Scouting for Dogs

22/06/2026

🌞 A gentle reminder for dog owners this week 🌞

With temperatures forecast to hit 30°C+, please think carefully about when (or if) your dog needs a walk.

If it's too hot for your hand on the pavement for 5 seconds, it's too hot for your dog's paws. Heatstroke can develop quickly and can be life-threatening, even on a short walk (especially for flat-faced breeds, older dogs, puppies, overweight dogs, and those with health conditions).

Instead of your usual walk, try some enrichment:
💙 Scatter feeding or snuffle mats
💙 Frozen treats, stuffed Kongs or lick mats
💙 Hide & seek with treats or toys
💙 Scent games around the house or garden
💙 Trick training
💙 Puzzle feeders
💙 Paddling pools and shaded cooling activities

Remember: a tired dog isn't just a physically exercised dog. Mental stimulation can be just as rewarding and exhausting, especially when it's too dangerous for walks.

If you do need to take your dog out, stick to early mornings or late evenings, stay in the shade, carry water, and keep walks short. A toilet walk doesn't need to turn into a 20-minute trek around town!

And before anyone says, "Dogs cope fine in Africa"... (and if you do, I'll personally hunt you down, wrap you in a fur coat and have you stand on the path with no shoes on and no shade for shelter and see how long you last!)

Dogs can take up to 3 weeks to acclimatise to consistent warmer weather - and that doesn't make them immune to heat! Our weather changes constantly, so dogs often don't get the chance to adapt properly. Dogs in hotter countries are used to those temperatures, but they still seek shade and rest during the hottest parts of the day!

So let's keep our dogs safe, cool, and happy this week. 💙🐶

I've been busy prepping some freezer enrichment ready for the hot afternoons—Greek yoghurt, blueberries and sprats 🫐🐟 (I'm not very good at making it look aesthetically pleasing like some people can but I know the dogs aren't complaining 🤣)

Show me your favourite enrichment ideas below, and let's see how creative we can get! 👇

20/06/2026

⚠️ DIARY MALFUNCTION!! CLIENTS PLEASE READ ⚠️

Soooo my (Alex) online diary got a bug and decided to completely remove my entire years worth of bookings 😅 (I'll laugh or else I'll cry!)

It's been a lot - to put it politely! But can anyone who has any ad-hoc visits, walks, weddings, or homestays booked in with me over the next year, please pop me a message to confirm I've got you in my new diary, please 🙏

I'm almost certain I've got everyone back in, but I've had to do it from memory and going back through messages and deposit payments.

If you have a regular, weekly slot, don't worry, as I definitely haven't forgotten you, but if you've also booked any one-off or ad-hoc sessions, please just double-check with me!

Also, if anyone has sent me dates for when you're away and don't need your regular walks/ visits, please remind me just in case! Although I think I've got everyone's 🤞

Please note - Beth's diary is absolutely fine, hers stayed the same, thankfully, so if you're booked in with Beth, please don't panic, and there's no need to message either of us. It's only my diary that got chewed up and spat into the universe 😅 yay for me 🤗 we LOVE technology 😒🙄

19/06/2026

Don't be silly & keep your dogs safe!

As we all know, the sun probably isn't here to stay! But, whilst it is here, it obviously gets me thinking about how to proceed with paddock bookings 📆

We're very different from other paddocks, and we're blessed to be in the middle of the woodland 🌲

We're surrounded by shelter from the trees, which naturally creates a lot of shade. However, although we don't reach temperatures anywhere near as warm as an open field, it can still get hot.

After a lot of thought, I have decided not to close the paddock on hot days.

Hear me out -

If you're going to take your dogs out on the warmer days, I would much rather you come and make use of the shade in the paddock, have a slow mooch, let your dogs sniff to their hearts content, and go home happy and healthy - than walk your dogs in the park, on the streets, through the town etc 🐾

I do not want the result of me closing the paddock doors to be dogs being walked elsewhere in the heat, and I fear that would be the case if I take away one of the few safer options.

I love going to Paddock in the Pines on warmer days and feeling the breeze through the trees whilst under the cool shade! HOWEVER, just because it's naturally a cooler environment, it does not mean it is safe to throw balls or kick footballs continuously for your dogs!! They will soon overheat and you could have a big price to pay! ⚠️

So, here's the deal: I will keep the paddock doors open, BUT you have to promise to be sensible! NO ball throwing or kicking, no encouraging running or jumping. You are using the paddock at your own risk.

