Hound & Herder

19/06/2026

The most beautiful little group in the south 💖

18/06/2026

17/06/2026

Little Finn is joining us this week from Urban Paws Walking & Pet Sitting while Gabby moves house! What an absolute star he is, super confident, social and friendly. He’s a dream to have join us. Check him out! ⭐️💖

11/06/2026

“Dogs are not pack animals”

It’s a phrase that gets chucked about these days, but it’s not entirely accurate.

What modern science has challenged is the old idea that dogs live in rigid wolf-style hierarchies ruled by an “alpha” dog who constantly dominates the rest of the group. That theory was based on early studies of captive wolves and has since been largely abandoned.

What hasn’t been abandoned is the fact that dogs are highly social animals.

Anyone who has lived with multiple dogs like my self will have noticed that they develop clear social relationships. Some dogs lead, some follow, some defer around resources, some take charge during play and most establish predictable patterns that help avoid conflict. These relationships are often stable and recognisable to the people living with them.

The geeky part 🤓 - A 2014 study by Pongrácz ( an Ethologist from Hungary) found that owners could reliably identify dominance relationships between dogs living in the same household and these assessments matched clear behavioural patterns. In other words, the social structures owners see are not simply human imagination or illusion.

The important distinction is that domestic dogs are not wolves. Wolves typically live in close family groups that rely on cooperation to hunt and survive. Dogs, particularly free-ranging dogs statistically tend to form more flexible social groups because they are less dependent on one another for food.

So when people observe “pack behaviour” in a multi-dog household, they are usually seeing something very real: a social group with established relationships, rules and expectations.

The evidence implies and our dogs show that they do form social hierarchies and group structures. What science disputes is the simplistic idea of a strict, “alpha pack” where one dog dominates every aspect of life.

Dogs are social animals. They form relationships. They establish order. They learn how to live together.

That’s not a myth. It’s exactly what we’d expect from the canis familiaris (domestic 🐶).

Reference:
Pongrácz, P. et al. (2014). Do owner reports reflect the dominance status of dogs living in the same household? PLOS ONE, 9(11):e111216.

10/06/2026

The new rules around children being left alone with banned breeds have sparked a lot of discussion, but here’s something worth considering.

Dogs are predators. Whether it’s a large working breed, a banned breed or the little curly dog curled up on your sofa right now. Every dog is still an animal with instincts, emotions and limits.

Personally, I believe no dog or animal (for that matter) should be left unattended with children. Full Stop.

The assumption that “my dog would never” or that only banned breeds bite children is simply not supported by reality. Bites happen for many reasons. Fear, pain, stress, resource guarding, over-arousal, misunderstanding body language or a child accidentally pushing a dog beyond its comfort zone. Not every bite comes from red light aggression.

I own dogs that participate in bite sports as a hobby. They have an appropriate outlet for the traits they were selectively bred for and they are highly reliable animals. Even so, my children are and will never left unattended with them and will never responsible for handling them.

Not because I don’t trust my dogs. I can pretty much read their next ten moves. But…

Because I don’t allow opportunities for failure.

We all have bad days. Dogs do too.

As owners, we are our dogs’ biggest advocates. We have a responsibility to set them up for success, protect them from situations that could go wrong and ensure the safety of the people around them.

Good management isn’t a sign that you don’t trust your dog. It’s a sign that you respect them enough to understand that they are animals, not robots or fur-babies.

Protect your children. Protect your dogs. Supervision shouldn’t be breed specific it should be standard practice.

10/06/2026

🐾 What’s Next for You And Your Dog? 🐾

One of the most common questions we receive is:

“What do you recommend after puppy training?”
or
“My dog is coming into adolescence, can you help?”

To help guide owners through an often challenging time in a dogs life, we offer two structured training packages designed specifically for adolescent dogs, helping you build on existing foundations while developing focus, confidence and real-life obedience skills.

✅ Young Dog Obedience Block
Designed for dogs aged 6 months to 1 year, this course focuses on strengthening core obedience skills, improving reliability and introducing exciting future training opportunities.

✅ Progression Opportunities
Our group courses welcome new handlers every month and upon completion you’ll have the opportunity to progress into our advanced class settings.

🐕 Flexible Training Options
Whilst our packages are advertised as group classes, all programmes are also available on an individual basis for handlers looking for more tailored support.

📱 Exclusive Client Benefits
All package members receive:
• Access to our dedicated WhatsApp training group
• Invitations to private client-only workshops along with three months free access to our online classrooms ( coming very soon)
• Ongoing support throughout your training journey

At Hound & Herder, we’re committed to helping you and your dog continue to learn, develop and enjoy training together.

📩 Get in touch today for more information about our young dog training packages and to find the best option for you and your dog.

🐾