We were welcomed back to Shropshire to film Rob Fellows and his dog Monty today.
We covered topics such as 'Reiki for stress' and also interviewed him about Monty's heart condition and arthritis, which Rob treats with Reiki every day.
We thank Rob for his hospitality, and look forward to filming him again in the future.
Sunday, 17 March 2013
The world's bravest dog
Today we were very privileged to meet up with Dave Heyhoe and Treo, his Army explosives and weapons cache search dog.
Dave spoke to us about how he met Treo, the training process, and of course the work he did in support of our troops abroad.
We thank both very much for their time, and look forward to bringing you this video shortly.
Dave spoke to us about how he met Treo, the training process, and of course the work he did in support of our troops abroad.
We thank both very much for their time, and look forward to bringing you this video shortly.
Saturday, 2 March 2013
Socialisation training
Today we filmed Tamsin Jane in Cambridgeshire with her 6 month old long-haired Akita pup. Tamsin explained some of the differences between the American and Japanese Akitas, and also talked about the importance of socialisation, particularly with breeds such as the Akita.
We also filmed an interesting video about the Nina Ottosson range of dog training toys, we look forward to bringing you these articles soon.
We also filmed an interesting video about the Nina Ottosson range of dog training toys, we look forward to bringing you these articles soon.
Friday, 1 March 2013
Getting ready for Crufts
In a few days time we’ll be bringing Naturally Happy Dogs to Crufts Dog Show for the first time and are naturally very excited! Crufts, is, of course the world-famous dog event organised by the Kennel Club. In March’s issue we have a couple of articles about some of the invaluable schemes run by the Kennel Club. One is the Assured Breeders Scheme (Assured Breeders Scheme) which sets standards of good practice for breeders and the other is the Companion Dog Club Scheme (Companion Dog Club) which gives owners of non-pedigree dogs the opportunity to compete in a wide range of competitions.
We continue with our series of articles on the work of Medical Detection Dogs (Medical Detection: The Benefits) and take another look at the benefits of changing your dog to a raw food diet (Changing to a Raw Diet). We also offer general dog training tips (Gundogs - Retrieve Problems) (Teaching the "Name Game") and further suggestions for anyone wanting to try out trick training ideas (Teaching Cross Paws).
In addition, we investigate a new development in the realm of dog safety. The Animalarm (Animalarm) is a device that gives warning when the temperature surrounding your dog is too hot or cold - invaluable if you have to leave your dog for brief periods of time. If you don’t already have one of these devices, come and visit us in Hall 5, Stand 104A for a chance to win one.
We continue with our series of articles on the work of Medical Detection Dogs (Medical Detection: The Benefits) and take another look at the benefits of changing your dog to a raw food diet (Changing to a Raw Diet). We also offer general dog training tips (Gundogs - Retrieve Problems) (Teaching the "Name Game") and further suggestions for anyone wanting to try out trick training ideas (Teaching Cross Paws).
In addition, we investigate a new development in the realm of dog safety. The Animalarm (Animalarm) is a device that gives warning when the temperature surrounding your dog is too hot or cold - invaluable if you have to leave your dog for brief periods of time. If you don’t already have one of these devices, come and visit us in Hall 5, Stand 104A for a chance to win one.
Friday, 22 February 2013
Filming Grisha
Today we travelled to Milton Keynes to meet up with Grisha Stewart for some more filming.
Grisha was over for the WOOF! conference along with a star-studded line-up, and she kindly took some time out to film a number of topics for us. One of these was an explanation of the difference between her BAT technique and Classical Conditioning, which we'll be bringing you very soon, watch this space!
Thanks again to Grisha for taking some time out for us, we look forward to seeing her again in the future.
Grisha was over for the WOOF! conference along with a star-studded line-up, and she kindly took some time out to film a number of topics for us. One of these was an explanation of the difference between her BAT technique and Classical Conditioning, which we'll be bringing you very soon, watch this space!
Thanks again to Grisha for taking some time out for us, we look forward to seeing her again in the future.
