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How can I get the best care for my pet?

22/01/2021 By Karen Wild Leave a Comment

Whether we are looking for a dog trainers, pet sitters, dog walker, boarding or kennels, we naturally want the very highest level of care. How can we find the right people? How can we ask the right questions?

Find a decent dog trainer

All dogs will need training, and puppy socialisation (where lockdown allows of course). Dog training helps with walking your dog so that they do not pull on their lead. It makes sure they get along with other dogs and people. Also, it teaches you how to help them to learn the rules of the human household.

Even before you get your dog, research locally for an ABTC-registered trainer. Act now – get their space booked. Would you want to employ someone who might take shortcuts over caring for your dog?

Anyone charging money as a trainer should have proper (not just any) letters after the name. You could get an ABTC-registered person with practical – not distance learning – qualifications in all the aspects of animal behaviour that they promise to work. In today’s times there is no reason why a trainer or behaviourist would not want to get the appropriate ABTC registration if they profess to truly care for animals. 

Pet sitting and care

Pet sitting, day care and dog boarding kennels are next. What will happen to your dog when you are busy, or away? It is nice to ask family, but a professional is always best. They work with animals all day, are fully insured, and there are more than one available. A team of pet sitters will not suddenly let you down. They have qualifications in pet care and pet first aid should any emergency arise.

Day care for dogs is a relatively recent pet care service. Always check that they are council licensed and insured. Day care can also give your dog the chance to play with other dogs, so they will always come back tired and happy.

A pet sitter on the other hand often comes to visit or even live in your home! This can be the nicest thing for your dog with minimal distruption, especially if you have lots of animals.

Dog walkers are so helpful!

Dog walking services vary widely. Some dog walkers will collect up a few dogs and take them for a sociable walk together. This is usually in an enclosed space where they can be safe to roam and play. Others will do individual walks, perhaps for dogs that do not get along with others. They may help with other exercise needs that require specific attention. Dog walking provides companionship as well as exercise. At the end of your long day, you can rest in the happy knowledge that your dog has had a busy, fun day too.

Need the very best advice on how to care for your dog? Why not get Karen’s book ‘Being a dog’ which helps you see the world from your dog’s point of view!

Filed Under: Blog, featured, Posts, Tips and Advice, What's New Tagged With: ABTC, being a dog, cat sitter, dog boarding, dog training, dog walker, home boarding, Karen wild, pet care, pet sit, pet sitter, puppy boarding, puppy care, registered dog trainer

Fjord’s Mountain Mission to help children and dogs

16/11/2020 By Karen Wild Leave a Comment

NEW – Amazing Ski Safety E-Book for children needs your help!

Caroline Elliott, a snow safety expert and French qualified ski patroller who specialises in promoting safety on the ski slopes for children, is raising funds for her book, Fjord’s Mountain Mission.Caroline, who has been working with avalanche dogs for over 10 years, has also spoken extensively in schools and at winter sports industry events and conferences, including on the main talk stage at The Telegraph Ski & Snowboard Festival in London. The book will be published as an e-book version and then if the funding allows, there will be a print edition produced. Evgenia Malina, a professional commercial artist, is creating the 64 illustrations that will bring the book to life and make it appealing to the target age group of children between 5 and 12 years of age.    Fjord, a French flat coated Retriever, sadly died in 2020, but his name and legacy lives on in Caroline’s book and on her website Fjordsar (fjordsar.com). Caroline is now training her new dog, Källa, who will follow in Fjord’s footsteps, helping children around the country to learn about how to stay safe on the slopes. 

Caroline said: “’Fjord’s Mountain Mission’ is a magical account of a real avalanche dog and his mission in the snowy mountains. Through his adventures, your children can learn the essentials before they head to the resorts for their winter holiday, empowering them to enjoy their trip to the full. The book also has lots of helpful tips to keep safe and learn some fascinating facts about the life of a working avalanche dog and how to reduce your carbon footprint when visiting the mountains”.Caroline is hoping to raise £5,500 through a Go Fund Me page and is planning to release the book in time for the lead up to Christmas 2020.

All donators can opt to have their initials printed inside an individual snowflake on the inside cover. 

The book will be translated later into German, French and other languages if there is a demand.

If the funds are raised in time the Children’s illustrated book will be ready for Christmas in E book and printed form. 

Donate here: gf.me/u/wugfrn

Filed Under: Blog, Charity, featured, Posts, What's New Tagged With: dog training, fjord, mountain safety, retriever dog, search and rescue, search dog, ski dog, ski rescue, ski safety, skiing, snow safety

Are you collecting the right behaviour data?

08/04/2016 By Karen Wild Leave a Comment

Please come along to my special online webinar with the Pet Professional Guild – GB and learn more about how to collect the right information to get the right assessment of your dog and owner cases.

Please visit below for more information and booking.

Looking forward to it!

