Take the Lead Pet Services

07/06/2026

05/06/2026

02/06/2026

My boys, catching blueberries!! 🫐

Clever pugs...



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27/05/2026

Let's talk about the ingredients and composition of dog foods.

So, I am somebody who checks ingredients lists on everything I eat. I'll eat the odd processed item, but mainly, my diet is wholefoods. I like to know what I am eating.

I treat my dog's food the exact same! They were previously raw fed, which was perfect until allergies started.. eye roll.. ear infections, itchy skin, and such like. Iykyk.

So. Had to find them something else, didn't I. So now I feed them AATU kibble, which is 80% salmon or another protein strain and 20% veg/superfoods.

These in the picture are their treats. As you'll see, they're 90% protein and 10% veg. I know brands use potatoes to bind ingredients, and it's obviously a cheap option, but I can cope with 10%.

So, how are YOU checking what your dog is eating? Are you feeding them quality food? If not, this impacts their mood, skin, coat, longevity, and temperament. Yes! Their food affects all of these things!

A little tip: head to the back of the pack, check the COMPOSITION. It's not necessarily the ingredients list but how the food is made up. What is there more of? Meals, grains, and cereals are bad news! Look for high concentrates of quality protein: meat and fish, and then you want to check for veg and/or superfoods. Honestly, it disgusts me what some dog food is made of, and I wouldn't feed it to my dog.. 😂😎👀 seriously. Go check your dogs food.

🐶👀💙❤️🥫

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19/05/2026

Bitey face !!!

Who else pugs love bitey face?!

👀👀🤣🤣💙🐶🐶💙

19/05/2026

Happy 3rd Birthday to my little rescue boy Leonardo! Lary Leon..

You are the most needy dog I've ever been owned by 😅🤣💙👀

This little dog is full of character, life and mischief!

Love ya Leon.. my lil beb 💙

18/05/2026

The reviews speak for themselves....👏😜👌

14/05/2026

Worth a read!

I think it’s really important to talk about how we describe and approach behaviours like this.
I saw a post earlier about a young adolescent dog being described as “demanding all the resources”
and in many cases, what’s actually being described is resource guarding.
Resource guarding is when a dog feels the need to protect something they value, such as, food or chews, toys, a bed or resting spot, a person, or space
It can look like, hovering or controlling access, freezing or going stiff when approached, taking things and running off, growling or snapping

From an educated trainers perspective, this isn’t about dominance or a dog trying to be in charge.

It’s usually rooted in,
▪︎ Anxiety about losing something
• Not feeling safe around their resources
• Normal behaviour (especially in puppies and adolescents)

So when a dog is guarding, they’re not being “difficult”, they’re communicating:
“I’m worried this will be taken from me.”

This is also why it’s so important that we listen to the early warning signs, especially the growl.
A growl is not “bad behaviour”, it’s communication. It’s the dog giving us a chance to back off and change what we’re doing.

When we introduce things like “psychological pressure”, using body language, space, or intimidation to control the dog, we risk doing the opposite of what we want.

Instead of teaching the dog they’re safe, it can:
• Increase anxiety around their resources
• Make them feel the need to guard more strongly
• Suppress warning signals like growling

And when those warnings are shut down, we don’t fix the problem, we remove the safety signal.
That’s how you can end up with dogs who:
• Stop growling
• Seem “fine”… until they’re not
• Go straight to snapping or biting without warning

That’s what people often mean when they say a dog “bit out of nowhere”, but in reality, the communication was just suppressed.

That’s why approaches that rely on punishment, pressure, or making behaviour “unacceptable” can be so risky. They may stop the behaviour in the moment, but they don’t change how the dog feels , and can actually increase anxiety.

When we focus on changing the emotion, we get safer, more lasting behaviour change.
A positive approach looks like:
• Building trust around resources
• Teaching that people approaching = good things happen
• Trading instead of taking
• Reinforcing calm, relaxed behaviour
Resource guarding isn’t a dog being “bad”, it’s information.
And when we listen to that information, we can support the dog in feeling safe, rather than just trying to stop the behaviour.