Merry Christmas!

I've just finished work for the Christmas break, no more work for me until Wednesday, so I'd like to wish all my readers a very happy Christmas!

It's Christmas!

Well not yet! But nearly.

Thanks you so much for all your help with looking after our lovely Inky. He's a much happier dog because of you!

Fetching snow accessory there Inky!

A Day in the Life of a Travel Kennel

I've been very busy lately, lots of lovely dogs to walk, and I know some of the other dog walkers are a bit surprised that I can be walking dogs from 8am until 5pm. So here we go - one day in the life of a travel kennel.

My 8am (ish) breakfast walk, way out. Bobbi, Wire Haired Fox Terrier

Breakfast walk, way back, Inky, Beagle, and Bobby, Maltese. Also on the morning walk are my three dogs, Scamp, Beauty and Fred.

After I drop the breakfast dogs off I take mine home and feed them, usually around 10am. Then it's time to go and see Jess, gorgeous Border Collie Puppy, she has two visits a day, time all to herself. Here she is in the kennel having some brunch.

Straight onto my lunchtime walk - here's Charlie, Portugeuse Water Dog, on the way out - he's still under 6 months so 3 times a week he has puppy visits like Jess, but it's good to get pups out with sensible adult dogs as well.

And Baxter, Beagle, with Bingley, Whippet, on the way home.

Also on the lunchtime walk on this particular day were Moses, Dexter, and Dilly, who didn't travel in this kennel but deserve a mention! When I have 6 at lunchtime I take my glamorous assistant Will with me (so far he has avoided the camera) to help out (I never walk more than 6 at a time).

After all the lunchtime dogs have gone home to sleep the afternoon away, I visit Jess again, before collecting Max for a walk on his own around half past two.

After Max enjoyed his walk I picked up Bobby again,

to join Pebbles and Honey, Spaniels, for a 4pm walk. My dogs came along for the walk as well, but we don't need any more pictures of my dogs!

After Pebbles and Honey I went home and collapsed! 4 walks and two puppy sits, a total of 13 dogs, 5 of them twice (does that count as 18?).

Other days I'll have less dogs on the walks, but anything between 2 and 5 puppy visits to do. Some days I even have cats to feed too!

Current Vacancies

Dog Walking

[SPACE FILLED] From September we have one full time lunchtime dog walking space for an adult dog. We may be able to take your dog on earlier if required. Dogs are walked in small groups of three or four.



We also have space on our breakfast walks - an ideal time for busy parents to get the kids ready for school or nursery while we tire your dog out. Collection is between 7.30 and 8.30.

Thanks for all your help. Bubbles has really come on leaps and bounds in just the few weeks you've had her!
Rebecca H., Cockerpoo

August Bank Holiday Weekend Home Dog Boarding Space

Dogs are boarded in my home, where you know he or she will have company, love, plenty of walks and lots of activities. When you collect your dog they will be tired, happy, and often better behaved for you!

Thank you so much for having Willow. We took her for a long walk and couldn't believe how much better she is. Jacqueline P., Golden Retriever

Cat Sitting

One or two visits per day, to feed, clear litter trays, let your cats in or out, cuddes, love, anything you require.

Once again thanks for caring for him. It is a relief that I can go away and leave him at home knowing he is going to be well looked after.
Rachel T., Misty

Spaces are available over the Bank Holiday weekend and into September.


PUPPY CARE

My puppy services are very popular, so if you are waiting for a puppy to be old enough to bring home, or looking for a puppy, please do get in touch as early as you can.

All puppy care is covered by Linda.

Puppies are accepted between 8 weeks and 6 months old. They get one or two half hour visits per day when they get my undivided attention. Once they are fully vaccinated I take them out for short walks, feed where necessary, clear up any mess, and play educational games designed to give your puppy the skills needed for life with people. Puppy walks are for roughly five minutes per month of life, so start at five minutes per visit, working up to the full half hour just before puppy moves to my lunchtime group walks.

If you are at home but are interested in the educational games I can still visit, or teach you the games to play.

Spaces are linited so are taken very quickly - typically within two weeks of becoming available. I only have one space on average every three to four months, so if you are waiting for your puppy to be old enough to bring home and want me to visit, a non-refundable first week's deposit will hold the space for up to one month.

Puppy Training and Skills for Life spaces also available.

Thank you for all you have done. When I need to board him I will certainly be calling you.
Francis W., Jack Russell Terrier

August Bank Holiday Weekend Home Dog Boarding Space

Due to a cancellation I have the elusive August Bank Holiday weekend open up from Friday 27th August to Sunday 5th September 2010.



