Breed Library: Gordon Setters

Today we went to film Maureen Justice and her Gordon Setters. The Gordons are a breed with surprising presence when you meet them, very loving and also wilful, it was a pleasure to film them. Thanks to Maureen for her time, we look forward to adding this video to our breed library.

CV247 and Neapolitan Mastiffs

Today we went to visit Roger Oakes who has been heavily involved with a cancer treatment option called CV247. Originally created by John Carter as a palliative care treatment in dogs, Roger has been working primarily with the human equivalent for many years. Unfortunately John is no longer with us but Roger told us about his work, his veterinary practice, and the work that he started and how his work is benefiting dogs all over the country.

From there we headed to the Fens, where we met up with Steve Cox and his Neapolitan Mastiffs. Steve provided the dogs for 'Fang' in the Harry Potter films and he has a huge collection of these handsome beasts. We were very impressed with Steve's extensive kennels and runs (www.rayvonley.com), and it was a pleasure to film this interesting breed. We thank Steve for his time, and look forward to bringing this video to our breed library!

New site launched!

Some of you may have been wondering why we were a little quiet over January... well, we can now reveal it is because we have been working very hard on a brand new design for the website. As well as giving the look and feel of the website a freshen-up, we have also launched our new breed library. This is a long term project for us, to film each and every breed recognised by the Kennel Club, and create the ultimate breed reference online.

We hope you enjoy the new site, as always any feedback is much appreciated and allows us to continue developing the site to be the best it can be. In order to achieve this, we are giving away 3 pairs of tickets to Crufts (March 2012). To enter all you have to do is provide us feedback about what you think of the new site. Please send your feedback, including name and address, to us via our contact page.

Filming for the breed library

Today we filmed two more breeds for our breed library, the Irish Water Spaniel and the Basset Griffon Vendéen (Petit). First up was Judy Hempstead and her mother Sue with their Irish Water Spaniels, two fantastic examples of this captivating breed. It was amazing seeing them in their natural environment – retrieving from across the water, and having such fun doing it.

Then we met up with Gavin Robertson, the President of the Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen club, and his pack of PBGVs. We were in luck today – he had a litter of pups who were absolutely adorable! Gavin certainly knew his stuff, and gave us a fascinating insight into this lovely breed. Thanks very much to all for being involved in the filming, we hope to bring these articles to you very soon.

Comet country's happiest dog!

Following our recent competition in the Comet newspaper, our Facebook followers voted for who they thought should be crowned as Comet country's happiest dog. Congratulations to Stanley and Nuala, who came in second and third respectively, and each win a year's subscription to Naturally Happy Dogs.

The winner was a very happy cross-breed called Bony, owned and loved by Nicky Visser from Hitchin. The Naturally Happy Dogs team went to visit them and film them for a special article coming soon, we'll let you know when that is live.

As well as being filmed, Mark from A2Zoom photography came along to take a professional picture for the Comet newspaper. He has some experience with photographing dogs and is really understanding and patient with them.

Many congratulations to Nicky and Bony, we hope you enjoy your annual membership for the website, and best wishes for a very happy future!

February 2012 is live

The weather may be turning colder, but here at Naturally Happy Dogs things could not be hotter! We are delighted to bring you another information-packed issue, with the top canine specialists in the world.

To kick things off, Victoria Stilwell tells us about some of the campaigns she is involved with on both sides of the pond, including puppy farming, which leads into our article from TV Vet Marc Abraham in which he goes into more detail about this huge problem.

Then we have the first in our series of articles featuring the great Roger Abrantes from the Ethology Institute. In this article, Roger talks about the difference between nature and nurture, and how the different stages of puppy development play a crucial part in determining it's behaviour further along in it's life. A must see article!

As if that wasn't enough, we have our first video with TV vet Joe Inglis, who tells us about his new product range from Vet's Kitchen. We look forward to more from Joe in the coming months.

