Widget's Farm

01/09/2026

If you're one of secure field hire members, please check your emails for our new training field supersaver deal - only available for 24 hours! (please get in touch if you can't find the email).

30/08/2026

Frank made a new friend today! 🐾

Say hello to lovely Holly! She is another new puppy starter, and she is joining our brand-new class this coming Saturday.

But seeing them together got me thinking about a big mystery. Why do we actually bring young puppies into training class? 🤔

Is it just to learn how to "sit"? We do that, but no.
Is it to learn how to walk nicely on a lead or come when called? Important, yes, but still not the real reason.

The real answer might surprise you... 👇

🧠 Puppy Brains and the "Knowledge Bank"
When puppies are between 6 and 14 weeks old, their brains are like little sponges. This is the most important time in their whole lives! Every good thing a puppy experiences gets saved in their "knowledge bank."

If they fill their bank with good experiences now, they grow up to look at the big, loud world and think: "Oh, I’ve seen that before. No big deal!"

But we have to be careful not to scare them. Instead of taking a tiny puppy next to a loud, busy road, you should stand far away in a quiet car park. Let them watch the slow cars from a distance. It is a fun, non-scary adventure!

🐕 The Big Mistake with Meeting Other Dogs
Most people think puppies need to run up and meet every single person and dog they see. But that is creating a future big problem!

If you let your puppy chase after everyone, they learn a bad habit. They will grow up to be a big dog that pulls you over on your walks! What you actually want is a dog that feels safe around others, but knows they should only say hello if you invite them to.

In the wild, feral dogs don't just rush up to strangers. They stay back, look at body language, and sniff the grass where the other dog has been. But our pet dogs get way too excited because they don't live in the wild. We have to teach them how to be polite, stay calm on a lead, and walk away if another dog gets too crazy.

🏫 Why We Don't Mix and Mingle Straight Away
This is where our puppy classes come in. We don't start class by letting the puppies greet each other. If we allowed greetings right at the beginning, it would create a constant expectation to say hello. Then, whenever your puppy sees a dog but isn't allowed to reach them, they will feel massive frustration! That frustration is exactly how lead reactivity starts.

Instead, we start with fun games so your puppy learns how to calmly exist in the same room as other dogs without needing to touch them.

We do let them say hello, but we wait until the end of class. We practice a game where they say a quick hello, turn away to look at their owner, and then get to go back and play. They learn a massive life skill: how to just hang around other dogs without needing constant entertainment.

That’s why we always tell owners at the start: "Please ignore each other's puppies and give each other space." We aren't being mean! We are managing their expectations so they stay calm and frustration-free.

You simply cannot practice this out in the wild west of dog parks. If a wild, hyper dog jumps all over a puppy with an empty "knowledge bank," it can make them scared or grumpy adults. Class creates a safety cushion of good experiences!

✨ The Big Secret Revealed!
So, what is the real reason you join a good puppy class?
You aren't just training a puppy for this week. You are building a calm, "whatever" adult dog for the future.

When you train the right way early on, this is what your future looks like:
The Park: Your adult dog sees another dog in the distance but doesn't run off. They think, "Whatever, seen dogs before, I’m doing my own thing."

The Walks: They walk nicely on the lead without pulling or getting frustrated.

The Home: They welcome guests at your front door without jumping all over them.

The Holidays: They can travel anywhere with you because they settle quietly in new places.

Not all classes are the same. If a class is too big, loud, or overwhelming, it won't work. Choose carefully, build that knowledge bank, and set your puppy up for a lifetime of calm! 🐶❤️

So if you're local to us, we're near Frome, and have a puppy between 9 and 18 weeks, do join us - https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=16780051&appointmentType=51548529
(or call with questions - 07900 403126)

Or if you're not local, and have a puppy ready to go, check out your local ABTC recognised trainer on www.abtc.org.uk

18/08/2026

To all our secure field users, Widget's Farm is in the Bristol Water area so we don't have a hosepipe ban. So the cool off pools remain! (well, what's left after the vandal crows).

If you are interested in using the secure fields, and aren't a member with us yet, please book here...

If you want a hassle free walk where you don't have to worry about other dogs, people or recall fails, then our secure field hire is for you. We have two fields available to book and both are deer fenced.  New users should call Widget's Farm to book their first appointment. &nb

15/08/2026

Puffin met Frank today in advance of his class starting this Saturday. And it was love at first sight!

But this pic made me chuckle. Anyone want to caption it?

And we have places available for any puppy between 9 and 18 weeks starting Saturday August 22nd. So come and join Puffin and Frank! (But don't tell Puffin she's not a puppy). Class info in comments.

09/08/2026

Congratulations to Rosie, Monty, Herbie and George! A very clever bunch, the owners too, and it was lovely to see friendships made during the puppy course. I know they'll be meeting up for walks together ❤️.

Next class starts this coming, so do get in touch if you have a puppy aged between 9 and 18 weeks.