Upcoming PPGBI webinar with Karen Wild

Posted by Louise Stapleton-Frappell on Friday, 8 April 2016

Filed Under: Blog, featured, Posts, What's New

Pawprint’s Ready Steady Dog syllabus goes from strength to strength!

20/02/2016 By Karen Wild Leave a Comment

hugo rosettes ready steady dog

A little update to congratulate all our pups and older dogs on their recent level achievements within our unique Pawprint Ready Steady Dog training and behaviour syllabus.

The Ready Steady Dog syllabus was designed by Karen Wild who is an ASAB Certificated Clinical Animal Behaviourist and Dog trainer. It uniquely combines aspects of family dog behaviour expectations and training. Dogs and owners learn to communicate safely, learn from each other, and teach specific boundaries.

Dogs nowadays have a very difficult job. They are expected to become companions, cuddly friends, useful and obedient family members. Dogs are not born understanding these expectations, however. As a species it seems they are predisposed to work alongside people but how will they learn any of our strange human rules without gentle, clear instruction?

Karen wants family dogs to learn from the minute they arrive at their homes, so that they can stay there forever and become the lovely friend and pet we all wish for. The Ready Steady Dog levels, with a rosette of a different colour at each, shows the achievement of both dog and owner. As an experienced and well-qualified instructor, you and your dog learn the right lessons at the right time, at a pace that is easy to follow. Most of all, we have fun in classes learning in lots of different ways.

So much more than marching around in circles or just sit/stand/down!

Enrol your next puppy now, for a fantastic forever friend.

karen wild pawprint georgie level four rosette ready steady dog

Pawprint Karen Wild Ready Steady Dog

Filed Under: Blog, featured, Posts, Tips and Advice, Trainers and Behaviourists, What's New Tagged With: dog training, owner training, problem behaviours, puppies, puppy, training, welfare

Festive dog adverts deliver welfare blow

09/11/2015 By Karen Wild Leave a Comment

sleepy-sally-xmas-1360850-639x450Today two huge online advertising media gaffes caused a lot of upset for many, and a lot more work for others in the dog world.

It can be hard to get the message right on social media, which tends to blurt out advertising in snippets, but in the excitement of retailers selling us Christmas goodies, the dogs in our care take another damaging hit.

Firstly, House of Fraser published a picture on their Facebook and twitter account of a Pug puppy with a Christmas bow around his neck. The caption read “What’s on YOUR Christmas list this year?”. If the implication to buy a dog for Christmas had perhaps been mistaken, that would have been reasonable. However, House of Fraser then sent a tweet (twitter message) to someone suggesting that two Pugs might be even better.

 

House of Fraser's tweet (screenshot from tweet by @SpottedHoundUK)

House of Fraser’s tweet (screenshot from tweet by @SpottedHoundUK)

Beverley Cuddy, editor of Dogs Today and Dogs Monthly, magazines I both write for, ran these stories. When you work with dogs, you find many of them were bought on impulse, just like many instantly attractive gifts on offer. The difference is that dog must never be on a Returns policy. A dog is not like a pair of ugly socks or a comedy Christmas tie. They are not like the latest Disney Frozen merchandise. They could be a 15 year investment.

I have worked in this job for the last 20 years and it becomes tiring to hear the same tales (tails) from humans who didn’t think it through. Eventually the compassion starts to burn away. I think working in a rescue shelter is one of the toughest jobs out there, caring so much when dogs arrive when there is just no more room. It would be great if advertising could present welfare-friendly messages about dogs; even just selling an extra pair of wellington boots and a nice harness and lead to encourage owners to take the dog out more.

The day continued with another ‘Fail’ (as my kids call it) where Asda posted an image of another Pug (obviously the breed of choice at the moment, themselves suffering at times from serious health problems and in need of proper health checks if you plan to buy one). This time, hapless Asda posted about looking forward to tasting your first mince pie, with said Pug at the Christmas dinner table. The picture was adorable, but the message was deadly. Raisins and grapes can be toxic to dogs, even in very small quantities.

Asda's unfortunate image

Asda’s unfortunate image

I suppose we could say that these excitable tweets were all in good spirit and did not intend harm. And yet, dogs are used widely in marketing, from two leading retailers in this case. Used without sufficient checks for their welfare in messages that reach, for House of Fraser, 276 000 followers; in Asda’s case, 357 000 followers.

Imagine if those same retailers could now send a better message, about rehoming a dog or feeding him safely. Now that would be a great, and welcome, start to Christmas.

 

Karen Wild, Dip App Psych, CCAB

 

Filed Under: Blog, Charity, featured, Posts, Tips and Advice, Trainers and Behaviourists, What's New Tagged With: celebrity, dangerous dogs, owner training, problem behaviours, welfare

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contactkaren-3I’m a full-time U.K. dog trainer and behaviour consultant based in Peterborough with 17 years in the field. My work ranges from class teaching, obedience, flyball, agility and working trials, competition, to running a popular dog display team.
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