Dear Friends,

As the temperature drops and shops fill with the sound of Slade, it’s time to snuggle down with our loved ones and look forward to Christmas.

We’ve got some inspirational pet gifting for your furries, tips on keeping pets safe in the cold and during the festivities, plus a delicious recipe for your feline friends. WTD’s husky girl racer, Emma Cowell shares her latest racing report from Poland while we put our ‘trainer in training’ Tracie Ryan under the spot light.

Thanks for your support this year. And, we wish you and your furries, a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Hanne

Read the Walk the Dog Newsletter Winter 2011 →

If you’ve got a story you’d like us to feature or have any feedback about our newsletters, then please do email us.

Celebrations such as Bonfire Night, New Year and Diwali bring along the sights and sounds of fireworks, and this can be worrying for an owner whose dog has a fear of noise.

The temptation is to comfort our dogs when they’re afraid and shaking, however, this is the worst thing you can do!  Stroking your dog or making a fuss when he’s frightened is as good as telling him that you’re frightened as well; therefore the dog’s fearful response is rewarded.

So, here are some top tips to help your dog calm down.

How to tackle the problem…

• Ensure you’re in the same room as your dog – shut the door so the dog cannot escape the room.  Put any cables or breakables out of the dog’s way, in case he panics and gets tangled up or knocks into any ornaments.
• Sit on the floor and read a book, this distracts you from looking or reacting to the dog.
• Now – ignore your dog!  This means no eye contact and don’t speak to your dog, no matter how hard he tries to get your attention.
• If your dog tries to sit in your lap or lean on you, gently push him away without saying anything or making eye contact.  If the dog repeats this, continue to block him gently over and over again, soon he will realise it’s not going to get your attention and he’ll give up.
• Once your dog has calmed down (e.g.) he has stopped pacing and panting, and now he has sat down and his breathing rate has steadied, calmly call him over to you for an interaction – gently praise him and give him food reward once he comes to you.  Your dog is now being rewarded for his quiet behaviour.
• If this interaction kicks off the unwanted behaviour once again, repeat the instructions above.

Top Tips:

By following this guide, you are acting like the calm, convincing and reassuring leader your dog needs.  Your behaviour shows him these noises are nothing to be concerned about.

Note: The time it takes for your dog to calm down depends on his temperament, but with consistency and practicing this technique every time there is thunder, fireworks or any loud noises, soon your dog will learn there is nothing to fear.

Download our information sheet: Fear of noise

Walk the Dog™ on BBC Radio 5 Live

Hanne Grice, owner of Walk the Dog™, the multi award winning petcare company, was asked to join in the debate on Alexander Mcqueen’s decision to leave £50k to his dogs.

Listen to Hanne speak to Tony Livesey about this:

Listen to our radio chat on BBC

Hanne talks to the Herald Express newspaper about using dog walkers to help sniff out crime.

Dear friends,

Summer is finally here and with the longer days and schools breaking up, what better time to get out and about with your pets. We’ve got some suggestions on fun games to play outdoors on your walks, and look at a common problem behaviour – excessive licking. We meet Katenna Jones, animal behaviour consultant to find out more about her work with the American Humane Association. And, we have all our usual news, review and another great Ellen Tozer cartoon for you too.

Happy reading!

Hanne x

Read the Walk the Dog Newsletter Summer 2011 →

If you’ve got a story you’d like us to feature or have any feedback about our newsletters, then please do email us.

View the article about Ruby from Hertfordshire Life.

Hertfordshire Life reviewed Playing with your Dog.

Wednesday 29th June to Sunday 3rd July

Come and meet the charities and Walk the Dog™ founder Hanne Grice at Dacorum’s Animal Action Week.

You can find out about animal care, behaviour and management, as well as take advantage of reduced rates for microchipping at this special week long event.  Charities including the PDSA will be offering free dog health checks,  the RSPCA will be on hand to offer free flea treatment for both cats and dogs.  And, the Cat Protection team will be handing out cat neutering vouchers and promoting responsible cat care.  Award winning dog behaviour specialist and author Hanne Grice, will be joining the Animal Action teams on Saturday 2nd July and Sunday 3rd July to offer advice for dog owners experiencing problems with their pets.  The week long event will cover the Dacorum borough – see below for dates and venues for Animal Action Week.

Animal Action Week

Wed 29^th Jun – Bennetts End Community Centre from 10am-5pm
Thur 30^th Jun – Sainsbury’s car park, Woodhall Farm from 10am-5pm
Fri 1^st July – Tring Community Centre from 10am-5pm
Sat 2^nd July – Kings Langley Common from 10am-5pm - joining the charities is dog behaviour specialist Hanne Grice
Sun 3^rd July – Ashridge Visitor Centre from 10am-4pm – joining the charities is dog behaviour specialist Hanne Grice

For more information about Animal Action Week, contact Sarah Lewis, dog warden at Dacorum Borough Council on 01442 228418 or email Sarah at sarah.lewis@dacorum.gov.uk

Download the poster

View a PDF file of the Berkhamsted Living article.

Would you know what to do in a pet emergency? Learn about CPR, bandaging and more in our Animal Aiders Dog First Aid Training Course hosted by Walk the Dog™.

Date: Saturday 18th June 2011
Where: The Westwick Room, Leverstock Green Village Centre, Herts HP3 8QG.
Starts: 10am
Finishes: approx 1pm
Tickets: £32 (includes certification of attendance, comprehensive course booklet, practice CPR on ‘resusci-dogs’, refreshments and more).

The course will cover;

This course aims to support the Kennel Club Accreditation Scheme for Instructors in Dog Training and Canine Behaviour (Module A2 element vi).  To secure your place, go to our Walk the Dog Event Tickets shop.  More workshops coming soon.