Nina’s Ark Dog Training

06/10/2023

UPDATE: Maggie has been found ☺️

Please share and help to get this lovely dog safely back home

06/10/2023

UPDATE: Maggie has been found ☺️

Please share and help to get this lovely dog safely back home

***UPDATE Maggie has been found****

Maggie French bulldog gone missing on Winkworth Road - let’s get her home 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼

25/08/2023

ABTC Statement on Augusto Deoliveira’s dog handling practices.

06/08/2023

‼️ PLEASE SHARE, SHARE, SHARE ‼️

CINDY, an EXTREMELY NERVOUS rescue dog, escaped from an address in Chobham on Friday 4th August.

CINDY is NOT to be approached - she will bolt - but needs to calm and settle for either her owner to secure her, or to be safely trapped

If you see her, note the following and call/message us asap:
📆 DATE
⏰ TIME (exact time if possible or AM/PM)
📍 LOCATION (pinpoint on map)
🧭DIRECTION HEADED (nearest landmark)
🐕BEHAVIOUR (walking, running, nervous, calm, sniffing, did they stay in the area? How long?)
📸GET A PHOTO (for ID) if you possibly can

PLEASE SHARE THIS POST WIDELY ACROSS CHOBHAM, OTTERSHAW, WOKING, LIGHTWATER, BISLEY and ALL surrounding areas

12/06/2023

02/04/2023

It's World Autism Acceptance Week! 🐾

As an organisation whose main aim is to help autistic people, autism acceptance is a part of our daily work both internally and externally. People don't only need to be aware of autism, but they also need to accept both the difficulties and strengths that autism brings.

People need to accept that autistic people cannot help the difficulties they face, and that there should be enough knowledge and practical support in place to help autistic people. Similarly, people need to accept that autistic people can have strengths that neurotypical people may not have, and that these should be celebrated! Autistic people can have enhanced skills in a variety of areas, including creativity, memory, and integrity!

We are proud to be the only organisation training Autism Assistance Dogs where the majority of the team are autistic. We strive to use our platform to educate our followers about the positives and difficulties of autism, that autism should be accepted, and how our Autism Assistance Dogs are an amazing way of assisting autistic people! ❤🐾

27/07/2022

18/07/2022

18/07/2022

Today and tomorrow the weather is going to be extremely hot. Please take care of your pets. Walk dogs in the early morning or late evening. Also keep an eye on your cats (outdoor and indoor) and other pets. Ensure there is plenty of water in various places in your home. Top up their water bowls as frequently as possible with fresh water. Above all, please stay safe and keep your furry family members safe ☀️

11/07/2022

The heat presents risks to your pet

25/06/2022

25/05/2022

“It’s OK, my dog is friendly!”
But is it really OK? Sometimes it’s not.
I have seen the post copied below on a couple of other pages and thought I would share it here. It’s a fantastic explanation of why you should be respectful of other dogs and their owners and ensure your dog has excellent recall:-

“The other day I was at the local public park (not a dog park, but dogs are allowed there). We were walking along in a high movement area so I had my dog on a leash. Another dog, off leash, sees us and starts approaching.
My dog needs her space so we start moving away, but the dog got to us before we could leave. My dog was stressing a little so I politely said to the woman, sorry my dog doesn't want to play and ushered her dog away.
Her dog gets the message and moves on.
Quite good, right? Here comes the juicy part:
As I’m leaving the owner comes to me with a speech more or less like this:
Hey, if your dog is nervous and doesn’t even want to play with other dogs, go somewhere else! Don’t come to the park and ruin other dogs fun.
I heard this and a wave of fury started taking over, but suddenly I think I had a lightbulb moment and switched gears completely.
With the biggest, friendliest smile, I opened my arms as wide as I could and said Ohhhhh! Come here... I want to give you a BIG hug!
With panic in her eyes, she backs up, speechless and quickly starts walking away.
I said "Hey, don’t run, I’m so friendly, come on, I only want to give you a hug! I’m friendly I promise... I just want to Hug You!"
Still speechless and backing away with terror now, I said "Wait, You don’t want my friendly hug?"
She yelled No!
I said "Well neither does my dog! Have a nice day.!!!"
As I walked away, I saw her just standing there, speechless and she was leashing her dog! 😅
I think I’ll try this approach more often 🤣”

12/05/2022

I am proud to announce that I am now a Platinum member of the Pet Professional Network.
The Pet Professional Network is the first international business support organisation and educational platform for kind, ethical and trusted pet professionals.
Working in collaboration with world class training and behavioural institutes, business and mindset coaches, they help raise the standards of animal welfare providing members with a safe community to grow or expand their business and connect with like-minded professionals.
I have undergone a rigorous one to one coaching programme and assessment process, ensuring I meet their high standards and force and fear free philosophy and have shown exceptional progress in both my personal and business journey. I will continue to receive ongoing coaching, which will ensure I can give my clients the best ongoing support and help encourage other professionals to reach out and help support each other.

24/03/2022

I am very proud to announce that I am now officially a Distinctive Dog Trainer! 🎉🎉🎉

After completing the 3 month Distinctive Dog Trainer Mastermind Course and successfully passing all 6 parts of their assessment process I have been awarded with the title 'Distinctive Dog Trainer'.

The Distinctive Dog Trainer Academy is dedicated to individuality, empathy and unrivaled support.

It gives my clients the confidence that I am a kind and ethical dog trainer who goes that extra mile to provide a unique and bespoke service.

As a Distinctive Dog Trainer, I have really been able to push forward in my business, given extra support from guest experts and business coaches.

The guest experts bring amazing knowledge to the course, where we had an amazing opportunity to geek out together in their behavioural bite sessions.

I will now join the Distinctive Dog Trainer Academy Hub and receive ongoing support and learning from our Mentor and Distinctive Coach - Helen Motteram and peer support from other fantastic dog trainers!

22/02/2022

Why did I get a dog???!!!

My dog is a complete nightmare!

Everything ends up in his mouth.

He has eaten my house (yes, you read that correctly!), destroyed my garden, killed the internet, harasses our smaller dog, terrorises our cats and jumps all over visitors.

He constantly tips over his full water bowl and splashes the water everywhere.

By the time he is six months old he is so big and strong that he has already pulled me over a couple of times. I am grazed and bruised and on the verge of tears.

What did I do wrong?

What happened to the cute ball of fluff I brought home?! I didn’t sign up for this - I wanted a dog, not a Tyrannosaurus Rex!

If this sounds familiar, don’t worry.

You are not alone.

I know exactly how you feel and I promise you - IT DOES GET BETTER!

My Journey and Your Journey

I love dogs - I was brought up with them. When I was born my family had a stunning, huge Rough Collie. Think Lassie. I was a teenager when my parents bought my brother and myself a beautiful, gentle Golden Retriever. Best dog ever!
As an adult I got my own dog Leo, a gorgeous German Shepherd puppy. I was totally in love from the minute I saw him - a cute, fluffy little baby with a fantastic personality. I could see my life with him already. Of course he would be the perfect angel, just like my other dog, right? Wrong! He was a complete nightmare as a puppy and as an adolescent dog.

A Land Shark!

The epitome of a Land Shark with some Tasmanian Devil thrown in for good measure. We tried everything. Advice from friends and family didn’t work. At the time, I was so desperate I took him to an old school, traditional dog trainer who used a choke chain as a training aid. After a few seconds and seeing the look of fear in my dog’s eyes I knew I had made a huge mistake. We left immediately and I started searching for a better, kinder way to train my monster dog.

Everything Changed

I found the Institute of Modern Dog Trainers (IMDT) and everything changed. I became an IMDT Accredited Dog Trainer. My first student? My 18-month old boisterous, monster dog.

Kind and Effective

Training takes time, patience and dedication. My methods are kind and gentle. I use rewards to encourage the behaviour I want my dog to learn. My beautiful boy is a work in progress but now he walks nicely on a lead. He is more relaxed around visitors. He is more gentle with our other dog and loves to give our cat slobbery kisses.

I was inspired by my gorgeous boy!

Thanks to my gorgeous boy I started my dog training business with the aim of helping people with their dogs. Some dogs are easy - my Golden Retriever for example. Other dogs are not so easy and need some extra help - my Leo for example. I will work with you in a structured programme with ongoing support to help you achieve excellent results while building a strong bond with your dog.

All dogs of any age, size or breed will be welcome. Of course, I have a huge soft spot for German Shepherds and I am dedicated to improving people’s perceptions about the breed.

So, get in touch and let me know how I can help you!

Nina 🐾
07968 375220 / [email protected]

“Training should always be fun for you and your dog. A happy dog learns faster!”

16/01/2022

A number of dog owners claim their dogs have fallen ill with 'sickness and diarrhoea' after visiting the seafront

01/01/2022

#2022

25/12/2021

Merry Christmas from my house to yours. Have a lovely day x

03/12/2021

Not me but a friend in Sutton area PLEASE SHARE
Just seen a black and white dog running down Stayton Road Sutton coming from A217 end (think a type of Collie) black body possibly bit of brown and white legs, sorry was running quite fast looked scared !

04/11/2021

FIREWORKS ADVICE FROM THE PET PROFESSIONAL NETWORK

If you have a rescue dog, or a dog who has experienced a recent trauma, they may be particularly sensitive to fireworks (the same is true for small animals and birds).

So here's a few tips to help you prepare for the fireworks and to help keep your pets safe and calm:

1. WALK YOUR DOG EARLY
Try to take your dog for a walk before 3pm, or as early as possible; be mindful that some people may even let fireworks off before it gets dark!

Remember: if your dog has already experienced fireworks in a particular area, going back to that same area may bring back the anxiety.

2. KEEP PETS INSIDE DURING FIREWORK DISPLAYS
Make sure your dog is taken out to go to toilet earlier. Where possible, bring cats and small animals inside. Rabbits, guinea pigs and birds in aviaries are particularly vulnerable.

3. OCCUPY THEM WITH ENRICHMENT OR PLAYTIME
Provide your pet with an alternative outlet, to keep anxiety at bay. A nice filled Kong, a puzzle game or a simple game of 'find it'.

4. HELP SOOTHE YOUR PET WITH MUSIC
Music can help to block out some of the noise and certain types have been proven to have a calming effect. You can also turn up the volume on the TV, to make the *bangs* seem less dramatic in comparison to the volume inside the house..

5. REASSURE THEM
Do not punish your dog for showing fearful behaviour. If they are frightened - it is okay to comfort them.
You can reassure your dog. Contrary to what you may hear, it is not possible to reinforce an emotion (e.g. fear). Please do not punish your dog if it is fearful or anxious.

We advise, where possible, staying inside - partcularly on firework's night - to keep your pets safe and to give them company and support.
We always advise pet owners to seek further advice from a behaviourist or trainer working closely with a vet.

They will work with you on a behavioural modification programme and, in certain cases, vets can recommend drugs/therapy/holistic remedies to help keep your dog calm and relaxed.

Preparation is the key - so please keep this advice handy, especially over the festive period and new year's eve.