Zen Dogs

Zen Dogs Based in Pembrokeshire…
Providing essential positive coaching
1:1 Home Visits
Group coaching courses Canine First Aid Certified
Insta: _zen_dogs

Fun, reward and games based dog training in Milford Haven, also available across Pembrokeshire. One to one sessions at your home
No dog is the same, I strive to train the dog in front of me and can help you to achieve this too (rather than teach the dog myself, I teach you, the owner to teach your dog). I don't believe in training IN the situation but rather FOR the situation - beneficial for your dog's mental well-being
Member of The IMDT
Insured.

Friday funny… An extra step seems to have been added to this climbing wall… Can you see it? 🤣🤣🫢
29/08/2025

Friday funny…

An extra step seems to have been added to this climbing wall… Can you see it? 🤣🤣🫢

29/08/2025

🐾💙 Blanket Appeal for Our Dogs 💙🐾

We’re reaching out to our amazing supporters with a special request! 🐶

At the moment, we have plenty of small and medium blankets, but we’re desperately in need of LARGE and XL blankets/fleece throws for our bigger dogs to snuggle up in. 🛏️💤

👉 We do not need quilts, sheets, duvet covers, towels or pillow cases – just blankets and fleece throws (the bigger the better!).
👉 Please don’t go out and buy new ones – but if you have any tucked away at home that you no longer use, we’d love to give them a second life here at the centre. 🌍♻️

📍 Donations can be dropped directly to the rescue centre or to any of our charity shops. Every single blanket makes a huge difference in keeping our dogs warm, cosy and happy while they wait for their forever homes. 🏡❤️

Thank you, as always, for your kindness and support – we couldn’t do this without you! 🐕✨

26/08/2025

Do you feel the pressure ?
Allowing interactions because others insist it will make your dog "more social"?
It isn't socialisation and it won't make them "friendlier", in fact it can be a very short hop, skip and jump into a whole new world of reactive behaviour.
We can't force interactions.

True social skills come from safe and positive experiences.
Allowing them to read other dogs is a skill they need to develop and that's something we can encourage by allowing them the comfort of watching and observing.

When we let dogs choose if and when to interact, we’re giving them control over their own comfort.
That choice.....it reduces stress, builds confidence, and makes every future interaction more likely to succeed.

Social skills can't and should never be rushed.

25/08/2025

Yup...you can be teaching your dog to ignore you.
No one likes to be nagged.
We are just so impatient!
Give them time.
Let them actually process what you have said before you say it again.
Bite your tongue a bit before you repeat, it helps.
Count to 4 (in your head).
After you ask....take a breath....watch what happens.🏆

We slip into these bad habits and they do require recognition from us that we have actually fallen into them.
So easily done and it starts as early as those first few days at home when they're pups.

Say it once?
No.
You may need to repeat especially if there are distractions, temptations or they are struggling with focus....but even then, don't get into the habit of nagging.

You will turn yourself into background noise.

20/08/2025

😕"You don't want my puppy to play with my mates dog...but hang on, how can they get confident without those play sessions".
Confidence first.....Playdates second.✅
Play is play.
It really isn't true socialisation.

If we force interactions on an anxious puppy or a puppy that is struggling with confidence.... we can cause issues which can take a very long time to resolve.

Quality interactions over quantity.
I can't stress that enough.

If there is one thing I could wish for, it would be the following.

Please....
Be choosy with who you expose your puppy to.
Be particular.
.....and please stop letting your puppy meet every random person or dog they come across.

18/08/2025

✨ Homecoming with Baby: Isolation vs. Inclusion ✨

When baby comes home, your dog feels the changes too. 🍼🐾

❌ Isolation: Keeping your dog completely away from baby and family life. This might seem “safe,” but it can actually create stress, confusion, and frustration for your dog. It also doesn’t allow for a familial bond to be formed over time.

✅ Inclusion: Giving your dog safe ways to be part of this new chapter—like observing behind a gate, enjoying a stuffed Kong in their success station, or earning rewards when baby is near.

👉 Inclusion helps your dog feel secure, understood, supported, and connected. It builds trust and lays the foundation for a smoother transition for everyone. 💛

Interested in learning more about this topic? We have a full webinar library in our subscription where we talk about exactly this! Sign up today using the link in our bio and use the code AWARE to get your first month for $9.99 🤩

🔗https://pet-and-parenting.mn.co/share/pyULvR1GFCSRZX82?utm_source=manual

✏️

13/08/2025

Fight, flight, freeze, faint or fidget are the 5 main responses to fear.
We only have to look at our own behaviour to know different personalities have different reactions and so do our dogs.
So when it comes to observing behaviour, we need to keep our individuals in mind and stay curious as we do so.

Find FREE body language videos on the App. (Link in bio)

How does your dog show fear?

13/08/2025

Small signals.
Big meanings.
These movements and behaviors aren’t random.
They've been carefully chosen and deliberately used by your dog and they're being used to avoid confrontation, deescalate or steer clear of something they feel uneasy about .
They might sense just a little pressure or conflict...so they offer a signal to say, “We’re all good here.”

Growling is a clear signal they can give...but it's risky.
Way before the growl are all these little signals they can give.
It's communication and it's natural....but we can be "offended" when we realise they are aiming them at us.

Instead of taking it personally, we can ask ourselves....
Why do they feel the need to use them?
That question is an opportunity to support our dogs better

Some signals serve a double duty.
A tail lowering, perhaps tucking? Often fear.....but it can also act as appeasement.
A lowered head? Maybe appeasement, maybe fear.
Context matters.

They can be incredibly subtle.
Tricky to spot....but we owe it to our dogs to look a little deeper at why they are behaving the way they are.

It is all communication.

07/08/2025

HOW TO USE A TICK TWISTER

Do NOT DELAY removing the tick. Prompt removal reduces the risk of contracting Lyme Disease and other tick borne diseases.

Remember to disinfect the bite area and wash your hands thoroughly after removal.

BEWARE OF MISINFORMATION ONLINE

DO NOT do any of the following:
• burn the tick
• smother the tick in Vaseline
• rub around it with a cotton bud
• squeeze the tick
• stick tape over it
• try to pull it out with ordinary eyebrow tweezers

If you do anything to it while it is attached and feeding other than removing it as described above you will be distressing the feeding tick which will make it more likely to regurgitate it’s blood meal back into the dog and therefore spread tick born diseases such as Lyme Disease and bacteria into the dogs body

Address

Milford Haven

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+447843217443

Website

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