03/08/2026

This picture, from the Spokane wildfires, really hit hard. Thinking of all those around the world that are under threat from the fires and also those that are fighting them.

I gather the speed of the fires can be as fast as a galloping horse and embers can travel several miles to start new ones - so you can understand how people may be unable to get home quickly enough and rescue pets.

The original post - https://www.facebook.com/tyler.tjomsland/posts/pfbid038JTH5sLA3WgnkcrWxAKu2Y22Df8xAffkbq3ZHQc8wwrTb6rgEeGq3Tg5Gxd4hNgul

Credit to Tyler Tjomsland - https://www.facebook.com/tyler.tjomsland

24/07/2026

Amy is a lovely groomer and friend of Widgets. And she's having an open day tomorrow! Do check it out if you can.

🐾 Amity Open Day – Come & Say Hello! 🐾

If you’ve been thinking about booking with us, are curious to see what we’re all about, or would simply like to come and meet the team, we’d love to welcome you to the salon this Saturday, 25th July!

🗓️ Saturday, 25th July
🕙 10:00am – 2:00pm

Bring your dogs along too! We’ll have the paddling pool, splash pad and bubble machine set up, so it’s a lovely opportunity for them to have some fun, cool off, and enjoy a little socialising with other friendly dogs while you have a look around and a chat with us.

Come along, explore the salon, ask any questions, and discover what makes Amity a little different.

✨ On the day you’ll be able to:
🐾 Meet the team.
🐾 Learn about the services we currently offer.
🐾 Be among the first to hear about an exciting new service coming to Amity soon—something we’re incredibly excited about and that will bring a completely new treatment in our local area for your dogs. 👀
🐾 Discover our growing range of carefully selected products and supplements, with the chance to learn about the brands we’ll soon be stocking and the wider range we’ll be able to order in for your pets.
🐾 Ask any questions about your pet’s grooming, wellbeing or dental care.
🐾 Book appointments while you’re here (a great opportunity to secure your preferred dates before the diary fills up!).

There’ll be plenty of dog chats and friendly dogs are very welcome to come along too if they’d enjoy meeting some new friends! 🐶

Whether you’re looking for a new groomer, interested in natural pet wellbeing, or simply fancy popping in to say hello, we’d love to meet you.

Please feel free to share this post with anyone you think may be interested.

We can’t wait to welcome you, introduce you to the team, and give you a glimpse of what’s next for Amity. There are some really exciting things on the horizon, and we can’t wait to share them with you! 🤍

Amy & Casper 🐾

Please share 🫶🏼

We also don’t just welcome dogs… we have cats and rabbits as regular clients! 🐾
Any animal you’d like groomed let us know and everyone is welcome on Saturday!

🐾 Dogs are very welcome but must remain on a lead at all times.

🚗 Please avoid parking outside the bungalows opposite the salon. Thank you for helping us be considerate of our neighbours. 🤍

📍 Find us on Petticoat Lane, Dilton Marsh – search Amity Grooming Salon on Google Maps.

This is just the beginning! We hope this will be the first of many Amity open days, with each one getting bigger, better and even more exciting as we continue to grow. We can’t wait to share the journey with you all! 🤍🐾

21/07/2026

This lovely flatcoat got kicked out of another gundog training class because she got distracted on the retreive and wanted to play with the other dogs.

It's not an uncommon issue, but many owners tell me that they got put off classes elsewhere as they were embarrassed, and that's not right. So "pupbassador" Puffin has come to the rescue!

Puffin is on post, and we are training the flatcoat gradually nearer to Puffin to provide managed distraction during retrieves - this helps the flatcoats self-control and the owners' confidence. It was really simple and really effective, and she consistently returned beautifully despite the increased distraction. We're also troubleshooting other bits of the retreive and introducing more whistle cues and skills.

If you've ever felt put off by training, whatever the reason, do give us a call and have a chat in confidence. 07900403126.

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19/07/2026

I am currently being targeted by a highly organised local gang. And yes, they have wings.

If you're wondering why our cooling pools in the secure fields keep going down, we've finally got our suspects.. Vandal crows! Took me a while to figure out, but a forensic review of the pool's cut marks means Edgar Allan Crow and his mates haven't a leg to stand on.

Be wary, though, these guys are hot and unhinged - don't approach them if you see them and definitely avoid eye contact. They do, however, enjoy a good show tune, and as Hamilton is a favourite, get rapping if you find yourself being watched.

We're glad they're keeping cool, too, but just wish they'd be a bit more responsible with the beak action. Anyway, at the time of writing, the pools are repaired - but for how long...

18/07/2026

🐶 Reason 486 of why you need to get yourself into a puppy class...

You'll get at least one peaceful day a week!

Here are some of today's group sleeping the sleep of the innocents after all the fun and thinking effort of class.

Give us a call if you'd like to discuss training for your favourite family member. 07900403126.