Walkies with kat

16/10/2025

🐶 Let’s Talk Phantom Pregnancies in Dogs! 💭

Did you know your female dog can show signs of pregnancy even when she’s not actually pregnant?
It’s called a phantom pregnancy (or false pregnancy), and it’s more common than many owners realise!

This usually happens 6–12 weeks after her season, when hormone levels change. Her body can be tricked into thinking puppies are on the way — even though there aren’t any!

You might notice:
🍼 Swollen or milk-producing mammary glands
🧸 Nesting behaviour or mothering toys
🍽️ Changes in appetite
😢 Mood swings or clinginess

The good news?
Most phantom pregnancies settle naturally within 2–3 weeks, but if your dog seems uncomfortable or unwell, it’s best to speak with your vet. They can rule out a real pregnancy, check for infections, and support her recovery.

💡 Tip: Avoid encouraging mothering behaviour and don’t touch or express milk from the mammary glands, as this can make things worse.

Spaying (once hormones settle) can help prevent phantom pregnancies in the future and bring peace of mind for both of you. ❤️

Have questions about your dog’s behaviour or want to learn more about how hormones can affect them?
I can help you understand your dog’s body language, behaviour changes, and emotional needs.

📧 [email protected]
🌐 www.walkieswithkat.co.uk

15/10/2025

🏃‍♀️ Off-Lead Freedom – Why It’s Worth the Work! 🐾

There’s nothing quite like watching your dog run free, tail wagging, enjoying the world around them! 🌳
But that freedom doesn’t just happen overnight — it’s something we build through training, trust and teamwork.

Letting our dogs off lead brings so many benefits:
💪 Physical health – More space means more running, sniffing, and exploring, which keeps muscles strong and joints healthy.
🧠 Mental stimulation – Off-lead adventures engage all their senses, allowing natural behaviours like sniffing, chasing and exploring.
🐶 Social confidence – Dogs that can move freely often feel more relaxed around others, reducing frustration that can build on-lead.
❤️ Bonding – A solid recall builds trust and strengthens the connection between you and your dog.

To get to that safe off-lead stage, we follow four key steps:

1️⃣ Recall introduction – Start in a quiet space, teaching your dog that coming back to you is always rewarding!
2️⃣ Long line (held) – Your dog can explore with freedom while you have control to guide and reinforce recall.
3️⃣ Long line (dropped) – The lead trails behind as a safety net while testing your recall reliability.
4️⃣ Off-lead freedom – Once recall is 100% solid, your dog can safely enjoy that well-earned independence! 🎉

If you’d like help getting your dog to this stage, I offer one-to-one training tailored to your dog’s needs.
📧 [email protected]
🌐 www.walkieswithkat.co.uk

Give your dog the confidence and freedom they deserve – let’s make recall fun and reliable together! 🐕✨

Call now to connect with business.

14/10/2025

🐾 Puppy Play vs Puppy Socialisation – There’s a Big Difference! 🐾

When we think about socialising our puppies, most people picture playtime with other dogs. But true socialisation is so much more than that — it’s about helping our pups feel confident and relaxed in the big, wide world!

✅ Puppy play is about learning doggy manners, reading body language, and enjoying friendly interaction.
🌍 Puppy socialisation, however, means gently introducing your pup to new experiences — different people, sounds, environments, and textures under their paws.

It’s not just about saying hello; it’s about coping calmly with everyday life. We want pups who can walk past other dogs, hear loud noises, or explore new places without stress.

💡 Try to branch out your pup’s world bit by bit:

Let them walk on grass, gravel, or metal.

Play sound recordings like traffic or fireworks at low volume.

Let them see bikes, pushchairs, and people wearing hats!

Visit different locations and reward calm behaviour.

A well-socialised puppy becomes a balanced adult dog — confident, curious, and able to handle whatever life throws their way.

