How was your Halloween?

No spooky surprises for your dog I hope? Well … apart from good ones, anyway.

Nov 02, 2024

Hi Gang

How did your dogs find Halloween this year? We did Howl-o-ween and gave treats to all the dogs of the trick-or-treaters. Twyla was a super good girl.

She helped to stuff the treat bags alongside one of the oiks and me. Peter created a musical, lit up graveyard in our front garden and carved a pumpkin for the occasion.

Is Your Dog Scared Of Fireworks? It's That Awful, Fearful Time Again.

Oct 26

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Of course, next up is fireworks and for many, it is not such a nice occasion. It may be a bit too late to help dogs with their noise phobias. You can still prepare a nice, cosy den for them. Get some pet remedy*, and play the taiko drums or "relax my dog" music to calm them in the evening.

If your dog is experiencing lots of worry, you can book a free call with me. We can start to desensitise them to noises ready for the next round of bangs and crashes at new year.

A poorly girl

Sadly Twyla has not been very well for a couple of days and she has had a bit of a sicky tummy. Dogs, like us, are susceptible to upset stomachs sometimes.

Especially those that enjoy a spot of bin diving from time to time and eat things they should not.

I suspect Twyla has a food intolerance. It causes IBD flare-ups. So, I will investigate this. I once had a dog who was very allergic to several things. So, I'm always on the lookout for those kinds of things. I know how hard it can get when allergies take hold.

So she had to miss the first few days of the 50 mile big dog walk for Samaritans in November. I am not particularly concerned. But, we should let her rest and recover. I want her to be her typical, wiggly self again. We will catch up, however!

Samaritan Big Dog Walk - Miles 2/50

We also had a great early start at North Weald Airfield last weekend. There, she came face to face with a landing helicopter. She had some snacks in the cafe, met kids in the play area, and said hello to everyone at the SAAB meet we were attending with the You Tube channel SAAB Stories.

Twyla is a very sociable dog. Sometimes, she's too much so. She's also quite highly-strung. We must therefore ensure she doesn't get too excited around novelty. Excited dogs can tip into frustration or anxiety, so we always aim for calmness during new experiences.

I introduce her to new things on a lead, and slowly. I let her see them from a safe distance. If it's appropriate, I let her investigate them up close. Then, I walk away for a bit so she can process the experience. After that, I come back for another look. In this way, Twyla stays much calmer than if we let her wind herself up, getting all excited in the face of novelty.

Twyla the Scrumperdinger sitting in front of a helicopter on an airfield — Credit - P B Art Studio

Pulling on walks

Letting her meet new things in this structured way also helps with the pulling on walks. Twyla is a natural puller. She has a Labrador's body, but a Springer spaniel's brain. She wants to zig-zag and wiggle like any self-respecting spaniel.

Oh … and chase leaves.

Unfortunately, at 30 kg, her super fast zig-zagging and leaf chasing can become an issue. So calm introductions, plus her bungee lead* and a "Walk Your Dog* With Love" harness, have saved us on many occasions. They help when the world is too exciting and she forgets her loose lead training.

Luckily, those times are rare now.

The Happy Dog Journal™

Super Hero Dog Saves Lives - My super beastie is selflessly taking on the cold weather to help those in distress.

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Spotted and sharing.

Why Does My Dog Smell Like Rotten Chicken? - This did make me chuckle, but it also has some very important stuff to consider. Can your dog’s smell mean they have a health issue?