Even a luxury boarding kennel with heating, sofa, television or mood music, is still a kennel, with the valuable dog-person bond being missing for most of the day. For some dogs, this is very different from their normal household routine and they can find it very stressful. This is where I come in.

I would highly recommend Linda as an excellent professional who has a genuine love of dogs. We will definitely use Linda again and feel very lucky to have found someone to care for our dog when we are unable to.
Susie S., Old English Sheepdog

I have opened my home in Brentwood, and my heart, to your dog. Dogs live in the house, as part of the family (please see About Me and About my Dogs for details of who lives here) and are considered a treasured friend and family member.



Two outdoor canine activity centres – tunnels, ramps, look out points
Shallow paddling Pool – bobbing for fishy ice cubes, underwater retrieving etc
Sandpit – digger's paradise, search and retrieve, lost and found
Chill Out zones – shady patches, sunny spots, long grass areas for lounging or investigating



Board games (yes, really!)
Scrunched up newspaper challenge
Cardboard box puzzles
Trick training (small extra charge for requests)
Brushed and combed as needed, at least once per stay
Eyes and sanitary areas cleaned as necessary

All this, for the bargain price of £25 per day.

Very reliable & trustworthy, Nelson loves Linda and I wouldn't send him anywhere else! Hazel S., Smooth Haired Fox Terrier

Fully insured by a pet care specialist
Licensed by Brentwood Borough Council and Defra
Vet and police checked
Trained in dog handling, behaviour and canine first aid



Extras
Training

If your dog needs help with any aspect of its training, I may be able to help while your dog is boarding, for an additional cost. I specialise in puppy training, terrier training and recall training. Please contact me to discuss your requirements.

Grooming

If you would like your dog professionally groomed ready for your return, please let me know in advance and I can arrange an appointment to fit in with your return. I use a very good professional groomer at Ardleigh Green, Maxine's Grooming. Fees are Maxine's usual fees for your breed of dog, plus £20.

I would recommend Linda to anybody who is looking for a holiday for their hounds. Peanut and Ali have just spent a week in the very capable hands of Linda and I think they enjoyed the lovely peace and quiet of her house (compared to mine).
Mary K., Greyhounds

"How do you get your dog to do that?"

Whatever 'that' is, the answer is generally 'I painstakingly taught him'.

I was asked how I could make my dog stop walking when I told him. I was on my way to work, so I couldn't go through it, so here it is.

Not every training method works for every dog, but this is how I usually start, and may start tweaking what I'm doing if it's not sinking in. Also it can depend on whether their relationship with you is a good one, or if they like other dogs better, but try it and see.

There are three essentials every dog should know - stop doing that, stop moving and come back to me. Of these, stop moving is probably the most important, because if your dog manages to get himself on the edge of a cliff, or escapes and rushes across a road, a recall may not be appropriate. Each dog really must understand how to stop moving, the emergency stop.

If you go to a training class, this is usually taught with your dog facing towards you, but if he's off the lead on a walk, he will often be facing away from you as he's pottering about, or they are so used to obeying commands at your feet they will carry on moving until they get to you, and only then stop, which is not what you want.

It's reasonably simple. When you take your dog for a walk on the lead, every time you stop walking, say 'wait' (or whatever you choose to use). When you start moving again, use another word to say they can move - I use 'forwards'. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Stop lots of times, when you need to pick up poop, to have a drink of water, to stop and chat with someone, when you fancy stopping to take in the view, or rest halfway up a hill. Stop more times than you need to, every time.

The dogs soon pick it up - if you've got an under-exercised dog who is a maniac on the end of the lead you'll need to start giving him the right amount of exercise, or at least, don't start doing this until he's had some time to have a leg stretch. Once he seems to have got it, start doing it off the lead, and try to time your Waits until he'd have to stop, somewhere like a gate, or walk up to a fence, just to give him the extra help.

What you have to remember is, lots of practice, lots of times. If you forget your Forwards word, your dog will learn to stop walking when you do, then as soon as you move, he'll start walking again. If you are trying to reattach the lead, or pick him up, or otherwise do something to him, for instance he's carrying half a bush in his feathers, this really does defeat the object.





You could also try - just falling over...




