Dancing with Dogs

We have had a really nice day today meeting the lovely Mary Ann Nester from www.aslanagility.com and two of her dogs - Tico the Border Collie and Twizzle the parti-coloured Poodle. 

Mary Ann explained all about doggy dancing including the differences between Heelwork to Music (HTM) and canine Freestyle. We were treated to Twizzle's latest routine which included a very cute trick where he performed a 'spin' with all four legs inside a bowler hat!  

With the help of Tico, Mary Ann taught us how to teach our own dogs to walk around an object, to weave between our legs and even to walk backwards. We look forward to bringing you these videos in the new year.

Possibly the UK's most popular dog?

We were rather star struck today to meet a dog who is more popular than everyone at Naturally Happy Dogs put together! Minnie Antoniou, a Bichon Frise from Potters Bar was featured in the Times Newspaper having reached 4,400 friends...by the time we visited, Minnie's owner John had discovered that there is a limit on facebook of 5000 friends - as a result she now has a waiting list!

Following a career in sales, John started Minnie's page as a challenge to himself to see if they could reach 1,000 friends - they did within months and their fan numbers just kept growing. They regularly chat to their friends on facebook, including dogs in many countries including Russia and even a parrot in America! 

According to Minnie's profile page, her religious views are Woofnostic and her favourite quotation is 'A dog is for life not just for Christmas'.

Gundog work

Today we met up with trainer and behaviourist Adem Fehmi from Dog-Ease to find out all about the work he does with gundogs and other 'high energy' dogs. Adem explained to us that these types of dogs were bred to do 'a job' and that when they are bought as pets and not given an outlet for their energy, they can sometimes develop behaviour problems. Adem has found that by teaching gundog work to his classes, their behaviour often improves a great deal.

We filmed some articles about what gundog training is, what it involves and how you can do some gundog training with your dogs to help to channel their energy into positive behaviours

A day at the RSPCA

More filming for our Christmas issue today - we visited Anna White from RSPCA Southridge to find out what happens at their shelter at Christmas - it was lovely to hear all about how the staff and volunteers all pull together to make the day as nice as possible for everyone and all the animals in their care.

We also filmed an article about their adoption process and what they look for in potential owners.

While we were there, we met the Chairman of the "Friends of RSPCA Southridge" Terry Pavey and he told us all about what the 'friends' do and how much of a difference the thousands of pounds they raise each year makes to the older and unwell dogs in the care of the RSPCA. This will be a rather touching video which we will be bringing you early in the new year.

Christmas 2011 filming

We visited the Roebuck Veterinary Group in Stevenage today to film vet Anna Marshall-Brown who explained to us some of the dangers of Christmas. We heard some of the details about why chocolate, raisins and anti-freeze can cause problems and found out what action to take if we ever find our dogs have ingested these things, but we also learned about the dangers of things like tinsel. We will be bringing you this video in our December issue so that we can all make sure we enjoy a safe Christmas with our canine friends.

Missing dogs and finding dogs

Today was an interesting day for filming but a sad one too. We met up with Jayne Hayes from DogLost to find out all about the fantastic work that they do. DogLost is a national network of thousands of dog owners and volunteers who are keen to help reunite lost dogs with their owners. If you have lost or found a dog, you can register for free as a DogLost Helper and log in to add details of lost and found dogs to our database and to get assistance with your search from our national network of helpers.

As part of our video, we also visited Heidi and Chantelle, owners of 1 year old Chihuahua x Jack Russell "Pickles" who went missing from their garden in Sarratt, Hertfordshire on Sunday 17th July. She is mainly white with some tan on and looks more like a Chihuahua. She is micro chipped and all her details are up to date on their site. Unfortunately, Pickles is still missing, there is a group on facebook called Please Help Us Find Pickles and their DogLost poster can be printed off from the DogLost website.

After that, we visited the headquarters of Retrieva tracking, makers of "The World's First Tracking and Anti-Theft Dog Collar" - a fantastic product that has been designed to withstand dogs swimming, disappearing down rabbit holes and even thieves with bolt cutters!

October 2011 issue goes live

As we say hello (or goodbye!) to the last of the summer sun, here at Naturally Happy Dogs we are very pleased to put our October issue live. In addition to what now seems to be a regular dose of our favourite behaviourist, Ian Dunbar, and our excellent natural vet Nick Thompson, we have the second instalment of our feature on the Bionic Vet.

Ian is his usual brilliant self teaching us the importance of phasing out treats during the training process, and Jez gives a very interesting insight into how to use the normal days food allowance as a reward, to encourage behaviours that we want and also to add interest into normal walks. Turid Rugaas on reading calming signals during training puts the finishing touches to a mammoth behaviour and training month!

