Wolfe Dogs

12/07/2025

A few recent training faces from our 1-1 training programs! Fantastic seeing our owners putting their learnings into action and seeing real progress across their leash skills, handling reactivity, fulfilling their dogs needs and building strong relationships with their dogs. 🐾

Need help with your dog? Serving Waipa, Hamilton & Otorohanga NZ. 📧 [email protected]

09/07/2025

Van is still available & currently with Developing Canines in Auckland if you’re up there & location has been a barrier for you! Message me with any questions. 🙂

09/07/2025

Great to chat with the PetFirst veterinary Te Awamutu, Otorohanga and Te Kuiti teams today on all things setting dogs up for success in clinic! We are lucky to have veterinary teams who are open to learning & implementing new things to provide the best outcomes for our animals.

I believe dogs & owners win when vets and trainers can work together to share knowledge and experience. If you are involved with a clinic in Waipa/Hamilton/Otorohanga and would like me to come have a chat on this or another topic, please reach out - I’d be happy to collaborate for some CPD. [email protected]

08/07/2025

New puppy owner, adolescent or mature dog needing some foundation obedience and listening skills, or a foundation graduate wanting to keep the momentum going and give your dog some purpose?

Making progress with your dog starts with making a commitment to putting in the work! That’s a lot easier with a supportive community & expert guidance. Our group classes are the most accessible way to work with us, and have a good track record of building more confident, engaged teams with good basics to build from.

Book your spot here

Schedule your appointment online Wolfe Dogs

07/07/2025

Beardies are one of the extra special breeds for me, with many of my favourite personal dogs having some beardie blood. In the right situation they are phenomenal workers with hearts of gold and character like you wouldn’t believe. They are also great pets in some situations, especially the more laid back or retired ones - just be prepared for mischief and noise! If you want a quiet dog, this is not that. 🙉

Please note this is from an NZ farming perspective, and our beardie lines may be different to your own country.

Need help with your beardie from someone with first hand experience? Serving Waipa, Hamilton and Otorohanga NZ & further afield via zoom. 📧 [email protected]

06/07/2025

Holding onto an assumed backstory is holding you back from helping your dog. We treat them differently, we cling onto that sad story and make it the dogs whole identity when talking about them to someone else, and rather than helping them move forward - well, they’re just an abused dog and that’s why they’re this way!

But often times it’s a bit less dramatic. The dog comes from a line of nervy dogs. They’re on high alert for strangers because they’ve been bred to be guardy and respond to threat. Maybe mum was stressed during pregnancy and that was passed on to the pups. Sometimes what looks like nerve is actually pain. Or it’s due to lack of exposure to certain things vs having an outright negative experience previously. Often it’s a combination of multiple things.

This is especially relevant when bringing a dog home from quite a different lifestyle to yours - a retired farm dog being a common one people like to assume the worst about. These dogs have been socialised in that farm environment with those people and animals. But chances are, a lot of an urban environment will be foreign to them and sometimes they need time to adjust and get comfortable with busier or noisier environments. They’ve also been bred for work purposes, with things like their ability to handle large groups of people coming over for a party not being high on the selection criteria. They may have also had limited freedom previously when unsupervised, and suddenly having a whole section to run free on unsupervised and limited exercise outside of that can bring out some funky behaviours.

The other one is the “bait dog” story some rescues like to tell. Dog covered in scars and a bit nervy, when it’s likely just been a pig dog with some stories to tell & a lack of exposure to a lot of stuff (judging by the fact the dog is still with us!).

If we don’t have the facts, don’t hold onto an assumed story. It’s not helpful for you or your dog. Instead, focus on the dog in front of you and bringing out the best in them. ✌🏻

06/07/2025

Foster dog Randy is looking for his forever home! How cute are these photos from his beach trip today 😍

Randy is a very sweet, enthusiastic dude with a heart of gold. He is eager to please and super social, with big “dumb boy dog” energy. I find him really easy to have around and have enjoyed fostering him - it’s hard not to love him!

4yo entire male Beardie X (likely Huntaway). Lovely low maintenance grizzly coat.
Council registered, up to date with vaccinations.
New owners will be responsible for desexing and microchipping as condition of rehoming.
Based near Pirongia, NZ.

Randy came to me from a farm home where he was well liked but not super helpful. He will chase stock if allowed and has a nice deep bark at times, but would be better suited to a pet home rather than a working one. We have spent a lot of time building a solid recall around stock and he is now off leash around my goats under supervision and behaves himself well. See previous videos.

Happy with a range of other dogs and shows interest in playing. Not shown interest in my cats. Can be a bit guardy of his kennel/food bowl from other dogs which is easily managed.

Clean and quiet in outdoor kennel and run, travels well in crate. Has not been house trained and can be a bit marky outside (which will likely improve with desexing).

Would probably love kids, but can be bouncy when excited so likely better suited to older confident kids if any.

He is a real gem and will make a great best mate for someone. Best suited to a dog savvy home - rural/semi-rural preferred - who will continue his training, provide appropriate exercise and implement solid boundaries. He is a character and deserves the best!

Please share for Randy to find his people ❤️
Message me with enquiries.

05/07/2025

I currently have 3 dogs on my property. All working breeds (malinois, kelpie, beardie x). That includes one entire male and one entire female. And only post and rail fencing which is not dog proof. 🤷🏻‍♀️

But guess what? We don’t have unwanted puppies, nor do we have dogs out roaming and getting into trouble.

And growing up on the farm? Hell, we had lots of entire working dogs, cattle fencing with no road gate and still no dogs out roaming or getting pregnant accidentally.

How is this possible? The overlooked and dying art of personal accountability and sensible management. AKA, if we want to be responsible owners we’ll step up and make it happen.

If I’m not supervising my dogs, they’re contained appropriately using a kennel and run, crate or inside the house (probably asleep on the couch!).

When we’re outside, we’re enforcing the boundary. With a long line if needed while they’re learning.

A dog in season is kept out of reach of entire males.

They’re fulfilled. They’re worked. And they’re kept safe and out of trouble.

Sure it can be easier managing a dog with a secure high fenced yard in town or desexing to avoid dealing with seasons or entire male quirks. Totally support that in making life easier for you and your dog, and it is going to be most appropriate for most pet dog situations (ideally once mature).

But NOT having those is not in itself a barrier to being a responsible dog owner. It just means we have to step up and be a bit more onto it and put a bit of extra work in. Like so many owners world wide do successfully.

Only when we stop chasing excuses such as fencing or access to desexing or “they just do that sometimes” and start holding people personally accountable for lack of care & responsible management will we start seeing a shift in dog culture.

Ps I’ve spent the last decade involved in rescue in some form or another, including discounted desexing programs and dealing with so many unwanted puppies and dogs. Points still stand.✌🏻