So yes, let them play… but also let them explore, observe, and experience. Because true socialisation is about much more than just other dogs ❤️

– Kat 🐶
Walkies with Kat
www.walkieswithkat.co.uk

11/10/2025

🐾 Sunday Mantrailing Adventures! 🐾

What a fantastic Sunday session we had out in the open fields! 🌾
There were plenty of distractions — the smells of cows, wide open space, people, other dogs, and even a triathlon going on nearby with runners and cyclists whizzing past! 🚴‍♀️🏃‍♂️

Each team worked through multiple trails, tracks, junctions, and road crossings, with some gates and parked cars thrown in for good measure. These were super challenges that really tested the dogs’ focus and problem-solving skills.

Despite all the distractions, every single dog did amazingly well! 💪
They worked out the trails beautifully, showing just how clever and determined they are — even when our hides got sneaky and hid behind obstacles or out of sight! 👀

It’s so rewarding to see the progress each week, and how the dogs adapt to new environments and distractions. Huge well done to all our trailing teams! 🎉🐶

09/10/2025

🌟 Reactive Dog Exercises to Start 🌟

Reactivity training isn’t about exposing your dog to everything all at once — it’s about controlled exposure at the right limits. We want to avoid flooding our dogs with situations that cause them to react.

The goal is to keep your dog under threshold as much as possible, working through triggers calmly and using techniques that build focus and confidence.

✨ Some great starting exercises include:

Eye contact games – build connection and teach your dog to check in with you.

Disengagement and refocus – help your dog learn to notice a trigger, then calmly look away.

Finding your dog’s safe distance – experiment with space between your dog and triggers (like dogs, people, or bikes) to find the point where they can stay relaxed and respond to rewards.

Use barriers or visual blocks – parked cars, bushes, or corners can help reduce visual triggers and make training easier.

💡 Remember:
If every walk feels stressful for both you and your dog, it’s okay to call it a day. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with saying, “That’s enough for now.” Take a break, regroup, and try again later or tomorrow. Progress happens when both handler and dog feel calm and ready. 💚

🐾 Need help with your reactive dog?
I offer 121 reactivity training sessions designed to build confidence, focus, and calm behaviour for both you and your dog. Every dog is different, and I’ll help you find the techniques that work best for yours.

📩 Get in touch:
🌐 www.walkieswithkat.co.uk
📧 [email protected]
📍 Based in Gosport – supporting surrounding areas too!

08/10/2025

Living With a Reactive Dog – What People Don’t See

If you’ve never had a reactive dog, it’s really hard to understand what that world feels like. Until you’ve stood there with your heart racing, praying your dog won’t react as another walks by, you just can’t fully grasp it.

And that’s okay — it’s not about lack of compassion. It’s just something you can only truly feel when you’ve lived it.

Reactive dogs aren’t “naughty” or “badly trained.” They’re overwhelmed, anxious, or scared. Their emotions just spill over. Some days they cope beautifully, others not so much — and that’s part of the journey.

As owners, it can be exhausting. Every walk is planned — timing, routes, weather, escape plans — all to give our dogs the best chance to feel safe. We celebrate the small wins: the calm glance, the quiet pass-by, the moment they look to us instead of barking.

People often ask, “If your dog doesn’t like other dogs, why take them out?”
Because they still deserve to live, to explore, and to enjoy the world. Our job is to make it safe and positive for them, not to shut them away.