Sally Rowe tells us the importance of handling puppies all over, and how this can help with trips to the vets further down the road, and we are very pleased with the very technical and informative article by Barbara Houlding on Canine Anatomy and Movement.

With the first article in our scent work feature making its first appearance this month, I think you'll agree it is an information-packed month again!

How do we fit all this in every month...?

September 2011 goes live

Our September issue is live! Visit our video library 'arthritis specials' as well as articles on Golden Retrievers, teaching 'paw', recall training, canine Bowen, innovative veterinary surgery and understanding-dog-emotions!

Filming 2 more videos - Scent and Rallys

Today we filmed Pam MacKinnon from www.talkingdogs.org.uk with Cherry a 6 month old Red Fox Labrador discussing Scent work. Dogs love to sniff and smell their way through the day. Why not harness this skill rather than fighting against it? Scentwork offers a great way to have fun with your dog and tire him out quickly. This can be done at different levels, from letting him work alone while you watch from the sofa to encouraging him to cover larger, more challenging areas.

We then found out all about a new type of obedience training they do called 'Rally'. This is brand new and includes updated and clarified station signs, clear, well defined rules and regulations, and a unique ethos with an emphasis on pet dog owners competing with their own scores rather than simply against each other, Talking Dogs Rally aims to bring trainers and owners together to have a hoot with their dogs.

We also filmed a great video with Pam teaching a 'find it' game that we look forward to bringing you so that you can try it yourselves at home!

Playing with puppies

We had another great day's filming today, visiting little Daisy - a 'whattie' (Westie cross something!) We filmed an article about handling puppies and Daisy was a little star. Daisy's sister was also very friendly and seemed keen to get in on the filming action so we got some great shots of them playing together. They really are both a credit to their breeder - both such friendly, happy little pups.

We then filmed a lovely Hungarian Vizsla learning how to give a paw and then on to a Rottweiler to teach a roll over and a hand touch. All three dogs were very quick to learn and filming went effortlessly. We look forward to bringing you the videos over the next few months.

August 2011 is underway

What a fantastic month! In this issue, meet Michael Ball and hear how his dog Freddie survived pioneering new hip surgery. Also hear how Turid Rugaas advises we can improve our dog's confidence by providing a variety of mental stimulation. Ian Dunbar talks about the type of walks that he enjoys the most and recommends for a happy, healthy pet, and Barbara Houlding explains how Veterinary Physiotherapy can benefit older dogs. Nick Thompson tells us how 8yr old Great Dane Sasha who was suffering from Spondilitis was helped with acupuncture and other therapies to help her to pee again. We also find out about the links between Castration and Behaviour and how TTouch can be useful in agility training.

New subscribers ALSO this month get a voucher for a KONG product up to £20

WGAS becomes WGAC

Something new is happening at Wood Green Animal Shelter in Godmanchester, UK...they are proud to be re-branding themselves and improving the possibilities they have as a charity to help dogs find new forever homes.

We caught up with some of the members of staff today to film an article for you on the charity's ethos and how they help so many dogs each year, from strays to abandoned puppies to adult dogs needing new loving homes.

With their headquarters in Cambridgeshire UK, the charity has built up a fantastic reputation locally and we are pleased to be able to support them to help increase their visibility on a more national and international scale.

Their 'new look' website can be found here www.woodgreen.org.uk

July 2011 is live

The July issue of Naturally Happy Dogs is now live and we have some more great videos for you. In Dominance: Fact or fiction?, Ian Dunbar discusses the existence of dog hierarchies and how the truth about dominance differs from the common beliefs.

As well as giving away a FREE KONG to anyone who signs up to an annual membership this month, we also have a great video by Lizi Angel about Kong toys.

We also have fascinating videos on Police tracking dogs, how to Bandage dog paws, how to teach a Basic recall, things to consider when Choosing a 'type' of dog, find out what happens at an Acupuncture session and see how TTouch can help improve a dog's state of mind ready for training.

Canine Health 101

There are some people you meet, that you just know are incredibly passionate about their cause, Hope Turner is one of them. Having completed an animal management degree, Hope is now looking to start her MA and is tirelessly pioneering the value of a more natural way of life for dogs.

Hope makes sure that her ideas and ethos are always backed up by science and so we were very pleased to film an article with her on the benefits of a raw diet for dogs.

Her own beautifully healthy dogs (cream coloured German Shepherd x Huskies), are testament to the strength of the nutrient base within a raw diet.

