Stop in the name of safety!

Frosty mornings are my favourite.

There’s sparkling twinkling glitter on every blade of grass and leaf.

The mud is a forgotten memory.

And the nippy early mornings seem to bring out the zoomies in all my dogs!

But, there’s also the dreaded icy pavement to negotiate while the fields beckon with their wide open spaces.

This morning I stepped onto the front step saying “steady dogs, let’s not die on the ice just yet!”.

Now you know that for me nice walking is pretty important because of my long standing sciatica problem (previous blog), but I reckon it suddenly gets much more important for everyone when its icy.

And it’s not fair to expect our dogs to magically not pull on frosty mornings if we tolerate it on other days…

Nice walking, or loose lead walking, or “stop pulling my arms out of their sockets!” is hard to train, and there really aren’t many quick fixes.

Here’s a wee summary of how you could approach the problem: 

Want more help?

Why not book onto a three week intensive that concentrates ONLY on nice walking on lead – Stay By My Side.

These sessions have a maximum of just two dogs per trainer, and give you very specific homework tasks to practice each week.


Happy frosty walks!

Morag and the Beasts

What’s going on in WCC land? 

 

Three Week Intensives: Stay By My Side, Baby Come Back, Mind Your Manners 

Classes run on Mondays (foundation) and Wednesdays (advanced) in the evening at Yorkshire Museum of Farming

See the full set of options here 3 Week Intensives

Gundog Games Workshop – ONE SPACE LEFT

Learn how to have fun with your dog's natural instincts rather than fighting them!
Open to gundogs, gundog crosses (cockerpoos, labradoodles and more) or any dog that wants to have more fun.

Book to spectate OR bring your own dog

Scentwork and Sniffing School 

Channel your dog’s natural talent for sniffing with our Introduction to Scentwork workshops, and then enrol in Sniffing School for structured weekly challenges.

• Introduction to Scentwork EVENING (6th + 13th Feb 7pm) Yorkshire Museum of Farming
• Introduction to Scentwork DAYTIME (Saturday 9th Feb 9.30am) PawPark, Sand Hutton
• Sniffing School Level 1 starts 27 Feb at 7.30pm (5 week course)

 

 

Helpful Hounds returns! 16th February

Clare is leading two workshops focused on teaching your dog just some of the things Assistance Dogs do every day.

The introductory session is ideal for dogs who are new to these skills, while the progression session is designed to advance your learning.

Attend as a handler with your own dog, or come as a spectator to observe and practice at home!

Venue: Shipton By Beningbrough Hall

9.30am Foundations workshop
1.30pm Progressions workshop

Helpful Hounds 16th Feb

 

 

Introduction to Canicross Workshop: Sunday 27th January 

Expert kit fitting, basic skills tuition and a short guided run to put it all into practice!

NO NEED TO BE SUPER FIT!

Wigginton near York 
2pm Sunday 27th January

Book Intro Workshop

Don't lose sight of how far you've come when you realise how far you have to go!

It’s the start of a new year, which tends to result in lots of retrospectives and a helping of unrealistic resolutions.

What we’re less good at is giving ourselves (and our dogs) credit for the progress we have achieved.

Clare posted about some of her thoughts and plans in our special WCC Rehab “virtual coffee and cake” FB group (you’re welcome to join if you use our behaviour services or attend rehab club)

The last week before Xmas was pretty hectic for me, and I’ll be honest I was dreading Laird’s last Helpful Hounds class.

The previous week had been rather eventful (one grabbed and bruised hand, stolen toys, complete inability to concentrate, and a total failure to complete any task). I’m so grateful to my ever patient class mates!

But for final week, Laird really did pull it out of the hat.

We opened doors (“shove” = push the nose target), we closed doors without breaking them (“tug it” = grab and pull the tuggy on the door handle), settled beautifully without stealing stuff.

And then the really amazing bit.

The dog that steals and eats basically any plastic related items…waited while I threw out a plastic pot before retrieving it to hand when asked *shocked*

Even better, when we went to the pub later on Laird managed to socialise calmly and even settle for 10 minutes without any non-consensual humpage! I think that because the girlies handle pubs perfectly, I forget how much work went into that bit of their training.

So, since Laird came home with me in May 2018, he’s made some pretty amazing progress.

Are we done? Heck no!
A brief Xmas trip to the Lakes emphasised that his interest in hunting has gotten much stronger, and we need to bring that under control asap. I’m not even going to start listing the things he ate, or the number of times he stole toys from my parents new dog.

 I’m looking forward to the next year with my UltraCollie Freya, ShoutyDog Bronte, and BigYin Laird – life is guaranteed to be interesting!

Are you thinking about next year's training goals?

Determined to crack that reliable recall or learn a new set of skills?

Choose from three week intensives to 10 week block classes, and don’t forget we’ve a new programme of evening seminars too – these let you find out a bit more about special topics before committing to a workshop or full class block!


Book an evening seminar

You asked us for more payment options, so here they are!

• Book 10 week classes or 3 week intensives up front and pay online (don’t forget to use your codes) 
• Book a 10 week class but spread the cost over three payments (instructions here ) 
• Book 10 canicross classes and get one free OR book each week individually 

Book 10 week block classes

Book a 3 week intensive

Special Reward Codes 

Our glamorous assistants can use their special discount codes, and anyone in the WCC family who books more than one class (paying up front) can use your special dedication code. If you think you should have a code, but can’t remember it please email the office for help (info@wellconnectedcanine.co.uk)

Happy New Year!

Morag and the WCC Team 

New for 2018 Canicross Workshops in York!