Friday, 1 February 2013
February 2013 is live
We’re looking forward to letting you know, starting in this month’s issue, about some exciting new developments in the field of medicine. One topic is how dogs can be used to help with detecting human health problems (Medical Detection Dogs). To continue with looking at medical issues, we take a further look at the work on Bionic Vet Noel Fitzpatrick, this time looking at the spine (Spinal disc problems).
We get some inside information from staff at Woodgreen: The Animal Charity on how they manage rehoming dogs (Rehoming your dog) and from one of the volunteers with the Pets As Therapy charity on what happens during a typical visit (P.A.T. dogs in action).
There is practical helpful information on how to dry your dog safely after a bath (Drying dogs) and how to teach your dog to drop on command (Gundog training: Drop) - an excellent immediate solution to dangerous situations.
We also have another video from Alex Wilson from Xtradog about choosing the most suitable kind of harness for your dog (Choosing the right harness).
Finally, if you fancy training your dog to do something a little more unusual, Chris Mancini shows you how to train handstands (Teaching tricks: Handstand). The mind boggles!
We get some inside information from staff at Woodgreen: The Animal Charity on how they manage rehoming dogs (Rehoming your dog) and from one of the volunteers with the Pets As Therapy charity on what happens during a typical visit (P.A.T. dogs in action).
There is practical helpful information on how to dry your dog safely after a bath (Drying dogs) and how to teach your dog to drop on command (Gundog training: Drop) - an excellent immediate solution to dangerous situations.
We also have another video from Alex Wilson from Xtradog about choosing the most suitable kind of harness for your dog (Choosing the right harness).
Finally, if you fancy training your dog to do something a little more unusual, Chris Mancini shows you how to train handstands (Teaching tricks: Handstand). The mind boggles!
Sunday, 20 January 2013
Book review - 'The truth about wolves and dogs' by Toni Shelbourne
Here at Happy Dogs we have been asked by Hubble & Hattie to review a new book, one about dog training, and have decided to accept the challenge. The book for review is called 'The truth about wolves and dogs' by Toni Shelbourne. The subtext reads 'dispelling the myths of dog training', and this piqued my interest. Knowing the range of dog training theories there are out there, and knowing the very best there is already out there, I thought it would be interesting to see where on the scale this book placed itself, and if it could bring anything new to the world of dog training books.
According to the cover-wrap blurb, Toni has "worked professionally with dogs since 1989" and "...worked with [a pack of wolves at the UK Wolf Conservation Trust] for ten years as Senior Wolf Handler and Education Officer". She is also a "...successful Tellington TTouch Companion Animal Practitioner". An excellent start then, someone with a potentially deep understanding of wolf behaviour, and also someone with a leaning towards the compassionate side of dog training.
The book starts well; it lays out its aim clearly and succinctly, to challenge the outdated and incorrect assumptions about dog and wolf behaviour of yesteryear. It moves on to explain the differences between the wolf and modern companion dog, again being short and to the point, using references to important pioneers in their field such as Belyaev, Pavlov and Rugaas, and making good use of quality photographs to illustrate the point. It strikes a nice balance between delving too deep into the technical aspects it describes, and dumbing down too much, covering much ground in a short space whilst pointing towards sources of research should the reader want to find out more.
There is a large section on the signals displayed by wolves and dogs, and this is again illustrated with many pictures. The information is informative and helpful, again not getting too technical but giving a good overview of calming signals and other behaviours that you might see in your average dog.
The book finishes with advice to potential owners on choosing the right breed of dog for their lifestyle, and explaining how to see the world from the dog's point of view. Whilst this is undoubtedly good advice, it seems strange to have this at the back of a book which appears to be aimed more at the budding dog trainer or dog enthusiast.
Nevertheless, this is a somewhat brief but accurate and helpful overview of dog behaviour, how they communicate with us and each other, and the key differences between dogs and wolves. It is not too heavy and the photos used are high quality and informative. It doesn't offer any new revelations about our canine friends, all this information is available from a variety of other sources, but it does package it up in an enjoyable and easy to read bundle.
