enjoyed some off-leash fun followed by a canal walk to decompress, and then again in the afternoon when his sister joined us.

We get to do it all over again tomorrow!

10/12/2024

Max was a very good boy during his training session today!

One of our objectives at the moment is working to reduce his pulling towards enticing smells. Max doesn't present a constant pull anymore, but when he catches a scent that he likes, he will try his hardest to get as close to it as possible.

He can also become excitable around other dogs, but I was happy to hand over to his human that Max's behaviour around other dogs was fantastic today. He also responded well to being removed from the area of the smell and reintroducing him using distance, followed by walking back and forth around the smells, and getting closer as he continued to present the desired behaviour.

He will not be discouraged from enjoying smells as that's what dogs do. It's their newspaper. It's Daily Mail for dogs! The point of our session today was to communicate to Max that the pulling behaviour was not acceptable, and calm behaviour was desired. The former will result in him or the trigger being removed, but the latter is acceptable and he will get to enjoy the smells he loves so much providing he's calm and continues to engage well.

He was a very tired boy at the end of our training session, and considering how well he did today I'm sure he enjoyed lots of affection and a tasty chew at home! 🐾

10/12/2024

Bailey is continuing to show fantastic progress during our training sessions, and yesterday we started to work on his impulse control 🐾

My Miniature Schnauzer friend engaged well with me as his chasing instinct reduced during our session, and rewards followed. Bailey can (and most definitely should) engage in the behaviour in recreational ways where he is set up to succeed, but he is not a working dog, and allowing him to engage in such a behaviour in settings that are unsafe will only fail him in the future. This applies to every dog.

I'm grateful that Bailey's family are keen to follow my guidance and utilise breed-specific activities to help him fulfil the behaviour while reducing and preventing it in social settings where it could cause problems, and this is my advice to every dog owner. Each dog presents a behaviour specific to their breed(s) that should be expressed in harmless, recreational ways.

You can't and shouldn't attempt to completely dispel a behaviour that is innate to your dog. When you take your puppy or dog home with you, you become responsible for helping them fulfil their natural behaviours. However, as animals who are learning the ways of the domesticated companion, it also becomes your responsibility to manage the behaviour in different settings before it becomes problematic.

This is why I love using flirt poles, playing tug-of-war, providing dig boxes, utilising scent work and then some. I'm not just playing games with dogs. I'm pairing activities with dogs that will feel fulfilled when engaging in them. They also massively reduce stress and anxiety!

"What if it encourages the behaviour in unwanted settings?"

This won't happen if you separate the behaviour from the setting. You can remove the stimuli or your dog from the trigger, you can utilise operant conditioning and desensitisation, and of course impulse control training. The fun and recreational behaviour can take place at home, in your garden or in a secure field. You will essentially communicate to your dog that there is a time and a place for their innate behaviours to be fulfilled, but you must make it enriching for them.

There will be hiccups because dogs act on instinct and you can't always control what happens in your environment, but you can find a niche that helps to reduce and manage your dog's behaviour (hence the importance of operant conditioning, desensitisation and impulse control).

While understanding behaviour from your dog's point of view can feel complex, managing it doesn't have to be. We can work together to help you and your canine companion!

08/12/2024

Anyone disappointed to have missed our Santa Paws' Christmas Fayre has another opportunity to buy!

I’m sorry we can’t recreate the amazing Santa Paws' Grotto but we can make our limited supply of Christmas presents and treats available.

Anyone wanting to take a look, items can be made available to view between 8.30 am and 9 am and between 5 pm and 6 pm at Groom By Di's groom room from Monday to Friday this week. Other times may also be available on request. Absolutely no pressure, viewing is without obligation to buy.

Doodles Deli Delights Natural Treats are air dried natural treats and include:

Lamb Pizzle - a great natural protein source which will help keep your dog’s teeth and gums healthy and clean.

Codfish sticks - an excellent source of protein and also naturally occurring omega 3 fatty acids which may help boost heart health.

Pig inner ears - these are naturally high in protein and are ideal for dogs with gluten sensitivity. These treats will gently digest and the gnawing process promotes healthy teeth and gums.

Beef with Garlic sticks - these treats are a natural source of protein which can help build muscle. They are great training treats and ideal for dogs with allergies, digestive issues and sensitive stomachs.

Pure Duck cocktail sausages - these 100% meat sausages are made in Britain using only British ingredients. Duck is naturally rich in iron and are a lean, easy to digest natural protein source. They perfect training treats and for dogs with allergies, digestive issues and sensitive stomachs.

Beef Neck Sinew - these treats are a natural source of vitamins and minerals. It’s a healthy chewing product which can help cleaning teeth and gums.

