Harpers Hounds

26/04/2025

26/04/2025

Happy 6th Birthday to Loki 💙

This little monkey has been coming with me for over four years. When he first started, he was incredibly insecure, reactive towards other dogs, scared of leaves blowing in the wind and of his own shadow.

He has grown immensely into such a happy and playful little dog, and loves coming on walks with his friends.

He is very food and toy motivated, and loves a cuddle 🥰

19/04/2025

Happy Third Birthday Oona! ♥️

So happy, so full of life, and so excited to see her friends.

This week we practiced our sit stays, our down stays and our waits, because last week was chaos 😂

It is getting cold in the mornings! I do recommend if your dog is out with me first thing, and they have arthritis, then a winter coat can help. Stella is particularly sensitive to the cold and having one on does help her.

Plus they look cute 🥰

13/04/2025

🤗🤗🤗

08/04/2025

Happy 11th Birthday to Mr Jasper!

I have been walking the handsome dalmatian for several years now. He is in one of my most stable packs of dogs and for me is a solid base dog. He loves treats and staying warm. Getting rained on is when he gives me side eye and intense judgement.

His best friends are Cleo and Baz ♥️

02/04/2025

More catchups with ❤️

It was great to see everyone enjoying calmness and neutrality around each other, and my lot got to enjoy a longer walk and also a new route 🤗

Meet ups like this are very beneficial for reactive dogs. It teaches them other dogs are not a threat, and it's a great opportunity for me to work through any reactions.

There weren't any, which was the goal 💯

01/04/2025

More catch ups with our friends from the Golden Oaks Golden Retriever Retreat 💛

I love seeing these guys and Willow, Mozart and Ferny all did very well in the presence of seven new dogs.

Sadly no Charlie, as she cut her foot on some glass last week. I am super vigilant about glass, however I cannot see it all. I really wish people wouldn't smash bottles on footpaths, because dogs can really hurt themselves.

28/03/2025

Please Keep Left ⬅️
Please Keep Your Dogs on a Lead 🐕‍🦺
Please Warn Others When Approaching 🔊
No Horses 🚫

At least the last one is obeyed 🐴 The others, no so much.

Having your dog off lead in an on lead only area is an offence. It doesn't matter how well trained or how friendly your dog is either. You are breaking the council bylaws, as well as causing immense stress to the likes of myself and other people with reactive dogs, or dogs in training.

Not all dogs are friendly, and even a friendly dog running up to another friendly dog can go terribly wrong and then you have two reactive dogs 🤷

I often come across an off lead dog, but when the owner sees me, they recall their dog immediately and pop them on lead and we pass.

I nod. I thank them, because even though it's not the rule, they respected my space and they controlled their dog.

I more often than not come across an off lead dog that the owner cannot recall and the owner has a go at me for having multiple dogs, because it's my fault they cannot recall their dog.

Make that make sense 🙄

17/03/2025

Unpopular Opinions on a Monday 👀

1. Harnesses generally suck for reactive dogs.

2. You are allowed to tell your dog no.

3. If your reactive dog sees their trigger and chooses to look away and not react, then YES you praise them.

A client being told to NOT verbally mark their dog for not reacting blows my mind.

Dog training = markers. Yes. Good. No.

How else does your dog learn it made the correct choice?

No small wonder we are seeing a reactive dog epidemic when advice like that is being dished out.

The dog in question was unsure about how to behave when he saw another dog. All he needed was guidance.

Correct guidance.

11/03/2025

One downside of having a very busy schedule with multiple pack walks a day is that it can be very difficult to coordinate meet ups!

95% of the time it is just little old me on a stroll with my crew, crossing the road to avoid other dogs or hiding in the bushes.

However, walking with other like minded dog professionals is very beneficial for my dogs progression. They become more tolerant of strange dogs. Their distance threshold is lowered. Some dogs are great in a pack but are unsure if another dog is walking just ahead or behind them.

I always want the best for my dogs, and having that network of support is invaluable.

Thank you and Golden Oaks Golden Retriever Retreat for this week 😊

09/03/2025

A massive thank you to everybody that came to Pats in The Paddock!

I am sorry to those I missed speaking to, the slatmill was far busier than expected.

It was really cool to see so many new dogs giving it a try. Everybody did so well, considering all of the distractions.

Thank you to Kelly and Tony for being the key part of the set up and support!

A HUGE thank you to Mel and Leighton from for bringing Sammy as the superstar demo dog, and also for going right out of their way to transport the slatmill to its new premises 🤗

Thank you to .lowry for bringing Nala to show the crowd exactly how its done!

As always, thank you to for always supporting me in my crazy endeavors ❤️

03/03/2025

Happy 7th Birthday to the Bestest Bean that ever was.

I love all of my dogs, but Charlie holds a special place in my heart.

Mainly because she is an amazing dog, and also because of how she looks at me when walking 😂🥹 She is a sweet girl with a perfect nature.

I can put her with any dog, she is fab on lead, she is always excited to see me, and she gives the best kisses 💜

01/03/2025

💙💜💛💚 The best crew that a gal could ask for 💚💛💜💙

As always, Harpers Hounds prioritizes the safety of the dogs at all times.

Walking multiple reactive dogs at once can be dangerous. The greatest risk is roaming dogs, because their appearance is not something I can 100% control.

I can minimise that risk. I avoid certain areas, I avoid fence rushers, I keep to known routes. It can still go wrong, because someone forgot to close a gate.

Which is why, going forward, all walks will be recorded. Audio and visual footage is the best way to prove my version of events, and is part of my ongoing efforts to keep my dogs safe.

Plus I get some pretty cool footage. Stay tuned for my day to day dealings being a packwalker in Hamilton.

26/02/2025

EVENT ALERT 🔥

HCC are hosting Pats in The Paddock!
Come on down to Hayes Paddock at 10am, March the 9th to check it out.

I will be there with the slatmill! All dogs visiting are welcome to try it out for free 👌

See you there!

and will also be attending.

19/02/2025

We welcome little Ollie the Maltese to our pack walks 💙

Adding a new dog can be fun, but as Ollie is related to Jaz and Harley, there were no need for safe introductions on that side.

That left Loki, Maya and Omega, but with the assistance of they all gave him the tick of approval 👌

He has settled right in, as you can see from his little smiling face. I think Loki is stoked to finally have another small dog in the crew.

Thank you Lauri for lending a helping hand as always 😊