The truth about wolves and dogs by Toni Shelbourne
Paperback with flaps
112 pages, 126 pictures
ISBN: 978-1-845844-27-1
Reviewed by Kevin Marchant, Naturally Happy Dogs
According to the cover-wrap blurb, Toni has "worked professionally with dogs since 1989" and "...worked with [a pack of wolves at the UK Wolf Conservation Trust] for ten years as Senior Wolf Handler and Education Officer". She is also a "...successful Tellington TTouch Companion Animal Practitioner". An excellent start then, someone with a potentially deep understanding of wolf behaviour, and also someone with a leaning towards the compassionate side of dog training.
The book starts well; it lays out its aim clearly and succinctly, to challenge the outdated and incorrect assumptions about dog and wolf behaviour of yesteryear. It moves on to explain the differences between the wolf and modern companion dog, again being short and to the point, using references to important pioneers in their field such as Belyaev, Pavlov and Rugaas, and making good use of quality photographs to illustrate the point. It strikes a nice balance between delving too deep into the technical aspects it describes, and dumbing down too much, covering much ground in a short space whilst pointing towards sources of research should the reader want to find out more.
There is a large section on the signals displayed by wolves and dogs, and this is again illustrated with many pictures. The information is informative and helpful, again not getting too technical but giving a good overview of calming signals and other behaviours that you might see in your average dog.
The book finishes with advice to potential owners on choosing the right breed of dog for their lifestyle, and explaining how to see the world from the dog's point of view. Whilst this is undoubtedly good advice, it seems strange to have this at the back of a book which appears to be aimed more at the budding dog trainer or dog enthusiast.
Nevertheless, this is a somewhat brief but accurate and helpful overview of dog behaviour, how they communicate with us and each other, and the key differences between dogs and wolves. It is not too heavy and the photos used are high quality and informative. It doesn't offer any new revelations about our canine friends, all this information is available from a variety of other sources, but it does package it up in an enjoyable and easy to read bundle.
The truth about wolves and dogs by Toni Shelbourne
Paperback with flaps
112 pages, 126 pictures
ISBN: 978-1-845844-27-1
Reviewed by Kevin Marchant, Naturally Happy Dogs
Tuesday, 1 January 2013
January 2013 Videos
Happy New Year! We hope you had an enjoyable Christmas.
We're excited to be sharing information on new techniques in the field of veterinary surgery with the “Bionic Vet” Noel Fitzpatrick, starting with a look at Cruciate ligament problems and a new video in our Free Videos section - elbow disease.
We continue our series on the work of the Pets As Therapy charity (Volunteering) and begin a new series “Working As...” where, month by month, we talk to people whose career involves dogs in some way about what their job entails. This month will be “Working as a Dog Walker”. There are more training tips from Adem Fehmi (Gundogs: Teaching Directions) and helpful advice from Woodgreen: The Animal Charity on rehoming a new dog. Finally we tackle the thorny subject of dangerous dog laws with Wheldon Law – experts in this area.
We also find out some top tips for bathing dogs and also what basic health signs to look out for in our dogs to make sure they are healthy as well as happy.
We’re off to a cracking start!
We're excited to be sharing information on new techniques in the field of veterinary surgery with the “Bionic Vet” Noel Fitzpatrick, starting with a look at Cruciate ligament problems and a new video in our Free Videos section - elbow disease.
We continue our series on the work of the Pets As Therapy charity (Volunteering) and begin a new series “Working As...” where, month by month, we talk to people whose career involves dogs in some way about what their job entails. This month will be “Working as a Dog Walker”. There are more training tips from Adem Fehmi (Gundogs: Teaching Directions) and helpful advice from Woodgreen: The Animal Charity on rehoming a new dog. Finally we tackle the thorny subject of dangerous dog laws with Wheldon Law – experts in this area.
We also find out some top tips for bathing dogs and also what basic health signs to look out for in our dogs to make sure they are healthy as well as happy.
We’re off to a cracking start!
Wednesday, 19 December 2012
Handstands!
Today we filmed Chris Mancini at the Puppypals training school. Chris kindly agreed to film three articles with us on the subject of trick training, including cross paws, 'foot on foot' and even how to teach your dog to do handstands!