Canicross means running cross country (on trails) with your dog in harness. Sounds straightforward enough, right?

You could just grab some shoes (and a harness & leash) and head out the door with your hound. But just like with regular running, starting without preparation or wearing badly fitting kit can quickly lead to injuries and spoil your fun. Worse still, it can turn your dog off the idea altogether.

We’re not just asking our dogs to run with us or near us, we’re asking them to learn a whole new set of skills and behaviours. Doesn’t it make sense to train this stuff carefully just like you’re going to build up your fitness?

Morag has been canicrossing with her own dogs for over ten years now, and along the way she has qualified as a professional dog trainer, community running coach, remedial human & canine massage therapist and more. In March 2017 Morag successfully completed the Hardmoors 55 mile ultra with Freya-UltraCollie.

If they can do it, so can you!

NEW Workshops on Saturday January 27th 2018

Shipton By Beningbrough

Introduction to Canicross (10am - 1pm)

Don’t waste precious time buying harnesses on the internet, only to return them when they don’t fit your dog properly.
We offer a specialised introductory session where you and your dog will be fitted with the right kit and try it out on the trails with us. We’ll help you teach the basic commands to your dog or dogs, and get you running together as a team.
Book your kit fitting and introduction to canicross session here:
Book Intro to Canicross Workshop


Boosting your canicross teamwork (2pm - 5pm)
A 3 hour class to check your choice of harness and running belt, test out more options, boost your teamwork and techniques, plus learn how to work smarter not harder!
Refreshments provided.
Kit checking in a warm indoor hall. Training and running outside no matter the weather!
Book your workshop here:
Book Improvers Canicross Workshop



Tutors: Morag and Laura are keen canicrossers, and qualified community running coaches with Run England. They have the knowledge and practical skills to help you love canicrossing with your dog!

Safety note: Running in harness at human speed is quite different to the kinds of running that dogs do off leash, so please consider a thorough vet check before starting and follow a good couch to 5k type training plan even if you already run frequently.

When life gives you lemons, don’t just make lemonade – stop buying more lemons!

I was in an accident last week. Another driver took a chance on a side junction, cut across the traffic and went straight into the side of my van. We were really lucky because neither of us was going that fast, but it was terrifying for me and the collie girls.

The aftermath with police, ambulances, recovery vehicles, having to find a friend who could come and rescue the girls – noisy, unfamiliar, lots of stressed people.

The van is away for repairs (I hope!) and we’ve finally sorted out a temporary replacement.

Bronte has taken it all in her stride. Being deaf and part blind means life can be pretty unpredictable and she generally shrugs and moves on.

Freya is really struggling, but then this is the fourth time she’s been in some kind of vehicle collision. Every time we’ve managed to work through it, but it gets harder each time.

Passing traffic noises are scary again, she’s on high alert in every situation and when Freya saw the replacement van outside my house she panicked and tried to flee. That was just seeing the van, we weren’t going near it or unlocking it.

Having a positive attitude to life and turning challenges into opportunities is one way of coping with the ups and downs the universe throws at us. So yes, when life gives you lemons – making lemonade can be an excellent choice.

But the truth is being optimistic isn’t enough.

Using positive affirmations might help your attitude, but what needs to change is your behaviour.

So when an avalanche of lemons lands on your head, the smart thing to do is cancel your monthly order of lemons…

I’ve organised my work schedule and personal plans so that barring emergency vet trips, Freya doesn’t have to go anywhere near a vehicle for at least the next month.

While I know I could ask her to go in a car, and she would try her best for me, it’s not worth pushing our luck and adding to the stress she is already under.

We’re going to be using supportive medication, plus all of the training techniques that have worked so well for us in the past to build Freya’s confidence around vehicles.

Freya has a pretty good set of resources to draw on (she adores crate training, knows that loud noises equal treats, enjoys scentwork, learns fast) but most importantly she knows that I won’t force her to do scary stuff.

If you need help with an avalanche of lemons, let us know!

Have a safe week

Morag and the collie girls

PS Looking forward to seeing some of you at our Xmas social on Thursday where the only lemons will be round the edge of my tequila glass

PPS Well Connected Canine is taking some well-earned time off over Christmas to spend time with

our dogs and our own families. We’ll be closing on Thursday 21 st December and re-opening on

Thursday 4th January. If you do need to speak with us before Christmas, make sure you get in touch

soon - it’s creeping up fast!

Do more stuff with your dog

Thanks to the hardy souls who braved the cold and came along to our first Parkour walkies on Saturday at Brimham Rocks. Sian led us on a magical mystery tour to find objects to climb on, under, go through and more. 

We did manage to get everyone on the same rock (briefly), and several people managed to film some elements for their International Parkour title submissions. 

Parkour is a dog sport/activity that builds confidence, improves body awareness and can be done by all ages and sizes. Most importantly it gets you into the outdoors having more fun with your dog – the best way to build a better relationship!

Want to find out more about Parkour? Just email us (info @ wellconnectedcanine.co.uk) and ask to go on the waiting list for our Parkour workshops and classes, we’ve lots of fun events planned for 2018.

Hope your dogs are enjoying the frosty weather

Morag and the collie girls

PS We’ve all enjoyed doing more activities with our dogs this year so here’s a sneaky early announcement that from January 2018 you can join the Sunday Sports & Social Club every month. A chance to catch up with like minded people and dogs plus practice your skills for rally, agility, parkour, scentwork and more. We’ll provide the space and the hot drinks, you bring cake, dogs and enthusiasm!