Well that escalated fast! and why I've been in hospital

“I want you to go straight to A + E with this letter. They’re expecting you as an urgent admission. And I’d pack a bag for two days”

Was not what I was expecting to hear at 9.30am last Wednesday when I went to see my GP!!!

You’ll not be surprised to hear that my immediate response was that I really couldn’t do that, I mean who was going to look after my dogs to start with!
And I had clients to see, and……

Then it dawned on me.

Yes, the GP was being cautious, but the consultant on the phone had just agreed that I needed to go in asap for intravenous antibiotics.

(before anyone panics too much, I got unlucky when two cartilage piercings were knocked and became infected, I’ve had my treatment and it’s all under control) 

Thankfully, I recognised the signs of potential infection and went to see my doctor fairly quickly.

The last time I had a problem like this I delayed and put it off – and was very lucky indeed!

But would you know how to recognise the signs in your dog?

When you’re out on a walk, and suddenly your dog is covered in wasps, being stung repeatedly* would you know what to do?

If you’re not sure then grab one of the 4 remaining spaces on the Emergency First Aid seminar, 7pm Monday 14th January, run by qualified Vet Nurse and Dog Training Instructor Antonia Parkin RVN (venue: Yorkshire Museum of Farming)

Book First Aid

The evening will include information on what you should be carrying on walks, how to bandage your dog successfully, dealing with allergic reactions, plus much more...



So, I’d like to apologise to anyone waiting to hear back from me this week, and thank every single person who understood why we had to postpone the Bodywork + Relaxation seminar too.

If you missed out on booking it there’s still time – I’ve rescheduled to Wed 16th January and I’m really looking forward to seeing you there.

Teach your dog to Relax


Here’s hoping for a less exciting week, and may we live in less interesting times!

Morag, the collie girls and the Big Yin 


*yes that really did happen to me last summer, poor Laird was crawling in the wee buggers 

PS In case you were wondering, the girls stayed over with Laura, Keith, Seamus and Brian while Laird had THE BEST TIME EVER living with his Auntie Clare and his gundog cousins for a few days

Jets, sheep and grouse - oh my!

or What happened on my holidays, and why I love resilience

Hello!

Well that was an exciting holiday week to say the least.  Wales was beautiful of course, and the hills were satisfyingly high.

I hadn’t bargained on the level of distractions at the “idyllic” cottage though.

• Grouse breeding pen in the garden
• No secure boundary (three exits, two leading onto roads)
• Randomly increasing numbers of ewes and lambs appearing in the garden (7 on the last day)
• Mach loop flight path (half hourly low-level flyovers from 9am into the night)

And for context, we already knew it might be a challenging week since it was the first time everyone in our group had been on holiday since all the additions. Our party had a total of 8 adults, one baby and five dogs (baby and two of the dogs are new). 

What did I learn from my holiday?

That my dogs are bloody amazing. And I probably don’t give them enough credit. 

Yes I was sensible, and they were largely on leash in the garden but certainly not all of the time. 

My beasts coped beautifully with Ellie the baby (Laird and Ellie are rather smitten with each other), no one chased anything, and Freya barely flinched at the jets!

We did have a bit more bad luck on the narrow roads requiring an emergency stop (blind bend with road works and a red light but no prior warning). Freya was understandably upset, but she recovered after a day or so – which is amazing given what she’s had to deal with in the last year.

The secret to our success?

Resilience.

The ability to bounce back and cope even in difficult situations.

Freya’s resilience is hard won – we’ve had to work damn hard with training, confidence building and drugs to support her.

Laird on the other hand seems to have the benefit of a super solid temperament from both his genetics and early life. He really is one of the easiest dogs I’ve ever lived with despite the black eyes and adventurous eating habits…

And that made me think of the lovely people who have just booked a phone session with Clare. They want to find the right puppy for their family, and they’ve asked us to help them!

If you’re thinking about adding a puppy or a rescue dog to your family, or you have a family member who might - why not talk to us before you fall in love. Get expert advice on what to look for, and the red flags to run away from.

It’s okay to have a wish list for your next dog, so long as it’s realistic. The perfect dog (or human!) simply doesn’t exist. But you can stack the odds in your favour if we help you to sift through the pages of possible second chance dogs, and resist the new puppy smell when you meet a whole litter of adorable puddings.

I met several potential dogs before I brought Laird home. I’m not just lucky that he is amazing, I had a clear idea of the essential characteristics needed to enjoy living with me. 

Book your “new family member” chat with Clare and start off in harmony: booking link

What’s going on in WCC Land?

Quite honestly what’s not – we’re back from our holidays and super motivated to spread the word about positive training and awesome relationships.