We thank Chris and her colleagues for their time, and look forward to bringing you these articles early next year.
We thank Chris and her colleagues for their time, and look forward to bringing you these articles early next year.
Friday, 14 December 2012
Medical Detection Dogs
Today we filmed the amazing work of the Medical Detection Dogs. A fairly new charity, they are training dogs for a variety of roles, using their keen sense of smell to detect particles in urine samples and indicating when they find the particular scents that they are trained to detect.
It is said that some dogs can detect cancer cells in two parts per trillion. They are also more accurate during the earlier stages of cancer, as there are less other complications at this point, and thereby easier to distinguish.
We also filmed 10-year-old Stephen who has type-1 diabetes, his dog is trained to detect the scent of low or high sugar levels, and indicates by fetching his tester equipment, and alerting his mum in the second instance. A wonderful story, we look forward to bringing these articles to you in the new year.
It is said that some dogs can detect cancer cells in two parts per trillion. They are also more accurate during the earlier stages of cancer, as there are less other complications at this point, and thereby easier to distinguish.
We also filmed 10-year-old Stephen who has type-1 diabetes, his dog is trained to detect the scent of low or high sugar levels, and indicates by fetching his tester equipment, and alerting his mum in the second instance. A wonderful story, we look forward to bringing these articles to you in the new year.
Monday, 10 December 2012
Baileys, no ice
Today we had the good fortune to film the great Bill Bailey! Bill and his wife Kris kindly allowed us into their home to capture Bill in his native environment, with his three Bali Dingos, and a whole menagerie of other animals too.
Bill shot a video with us, all about his work with the Bali Adoption and Rehabilitation Centre (BARC) and how he came to rehome three Bali Dingos himself.
We thank Bill and his family for their time today, and look forward to bringing you this video soon!
Bill shot a video with us, all about his work with the Bali Adoption and Rehabilitation Centre (BARC) and how he came to rehome three Bali Dingos himself.
We thank Bill and his family for their time today, and look forward to bringing you this video soon!
Saturday, 1 December 2012
New December 2012 videos
Our December issue is now live. In this we take a deeper look into some of the topics that have proved popular in recent months. We look further at the Pets As Therapy dogs scheme (Registering a Pets As Therapy dog), dog first aid (Poisoning), agility training (tunnels), Tellington TTouch (earwork) and pet insurance (different types).
We also take a look at a couple of innovative new schemes. A fairly recent idea and one that builds on the Pets As Therapy notion is that of “reading to dogs”. This is not as crazy as it might initially sound. Studies have shown that when a child reads to a dog, it is not only fun for them but helps by providing a non-judgemental audience. It really seems to build a child’s confidence and there are a number of these schemes now supported by the Kennel Club. We hear from the Kennel Club about their participation and from 'Danny' from one of the schemes.
Another new and exciting approach has been taken by Wood Green – The Animal Charity with their “Paw to Door” scheme. This is a way to re-home dogs without the need for lengthy stays in kennels. We discover how this works in practise.
Finally, should you want to make the most of your canine’s good looks in time for Christmas, we get some helpful hints on finding a good groomer.
We also take a look at a couple of innovative new schemes. A fairly recent idea and one that builds on the Pets As Therapy notion is that of “reading to dogs”. This is not as crazy as it might initially sound. Studies have shown that when a child reads to a dog, it is not only fun for them but helps by providing a non-judgemental audience. It really seems to build a child’s confidence and there are a number of these schemes now supported by the Kennel Club. We hear from the Kennel Club about their participation and from 'Danny' from one of the schemes.
Another new and exciting approach has been taken by Wood Green – The Animal Charity with their “Paw to Door” scheme. This is a way to re-home dogs without the need for lengthy stays in kennels. We discover how this works in practise.
Finally, should you want to make the most of your canine’s good looks in time for Christmas, we get some helpful hints on finding a good groomer.