Chicken Wings - these natural protein treats are chewy, crunchy and can help to promote healthy teeth and gums.

Camel Skin - these treats are naturally high in protein. They are gluten free and considered “hypo allergenic”, they promote healthy teeth and gums.

Hairy Rabbit Ears - these 100 % natural chews are hypo allergenic and easily digestible. Hairy treats can act as a natural de-wormer.

Get in touch if you want to buy something and we can arrange a time and day to make it happen!

07/12/2024

What an amazing turnout for Santa Paws' event today! Despite the weather, we had such a fantastic turnout and Santa Paws' Grotto raised £330 to split between our chosen charities, Hokey Pokey Hedgehog Rescue and Standard Poodle Rescue.

It wouldn't have been possible without our photographer Dave and Santa Paws himself who offered their time and expertise to our event 🎅🏻🐾

Of course a massive thank you to Kimberly, Paul and Adam who helped to secure and prepare the venue for us, and for extending support to us when needed.

We would also like to thank Mark and Edward of Adventa in Newtown who kindly donated gifts that were given out to the dog inferiors (aka the humans) by Santa's helpers.

Thank you to all of our exhibitors for attending and showcasing your own expertise and talent. It was lovely to have all of you join the event and help make it what it was, and to my mum and fiancé who also lent us their support today, and of course a massive thank you to all in and around the community who came along and supported this new venture for us all ❤️🐾

My own cherubs attended, and here they are with Santa Paws!

We have a small handful of Christmas merchandise that I will advertise tomorrow if anyone wants to purchase any last minute pawsome presents 🎁🐾

07/12/2024

Today is the day! Join us in The Corn Exchange, Welshpool Town Hall for a festive day 🎅🏻🐾

We are open from 10 until 4 with a variety of stalls for humans and dogs, including tasty treats from some of our stall holders. There's something for everyone who has between two and four legs, so enjoy yourselves!

Santa's Grotto will be open for your canine companions, and there will be festive attire from some of our stalls that you can purchase to make your dogs' photos even merrier!

05/12/2024

I enjoyed my first socialisation session with this beautiful girl yesterday 🐾

I first met Nellie for a recall training season and to work on her engagement, which she really succeeded at. I was delighted to start working with her on her socialisation and some leash work.

Nellie has such a bright and joyful personality, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of her during our training sessions!

04/12/2024

Laura will have walking and drop-in visit availability in Welshpool, Forden and Leighton. This will initially be offered on a weekly basis on Thursdays 🐩🐾

Chris will have walking and drop-in visit (Welshpool) and training (Welshpool and surrounding areas with additional travel allowance) on Sundays: bi-weekly time of 2:45 and a weekly time of 4:00 🐾

You can also pre-book training sessions. There will likely be more puppy training groups advertise in the next few months so keep an eye out for those.

Get in touch to claim your time and space!

28/11/2024

Branwen and Brahms stepped back from their cherub duties yesterday and impersonated a pair of hooligans! There's nothing better than finishing my day with these two ❤️🐾

26/11/2024

Here are some items that will be available to purchase on 7th December at our Christmas Fayre, which will be held in The Corn Exchange, Welshpool Town Hall. The items in this post are utilised in training dogs, and in preventing some behaviours. Let me explain how and why they’re used.

Training Whistle: These are used as an engagement tool to work on your dog’s recall. They are brilliant for getting your dog’s attention over long distances and they act as a command, similar to verbal cues or clickers.

Clickers: You know I support the use of clickers. While clickers are typically used right before rewarding your dog, I utilise clickers as a form of engagement. If you have worked with me as a reactive or aggressive dog owner, you will know how powerful these are. Clickers are used as a form of operant conditioning, and they’re an incredible tool for positive reinforcement.

Muzzles: There is a silly stigma around muzzles, why they’re needed and how they’re used. They should be introduced with positive associations, and to be used as a preventative rather than put on during an undesired behaviour and seen as a positive punishment. Prevent and then manage, remember that. Muzzles are associated with aggressive dogs, and while they do prevent a bite, they are also used to prevent dogs from picking up things they shouldn’t have in their mouths, particularly dogs who have allergies. They can be worn during vet visits and grooming appointments, as dogs have vulnerable areas that, despite having positive temperaments, can motivate a dog to nip and/or bite in defence of said vulnerable areas. Some dogs have vitamin and mineral deficiencies that motivate them to eat stones and other dogs' faeces, so muzzles alongside vets' recommendations can be used.

