Ruffmutz Training & Behaviour

30/10/2026

Just a gentle reminder this Halloween: when you’re answering the door, please make sure your dog is secure. Whilst we might find Halloween loads of fun and some dogs may enjoy getting in the spirit, for some dogs, strange visitors knocking on the door at night wearing unusual outfits might be a little too much, leave them frightened or feeling like they need to fight the zombie apocalypse.

Please keep your dog and visitors safe. Keep the TV or radio on, provide a tasty chew (for the dog!), and don’t open the door until your dog is safe and secure.

Alternatively, don’t answer the door at all! 😋 I will also add that if you’re out trick or treating this Halloween, aim for the houses with spooky decorations and clear indications 🎃 that the household wants to take part in the fun. Be kind to the people protecting their pets!

28/10/2026

Meet handsome Bruce!

Bruce had a training walk with me recently (in the drizzle!). He’s had several training sessions with his owner and me, and is making fantastic progress, but this time Bruce had a session just with me, all on his own.. He did ever so well! Clever lad Bruce.

26/10/2026

Ruffmutz regular Obi made a surprise new friend on his training session recently! While out and about on our training walk session we ran into the awesome Claire from North K9 and her fantastic hound, queen Mavis. Obi got to enjoy a little stroll with Mavis alongside his training up in the village, which was a fantastic socialisation opportunity!

24/10/2026

Jenga is packing her fireworks kit for our holiday!

Anti-panic snood from Pip's Bootique The Original Anti Panic Snood for Fireworks and Thunder
4 Paws Aviation Canine Ear Defenders
Pet Remedy room atomiser and calming spray
Paws and unwind drops from Claytons Holistic Pet Care
Sticky Lickmat from Wahl Pets
Trusty thundershirt ThunderShirt- UK
Halloween treat bag from Norman’s Nibbles
Collar and ID
Tractive Smart Pet Tracker tracker and charger (don’t forget to keep it charged! )
Bluetooth speaker for the tunes
Whitenoise machine for comfort
And of course a selection of favourite toys (h***y pig is still going although it may be his 5th incarnation) because play is a great way to help dogs feel good, if they are able to.

In case you haven’t realised, Jenga does suffer in firework season! This is what we have found best for keeping Jenga calm and relaxed on Bonfire Night, and I’m always keen to share what we use in case anyone else finds any of these things useful.

23/10/2026

How good was Koba at learning about walking nicely to heel?

We’re not teaching formal obedience here! Koba is learning to focus on his owners and walk within reach when necessary, instead of forging ahead or doing his own thing. This makes walks much more pleasant and safe for everyone!

23/10/2026

*scammer alert* over the last two days over 900 fake profiles have been set up on the website but from genuine email addresses who obviously never signed up. Please note this is not us phishing for clients, this is an organised bot scam who are signing up to things/spamming websites using your email. I am slowly going through the website and deleting all the fake profiles as we take your security very seriously and I don't want to store an email address without consent, but it's taking a while to get through them all. Apologies if any get deleted by accident but 700 in and my eyes are going a bit blurry!

21/10/2026

Archie had his next training session recently, so we took a trip to somewhere a little busier for him. We visited the Range and Pets at Home at the retail park, so that Archie could practice his focus and engagement around distractions. He did ever so well!

👀 I’ll have a post up soon talking about how I manage training sessions like this, and how important it is for owners.

20/10/2026

This will be a fantastic event.

EDITED: THIS EVENT IS FULLY BOOKED

🚨🐾 CLIENT EVENING – PET FIRST AID & RECOGNISING AN EMERGENCY 🐾🚨

Would you know what to do if your pet suddenly became unwell or was involved in an accident?

Join us for a practical and informative client evening at Donaldson’s Vets, where we’ll help you feel more confident recognising when your pet needs urgent veterinary attention and what you can do in those important first moments.

📅 Tuesday 24th November 2026
🕡 6:30pm – 7:30pm
📍 Donaldson’s Vets, Somerset Road Hospital
131 Somerset Road, Huddersfield, HD5 8HN

The evening will be led by Wendy Cummins RVN and will cover:

🐾 How to recognise a genuine veterinary emergency
🐾 When you should contact the vet immediately
🐾 Basic pet first aid
🐾 What to do if your pet is injured
🐾 Practical first-aid tips every pet owner should know
🐾 What information to give us when calling in an emergency

There will also be an opportunity to ask questions during the evening.

🎟️ FREE TO ATTEND

There is no charge for the evening; however, we will be accepting voluntary donations for the animal charities and rescue organisations that we work with. Any donations on the evening would be very gratefully received. ❤️

☕ Light refreshments will be available.

📧 HOW TO RESERVE YOUR PLACE

Places are limited and must be reserved in advance.

To reserve your place, please email:

[email protected]

Please include the name(s) of those wishing to attend. Places are limited to a maximum of 2 people per household to allow as many of our clients as possible the opportunity to attend.

Your reservation is only confirmed once you have received an email acknowledging and confirming your place.

⚠️ PLEASE NOTE

🐾 Maximum of 2 attendees per household
🐾 Places must be reserved in advance
🐾 Please do not bring pets to the event

We hope you can join us for what promises to be a really useful and informative evening. ❤️🐾

Donaldson’s Vets
Somerset Road Hospital

19/10/2026

Obi did brilliantly on another training walk with me recently!

He is growing up into a lovely, well-rounded dog, and is a real credit to his family.

18/10/2026

The very lovely Fudge has just recently finished his dog training package with me. This lovely lad was adopted by his family earlier this year, and they reached out for a bit of additional support to help him settle and enjoy life to the full.

His family have worked really hard and Fudge has come such a long way. It was absolutely brilliant to see everyone so relaxed and happy on this last session. Way to go team Fudge!