Tuesday, 27 November 2012
Surgery with Noel
Up bright and early today to visit Noel Fitzpatrick at Fitzpatrick
referrals near Guildford in Surrey. Fitzpatrick Referrals are committed to providing the best
compassionate care, surgical excellence and rehabilitation –
the gold standard of care. They offer all the options available in
neuro-orthopaedic surgery
today. Achieving the best possible quality of life for pets,
Fitzpatrick Referrals strives to make the impossible possible.
Noel explained in detail elbow problems, hip dysplasia, a spinal problem and cruciate ligament problems. He even let us video a couple of operations - one took just over half an hour and the other lasted just 4 minutes!
We hope to bring you these fascinating videos very soon.
Noel explained in detail elbow problems, hip dysplasia, a spinal problem and cruciate ligament problems. He even let us video a couple of operations - one took just over half an hour and the other lasted just 4 minutes!
We hope to bring you these fascinating videos very soon.
Monday, 19 November 2012
Alarms and Raw feeding
Today we met Victoria from Animalarm - the digital thermometer that can actually text you when it is getting too hot or cold for your dog in your car / kennel / conservatory / boat etc! She showed us how the fantastic product works and even left us with one to test out with our own dogs. That will be very useful for checking that the temperature isn't getting too cold for our office dog Lady who has just had her 15th birthday!
We also met Catherine from Albion meat products. Catherine started selling raw meat dog food from the back of her car and now has a company with a fleet of drivers delivering around the country.
We look forward to bringing these videos to you soon.
We also met Catherine from Albion meat products. Catherine started selling raw meat dog food from the back of her car and now has a company with a fleet of drivers delivering around the country.
We look forward to bringing these videos to you soon.
Sunday, 11 November 2012
Discovering Dogs
We spent today at Discover Dogs in Earls Court, London - a very good but very tiring day.
We filmed some great articles though - Tony Nevett and Caroline Kisko told us about Bark and Read, the Kennel Club's scheme to support organisations which take dogs into schools to help children to improve their reading. The calm, non judgmental nature of the dogs means that children improve in confidence and ability very quickly. Danny the lovely greyhound even gave us a demo with some young visitors to the event.
We also met Carolyn Menteith who explained about the benefits of the Companion Dog Club and then Bill Lambert to learn about the Assured Breeders Scheme.
We filmed some great articles though - Tony Nevett and Caroline Kisko told us about Bark and Read, the Kennel Club's scheme to support organisations which take dogs into schools to help children to improve their reading. The calm, non judgmental nature of the dogs means that children improve in confidence and ability very quickly. Danny the lovely greyhound even gave us a demo with some young visitors to the event.
We also met Carolyn Menteith who explained about the benefits of the Companion Dog Club and then Bill Lambert to learn about the Assured Breeders Scheme.
Thursday, 1 November 2012
November 2012 videos
Our November issue is live and this month sees the first of a series of great videos on the work of Pets as Therapy dogs, Introduction to P.A.T. dogs, and the invaluable work they do. Pets as Therapy dogs and their dedicated volunteers can be found working together to promote health and wellbeing in a variety of settings, from hospitals and care homes to schools for children with learning difficulties. It’s amazing how beneficial a visit from a dog can be both to the physical and mental health of a wide variety of people.
We learn how we can improve our chances of Buying a Healthy Puppy from Margaret Carter at Cavalier Matters. Cavaliers have more than their fair share of health problems and Margaret has learned, as have so many others, the problems that can beset you if you take on a dog with health problems.
As well as those, there are videos on: training - Teaching Agility Jumps; health – how to take a Dog’s Temperature; alternative therapy – TTouch Observations; practical matters – Making the Most of Pet Insurance; and animal behaviour – Reinforcement and Punishment.
We really do look at a wide variety of topics at Naturally Happy Dogs. Sled Dog Harnesses anyone? With winter just around the corner, who knows what we might be needing...
We learn how we can improve our chances of Buying a Healthy Puppy from Margaret Carter at Cavalier Matters. Cavaliers have more than their fair share of health problems and Margaret has learned, as have so many others, the problems that can beset you if you take on a dog with health problems.