If you’re walking a reactive dog — I see you. You’re doing amazing. It’s not easy, but every little step forward is worth celebrating. ❤️🐾

You can read my full blog post here:
👉 www.walkieswithkat.co.uk

07/10/2025

🌿 Dog Walking Etiquette — A Little Reminder for All Dog Owners 🐾

When we’re out and about walking our dogs, it’s important we all do our bit to make walks safe and enjoyable for everyone — both humans and dogs! 💚

🐕 Lead Colours & Meanings:
Did you know the colour of a dog’s lead, collar, or harness can tell you a lot?
🔶 Yellow – Dog needs space (may be nervous, reactive, or in training)
🔴 Red – Please do not approach
🟢 Green – Friendly and happy to interact
🔵 Blue – Dog in training, please give space
🟣 Purple – Do not feed or distract

🐶 On-Lead & Off-Lead Manners:
If you see a dog on a lead, please pop your dog on lead too — even if yours is friendly.
We never know why a dog is on lead:

They might be recovering from surgery

Be nervous or reactive

Be training or still learning recall

Or simply prefer calm walks without greetings

Having your dog off lead should only happen if they have a solid recall and will come back straight away — even with distractions.

💩 And lastly — pick up that poo!
It keeps our walking areas clean, safe, and respectful for everyone.

Let’s all help make dog walks positive and stress-free for every pup out there 🐾💛

06/10/2025

🐾 Did you know a female dog’s season isn’t the same as a human period?

It’s a really common mix-up — both involve a bit of bleeding, but they happen for very different reasons!

👩‍🩸 Humans: The period is when the body sheds its lining after not becoming pregnant — it happens after ovulation.

🐶 Dogs: When a female dog comes into season (or heat), the bleeding happens before and during her fertile time — it’s her body preparing for possible mating.

Dogs usually have seasons about every 6–8 months, and the whole cycle can last 2–3 weeks.

Swipe through the infographic below to see the main differences 👇

✨ Understanding your dog’s cycle helps you know when to keep her away from males, manage her comfort, and spot what’s normal.

30/09/2025

✨ Training Is for Life – Not Just for Puppyhood! ✨

When it comes to training your dog, consistency and repetition are everything. 🐾 But here’s the question:

👉 Are you putting in the right kind of time on the things that matter?
👉 Or are you just training in class or just before your 121 session?
👉 Maybe you’ve signed up for lots of classes, all teaching the same foundations, but haven’t built on them for real-life progress?

Loose lead walking, recall, calm socialisation – these are skills that take practice well beyond the classroom. It’s easy to give up after the first hurdles, but with the right consistency and progression, your dog can truly master them.

Training isn’t something that ends after puppyhood or the last session of a course. It’s for life. Just like us humans, dogs need refreshing, reminders, and practice. 🐶💡

At Walkies with Kat, I’m here to help you not just lay strong foundations but also build on them, so your dog thrives in the real world.

📩 Ready to strengthen your training? Get in touch today:
🌐 www.walkieswithkat.co.uk
📧 [email protected]

24/09/2025

🚨 GIVEAWAY ALERT 🚨

Wanna bag £500 of epic dog gear for FREE?

Of course you do 🎉

5 awesome brands have teamed up to offer a prize bundle bursting create the ultimate prize bundle packed with training + adventure must-haves:
🎉Travall Boot/Trunk Liner (mud-free car, happy life)
🎯 A Blue-9 Klimb Place Board (for training wins + confidence boosts)
🧡 A Tug-E-Nuff Toy Bundle (BOB, Clam, Chaser + TWO PowerBall tuggies = recall + bonding sorted)
🐕‍🦺 A £50 Gift Voucher from The Muzzle Movement (safety, style + freedom combined)

👉 Enter now for your chance to win: giveaway.tug-e-nuff.com?utm_brand=tugenuff&ref=walkieswithkat

This haul will make adventures cleaner, training easier, and playtime way more fun.

Tag a dog-loving friend who’d be buzzing to win too and share the happy vibes.

24/09/2025

🌟 Sunday Mantrailing Recap 🌟
This week we trailed around houses, alleyways, and open spaces 🏘️🐾

We revisited how scent behaves in trickier environments — drifting through alleyways, being carried by the wind around buildings, and how this can lead some dogs to follow air scent while others stick closely to their trail layers.

A brilliant session full of learning, teamwork, and watching the dogs show us just how clever their noses really are! 👃✨