On the training and behaviour side we are very pleased to bring you Mary Ann Nester, who has displayed her heelwork to music skills at Crufts, and in this article gives us an insight into the world of doggy dancing. Along with a video about teaching the heel and recall for gun dogs with Adem Fehmi, and another great article from Lizi Angel about separation anxiety, this is another great month for training articles!

And that's not all. In October last year we went to visit Minnie, the Bichon Frise who became a Minnie-celebrity (groan...) when she reached the 5,000 friends limit on Facebook and was featured in the Times. We have finally managed to bring you our interview with owner John Antoniou.

We hope you enjoy the articles, and look forward to bringing you more great videos next month.

Happy new year 2012!

Happy new year from the Naturally Happy Dogs team!  We hope you had a lovely christmas and that your heads are not too sore after the new year celebrations.

Here at the Naturally Happy Dogs office we have a packed start to the new year, with some absolutely fantastic videos in the January issue.

We are delighted to bring you the first of our Victoria Stilwell articles, starting with Victoria's Story.

Our supported charity this month is Wood Green The Animals Charity, to coincide with a video about their rebranding.

We have also covered lots of new ground this month, with articles on EMRA, Talking Dogs Rally, gundog work, and rehoming older dogs.  Not forgetting behaviorist Jez of course with a great article on dog-to-dog aggression.

What another great months videos, and we can't wait for next month either!

A partnership in action

Today we had the immense privilege and pleasure of meeting Lorna Marsh, and her amazing Canine Partner Eli.  Lorna suffers from Cerebral palsy and is Quadriplegic, and we were visiting to see how much of an impact having a Canine Partner has made to Lorna's life. 

Having already filmed at the CPI headquarters a week ago, we ought to have been well prepared for what we were going to film today.  Not so.  We were simply blown away by what a help Eli is every day to Lorna, doing everything from opening and closing doors, retrieving dropped items, helping to remove Lorna's jacket, flushing the toilet and even clearing up his own dinner bowl. 

Lorna was a natural in front of the camera, and thoroughly enjoyed demonstrating the wide range of skills Eli has whilst explaining how he instills a very strong sense of independence in her. 

We will bring you Lorna's story in the May 2012 issue.

Breed library: Dachshunds

Today we met with Sue Seath who breeds and shows her wire-haired standard Dachshunds and smooth-coated minis.

We had great fun filming this adorable breed, and look forward to bringing you the breed library next year. Thanks very much for your time Sue!

Naturally Happy Pets

'Vets in Practice star' and TV vet Joe Inglis talked to us today about nutrition.  As well as talking to us about his own brand of pet food (www.petskitchen.co.uk), he also gave us an explanation of the different nutritional requirements of a dog as it progresses from puppy, to adult dog, into the senior years.

We thank Joe very much for his time today, and look forward to putting his articles live next year!

Roger Abrantes

It was a great privilege and honour to meet and film Dr Roger Abrantes of the Ethology Institute today. 

Dr Abrantes talked to us about various aspects of canine psychology, and gave an interesting angle on the topic of dominance.  Look out for these fascinating videos in the new year. 

We thank him very much for his time, in the middle of his busy seminar schedule!

Breed library: Australian Terriers

We were very pleased to meet Christine Foskett today with her five Australian Terriers, and delightful little dogs they were too! 

Look out for the new breed library early next year.

Canine Partners

We spent this morning in Midhurst in Sussex today to film at the Canine Partners training centre.

We interviewed CEO Andy Cook about the history of the charity, and got to film a puppy training session as well.  We then interviewed 'Puppy Parent' Sue Simms about the work she does for CPI, and also spoke with Rebekah Kendrick, an advanced trainer with Canine Partners who showed us some of the fantastic things the dogs will do for their partners after training. 

We were very impressed by the work this amazing organisation does, and look forward to making them a future charity of the month.

Breed library: Pyrenean Mountain Dogs

Today we went to visit Paul Meakin who shows Pyrenean Mountain Dogs and has them as family pets. 

We were pleasantly surprised to see them living happily side-by-side with 7 cats!  It was great to spend some time with this lovely breed, and we look forward to bringing you the breed library early next year.

