Think More Dog

24/12/2022

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas! This little one has arrived and is keeping us busy but I’m already planning for next year and look forward to being back training again soon ❤️🎄

21/10/2022

A pretty accurate representation of me today 😂😂

10/09/2022

If anyone has any spare blankets/fleeces, Many Tears near Carmarthen are desperate for some.

Please help! Our bedding shed is empty! The last two weeks of new arrivals and last couple days of torrential rain has left us with no bedding left for our dogs.

What is most useful for us is light, fleece style blankets as they are warm, comfortable and lightweight which means we can wash and dry them all easier and therefor get a lot more use out of them!

If you can help us then we have some on our wishlist or if you are local and able to drop off that would be wonderful! They don’t have to be from our wishlist, fleeces from anywhere delivered to us would be absolutely wonderful!

Once again, thank you all so much for you ur support, we couldn’t do this without you!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/registry/wishlist/2KIC7VI3K4OPU

23/08/2022

Following on from my posts about Sarge and the need to decompress, me and my family have had to do the same since Friday! Our last job of the morning before heading off to a wedding was give the dogs a quick run out in the woods.

We headed down our normal track and took a slight shortcut down to our route back up the hill. I noticed one of our dogs lying down beside the path looking agitated; a split second later my husband is screaming, a noise I have never heard before! He shouts run and at that point I realise that Saffy and Simon are completed coveted in wasps. We had disturbed a ground nest.

The next 10 minutes were the worst any of us had experienced. All three dogs had been stung dozens of times, my husband was covered in welts, somehow I only got stung once. I rushed the dogs straight off to the vets.

All stayed in for observations and were allowed home later that afternoon. Thankfully all of us were OK.

Now we needed to decompress, humans and the dogs!

Day one we stayed home, day two we went for a 5 minute walk on the beach where Saffy didn’t leave our side, day three we walked to the woods carpark, walked another 100 metres and walked home, again Saffy didn’t leave our side. Day four we headed to the beach again and all three dogs loved a zoomie session over the sand dunes, again only 15 minutes. Today was the video. I can’t say I was relaxed at all! But the dogs were completely worth free and Saffy was back to her normal sniffing ways.

She has had lots of extra cuddles, space, time and allowed to be a little bit naughty over the last few days, all building her confidence and helping her relax back into her normal routine.

Very scary, wish it has never happened and hope it never does again. The dogs have made it through unscathed physically and emotionally. The best outcome possible ❤️

23/08/2022

I’ve posted about Sarge before and I’m sure I will again.

His family are his biggest advocates and they always have his feelings and development through adolescence at the forefront of their minds.

They got married on Friday (congratulations!) so Sarge had his first stay at the kennels. I had visited them with him prior to his stay and he was super confident and happy. None of us could have foretold how stressful he found the environment.

He came home having not eaten for 2 days, visibly shaking and very very stressed. So upsetting for his family who had done everything possible to make his stay happy and comfortable.

Lauren contacted me that evening and we had a conversation about helping him feel safe, allowing him time and space to decompress, having zero expectations of him and allowing him a few freedoms (coming to bed) that he usually wouldn’t have.

I received this video today of their first walk since he’s come home. He’s still not 100% relaxed but I am so pleased to hear that he’s almost back to normal at home and comfortable to head out and do some super important sniffing.

The main aim over the last few days has been to give his mind and body a complete break from stress and building back to his normal routine one day at a time. I am so very proud of them all ❤️

07/07/2022

So, I haven’t put a lot on here recently and I haven’t been taking on new clients.

I’m 20 weeks pregnant and been taking everything at a much slower pace recently. I’m still studying behind the scenes and planning content to pop on here during my maternity leave.

Today is a pool day 🔆 I love how these two have such different approaches to problem solving, despite sharing the same genetics.

20/05/2022

Graduation Alert!

When you get a message from a client saying they want to stop training with you, I can imagine a lot of trainers would wonder what they have done wrong. For me, I celebrate, as it means I've done my job!

In Kate's words "I feel like we've achieved masses and going forward I'm gaining the confidence to know what I'm supposed to be doing...."

That right there is exactly what I'm aiming for. Sharing your knowledge and giving confidence to others; Empowering dog and handler to succeed without you.

Winnie came to me as a 20 month old, mixed breed rescue, who was ending her adolescence as a disengaged, reactive and destructive young dog. She barked at everything that moved outside the house, worried Kate's chickens, nipped Kate's youngest when running on walks, scratched at walls, windows etc frantically to be let out to scare off the offending bird, person, cyclist, driver. She was getting hard to live with and was making walks an unenjoyable experience for the whole family. In my report, our focus was to tip the balance from disengaged, intrinsically reinforced behaviour, to engaged and externally rewarded behaviour.

Kate has been an absolute hero over the last 3 months and through hard work and perseverance, has opened up a whole new world for Winnie and her family. The video below (in comments) is from our last training session together a couple of weeks ago. I hope you agree that Winnie has developed into a polite, happy and fulfilled young adult, who can now enjoy her time spent with family inside and outside the house. There is still work to be done but now Kate is ready to accompany Winnie on the rest of her journey alone 🥰

I will miss both Kate and Winnie but this means I can now move onto another family and help them succeed in their relationship and understanding too.

10/05/2022

For anyone experienced with the Newfoundland breed, this is just a Newfy being a Newfy. For everyone else, he’s just cooling down after an easy 30 minute walk in the shade. Mr Moose approves of the new river hubby has build this weekend 😊

26/04/2022

It’s that time of year when Bluebell photos are everywhere. Let’s see some of your dogs posing 🥰

24/04/2022

It’s never nice when you have a poorly or injured dog. A few things you can do to help them:

A medical suit or an inflatable collar (as fashioned by Wren here) are great alternatives to a cone. You just need to ask your vet, even when it’s an emergency like Wrens was yesterday.

Buying or borrowing a pen as well as a crate allows you to move your dog around the house with you easily. Wren is crated at night, had spent the day in the kitchen with a view out to the garden and is now in the lounge as we sit down to eat and watch tv.

I left my jumper with her yesterday. This means she has my scent when she comes round from surgery, helping her feel a little safer when she wakes up confused and in pain.

She sliced her armpit/front of her shoulder on glass or a can yesterday within minutes of our walk. I managed to get her straight to the vets which will give her the best chance of the skin remaining intact and the wound not breaking down.

Please pick up litter wherever you go and think about how you can make a difficult time a little easier. Every dog is an individual, so what works for her may not be a suitable plan for yours. You know them best, so go with your gut.

18/04/2022

My favourite time of the year is Spring. You really appreciate the longer days, sun on your skin and extra freedom it gives you.

My guys have been eating their dinner alfresco every night for the last few weeks, whereas over the winter it’s more of a weekend thing.

Wren got to go to Cadbury Garden Centre today too, so between that, her woodland walk and 15 minutes snuffling out her dinner, she’ll be pooped tonight!

What are you doing with your dogs now that you couldn’t do last month?

14/04/2022

First day of my Easter break and Enzo is making it VERY hard for me to get on with my spring cleaning. Who else has a dog who would happily sleep upside down on you all day?