Trick Dog Training - Do More With Your Dog

Trick Time!

Our beautiful little chihuahua Maisie has been working hard all year on her new favourite type of training. She has been adding Trick Dog to her list of abilities!

So far, Maisie has passed her Novice, Intermediate and Advanced titles, and is 1 trick away from passing her Expert title. We will be working towards her Champion title soon.

She is earning her titles at Fun Trick Dog Training classes, run by Kathleen Tepperies. If you are in East Sussex, I highly recommend joining up through her! She is a Certified Trick Dog Instructor, and knows how to help you get the very best out of your dog. In her Trick classes, you work towards to Do More With Your Dog titles.

Trick Training is a lot of fun. You work together with your dog to learn new skills, strengthening the bond between you. Most dogs love learning new things, and love spending time with their owners, so combining the two makes this a very fun and interesting thing to do with your dog! 

Because there are so many different tricks you can learn, there is something for all dogs, no matter how big or small they are, even puppies and senior dogs can learn new things. It's a fantastic way to keep your pet active as well as providing mental stimulation.

Some of the tricks Maisie now knows are - 

• Spin (Novice)
• Crawl (Novice)
• Roll out a carpet with nose (Novice)
• Barrel Racing (Intermediate)
• Opening the Door (Intermediate)
• Back-up (Advanced)
• Double Balance Beam (Advanced)
• Ringing a Bell (Advanced)
• Peanut Rolling (Expert)
• Box Search Game (Expert)

And so many more too! These are just a few examples of what she has learned over the past 12 months, and your dog can too. 

These tricks are so much fun for Maisie to perform, and she loves her classes too. Make sure to pay your pet well in treats and praise, and they will enjoy their training sessions even more. 

This is a PDF list of the different tricks for all the different levels, and books and DVDs you can get to help you towards them. Check it out if you are interested in earning any of these titles with your pet!

Crufts 2017!

Maisie had a fantastic time at the Worlds Biggest Dog Show. She got lots of cuddles, New toys, treats and grooming items, and loved being center of attention and meeting so many of her fans. (Photo above is from 2016 - My favourite one of her there!)

We went along on Toy and Utility Day, where there were lots of other Toy Breed dogs, as well as Utility breeds, Flyball and Agility dogs, and of course lots of PAT dogs and other dogs with very special jobs! 

Both varieties of Chinese Crested compete together in the same classes. The Powder Puff has a long flowing coat, and the Hairless has just small amounts of hair on its body. Otherwise, they are judged against the same breed standard.

We watched several breeds being shown including Standard Poodles, Shih tzus, Chihuahuas (both Longcoats and Smoothcoats), and Dalmations. Maisie got a little jealous that she wasn't able to go in the ring when she saw others of her breed, but she was there to work, not to show.

She spent most of the afternoon meeting some of her fans, shopping, sampling new treats and food, and taking lots of photos! When it came to home time she was exhausted, and slept almost all the way home (a full 5 hours travel!) on her new Vet Bed. It was such a fun day and Maisie still gets excited if she hears the word "Crufts" so I think she wants to go back next year too!

Crufts is coming!

Very excited - Crufts 2017 is coming! 

Maisie has received her Crufts pass so she get go and review it for us again for both Pretty Pooches and for her Instagram account Maisies Adventures (@MaisiesAdventures) - We are all very excited to be back at the worlds biggest dog show!

Last year we went and had a lot of fun shopping, meeting some lovely people, talking to some of the exhibitors, and generally having an amazing time. Pretty Pooches aims to go every year, and Maisie loves all the attention she gets there too. Our lovely friend Claire is coming too which just makes it even better!

Anyone else coming along - if so let us know what you are looking forward to most! Are you competing? Let me know and feel free to post a photo of your dog getting ready! 

Fearful Pets and how to help

Fearful pets and ways to help!

One of a pets main fears are fireworks, storms and other loud noises. Around this time of year there are so many people using fireworks its unbelievable. Even throughout the day some people are letting them off and so many pets are terrified of them, so here are some tips to make things easier on them, and some suggestions to help them ready for new year!