Slip Leads: I carry a spare slip lead in case a dog’s collar or lead snaps, or if an off-leash dog approaches dogs I’m working with. I’ve had to use them plenty of times on other people’s dogs, but rarely my clients’. Please don’t hesitate to ask for guidance on what the safest way to use a slip lead is, if used incorrectly they can cause physical pain to your dog if used to mask lead pulling behaviour without actually conquering the source of the behaviour.

Pet Remedy, Spray and Bandana: This natural calming spray and bandana package is a mobile way to help calm and destress your dog. Containing essential oils including valerian, sweet basil and clary sage, these products are water-based and ph-neutral, which are safe for your dog’s skin and coat.

Stain and Odour Spray: I have using this while helping to reduce my puppy’s indoor accidents during his house training, and it has been fantastic. Dogs mark indoors for a variety of reasons, including attention seeking behaviour, missed cues for needing to go outside, smell of ammonia from cleaning products which mimics urine smell, territorial marking out of dominance or anxiety. Utilising this spray can help reduce indoor marking, and when you are aware of your dog’s cues before marking you can take them to an outdoor space and reward them for going outside.

Safety Light: These safety lights can be attached to your dog’s collar and are a “one size fits all”, they are fantastic during the Autumn and Winter months, and they help you keep track of your dog by the colour of their light. They also help other dog owners and passers-by become aware of your presence.

Licki Mats: I use these during mealtimes as my dogs love their raw food, and they help to slow down hungry dogs. I also advise people utilise licki mats after a walk or training session to help calm down dogs who are still excited and/or overstimulated. They are fantastic for adding a positive association when removing yourself from an area during separation anxiety training, and they are great to utilise when creating a positive association around a crate. If your dog is known to chew or destroy items, then supervise them or check in with them so you can remove the licki mat so that they remain in one piece.

I will be at the fayre to provide you with guidance on these products, and with other products that we’re selling. These are all items that I have used and continue to use.

25/11/2024

I was very impressed with Jacs during our training session today!

We're focusing a lot on loose lead walking, but a lot of that entails building her confidence in the environments we desire that behaviour to be displayed. While initially nervous, Jacs can quickly warm up to other dogs and become over-excited, so it's important that she has breaks to take in her environment by utilising settle work. While we want to build her confidence, we don't want to replace nervous behaviour with an over-excitable nature.

Today Jacs exuded confidence when passing dogs until a couple of friendly but vocal dogs startled her. I walked Jacs aside and used the clicker to build her engagement on me again, and to reduce the flight behaviour she was leaning towards as she started to pull away. She very quickly engaged with me and we got back to working on our objective!

I recalled to Jacs' human that I could only count a handful of minutes that this lovely girl pulled on her lead, and considering she has also just finished her season she deserves a tasty chew! ⭐️🐾

25/11/2024

Bailey was a very well behaved puppy during his training session this morning! 🐾

He had positive interactions with other dogs and engaged well with positive reinforcement when working to reduce that Schnauzer bark.

Bailey was also a brilliant walker, as for the majority of the session he was loose lead walking and checking in with me by giving me plenty of eye contact.

25/11/2024

I have BIG news! 🐾🐩

From January 2025 Willow’s Walks and Dog Services’ pack will have a new member, and her name is Laura! She will be joining us to provide dog walking and drop-in visits, initially in Welshpool and Forden.

Some of you might already know who Laura is. She is a co-owner of the amazing Woof Whistles who provide bespoke grooming for your canine companions. Laura will start off by providing walks and drop-in visits every Thursday. She is trained in canine first aid, she is a qualified dog groomer and she is also fully insured for dog walking and pet sitting.

I asked Laura to write a little bit about herself for you all to read:

“I have four dogs of my own (call me dog mad): Lucky, Stormzy, Nyx and Poppy, there’s always someone keen to accompany me on a walk.

We’ve put a lot of hard work into making it possible for them to be included in all of our outings and I love seeing them enjoy their time exploring. Before having these pups, we had John, he turned the phrase “soul dog” into a reality. With my partner, we own a dog grooming salon, Woof Whistles, so you may already recognise me. I love bathing extra mucky pups and taking the time to give them a nice massage, but most importantly giving them an enjoyable experience and watching their confidence grow.

For our dogs I love making them exciting lick mats and enrichment games on their walks to help them feel fulfilled and I am looking forward to seeing your doggies love this also.

On days off I can’t relax, I need to be out finding somewhere to explore with our dogs. I am looking forward to spending time with your wonderful doggies and being an exciting part of their day for adventures so they can live their best lives. I love all things dog, if dogs are involved I am always able to pour my passion into it.”