You may wonder what relevence this has to you - I walk dogs in small groups of around 4 dogs. Last week we were walking through a country park when the rangers came through in their land rover - all four dogs were off the lead. 'Wait!' I called. They all stopped walking. Had they kept going, they could have ended up under the wheels, as they were too far for me to do anything physical. This week, I came round a corner in a different part of the park, to find an electric fence not 10 yards ahead. The wait command stopped the dogs from getting a nasty shock while I attached their leads and walked them carefully past it.

I also teach Wait at the Gate.

Summer Holiday Home Dog Boarding

I am now completely booked for dog boarding from 24th July to 29th August. As soon as one dog leaves, another is arriving. I could not squeeze in another dog if I tried!


August Bank Holiday weekend now AVAILABLE as leave I had booked is now cancelled. It may not be free for long!

Dog of the Month - April

In late April I went to an 'Ultimate Recall' four day training course. When booking, I asked the trainer what dog I should bring, and he told me to bring 'the worst dog you can find'.

The worst dog I could find was no longer walking with me (as he wouldn't come back on walks, and pulled too hard to walk on lead and my offer of recall training wasn't taken up), so I asked Inky's mum if he could come - as a Beagle I thought the challenge of his breed instincts would give me something to think about!

At the end of the four days, we were all padlocked (yes, really!) to a tree - with the key on the dog's collar.

Despite being in a field at the back of a pub, with pub visitors and their dogs coming and going, with a motorhome rally going on, chickens, evidence of rabbits, and dogs in the next field who were running up and down the hedge barking, Inky rescued me! So to thank him for not wandering off after rabbits and leaving me starving in a field in Hampshire, he's won Dog of the Month for April.

Current Vacancies

Dog Walking

I will have a space for one permanent, adult dog, walking at lunchtime, from 1st June.

I specialise in carefully chosen, exclusive group walks around Brentwood's country parks and open spaces. Walks are limited to a small number of dogs to ensure I can give personal attention to each dog. In return the dogs give me a lot of attention – they learn very quickly it's more rewarding to share their fun with me, rather than following behind doing their own thing.



Brentwood has plenty of open spaces, grassland, woodland, ponds and wetlands, which mean there are plenty of places to keep your dog physically active and their breed instincts satisfied, while I create the training games that keep their minds alert. The combination of physical and mental activity leads to a more contented companion for you, which, in turn, will give you and your dog a happier home life.



I do 'wild agility' to keep dogs agile, play hide and seek to teach them to stay aware of me at all times, play recall games to keep them coming back for more, encourage sniffing games - this keeps them calm and amazingly can be more tiring than running around! I also allow those mad moments - ears back, tail down, zooooooom as fast as they can.

The Walkies Award

This is a little rosette I give to the dogs after completely one year's 'service' with me. I think it's something to celebrate, our first anniversaries together!

So far we have five Walkies Award winners (plus one honourary) but I seem to have mislaid one of the 'presentation' photographs.

We have more award winners coming in the next few months, in the meantime, here's our current group of 'sophomores'.



Inky is looking a little bit sad as I can't find his photo with rosette.




Max




Bingley




Henry (honourary)




Benson



Scarlet (feeling peckish)

Completely Full

I have no vacancies for dog walking. I've had to close my books to new dogs as I am now full. This includes puppies as I have no spaces on my adult walks to move puppies into as they grow up.

Christmas Eve at Thorndon Park

Our last walk before Christmas today - some highlights!



My son came with us today - he slipped on the ice, so the dogs gathered round in an immediate recall as I've taught them! Helped along by a generous dose of nosiness. Bramble didn't join in as I haven't played the 'lying down recall' game with him yet.



Jacob is standing up, so they're not really sure what to make of him...



Bramble got into this shot! I ended up using 'Bramley' as short cut for Bramble & Bingley but only Bingley took any notice, so it didn't really last long (although I had a jam sandwich when I got home and I'm not really sure why...).

I wish you all a very merry Christmas!

Ready for a Rest

No not me, the dogs!

Had a lovely beach walk this morning. I know my walks really tire the dogs out because when I open the crates in the van, none of them can wait to get in.



Notice Millie having a sneaky sniff while the opportunity presents itself...

The Shocking Truth about Exercise

Here is it, are you ready for it?

I don't exercise the dogs I walk.

There. I've said it. I've confessed. This dog walker does not exercise the dogs in her care.

So what do I do with them?

The dogs and I go on expeditions around Brentwood instead. I don't even 'lead' the expeditions. I guide the dogs around interesting places, and let them find out things for themselves, by sight, scent, sound and skin (ie touch, I do like my alliterations).

