Yaena, one of my clients, called me a few months ago as she wanted to learn more about dogs' behaviour in order to communicate better with her dog Marley, a gorgeous and lively Toy Poodle. We quickly approached the subject of the Kong, and with Yaena being extremely focused on food and the effect it has on humans and dogs alike, she started experimenting with Kong filler recipes. I asked Yaena if she would share some of her delicious, healthy and seasonal recipes with us, she said yes!...
Read more5 Central London Dog-Friendly Shops
Sometimes it feels like london isn't such a dog friendly city, especially when it comes to doing everyday things such as shopping, but here are a few shops that welcome our best friends as long as they are on their best behaviour, and why wouldn't they be?! Over time I'll let you know about other dog friendly places but here are 5 to start us off...
Read moreWhat do we teach our dogs, whilst not meaning to?
Us humans, don't always see the world the ways dogs do. A big part of my job is to translate dogs' behaviour to their humans, as well as clarifying how dogs perceive our (sometimes strange) own behaviours. Here are three examples of common human/dog miscommunication....
Read moreDealing With Fear In Dogs
We too often assume that dogs can think and feel as we do, but they don’t. Dogs don’t think Right vs. Wrong, they think Safe vs. Dangerous, and so if something feels unsafe to them (scary), they will defend themselves, try to get that scary thing to move away, or at least move away from the situation......
Read moreDriving With Dogs
If your dog becomes anxious when traveling by car, he might show signs of stress such as panting, drooling or even vomiting. This is not fun for you, but even less fun for your dog. Very often the first experience a puppy has of a car journey is the day he leaves his mum and littermates; and the second, his first trip to the vet. So is it any wonder he finds stepping into this large noisy thing stressful?...
Read moreFood Guarding - How Do I know?
Food guarding is a type of resource guarding,, and it can appear in any dogs, at any time in their life. It is important to react quickly if it happens with your dog. As always I think prevention is key, and some simple positive reinforcement exercises can be done to prevent this kind of problem from happening.
Some clients ask, how do I know if my dog is guarding his food?...
Read more**BREAKING NEWS** - Heat Wave Special
So a heat wave is about to hit London with some incredible highs of 30° to 33°. Most of us humans love the heat, but if you have a dog, you will want to take extra care him or her. Because dogs are smaller then us, the risk of heatstroke for them is very high. You must remember that if you feel hot, and in need to go in the shade and drink something refreshing, your dog feels....
Read moreDon't Shoot The Dog - A book for the summer
Today marks the beginning of summer and you might be looking for a book to read in the park or on the beach. Here is a little review of one of my favourite “Dog Training” books; and I put Dog Training in inverted comas, because this book will not only help its readers train their dogs, but also other pets they may have (from ferret to dolphin, pony to golden goose), their kids, or even themselves.
Don’t Shoot The Dog introduces the readers to Positive Reinforcement, and clarifies.......
Read moreWhat we owe our dogs
There is one thing that all my clients, and myself have in common: we all want our dogs to be happy. However, sometimes life simply takes over, and we need to stop and remind ourselves the promises we've made to our dogs the day we let them into our lives.
We owe it to our dogs to help them:
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Read moreDogs + Kids
Family dogs help children display better social skills and boost their self-esteem.
Research shows that children with family dogs have higher self-esteem. Living and looking after a dog allows children to experience love and compassion; feeding and caring for a dog encourages childhood responsibility....
Read moreYou + Dog = Health & Happiness
Dog owners are less likely to suffer from depression than those without pets
Dog walking increases social interaction. You’ll make new friends in your neighbourhood
Heart attack patients with dogs survive longer than.......