For when there are fireworks, storms or other scary noises going on - 

Create a safe den for your pets to hide in. It should be somewhere indoors and should be comfortable and dark, ideally with plenty of normal household noises to drown out some of the noise outside.

Some suggestions for dens - 

• Crate covered with blankets.
• A table with sheets draped over.
• An unused cupboard.
• A wardrobe or closet.

If possible these should be available before any expected events that you know will scare your dog. A crate is especially good for keeping up all the time as you can leave the door open and use it as a bed or put their toys in there. If this if for a cat, then putting a cardboard box in there is a great way of getting your pet to use it.

Drowning out the noise -

• Turn on the radio or television.
• Play some music.
• Leave on a video or DVD.
• Sing along to songs.
• Play a game with your children.

These things are all helpful to try and calm your pet during and after fearful events, and can be combined with herbal/natural remedies and homeopathic aids such as Adaptil plug-ins, Calming collars, and pet shop calming tablets. There are also coats available which work along the same lines of acupressure, pressing on certain points along the dogs body which has a relaxing effect (available to buy here).  If none of these remedies work then it may be worth speaking to your vet about a sedative. Being asleep is better than being extremely stressed but of course these medications have risks.

Preventing and training out fears!

Prevention is always better than a cure, so if you have a young pet exposing them to everything slowly and confidently is much better than trying to calm them after they are afraid. This isnt always possible though but there are ways to simulate these situations before they experience it in real life.

To expose them to "scary" sounds without frightening them, or to re-train your pet to not be afraid of these sounds, the best thing to let them hear the sounds very quietly in a safe place. Using this method in combination with treats or toys turns a scary situation in to an exciting one for your pet! 

I highly recommend the CLIX Noises and Sounds DVD - it exposes your pet to the noises, while you either feed them treats or give them toys to make it fun. You start off very slowly with the sound down low, and over the days and weeks you slowly increase the volume until it can be played loudly without fear. This is similar to the way clicker training works, the noise makes your pet think they will get a treat or a toy, so therefor the noise they hear is now a positive one. 

I hope this helps your pets not to be so afraid, or prevents your young animal from developing the fear. These tips are all things that have helped my pets over the years, and I would love to hear of any more tips and tricks to make things easier. Feel free to comments and I will add any new advice to my list :) 

Spotlight on the Standard Poodle

Despite my favorite breed being the Longcoat Chihuahua, I am starting with the Standard Poodle because they are just stunning dogs, who can do an amazing job in the field too!

The most well known Standard Poodle has to be Ch. Afterglow Maverick Sabre (pet name Ricky!) who won Best In Show at Crufts 2014

To put it lightly, he is stunning! He has it all - Conformation, Grace, Power, and Personality! He is a dog that can put on an amazing show in the ring, but you can see would easily be able to do what the breed was originally meant to do! Just as a dog should. His breeder should be (and I'm certain are!) very proud!

Moving in the ring - Look at that muscle!
http://www.scunthorpetelegraph.co.uk/Crufts-2015-Best-Channel-4-tonight-Clare-Balding/story-26137366-detail/story.html

Winning the Utility Group, then on to Best In Show
http://www.afterglow-spinoni.co.uk/attachments/Image/Ricky-@-Crufts1.jpg?template=generic

Ricky winning Best In Show
http://i3.cdnds.net/14/11/618x495/ricky-the-poodle-wins-crufts.jpg

Standard poodles were originally bred to hunt and retrieve birds that had been shot, particularly in water which is why they have the cuts they are shown in today. Each of the "pompoms" are there to protect the dogs joints and to give buoyancy in the water.

A poodle retrieving in the fieldhttp://www.bestinshowdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/PCA_hunt_1.jpeg

Poodles are also very good at other types of work. They can be used at Therapy Dogs, do Agility, be Support Dogs, help the Disabled, all sorts of things. Standards are very diverse dogs, and because of their inteligence they need a lot of mental stimulation. They are great pets so long as they have a "job" to do to keep their minds active as well as their bodies.

A poodle working with his owner
http://www.agooddogday.productions/working-photos/

I will write up about the Miniature Poodle and the Toy Poodle later. What brilliant dogs!