Some bonus content for Puppy Week - I am telling you all about a client I have worked with this year. Check earlier in my feed for Parts 1 and 2! Arrival day went well. Esme was a little anxious, after all this is the first time she’d been away from her mum and Nana and her brothers and sisters and the people she knows about. She was inundated with brand new smells, so it was little bit intimidating for her, but she did well. When evening arrived Helen began to feel anxious a

Some bonus content for Puppy Week - I am telling you all about a client I have worked with this year. Check earlier in my feed for Part 1! On the day of pick up, I again got to go with Helen. I had not been since that first visit, and was looking forward to helping to bring Esme home. Importantly (for me) I got to sit in the back of the car with her cozy next to me. David, Margie and Emelia were happy to see Esme going knowing how loved and taken care of she would be, but so

Helen & Esme - Part 1 Some bonus content for Puppy Week - I am going to tell you all about a client I have worked with this year... Back in April, Helen approached me with regards to assistance in finding her a new family member: a puppy of course! Her first step was to book in with me to have an initial puppy guidance session. This is a one and a half hour appointment where we talk and get down to the nitty gritty of wanting a puppy, why, when and how. You can find the link

Puppy Sleep Training: Final Post for this Puppy Week Here's your plan for puppy bedtime success: Cozy Crate Setup: Use a crate (highly...

Let's talk about everyone's favourite topic - potty training! Here's what you need to know: Ditch the Puppy Pads: Controversial, I know!...

Bringing Home Your New Puppy The big day has arrived - you're bringing your new family member home! While it's an exciting time, it's crucial to approach it with a calm and prepared mindset. Here's a guide to make your puppy's homecoming a pawsitive experience: Timing is Everything: Bring your pup home early in the morning. This gives you a full day to help them settle in before bedtime. Evening arrivals can lead to sleepless nights for everyone! Keep Calm and Puppy On: Your

So you have decided what breed of dog you want, you have found a breeder (see yesterday's post), you are thinking about whether you want a boy or a girl, and if there is a particular colour you are looking for. And now you are on your way to see the pups for the first time. REMEMBER - pups give off pheromones like babies. It’s a special scent that says ‘love me’ ‘take me home’ ‘you can’t leave without me’. I’m not kidding, they really do. So you must prepare yourself to say n

When you're finding the right breeder there is a lot to consider, but hopefully this post will help! Here are some questions that you can ask a breeder even before you see the pups: How old is the mum? How many litters has she had, when did she have her first litter? If mum is under 2 years old, or was when she had her first litter, it is a big no. The mum needs to be over 2 to have given her body time to mature. You could also ask is it their (the human's) first litter they

Are you thinking of getting a puppy? If you are definitely going for it, or if it's something you've been thinking about for a while, make sure you follow my posts this coming week as we are going to be talking all about puppies! https://calendly.com/thecambridgedoglodge/initial_guidance_session https://calendly.com/thecambridgedoglodge/one-off-puppy-guidance

I had a lovely call today with a client who is about to get her puppy. Her puppy journey started some months ago, but now the time of arrival is getting close and I am getting very excited for them. I cant wait to meet their new family member! She came to me knowing that not only did I offer a puppy guidance service that assists you every step of the way. But also because she knows I make it my mission to ensure every puppy has the best start in life and every family is equip

This week I am dedicating it as Puppy Week! So to kick things off, I want to share with you my insights into owning and caring for puppies, of all shapes and sizes. The two on the above photos are Willow and Barney. They are two of our current dogs. Willow is a cross poodle/bichon/cavalier and Barney is a collie. By time either of these dogs came into our lives, I thought I knew a lot about dogs. I'd cared for puppies, I had trained them and I had lived with them. We made a p

I love puppies. They really are one of the best things about my job. I even love their smell! And no, I am not being odd (though I know many may disagree) they let off a pheromone just like human babies do, leaving us helpless to their power; I always tell people, do not go and see a litter of puppies unless you really are genuine because before you know it you will be bringing one home. Sadly, they don’t stay puppies for very long and before we know it we have a little monst

Ok, before I continue I want to point out this will be a very photo heavy post because these two are so photogenic and we had fun! And I want to share the views. Also, that me and Vicky had stated only a few days before we would NEVER go on a cruise. But then we went on one. Ok, it's not a cruise cruise, but it was still a cruise. We needed another adventure to go on with the puppies and low and behold there was canal boat trips being advertised for the school holidays that w

This weekend saw the very first breed show for Ren and for me. In all the years of taking care of dogs, I had never taken part in a breed show. So lets just say I was feeling well out of my comfort on the lead up to Saturday. Ren and me had been attending ring craft classes to learn what was expected, and to also make sure Ren was ok walking in a ring and being touched by a stranger/judge. Because after all it is about me and Ren doing something nice and fun together and if R

It has been a really busy couple of weeks and I have not managed to do a blog. I thought it was about time I got back on the blog wagon again and there’s no better way to start than to tell you about the lovely walk we had on Monday. Id arranged a walk with my gorgeous friend Nicola and her lovely cavapoo Dolly, a couple of weeks ago. We have not seen each other for a little while so it was a pleasure to get together with our 4-legged friends for a walk. Nicola is the founder

Last week we took a little trip to Glossop on the train. Its only a few stops so we thought we would go there first - we hope to build up to a trip on the train to Southport with them both in the summer. Ren climbed straight on but Chester, whilst initially eager, realised that gap was huge! So he had a little help. There was absolutely no need to worry, the pair of them had train legs immediately! Ren having a little look out of the window - she likes to see out where we are

Last week we went on an adventure with Ren and Chester. We took a bus ride to Hyde town centre! Ok, it doesn't sound that exciting but let me tell you, the most simple things in life can well and truly provide you with so much joy. This little adventure certainly did me and Vicky with these two little pupstars. We decided that even though we might not go on buses very often, we would go on a bus ride to the local town centre. This not only provides our dogs with a new experie

For the past 6 weeks, Ren and I have attended a puppy class. Despite having dogs all my life (and I mean right from when I was a baby, not just as an adult) I have never attended a puppy class. So I decided when we knew we would be gaining a new addition to our family, that I would take her to a puppy class. It was easier to do because my good friend and colleague Scott Foley, ran a class, so I asked him if had any space. Even we hadn't had that access to a class, we would ha

On Sunday we had a lovely visit with Ren's mum (Bitz) and Nanna (Kea) and their owner Chanette. Ren as you can imagine went absolutely bonkers when she saw Chanette! Jumping all over her, giving her kisses, and weeing all over her shoes! The plan is to show Ren so Chanette came over to help with some training (well, that is what the excuse was she used). Ren loves learning new things and thankfully she understands quite quick what we ask her to do. Kooikers are a working dog

I couldn't resist using this photo first - I might even print it off for the wall! Today I took Ren out with her big sister Barney. I think Barney has been feeling a little confused about Ren and how she changes the dynamics of the house. She has been displaying some odd behaviours that are not like her, which is to be expected. It is a big change for the house. I realised last night I needed to do some direct work with her. I started on a walk with her and Ren this morning.