Blog

  • Dealing with sibling jealousy by training emotional regulation

    Dealing with sibling jealousy by training emotional regulation

    The biggest challenge we faced when getting a puppy was to ensure the dogs build a positive relationship. This was especially important because they are both females, and I was informed by our behaviourist that fights between two girls can be much worse than one with opposite sexes so you can imagine we were pretty… Read more

  • Toy test: snufflestack

    Toy test: snufflestack

    It’s taken me a while to post this but better later than never! Another snuffle toy we bought at the Animal Event was this “snufflestack” (my name for it, because it didn’t have one). Basically, it’s a pile of double layered fleece squares with a hole in the middle, stacked up in a fleece rope.… Read more

  • Toy tip: Starmark Tetraflex as a mealtime toy

    Toy tip: Starmark Tetraflex as a mealtime toy

    Today breakfast was served from Starmark Treat Dispensing Tetraflex – one of my absolute favourite mealtime puzzles. It’s soft plastic so no noise on hard floors; the size and shape allow dogs to pick it up and most importantly, unlike many other treat balls, it has a little funnel inside the opening which reduces the… Read more

  • Toy tip: frozen Kong Quests for lowering arousal levels

    Toy tip: frozen Kong Quests for lowering arousal levels

    I often give the dogs a chewing or licking activity after an active walk that has raised their arousal levels, like a beach trip is guaranteed to do. Nell took 20min to finish her Kong Quest Star Pods and Grace 80mins her Kong Quest Foragers Flower because it contains more food and Grace is younger.… Read more

  • Balance training in nature: sniff game on a tree trunk

    Balance training in nature: sniff game on a tree trunk

    I try to make use of the natural environment to get the dogs to practice things like body awareness and balance, and although Grace does her own practice on the edge of our sofa, it never hurts to do some deliberately. Here I’ve sprinkled some treats on top of a wide, mossy trunk which means… Read more

  • Veggie taster board

    I came across this silicone muffin mold in the cupboard this morning and I thought I would finally try doing a taster board for the dogs. A taster board is a basic form of mental enrichment where you put various foods on a plate/tray/muffin tin in front of your dog and observe what they do… Read more