K9 Kindness

09/05/2026

Rags has learnt how to play fetch and I'm hoping to use this to quell his need to chase every bird that he sees 🙄

09/05/2026

Socials are back on tomorrow!

Booking is recommended as we had last Sunday off work and the dogs are itching to see their friends, so I expect it will be busy.

Pics of Sophie and crew trying to get the dogs to run towards me for a photo... Yep failed! 😂😂.. But we had a lot of fun trying!

Join us this Sunday.

Link for the booking calendar is..

https://trainingandsocialsatk9kindness.as.me/

04/05/2026

Sorry for all the Raggles posts but I rarely have a day off so I'm catching up on the past week.

Recall: we've been practicing 😎

Raggles had never been off-lead in an outdoor environment so he'd never practiced recall before ... This was more of an advantage than you'd imagine. I only had to make sure the first dozen recalls were rewarded highly and his response to recall is now pretty good.

This video demonstrates recall from play (at a distance) and recall from chase but we didn't start here. I started by recalling him from low stimulus distractions so that I could build the recall/reward habit before moving on to more stimulating distractions (birds are next on my list... Raggles wants to rid the world of pigeons 🙈)

We will also be practising recall in different environments, where he is already more distracted.....follow the page to watch his progress.

04/05/2026

My working theory on the breed mix of Raggles?
Yep… definitely a Schnauzer x Poodle.

Anyone who knows Schnauzers will spot the classic “schnauzer hug” in this video:
👉 Paws on the other dog
👉 Hold them there like an awkward handshake that won’t end

To humans: “aww cute”
To other dogs: “excuse me?? what are you doing??”

It’s not aggression—it’s control when he’s feeling anxious.
But socially? Yeah… it’s not winning him any friends.

So our new favourite word is: “OFF.”
Used frequently. Very frequently. 🙈

Yesterday (video in comments section):
Tawny and Raggles off-lead together… and you can already see the shift in his energy.

Less chaos. More dog.

And Tawny?
Absolute pro. ❤️
She has a gift for making anxious dogs feel safe without making a big deal of it.

So yeah… that’s Raggles so far:
A slightly chaotic, anxious, affectionate, learning-fast little gremlin who’s already making big strides.

Turns out when you actually listen to them… they come along pretty quickly

04/05/2026

My foster dog Raggles has an advert 😊

For any clients considering adopting a dog... He really is adorable and has a lovely temperament (I've met thousands of dogs).

Adoption enquiries should be made to the rescue Mika's Mutts Dog Rescue but I'm happy to answer questions about him or arrange a time for you to meet him if you're serious.

03/05/2026

Where do you even start with a new foster dog?
Simple: just watch. 👀

If you pay attention, they’ll tell you everything—who they are, what they’re worried about, and what’s not working for them.

Take Raggles…

Within about 5 minutes he told me:
🚗 Traffic is terrifying
🌳 Gardens are deeply suspicious (he’s a former flat dog, so fair enough)
🍗 Cooked chicken is essential for leaving the house
😅 Vehicles are clearly portals to another dimension

Day one: had to be carried to the van like a Victorian lady with delicate nerves
Day four: strutting to the van and jumping in like he owns it

Then there’s the glamorous stuff…

I noticed:
💩 Tiny poops
🍑 Nibbling his bum like it owed him money
🧼 Staining from too much licking
⚖️ Slightly underweight

Translation: digestive/gland issues waving a big flag.

So… commercial diet has gone.
Already seeing firmer poops (a sentence I never thought I’d celebrate publicly), so fingers crossed that sorts the gland situation 🤞

If not… anyone fancy volunteering for gland duty?
No? Thought not. 💩🤮

Now, behaviour… buckle up.

First video (before he came to me):
He meets a Mastiff and gets told off.

And honestly? Fair.

Not because he’s “naughty” but because his energy is… a lot:
😵‍💫 Panting
🪀 Bouncing
🌀 Erratic movement
👀 Full crazy eyes

The Mastiff basically said: “I don’t trust you, mate” and set a boundary when he initially approached (low growl).

Raggles’ response?
Escalate, obviously. 🙄

Part 2 & 3 to follow as I can't seem to publish multiple videos

28/04/2026

Introducing Ragnor (Raggles)!

Raggles is in foster with me whilst we work on his anxiety with other dogs and then he will be looking for his fur-ever home.

The lovely Melissa Constantinou-Coulter tidied him up yesterday and now he can see! ... From Rags to Riches ♥️

Follow along as we document his progress.

07/04/2026

💔💔💔

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17Thp4wi4F/

02/04/2026

23/01/2026

I received this beautiful bouquet of flowers today... Just for doing my job 😊

It made my week... Thank you x