As well as those, there are videos on: training - Teaching Agility Jumps; health – how to take a Dog’s Temperature; alternative therapy – TTouch Observations; practical matters – Making the Most of Pet Insurance; and animal behaviour – Reinforcement and Punishment.
We really do look at a wide variety of topics at Naturally Happy Dogs. Sled Dog Harnesses anyone? With winter just around the corner, who knows what we might be needing...
Monday, 29 October 2012
Dangerous dogs and not-so-dangerous dogs
On Saturday we visited Wheldon Law in Hemel Hempstead - Specialist Canine and Criminal Lawyers to find out all about the dangerous dog laws, what they mean and what to do if you are involved in an incident with a dangerous dog. Tina Hay explained to us what Breed Specific Legislation means for people who own dogs who are of a certain 'type'.
On Sunday we were back with Adem Fehmi from Dog-ease who showed us some more gundog training, including how to train a dog to stop on command and how to overcome some typical 'problems' with retrieving.
On Sunday we were back with Adem Fehmi from Dog-ease who showed us some more gundog training, including how to train a dog to stop on command and how to overcome some typical 'problems' with retrieving.
Saturday, 20 October 2012
Grooming and Gundogs
Another busy weekend, on Friday we visited Trevor Pearman from Pedigrees n Pooches based at Fosters Pet and Garden Centre in Hertfordshire.
Trevor was nervous but was excellent in front of the camera, very clearly showing and explaining to us:
- Bathing dogs
- Drying dog
- Plucking dogs ears
- How to find a good dog groomer
On Saturday we attended Dog Ease training school near Buntingford to film some of their agility class and also film Gundog trainer Adem Fehmi explaining how to teach a dog distance control.
These videos should be coming to you over the next few months.
Trevor was nervous but was excellent in front of the camera, very clearly showing and explaining to us:
- Bathing dogs
- Drying dog
- Plucking dogs ears
- How to find a good dog groomer
On Saturday we attended Dog Ease training school near Buntingford to film some of their agility class and also film Gundog trainer Adem Fehmi explaining how to teach a dog distance control.
These videos should be coming to you over the next few months.
Saturday, 13 October 2012
Give a dog a P.A.T.
With autumn approaching, the Happy Dogs team were on the road again, this time in Buckinghamshire to catch up with the great work being done by Pets As Therapy, a nationwide charity with volunteers visiting a wide range of establishments, from schools to care homes.
First we met with Chief Executive Lisa Coles who talked to us about the organisation in general. Then we met with a Regional Coordinator Jennifer who took us to Stoke Mandeville hospital and St Leonards care home so that we could see first hand the good these animals do.
We'd like to thank the volunteers (Sylvia and Myrna) who talked to us about their work and also the patients, and everyone at Pets As Therapy who made us feel so welcome. We look forward to bringing you the first of these videos in November.
(pictured is Sylvia with Hetty the dog meeting patient Maurice at Stoke Mandeville hospital)
First we met with Chief Executive Lisa Coles who talked to us about the organisation in general. Then we met with a Regional Coordinator Jennifer who took us to Stoke Mandeville hospital and St Leonards care home so that we could see first hand the good these animals do.
We'd like to thank the volunteers (Sylvia and Myrna) who talked to us about their work and also the patients, and everyone at Pets As Therapy who made us feel so welcome. We look forward to bringing you the first of these videos in November.(pictured is Sylvia with Hetty the dog meeting patient Maurice at Stoke Mandeville hospital)
Friday, 12 October 2012
Back to Wood Green
Happy Dogs was pleased to be invited back to Wood Green The Animals Charity headquarters in Godmanchester, this time to film articles covering rehoming a pet, both from the angle of current and prospective owners, and also a piece with Tracey Hill about Paw-to-Door, their trial scheme which aims to re-home animals without the need for a stay in the shelter itself.
We would like to thank Tracey, and also Barbara Fances and Victoria Cannon for their time today, and look forward to bringing you these articles in the coming months.
We would like to thank Tracey, and also Barbara Fances and Victoria Cannon for their time today, and look forward to bringing you these articles in the coming months.
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