Workshops for your dogs

• Canine Activity Foundations  (Sun 9th Sept) – a one day taster workshop to find out your dog’s secret super power

• Helpful Hounds (Sun 21st Oct) – a foundation workshop to teach your pooch the skills of an assistance dog

Workshops for you

• Dog Training Fundamentals  - 29th & 30th September - a practical weekend for anyone interested in learning more about effective teaching methods for people AND dogs.

• Teaching with Confidence - 17th & 18th November - understand how to create successful learning experiences for both humans and dogs in a class environment. Plenty of practical teaching and videoed feedback sessions

Webinar programmes

• Deaf dogs – from getting started with recall to dealing with aggression and shadow chasing (starting 31st July)

• Professional dog trainers and behaviourists – learning to love your business (starting 2nd August)

PS The winner of our impromptu competition from the last email/blog was Alex with Super Cooper. They were the first to reply with Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall” and have won a tennis ball bungee tug toy!

Recruiting for Scentworkers in Yorkshire – can you help?

Team Well Connected Canine were busy this weekend at The North East Dog Festival doing taster Talking Dogs Scentwork sessions. Between us (Clare, Sian and Morag, with Fi manning the stand) we ran an amazing 42 taster sessions.

That’s over 40 new teams who learned to love Scentwork with their dog plus everyone who took leaflets, came to my talks in the education tent or watched our amazing demos in the main ring!  All the money we raised will be donated to Jerry Green Dog Rescue (£84).

Terrifyingly, 2018 isn’t that far away and I’m trying to firm up our calendar of events. Scentwork is such a great way to have fun with your dog, and it’s an easy sport to try even at a busy show or event.

Our aim to get out and about more to local events around York and North Yorkshire. The Scentwork sessions are always popular and a great way to raise funds for local charities too.

I’d love to hear your suggestions for events that we can take our Scentwork demos and have-a-go sessions to next year – charity dog events, village shows, anything where there might be a bored dog just begging to be turned into a super sleuth! We only charge a small fee for each session, and it’s all donated back to charity.

Send me your ideas by commenting, or emailing me on morag@wellconnectedcanine.co.uk

Have a great week and try not to get blown away!

Morag and the collie girls

PS Clare and I can confidently report that my tent does fit 2 people and 5 dogs into it, in fact I think we could squeeze in another dog if we tried….

September 2010 Classes are available to book!

Wednesday Classes (starting 22^nd September)

6.45pm Perfect Puppies and Beginners

7.30pm Confidence Course I

8.30pm Confidence Course II

Thursday Classes (starting 23^rd September)

6pm Beyond the Basics (Rally-Obedience)

7pm Beyond the Basics (Heelwork to Music)

October Seminars

Wednesday Advanced Clicker Training

Thursday Fears and Phobias

May 2010 Seminars: Nutritional Choices (Wednesday): Confidence for Handlers of Reactive Dogs (Thursday)

Wednesday 26^th May 7.00pm – 8.30pm

Acomb Parish Church Hall, Front Street, York.

“Canine Nutrition and Feeding Choices” £5 including refreshments

This informal evening will include an introduction to some of the varied ways to feed your canine companion from home cooked food to high grade processed food to raw feeding. We have invited experienced owners with particular knowledge in these areas to share the details with you, and answer any questions you may have.

Feel free to bring along your dog if they can relax around other dogs and people. There will be tea/coffee and biscuits available, and plenty of time to ask questions about feeding your dogs.

Thursday 27^th May 7.00pm to 8.30pm

Our Lady’s Church Hall, Cornlands Road, York.

“The human at the end of the leash – staying calm for your reactive dog” £5

Living with a fearful, anxious or reactive dog can try anyone’s patience! We spend time at home, on walks and in classes teaching our dogs how to relax, remain calm in difficult situations and respond with thought rather than instinct. This seminar is all about YOU J

Practical advice on how to teach yourself to relax, remain calm in difficult situations and quickly change your perceptions of handling your dog. These are vital skills for anyone who has a nervous or reactive dog in their household. Experienced Human Givens practitioners will talk us through the effects of stress on the human brain, and help us to practice the key skills of relaxing and remaining calm. There will be tea/coffee and biscuits available, and plenty of time to ask individual questions.

To book onto these seminars please email/text or phone Morag ASAP

07786 864 700, info@wellconnectedcanine.co.uk

Forthcoming Seminars: Rally-Obedience & Focus on Clicker Training & More Massage Therapy

All profit from seminar evenings is donated to Wiccaweys Rescued Border Collies and Working Sheepdogs www.wiccaweys.co.uk