Let your dogs unwind and relax. Teach them how to explore and use their noses. Play hide and seek or 'find it' games.

Paddock in the Pines has SO much to offer if you take the time and effort to enrich your dogs experience 💛

Please don't make me regret my decision. Keep your dogs calm, and stay safe 🌞

Thank you 🌲💛

11/06/2026

If your 'trainer' is meant to be helping your dog with anxieties yet immediately puts them on a grot (very thin slip lead designed to put immediate pressure around your dogs neck/ behind their ears) to 'correct' their behaviours.. RUN!

If the trainer you work with is physically incapable of training without force, and immediately uses aversive methods upon meeting your dog, let me tell you - THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING AND WILL USE FEAR TO SUPPRESS YOUR DOGS FEELINGS, NOT FIX THEM!!!

Picture this - Imagine being scared of clowns, and every time you saw a clown, someone slapped you across the face. What do you think would happen?

Would you learn that clowns aren't scary anymore and finally begin to feel comfortable around them?

Or do you learn to mask and suppress your feelings so that the person slapping you thinks you're 'fixed' and therefore stops slapping you - but deep inside, you're more terrified than you were before because you've now got the added pressure of being slapped if you show any signs of weakness?

Dogs who aren't listened to and who's feelings aren't respected or validated, become a ticking time bomb. And the worst bit? When they bite "completely out of nowhere", they then pay the price for it, not the god awful trainer who told you you've just got a badly behaved dog.

There are so many of these trainers in our area, yet they get recommended by dog owners far more than qualified and compassionate dog owners. And do you know why? Training a dog with compassion and science takes time, it takes effort and it takes dedication. But the average dog owner doesn't want that, they want us to wave a magic wand and their dog to be "fixed in 5 days".

If you take on the luxury of owning a dog, but you're more than happy to have a miserable and uncomfortable dog because it makes your life easier, give your head a wobble please. They deserve so much better from their humans.

05/06/2026

It's Fri-Yay! 🎉

A very rare group photo from our paddock gang this morning who are absolutely loving the change of scenery on a Friday!

Max has a new lease of energy and has had more zoomies these last few months than I've seen in all the years! 🤪

Ziva is sandpit obsessed and gets so giddy to play in it - it never gets old to see 🥹

Little Pippa has found her voice and goes crazy for the rope swing and especially adores playing with her bestie, little Teddy! (We have big Ted, little Teddy, big Pippa & little Pippa 🤣)

Casper, Belle, and big Ted are learning to slow down and appreciate their surroundings more, aswell as socialising separately rather than sticking together and causing mischief 🤭

And little Teddy is growing more and more in confidence whilst loving life with his ultimate favourite, little Pippa 💗

And before you all ask me, my mum was rustling a treat packet, and I was holding up a ball to get this photo 🤣💙

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03/06/2026

Recent events with our beautiful, furry friends! 💙

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29/05/2026

Losing a dog is hands down the hardest parts of our job. We love your babies like our own, and Oscar was a special one.

Beth had been walking Oscar and his brother Reggie for over 3 years. She will deeply miss that frosty faced boy - and I'll most certainly miss his updates and photos 🐾

Beth has written a few heart-felt words below, but we send all of our love and thoughts to Oscar and Reggie's family 🤍

"A few weeks ago, we said goodbye to one of the loveliest boys I had the pleasure of walking 💔

For 13 years, he brought so much happiness, loyalty, and love to everyone around him!

Walks won’t feel the same without him trotting along beside me with his brother, Reggie.

As Oscar aged, he would still love just a little plod and a ‘sniffy walk’ around the block, and I'm so grateful I could still give him that.

Run free over the rainbow bridge, sweet boy. You were deeply loved and will never be forgotten 🌈"

28/05/2026

We have a couple of spaces left available on our small breed Stay & Play!

This Saturday at 10.30am!

Please message to book 💙🐾

22/05/2026

SMALL BREED Stay & Play!

Saturday 30th May, 10.30am

We've already had a lot of enquiries for this one, so don't miss out on the remaining spaces!

Please message the page to book as I don't always see comments!

🐾💙