Happy Pets Services

30/03/2025

Happy Morhers Day and Pet Parent Day . and me hope you all have a lovely day xx

17/03/2025

I have one space now available for Sunday 6th April 10-12 at Oxshott as one of the handlers is having surgery . This is for any dogs who have done workshops with me before. We can tailor the searches depending on each dogs searching abilities. To book please click the linkhttps://happypetsservices.co.uk/book-classes-online/ola/services/improvers-mantrailing-sunday-6th-april-at-oxshott-10am-12pm

19/02/2025

I’m so glad my girls have always felt comfortable giving things up to me . This was the latest find this morning and could have meant a trip to the vets had one of them eaten it . I always reward them giving something up, if they have picked up socks in the house I swap them for a treat . Spaniels are notorious for ending up in rescue as adolescents with resource guarding issues due to having things forcibly taken from them . Play toy switch with your dog , teach them a retrieve to hand , have some fun with the giving things up that means your dog still gets a win win situation . The best time to start this is as puppies but you can still do it with adult dogs . If your dog already has resource guarding issues that’s a different thing to work on but can still be achieved . Teaching this could be a life saver….. guarding

18/02/2025

Hi everyone
Last call to see if anyone would like to join us on Sunday March 2nd at Oxshott 10am-12pm for the improvers mantrailing workshop. This is for dogs who have already done the complete beginners and more workshops with me. I will tailor each search to suit the dogs searching ability skills. I have 2 spaces left. Plus I have added dates right through until May if anyone wants to book now or add to their diary in advance.
https://happypetsservices.co.uk/book-classes-online/ola/services/mantrailing-improvers-at-oxshott-on-sunday-2nd-march-10am-12pm

Improvers March 16th at Headley SOLD OUT

Complete beginners’ workshop at Cheam on Saturday 29th March 12-2pm spaces
https://happypetsservices.co.uk/book-classes-online/ola/services/complete-beginners-mantrailing-at-cheam-saturday-29th-march-12-2pm

Sunday April 13th improvers workshop at Oxshott 10am-12pm - 2 spaces left.
https://happypetsservices.co.uk/book-classes-online/ola/services/mantrailing-improvers-sunday-13th-april-at-oxshott-10am-12pm

Complete beginners at Cheam on Saturday 3rd May 12-2pm spaces
https://happypetsservices.co.uk/book-classes-online/ola/services/complete-beginners-mantrailing-at-cheam-saturday-3rd-may-at-12-2pm

Sunday 11th May at Oxshott Improvers 10am-12pm spaces
https://happypetsservices.co.uk/book-classes-online/ola/services/mantrailing-improvers-sunday-11th-may-at-oxshott-10am-12pm

Each workshop costs £35.

Do you have a dog who likes to sniff? I am an accredited search dog handler and I teach dogs to search for and ‘rescue ‘a ‘lost’ person for fun.

Operational Search and Rescue Dogs take 2 years to train to high standards with several assessments before they are allowed to go out and search for missing members of the public.

However, we can also teach it for fun, called mantrailing or you may have heard of it as sport trailing.

If you are looking for a unique way to bond with your dog, mantrailing is a great option. It requires team work, trust and communication, it’s a fantastic way to improve both yours and your dog's physical and mental health. It's a great workout, helps reduce stress, and all of these can strengthen your relationship. It is also a great way to help if you have an adolescent dog who is not particularly listening to you. This can help them focus and you will start to work as a team often repairing your bond which may be a little stretched at the moment!

Come and give it a try and see the difference!

You will need a harness and a longline but I can loan a longline for the workshop, if you don’t have your own. No need to worry about your recall. Searching is done at walking pace.

If you would like to see more of what this entails please take a look at some of the videos on my Facebook or Instagram accounts. https://www.facebook.com/sueashforthhappypetssservices
https://www.instagram.com/suehappypets/