June 2011 issue is live

The June issue is now live...and what an issue! This month we are supporting Dogs Trust and so for every person who signs up to an annual subscription, we will donate £1 directly to Dogs Trust. To find out more about Dogs Trust's brilliant work, why not watch our free video about the trust 'Dogs Trust: An Introduction'.

As an added bonus for this month, thanks to our friends at www.dog-and-bone.co.uk, every new annual subscriber will receive a voucher code which can be used to purchase a KONG product worth up to £20! And if that wasn't enough, they are also providing a fantastic prize of a 300g pack of Trainers Secret liver or garlic treats (the garlic treats have only just been launched but we have been reliably informed that dogs will do anything for them!) To enter this prize draw, simply sign up to our free newsletter.

Just another dog training method?

There are so many ways to look at dog training and here at Naturally Happy Dogs we are keen to provide you with all the kind, positive methods we can. One such method is a training method called EMRA. EMRA stands for Emotional, Mood State and Reinforcement Analysis...quite a mouthful! However, as we found today the name is the only complicated thing about this fantastic training method.

The method takes a holistic approach to behavioural assessment and looks at the way a dog is feeling when he or she performs certain behaviours. By analysing the dog's underlying emotions and mood states you can begin to understand what is motivating certain behaviours. You are then in a fabulous position to help them and train them through the undesired behaviour.

We met up with Sue Ketland who has been involved in dog training for over 20 years and works at the rescue centre Wood Green Animal Shelters. Sue is an advocate of EMRA having been trained in the method through the Centre Of Applied Pet Ethology (COAPE). The method is used by Wood Green staff to help dogs through behaviour issues and improving their chances of finding their forever homes.

As well as the article on EMRA, we also filmed an article on some seriously outdated training methods of using 'choke chains' on dogs, especially on those dogs that are pulling on the lead.

Sue explained for us the choices dogs owners now have for walking dogs and exactly why the older choking training aids are now so unnecessary and even potentially damaging to dogs.

We very much look forward to proving the video and giving people the knowledge they need to live in better harmony with their beloved pet.

Galen Therapy or Myotherapy

This therapy is named Galen, after a Greek physician who studied anatomy, although it is sometimes know as Myotherapy. It is a form of canine massage that is accredited and includes an intensive study of canine anatomy and physiology in the training programme. The combination of the two factors is what initially attracted practitioner Nicola Wreford to the therapy.

Nicola is now qualified in the therapy and was keen to show us on camera the wonderful ways in which the massage can relax dogs, improve their muscle strength and help keep them in tip top condition.

Deaf Dog Network

We had the privilege today to meet Karen Lawe, one of the founders of an organisation called the Deaf Dog Network. Karen's inspiration has lead her to create a project to educate people about living with, training and understanding deaf dogs. The network is proud to be available to help out breeders with advice if they find they have pups born that are deaf and to empower owners of deaf dogs with the confidence and techniques to live in harmony with them.

We filmed some great articles with Karen and very much look forward to sharing them with you later in the year.

Filming with Michael Ball

We are proud today to have filmed for you an article with broadcaster and actor, Michael Ball and his gorgeous Tibetan Terrier Freddie!

Freddie has undergone a big operation under Noel Fitzpatrick, 'The Bionic Vet'. The poor little dog has had to have a new hip in a revolutionary new type of operation after being involved in a traffic accident.

Michael had been away from Freddie for 5 weeks while he underwent his surgery, his recovery and subsequent physiotherapy programme back to optimal health. Both parties were immensely pleased to see each other as you can imagine!

After interviewing Michael about his life with Freddie and how he has coped with being away from him for so long we were also able to speak to Noel about the revolutionary new surgery and the operation itself.

One of our desires with this magazine is to be able to highlight the advancements that now exist for dogs in veterinary medicine and so we very much look forward to bring you this heart warming article later in 2011 and sharing with the world the choices for dogs that are being developed all the time.

May 2011 goes live with extra benefits

Another month, another 8 fantastic videos are added to the Naturally Happy Dogs Video Library! This month we have articles on Police dogs, Breed Specific Legislation (BSL), dog training - past, present and future, vaccinations, Tellington TTouch, The Bowen Technique, more treat baking recipes, and more training commands.

We have also added some fantastic new benefits. Visitors to the website can enter into a free prize draw to win a month's free Naturally Happy Dogs subscription, simply by signing up to our mailing list.

Also, anyone who signs up for an annual subscription will receive a free copy of 'Your First Agility Show' by Sally Rowe (more details about the booklet can be found on Sally's website).

And if all that wasn't enough, subscribers can now access discount codes for many products and services on our subscriber benefits page!

Want more? OK, we have also launched a 'Pawsitivity' page to allow visitors to send positive thoughts to dogs in need.

Phew... what a busy Easter!