Happy Christmas 2011!
December 21, 2011
Happy Christmas to all my clients, friends and family!!
Please send in your dog Christmas photo’s for the blog?
Special thanks to the Friday morning puppy group for dressing up for their last class! The weather was wicked hence we retreated into my utility room for our session, the planned games were replaced with behaviour theory. As you can see from the photo’s, it was a very serious session 🙂
All my groups know they are special and unique, the Friday pups are now the special dressing up group!! I think there will be a queue to join them!
Wilbur the Pointer belongs to Jane, he loved wearing his hat! Ozzy the Cockerpoo belongs to Louise! Chips the Border Terrier belongs to Amy, both these guys loved being dressed up!
I won’t go into what makes the other groups special here, all I can say is they know who they are!
Thank you to everyone for giving me their support this year, I look forward to seeing you all in 2012!
Guilt is over rated!
December 10, 2011
We all have days when we are not our own idea of the perfect dog owner, yes me too! I guess I base my definition on those times in my life when I have given my dogs the maximum amount of training, spent loads of time at home and/or been able to take my dog with me, if I have gone out. Not a very realistic window in time, well it might be if I didn’t have to work for a living.
The reality is that on a working day Pie and Betty do not have the perfect existence, by my standards. I wonder what they think 🙂 ?
They do have a warm home, plenty of food with all of their needs taken care of, the least sign of sickness would find them at the Vets having the latest medical treatment (much faster than I would get myself, in all likelihood!). They also have an owner that knows that they do not speak english as a first language or a 25th one, an owner who reminds herself regularly that they are dogs and therefore will do stuff that I don’t like, things like be opportunistic by stealing food if it is available, recycle pony pooh just because they can, chase wild life if left to their own devices and generally not read my mind, though I am
Betty with (Dad) Pie and (Mum) Gracie!
working on that one:)! I am an owner who is accepting of behaviour that must be managed and behaviour that I am wasting my breath moaning about, much better use my energy to put food out of reach, or shut my dog away from the opportunity!
I do not, generally, nag, moan or give my dog a hard time for just being a dog. I do praise my dogs when they get “it” right and thereby increase their confidence in themselves and me.
I do notice when I feel guilty and rather than give myself a hard time, I take the few minutes I do have to play, train, groom or be with my dogs, and if I really can’t find those few minutes I buy them something nice to chew on!
Great dog photo’s!
November 28, 2011
You may or may not agree with dressing up dogs, but you have to admit these are very funny? Personally I believe that dogs love to make us smile and always enjoy attention!
thank you Nicola for sending me the photo’s and to Michelle for the ones of Roxy, our own superstar!
Our own Roxy ready for Christmas!
Roxy and Michelle!
Jan’s new Labrador puppy Jasper!
November 19, 2011
Jasper
Many of you will have met Jan Johnson and her Labrador Lady! A short while ago Jan lost her old lady Amber and has been looking to increase her pack again. This week I heard of a litter of a working strain nearby, Jan and I went to check them out! Jasper is the out come, and Lady thinks she is his Mummy! Have fun with your new boy Jan!
Which pooh bag do you recommend?
November 17, 2011
The Thursday morning class are always a fun group to work with and we often have the most enlightened conversations about dogs and life! This week the pooh bag came under the spotlight! I am not joking, for dog owners this is a serious subject, we all use pooh bags often enough for this small item to have a major impact on our day-to-day lives!
Daisy! A new recruit!
We all reached into our pockets for a sample to show to the group, and 7 dog owners and we all had different versions! How many versions are there and which is your favourite?
Happy birthday Nessa!
November 6, 2011
Happy birthday November 5th to Nessa! two years old and a grown up girl!
The photo’s show Nessa at various ages and bring back some great memories for me as I have had the privilege of being a part of most of Nessa’s training life!
Even Nessa can't get this ball in her mouth!
What hole?!
Nessa shows her disgust at West Ham's result!!
Help find Mollie please? Mollie is home!!
November 2, 2011
Mollie lives with her family in Takeley, if you live in the area please keep an eye up for her, she is a dear little dog and I know her family are beside themselves with worry! I have a photo and their phone number if anyone can help please?
Emma writes:
Mollie is black body with tan legs (looks rather like a teddy bear).
Ross was walking them both along the Flitch Brewers End Takeley yesterday morning around 10am but Mollie never returned.
We had a call from Hatfield Forrest to say a man had our Mollie but after waiting all day it wasn’t Mollie!
I wondered if anyone had mentioned to you they had found a dog in the last few days?
We have informed the dog wardens in Uttlesford and Herts.
She is not microchip-ed 😦
Happy birthday Harley!
October 28, 2011
Thank you to Smita for sending in the photo’s of Harley growing up, what a handsome boy he has grown into! I think this is a great idea for the blog to feature the puppy’s growing up, I think we just need to add some video’s to demonstrate how clever he has become too! Send in your growing up photo’s please?
Now I just need a camera person? 🙂
Little and large! His or hers?
October 27, 2011
Roxy and Diesel are in the Tuesday evening class together and it is definitely love! Diesel is rescued GSD who came to classes originally because he had some aggression issues with other dogs! You wouldn’t know it now! Don’t you just love how he is getting as small as he can to get on Roxy’s level?
Listen out for me on BBC Essex next Thursday 3rd November 2.15pm to 4pm, if you miss it you can listen in for the following 7 days on the iplayer
I was discussing at class the other week with Fiona and Sue (Thursday morning group) about their different expectations they have on their boy and girl dogs, both Sue and Fiona have one of each. They both reported they were always delighted with their boy dogs and quite the reverse with their girls, and yet from the outside both these little girls are trying their very best to please a great deal of the time! Interestingly Sue and Fiona reported their husbands were much softer on the girl dogs and more demanding on the boys in the home!
I know that this can be the case with children, that is Mothers are more critical of daughters and vice versa, whereas Dad’s give the girls an easier time and are more demanding of the boys. Has anyone else got a view on this? I can’t say I have really thought about this before, I am watching myself now with Pie and Betty, I will report back!
Avril Munson's Blog 