13/02/2025

Sorry but I’m going to have a bit of a rant . I was 121 training with Chester this morning Paul is wearing a high viz jacket that says dog in training and a completely out of control Retriever comes bounding over . 6 times I called out can you call your dog please . Paul called as well . Nothing . Owners just looked at us . Finally they called the dog just as 2 horses came along . What did this dog do chased the horse . The horse reared up and the poor girl on board fell off. Thankfully she managed to hold onto her horse . The owners still made very little effort to get hold of this dog . I have to say Chester was a star ⭐️ how well he has come on in his training he didn’t react at all but this could have been very nasty and caused a lot of problems. Later on I encountered 4 dogs again no recall whilst walking my own dogs. I apologetic owner who then kept the dog on lead the other 3 the woman started saying I had 5 dogs to keep an eye on . Yes mine were all by my side whilst her 3 completely ignored her constant whistle blowing and calling 🤔. If you have no recall KEEP YOUR DOG ON A LEAD OR LONGLINE and put some time into training . It is unfair to other people whether dogs horses livestock whatever to have to put up with your excuses. Do not try and put the blame on someone else accept YOUR responsibility. And if I hear biscuit one more time …. 🙄

08/02/2025

This is my new toy and no one is going to take it 🤣

05/02/2025

Very sad 😞

We are reeling here at Spaniel Aid HQ. We expected January to be busy, but no one predicted 197 requests to surrender a dog to us, including 11 pairs. After follow up calls, 109 of those requests resulted in us agreeing to accept the dog. This doesn’t include strays or returning dogs.

By the time Spaniel Aid turns 10 on the 1st March, we will be very close to reaching 5,000 dogs taken in for rehoming. But they have never come in at the rate they are now.

Speak to any other rescue and they will tell you the same: owner surrenders are at an all time high. The waiting list for dogs to go into the major charities is months long. For dogs with issues, demand for rehoming is outstripping the available supply of homes. We have never been more needed, but we take no joy in it.

Why is it so bad? The cost of living crisis continues to hit hard, making it difficult for people to afford the time and money to care for a dog. Indiscriminate breeding, especially during lockdown, is still having an impact: dogs aged between four and five are still arriving in disproportionately high numbers. It remains too easy to acquire a dog without being fully prepared for the commitment. Too many people fail to do their research about the breed characteristics. And dogs are increasing treated as commodities, a new lifestyle accessory to be given to charity when it no longer suits.

At Spaniel Aid we have always taken a non-judgemental approach to owner surrenders. We know that life sometimes brings surprises that no one anticipated, and we are here to help you find the right home for your dog, if yours is no longer the best place for them.

But if you are thinking of getting a dog, remember, dog ownership is hard. You have to go out in all weathers, training is time consuming and demanding, dogs bark, get sick, chew stuff, and yes, they sometimes bite the hand that feeds them. You have to change your life to accommodate a dog, different holidays, days out, nightlife, even jobs. You have to accept that bringing a baby into a home with a dog carries the risk that the dog will not be able to cope.

Is it worth it? Of course it is. Dogs give back so much more than they take. We are all dog lovers or we wouldn’t be here. We will continue to work silly hours, unpaid, to find these dogs the very best homes. And there are thousands of great homes out there. And we will continue to shed tears for the ones to whom we have to say no, sorry, we have no room.

To foster for us: https://spanielaid.co.uk/forms/foster-application-form/

27/01/2025

The two images you see are AI produced to show how scent is all around us and how dogs use this to search. It would be arrogant of us to think we can teach a dog to track or trail as they are already doing it every day. They use their noses to interpret the world around them. What we can do is teach them to search for a specific scent.
Our own scent is unique and is made up of skin cells that we shed as we walk, together with sweat, hormones, and bacteria and awe also have a second set of odours which is made up of perfume or aftershave , toothpaste, soap, shampoo, deodorant, washing powder and diet.
The dogs acute sense of smell can detect what we have just eaten, our moods, and our health, (infections or cancer)

You will need a harness and longline (I can loan a longline if you don’t have one.)
If you are a complete beginner, full details are on my website and there are many videos/ reels on my Instagram or FB accounts if you want to see more of what this entails.
If you are a complete beginner and would like to get your dog started with searching or you are an improver and want to progress your dog’s searching I have added some more dates for 2 hour workshops available to book online clicking the links below.

https://happypetsservices.co.uk/book-classes-online/ola/services/complete-beginners-mantrailing-on-saturday-29th-march-at-cheam-12-2pm

https://happypetsservices.co.uk/book-classes-online/ola/services/mantrailing-improvers-at-oxshott-on-sunday-2nd-march-10am-12pm

https://happypetsservices.co.uk/book-classes-online/ola/services/mantrailing-improvers-sunday-13th-april-at-oxshott-10am-12pm

05/01/2025

RIP Karen Pryor who has died at the age of 92 . I had many of her books and for those of you who use a clicker she was the founder of clicker training .