We will be advertising spaces for your dogs to join Laura on new adventures starting in 2025. Laura will be taking bookings for brand new dog clients who will get to enjoy themselves in her company! 🐾

24/11/2024

Bella's session was spent revising the behaviour we have been working towards, and closing in on the distance that we have been utilising to support her around dogs. We had a reaction-free time together today!

I'm so pleased with how far Bella has come. We're also going to be focusing on recall training soon 🐾

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Branwen and Brahms stepped back from their cherub duties yesterday and impersonated a pair of hooligans! There's nothing better than finishing my day with these two ❤️🐾

These video clips don't even capture a fragment of the joy I feel when I'm spending time with the Barnett Pack, and Branwen the honorary Poodle! The girls are currently splayed out sleeping. I think all the playing has finally caught up with them! 🐾

Mabel started learning the "back" command during her drop-in visit today, and her brother Enzo has learned "high five" and will soon be learning "wave" 🐾

Stormzy was too fast for Nyx and Branwen today! He was the ultimate ball master and nobody could compete against him ⚡️🐾

Well that's another win for Stormzy! 🐾 The beginning of today's session focused on what Stormzy enjoyed, which included off-leash fun and utilising new tug toys to channel his innate behaviours in a recreational way. Then he decompressed by getting his nose down with some relaxing scatter feeds before we focused on our objective. Today's objective with this handsome boy revolved around relaxation training. During my last solo session with Stormzy, we utilised an outdoor space for the same objective, and today we went indoors. The difference between outside vs inside spaces for relaxation training is confinement, hence why utilising outdoor areas with more space to move about are ideal settings compared to indoor areas where that freedom is massively reduced. We occupied a table at The Bay Tree in Welshpool, and Stormzy was exceptional. There were already tables taken by other people with one including an active child that made use of the limited space. While Stormzy calmly took in his environment, his focus naturally gravitated back towards me. He relaxed enough that we exceeded the initial amount of time I planned on spending inside, which was 20 minutes. We ended up spending 30 minutes in the lovely establishment, and by the time we did leave, the other customers had already paid their bills and braced the rain outside. We utilised our chosen spot because it's a space Stormzy's humans would like to take him to in the future, and now we can take him together so I can demonstrate what worked in helping him to relax around stimuli that was once alien to him. Starting with burning off energy through off-leash fun and engaging in activities that help him express his natural behaviours, to decompressing and helping him enter a relaxed state of being before embracing the objevtives, everything that helped Stormzy succeed today will become part of a structure that will help that success continue... and then some! 🐾

Today has been Branwen's day! The most fulfilling activity for my cherub is playing "seek" (chase) and tapping into her innate instincts through a fun outlet 🐾

Stormzy had such a wonderful session yesterday as we focused on settle work (relaxation training) 🐾 He initially displayed some reactive behaviour towards a dog when presented with a surprise encounter at the very beginning of our time together, and again towards another dog minutes later. My biggest concern was the amount of large dogs walking ahead of their owners on retractable leads, and again with dogs on retractable leads whose owners had their backs to them. When you're in that situation, there's an unspoken responsibility that falls on you when you're walking (or working with) reactive and/or aggressive dogs. Be prepared for your advocacy to go unheard - what's your next step? How do you keep your dog below their threshold without creating avoidant behaviour in both you and your dog? I took Stormzy to a local establishment where it was initially just the two of us in the garden area, which was right next to a fork road with passing humans and dogs. I prepared my settle mat and Stormzy very quickly lay down. Some humans started to fill seats, and then the real challenge was presented - dogs! As Stormzy was nibbling on some treats on the settle mat, a lovely lady walked past us with one of her dogs. Stormzy was unphased, and then her second dog came walking right over to us. He was on a lead, but there was no human attached to it. Stormzy was very calm, but I still advocated for him and told the dog "no" as it came closer, and I blocked it with my foot. Still, my canine companion for the session was not bothered, but it was still my responsibility to advocate for him so the calm could be maintained. The lady apologised and called her dog over, and then we had a pleasant conversation about the three dogs as well as the stigma surrounding nervous dogs and muzzles (as Stormzy's muzzle was on the table). I started to slowly put the settle mat in my backpack, and Stormzy responded well to engagement cues so I could make sure his focus was on me as we m

Brucey and Branwen were in their own loved up bubble today as the honorary member joined the pack for their walk 🐾

Sibling Rivalry! Brucey and Elizabeth were adamant that each of them would reap the rewards of claiming the stick as their own, while Camilla decided it wasn't to her liking! When you listen closely, you can year Camilla say "I'm above this, you two can battle for the stick while I simply exist and look beautiful" 🐩🐾

Stormzy's enjoying his recall training today! ⚡️

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