Dog of the Month - May

This month there are THREE Dogs of the Month!

Scarlet, Henry and Benson are some of my oldest customers, and this weekend they are moving out of the area. They are going to a wonderful new home in the country, with lots more space for them to run about and play.



I will miss them terribly, but have enough fond memories to keep me going, and I have an invitation to visit to see how they've settled in, which I will look forward to.

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!

Catching up on the Latest Gossip

You'll never guess what she did then!?

Ultimate Recall Training

Tired of your dog running off?
Does your dog chase joggers or bicycles?
Fed up with running after other people as your dog is enjoying playing with their dog and won't come back?
Is your dog a tease? Coming back to you, but won't stay still or come close enough to have the lead put back on?

I can help, as I specialise in recall training.

As a dog walker, with over 80 dogs cared for in the last two years, I have to train all the dogs to come back when I call them in the same way they respond to their owners, to enable me to walk them safely. As a trainer, I have taught my own dogs, plus those of family and friends, all the foster dogs I care for, and even dogs belonging to other dog trainers who could not get their dogs to come back when called.

How it Works

Recall training starts with a consultation session and assessment of around an hour, in your own home. To be able to give the best advice for you and your dog I need to ask some questions about your dog’s background, their behaviour in general and any previous training. If there is more than one family dog a longer session of around 90 minutes may be required, even if only one dog appears to have a problem. This will be followed by a short assessment of your dog's current recall.

There may be some practical steps you can start taking straight away, before the first training session, which will prepare your dog to learn.

I will design the practical training sessions specifically for your dog, using the information I have gathered in the consultation. Each session lasts 30 or 60 minutes (or longer if you prefer), and you may have as many, or as few, practical training sessions as you require to get the result you want, at a time and frequency that suits you. Training usually takes place in the area you walk your dog, unless your dog would benefit from choosing another location to aid training.

There is no magic number of how many sessions you will need, as this depends on how long your dog has not been coming back, your dog's breed, what is causing your dog to run off, and how much time you can dedicate to practising on your own between sessions. You will see an improvement very quickly, your 'Ultimate' recall may need more time – it is your choice whether to have ongoing sessions with me, or whether to train on your own using the training methods I have designed for your dog. I advise at least one session with me to demonstrate the techniques.

Your only job will be to call your dog – mine will be to ensure your dog responds to your call.

Training is done using a mix of pleasure and penalties – not punishment or pain!

Fees

60 minute assessment and consultation - £35
(90 minute assessment and consultation if needed - £45)

30 minute practical training session- £16
60 minute practical training session- £25

Travel
Distances are measured from Brentwood High Street, Essex.

First 0-5 miles – free
Each mile over 5 - 50p per mile each way

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.