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St Albans walking and refreshment stops
St Albans is blessed with lots of beautiful dog walking spots. Here are a few of my top picks, along with some dog friendly refreshment stops. Verulamium park This is a lovely park. It has three main walking fields – two of which are away from the main road. You can...
Worried about how your dog will cope with your new arrival?
If you’re thinking about welcoming a dog home, and you already share your life with one, it's likely you will be thinking how you can prepare. What to think about First things first Does your dog get on well with dogs? If you are thinking of welcoming a dog home...
How to teach your dog the on and off cue
Perhaps your dog is really mucky and you don’t want them snoozing on the sofa with you until that fox poo has been washed down the drain – yuck! Or perhaps you have a visitor who is nervous of dogs and doesn't want them beside them on the sofa. Here are some options...
Why do dogs do things they know are wrong?
There are a lot of dog shaming calendars available in bookshops and pictures on social media. They show signs of dogs looking guilty with signs next to them. They concern me. I feel that anthropomorphism of animals in this way (which often happens to dogs, presumably...
Do you have a puppy? Are you experiencing the behaviour blue’s?
Today is world mental health day. Something that can happen, but something not many people talk about is the puppy blue’s. You’ve welcomed your gorgeous bundle of fluff home after preparing for their arrival for weeks. You have their bed, water and food bowls, and all...
Does your dog know how to simply relax and do nothing?
Learning how to settle is important for you and your dog. A dog who is on the go all of the time and doesn’t have the chance to relax can be over excitable and embarrassing. Imagine this: your dog jumps up at a table resulting in a bowl of soup being knocked over,...
Pet loss: what to think about
Other people and your grief Sadly, pet loss can be a disenfranchised grief (Vitak et al., 2017) – this is a grief that is not recognised by society. However, the death of a pet, as you’ll know if you’ve experienced it can be as severe as that of a human Lee, Sherman...
Are you ready to share your life with a puppy?
Puppies can be wonderful additions to a family and there are oodles of videos on Facebook that are testament to that, but as with lots of social media.. they often only highlight the cute, fun, appealing elements! While puppy guardianship can be a wonderfully...
Puppy socialisation shouldn’t be a free for all – here’s why
There are many puppy playgroups and puppy parties that occur. If you’re thinking of attending one it is important to ask what experience the organiser has of canine body language, to ensure that every puppy is having a good time. Moreover, how many people are...
My dog hates their harness! Help!
Why use a harness? A harness can be a helpful tool, but it is not necessarily right for every dog and there a few factors to consider when purchasing one. Lead walking When practicing a skill such as walking politely on the lead without pulling, a harness can be a...
How to prevent your dog from jumping up at people
Jumping up can be endearing when a puppy is very young. However a dog has no concept of how heavy, big or muddy there paws and legs are, so when they get older it can become problematic. Jumping up can be painful because of the weight of the dog and if they have long...
Rules for cat and dog interactions
If you’re thinking of welcoming a cat home when you have puppy, or a puppy home when you have a cat, there are some important considerations to make for everyone to ensure calmness and contentment occurs. Being pro-active in this area can help prevent a host of...
Fun activities to keep your dog occupied when they are recovering from an operation
If you’re recovering from a hand injury, perhaps you’re doing some DIY and you miss the nail and hit your engagement finger instead – the last thing you’ll want to do is place a ring on that finger - cartier or no cartier! Dogs will be the same as this area will be...
Top things to take note of when toilet training your pup
Toilet training takes time, consistency and practice. Here are our top tips for toilet training your puppy. An awareness of their bladder size Puppies physically have very small bladders so can’t hold urine in for too long. Generally, they need to go to the bathroom...
Top puppy socialisation mistakes.. and how you can avoid them
What is socialisation? Socialisation is quite the buzz word! Good socialisation is a puppy learning how to interact with other species that they will come into contact with, and who you want them to come into contact with in a safe way. Unfortunately there’s still a...
What is the reason my dog is barking?
Information about barking Dogs are thought to have been domesticated between 14000 to 135,000 years ago. It is possible that humans selected dogs who barked more, than one's that did not as a favourable trait to alert them that someone was on their land for example....
What should I consider before working with a dog care / walking professional?
Many more people have welcomed a dog into their heart and home in the last two years. With dog ownership there is often an increased need for care and training providers. As it is an unregulated profession and anyone can set a business like this up, below is some...
Reasons why your cat may not be using their litter tray
There can be a variety of reasons your cat is not using their litter tray. Your first port of call should be your vet. They will take tests to rule out any medical problems. Increased urination can be caused by medical challenges including diabetes, hyperthyroidism or...
How much exercise should my puppy get?
When we first introduce a canine family member into our lives, most of us dream of taking them on long rambling walks and adventures in the countryside or local parks. There is no doubt that this is a real joy of owning a dog, however it is important to remember that...
What is clicker training and how is it helpful when training our dogs and cats?
A clicker is handheld device. Some clickers have a loop that you can attach to your wrist or your training pouch so you don’t drop it… this is helpful for people like me who loose things.. does anyone else lose their gloves and still wish mittens were an acceptable...