I don't cycle, I don't jog, and I don't force the dogs to keep moving. We walk briskly, but there is always time to stop if there's a particularly interesting smell somewhere.


We'll also stop for a few minutes if we see another regular walker with dogs. The scary truth is that dogs will meet other dogs through their lives, and although there are times when it's best not to let the dogs greet, seeing regular dogs on our travels is a good thing. The more dogs interact appropriately, the more they practise their communication skills. And practise makes perfect! Plus they get to learn that sometimes they just have to hang around for a few minutes while the grown-ups talk and they learn to do so politely, quietly and calmly, as they know the fun will start again very soon.

I'll also randomly drop treats, and send the dogs to find them where possible. Or ask for a sit or two. To begin with at the end of a walk, slowly moving towards being able to get calm behaviour as they leave the van ready for their walk, and eventually, to sit and focus on me in the presence of other dogs, humans, or other distractions.


Or we might do a bit of 'wild' agility, climbing over logs, ducking under low hanging branches, jumping over puddles, dragging the biggest branch in the world along with us for a few feet (the smaller the dog, the bigger the branch they want to bring on the expedition), or just zooooming around as fast as they can for a mad few minutes. I prefer that as a spectator sport...

The dogs really appreciate being taken outside to explore the world, especially when they have members of their own species to explore it with. Another dog might pick up the scent or sight of something not to be missed! Two sets of eyes, ears or noses are better than one!


The dogs are always keen to come with me, happy to be taken home at the end of the walk, and, according to the owners who are home, content to spend all afternoon sleeping off the energy burned!


'Exercise' happens while we're doing other things.

Home Dog Boarding in Brentwood - Inky

Inky is boarding here a short while this weekend. He's the lovely Beagle I walk three mornings a week with my two. I really look forward to walking with Inky because he's never any trouble and he's such a cutie!

He seems to really enjoy the garden. If he's not in it, he's watching it. If he's not doing either of those things - he's asleep!

Spot the Inky!


I have no idea why that keeps uploading sideways. It's perfectly the right way up on my computer. Er....

Crashed out last night - while still daylight!


Enjoying the early morning sunshine.

X things all Dogs Deserve to be Taught

There are certain things that I think all dogs deserve to be taught - I call it X because although I have three specifics in mind I may think of more later.

As I may have mentioned I'm not a 'dog trainer' in that I don't teach dog owners to train their dogs and don't have hundreds of dogs or training hours under my belt [At the time of writing I was not dog training - just over a year later, I'm proud to say that I am now a dog trainer!]. But I have trained more than the average dog owner, and as a dog walker these are the little things that make it so much easier to manage the dogs I walk every day.

My good friend Joe, who is a dog trainer, does remind me that many of these things work for me because I am persistent and consistent and rarely let the dogs off 'just this once'. Also I haven't had many working breeds to work with, so obviously my experience isn't as broad as it could be. I am working on this! But in the meantime, here we go...

Wait at the Gate - Pause at Doors

The wait command has many uses, but waiting for permission to cross doorways and gateways I think is a biggy. It has so many uses, and could possibly save your dog from running off and getting lost, or worse, rushing an open door straight onto a main road. I use this so the dogs wait quietly while I get them in and out of crates in the car, open unfamiliar doors with unfamiliar keys, check for anything unusual (or livestock) on the other sides of gates in the parks or countryside, open the door to the postie, and open the door to strangers.


The basics are that to a dog, an open door should not be an invitation to rush through it. I teach them to wait quietly while I open the door or gate, and while some people prefer the dog to wait for them to go first, I prefer the dog to go first. Once they've gone through, they turn to check with me before continuing - this way they wait before and after going through the door, so they have two chances to get things right.

Nutmeg is my star pupil, because she's really good at this - you can see the door opening a little more each photo and she's just sitting there. I even took her lead off (it's not just photoshopped out, she really is just quietly sitting, waiting) and once released to go through she turns round (sorry for the blurred face, she's very quick!) for permission to go off. She's such a star she did this once when I opened the door to a delivery man! She knew something was going on that was exciting, but still waited!

This has to be practiced constantly, if you forget to reinforce the training, and the rewards! the dog will soon learn to forget. Here's some shots of some other dogs doing the same exercise.

Benson, the large GD X Mastiff, has been used to using his weight to get what he wants, but he learned this really quickly too!


Fred and Beauty waiting at the gate of their crates to be allowed to get out and go for their walks..



Also Inky: