Growing up with my dogs I was always told they were colour blind and could not see red or green objects. I was also told they only saw our world in black and white. I am ashamed to say I rarely gave this any thought even when I started competing with my dogs until I viewed a You Tube video by Susan Garret with Nicki Gurr and my thoughts changed completely.
Most dog parents teach their dogs to shake a paw but here I am showing you how to teach your dog how to extend on that talent. It will wow your three F's (friends, family and fans) too.
This is not going to be a popular post for a lot of "dog trainers" out there but I am very picky who I choose to instruct me and my dogs and you should be too.
Every dog has to be bathed at one time in their lives so it is important that you make it a pleasant and enjoyable event; for you both!
It may still be September but if you have a dog or dogs who are frightened of fireworks then it may sound crazy but, NOW is the time to start preparing them.
Once you have selected and enrolled in your dog training school you will be given your start date. Some dog trainers are very organised and will give you full details on the what I am about to tell you but some do not so I hope you will find the following of use.
Without a doubt in most classes you will need to take some treats. I often hear some dog owners saying they don't want to use treats because they are bribing their dogs to do what they want them to do or are concerned that too many treats will make their pets fat.
Having taken up hoopers this year I needed to make some hoopers hoops to practice with at home.
Monday 31 August 2020 and my worse nightmare came true; my eldest dog, Darcey, was taken ill and it was time to for us to say goodbye. I bravely picked up the phone and dialed the vets telephone number. Being a Bank Holiday I was given the number for the out of hours vets which were Vets Now. I tearfully explained the situation and the receptionist booked us in for 9 am. We had an hour together and in that time we took our last brief walk together and I told him how thankful and grateful I was to have had him in my life for the past 12 1/2 years; how much I loved him and thanked him for his loyalty, love and devotion to me. The tears were flowing and he passed very peacefully and with respect in my arms.
For years I have been saying in my puppy classes to restrict your pups exercise for the first 12 months of its life. The gneral rule is no more than 5 minutes of exercise per month of your puppies age; so if your puppy is 6 months old he/she should only be receiving up to 30 minutes of exercise per day. You must also be very careful to prevent pup from climbling stairs; jumping into and out of cars or on and off of sofas; not to mention allowing play with size appropriate buddies only.
2020 started in the usual manner regarding dog training. You had two obvious methods offered to you to train your dog or new puppy; attend a local dog training school or arrange for a private dog trainer. Other forms of training come in books, dvd's, online training and even send your dog away to be trained but with Covid-19 dog training schools which are usually held indoors were closed down over night and, with Government restrictions so did private training.
When I got my first puppy back in the ‘80’s I must have read every book in the library on dogs and their training and yet none of them mentioned first aid for your dog. Move forward to the ‘90’s and you started to see courses on first aid for your dog and were sold first aid kits designed especially for dogs. Today, everyone who has a dog or is involved with dogs in any form are encouraged to have taken at least one dog first aid seminar where you are taught practical management of a sick pet including how to bandage and treat your dog until you can get him/her to a vet.