NHD meets Victoria Stilwell!

What a great end to our first year, and we could not be more excited about meeting the star of TV's "It's Me or the Dog", the legendary Victoria Stilwell.

We were not disappointed; truly professional, she made light work of our articles, including topics such as compulsive disorders, dogs with children, and more.  We also spoke to Victoria about the campaigns she is involved in.  We cannot wait to bring you these articles in the new year, watch this space!

Pet Blood Bank UK: take 2

To follow up on our interview with Wendy Barnett of the Pet Blood Bank, we have been filming at Davies Veterinary Specialists in Higham Gobion, watching a number of donation sessions taking place.

We were delighted to see how much the dogs enjoyed the whole process, and how calm and relaxed they were too.  We very much look forward to bringing you this feature in March next year.

Countdown to Christmas 2011

With December rolling in and the advent calendars being opened, the Naturally Happy Dogs team was on the road again.  Firstly to Loughborough and the head office of Pet Blood Bank, and to film founder Wendy Barnett about the life-saving work that they have done since 2007.  Filmed in the laboratory where the blood products are processed and stored for later usage, Wendy gave us a brief history into the company and what they do.  We will shortly be filming a donation session to go with the interview, to show exactly what happens during a donation session.

Next, further north and the University of Lincoln, where we met up with Kerstin Meints.   Kerstin is a researcher at the University and has been running extensive studies into dog-child interactions, with particular focus on dog bites and their prevention.  The studies are based around a DVD called 'The Blue Dog'.  The creators asked Kerstin to look into how effective this is as a learning tool for children aged between 3 and 6, a key age group for dog bites in the home and therefore a key target for the education.  Thanks very much to Verity and Rufus for allowing us to film them in one of their sessions too!

But that's not all.  Wrapping up a very busy day's filming saw us further north again, filming for our upcoming breed library, and the versatile Glen of Imaal terrier… more news on the breed library soon, watch this space.

What a busy day, I've a feeling we'll be very glad of the Christmas break!

Merry Christmas to one and all!

In our last issue from our first year, we have a bumper Christmas special featuring some great advice for helping your furry friends cope with the festive season.  Hear advice from behaviourist Jez, and from Veterinary Surgeon Anna Marshall, about the potential yuletide pitfalls and how to avoid them thus ensuring a very happy Christmas for everyone.

Hot off the press is our article covering the Discover Dogs event at Earls Court last month.  That was filmed less than 3 weeks ago, and with Jez's 'Stress free Christmas' being filmed less than two weeks ago, it has been a rush to get it all edited in time... phew, great work Sally!

Also in this issue we hear from Turid Rugaas about coping with the teenage dog, and a feature on the Retrieva tracking collar, a great new product on the market now, well worth a look at.  You can also save £40 off one of these great collars by quoting our exclusive code NATXMAS when you order, so what are you waiting for?

Sally Rowe teaching targeting and another great scentwork video from Pam Mckinnon wrap up another action packed issue (wrap up, get it?)

We are really looking forward to bringing you even more great videos and the best contributors in 2012, have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year, see you in January!

On your marks

Today we filmed with our resident trick-trainer (and extremely hard-working editor) Sally Rowe, who talks us through the various steps to training your dog to go to a mark.  Big thanks to Katie Mardell who kindly brought her lively collie 'Poppy' down to the hall for filming

Double trouble

Today we headed down to film with Karen Lawe from the Deaf Dog Network, where we also met up with Dali, a deaf Staffordshire Bull Terrier currently looking for his forever home, and being looked after at Battersea.  This is our second visit to film Karen, and we thank her very much for her time, we are really looking forward to bringing you the first of her articles about the Deaf Dog Network and Living With a Deaf Dog.

From there, we headed on over to see Jez.  Once again we were very impressed at his professionalism and knowledge, he is always a pleasure to film.  Jez completed our December issue with a very detailed breakdown of the potential dangers around the festive period, and what we ought to look out for in terms of our furry friends.  He also filmed another two fascinating articles for the new year, so watch this space!