Wags "n" Whiskers Pet Services

06/07/2023

Beautiful Squiff supervising the poo picking this morning 🥰

03/07/2023

Looking after this lovely lady this week 🥰.

15/11/2021

Lovely cuddles with this beautiful girl this morning 🥰, can't beat cat cuddles on a grey and miserable day .

13/09/2020

Food for thought.

This last week I have had several clients working though issues that are at least partly caused by ‘ The Tennis Ball Launcher’ or flanger, wanger, flingy thingy or whatever it is you call it.

Throwing a ball is something that many if not all pet dogs owners engage in at some point, if not on a regular basis.

Quite rightly, concerns within the veterinary and behavioural professions have been raised about the mental and physical impact the launcher can have on dogs.

For me, it’s the levels of excitement and arousal these games create. The increased arousal can involve increased heart rate and adrenaline levels. Adrenaline itself should be released in short bursts, such as during a one off during a chase , but repeated ‘throw it, chase it, catch it means Adrenalin is released for much longer periods.

Repetitive chasing in this way is not a natural behaviour for any dog.

This increase of Adrenalin in turn causes an increase in cortisol levels, and can lead to ‘frantic’ behaviours as a result of reduced impulse control and frustration tolerance. Cortisol levels take a good few days days to return to normal.

Adrenaline and cortisol both play a role in the regulation of behaviour. Promoting increased production of both over a long term period can trigger problematic and behaviours. No ‘off switch’, lack of frustration tolerance and general erratically behaviour.

Due to this ( and because they are being conditioned to behave in a certain way to get their ‘reward’ )you may find your dog plays ‘keep away’ and wants to be ahead of you to the distance where they usually have their ball thrown.

They will possibly struggle to walk beside you ( want to be ahead of you)

They cannot calm down or exhibit any self control around a ball or in the place you usually throw it.

If the potential behavioural issues are not enough to help you ditch the ball thrower, the physical impact of using one can be immense.

High speed impact, uncontrolled twists and turns, rotatory force on joints etc can cause a multitude of injuries. Let’s be honest, how many times is the dog even ‘warmed up’ before embarking on such vigorous exercise?

There is soooo much more you can do with a ball or toy to work your dog mentally and physically. You can, if needed use them in certain situations if your dog is happy to wait calmly by your side. However you may find they need a ball detox for a few weeks prior to using it in a new way ☺️

25/06/2020

The beautiful Jodi enjoying her walk😍🐾

22/06/2020

A lovely walk with Bo this morning before it got too hot! She had a nice drink and a paddle in the stream to cool off too .

23/07/2019

09/09/2015

Animals are wonderful things. Here is one way they can help those with dementia....

Advice for family carers on pet therapy and its benefits for people with dementia...

To mark National Dementia Carers Day 2015, Dean Bosher, our dementia service manager explains more about pet therapy and offers his tips for family carers on using it as part of their care routines! http://sweettreehcs.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/advice-for-family-carers-on-pet-therapy.html

26/08/2015

It's National Dog Day! And in honour of the day we'd like to introduce you to this little cutie - Billy is a pet therapy dog who loves nothing more than visiting care home residents and those with dementia for a cuddle.

26/08/2015

Ahh, that's cute

What is a congregation? If you said it is a group of people who gather together for religious worship, you are correct. It is also …

13/08/2015

Very true

Cats are amazing creatures that can both brighten your life and turn it into a complete hell. It's a double-edged sword. The way they treat you like you're nothing is so annoying but you can't help loving them! Because they are cats and they're fluffy and cute and - most importantly - when they purr…

12/08/2015

Now this looks like a good massage...

13/07/2015

Humans Of New York, the wildly popular blog that features photos of random everyday New Yorkers along with some of their quotes, has one fatal flaw – no cats. Comedian Jim Tews has set out to solve this with his Felines Of New York (FONY) blog, where he collects photos of New York's cats and writes…

16/06/2015

12 Reasons Whippets Are The Absolute Worst pet to own... ;-)

All in all please avoid Whippets at all cost!!!

30/05/2015

Too close to call with these pics, as to which one is the cutest...the first one is amazing!

The belly rubs that we give to our pets are fun and adorable, but there's more to it than that. When an animal presents its belly to you, it represents a sign of submissiveness or trust.

28/05/2015

Who wants to see a photo album of a baby bunny growing up?....me please!

My little Tooni had 4 babies one month ago, and these are the photos showing them growing up. Hope you all like them!

25/06/2014

And just to keep the cuteness going...which is your favourite from these animal parents? (think we have a soft spot for the giraffe)

A parent's love for their child knows no boundaries, and this is true both of us and of our animal friends. In these heartwarming photos of animal parenting, you'll recognize many of the same tender and stressful childhood moments that you may have also experienced as a parent or a child.

25/06/2014

Oh goodness, it doesn't get much cuter than this!

Just when you thought that little fluffy bunny rabbits couldn't gt any cuter, they go ahead and stick out their little pink tongues and melt our hearts all over again. We only hope that you can handle how cute these 20 pictures of rabbits sticking out their little tongues are. The good news is that…