Page 50 • The HERALD • 16th February 2023 v FOR GOOD ADVICE, ASK YOUR LOCAL SPECIALISTS v ANIMAL MAGIC Mopley Dog Services Grooming and Home Boarding Now taking on new clients for 1-2-1 grooming Appointments Available Now! Qualified/Licensed/Insured NFDC HHHHH Contact Gail on 07852 828559 gail.cowell@hotmail.com FF @mopleydogservices Professional Dog Grooming • Est: 2006 07903 271342 beth@forestsidegrooming.co.uk www.forestsidegrooming.co.uk Eco-friendly dog walking services in the New Forest National Park www.pawsinthepines.co.uk 07584 194279 chloe@pawsinthepines.co.uk Fully Insured, First Aid Trained & DBS Checked Paws in the Pines o ers Earth friendly dog walking in the beautiful New Forest National Park covering Copythorne, Cadnam, Bartley, Winsor, Woodlands and Newbridge. Set up by owner Chloe in January this year, Paws in the Pines is not your average dog walking service. Chloe o ers a tailor made service that suits the demands of both owner and dog whist also reducing the impact on the environment. Chloe has always loved animals and being outside; she spent 3 years working in a boarding kennel prior to going to University to study Wildlife Ecology and Conservation. A er graduating she became an assistant ecologist but soon realised there was something missing from her life… that was dogs, so she decided to set up Paws in the Pines. Chloe will tailor the walk to your dog depending on their size and personality whether they are calm, nervous or excitable. She will collect your dog, take them out for a one hour walk in the forest and towel dry them before they are dropped o and settled back in at your home. You can opt for your dog to join a fun and energetic group dog walk of up to 4 dogs or a solo dog walk. As well as dog walking Chloe also o ers drop in home visits; during her visit she will let your dog out to the toilet and play with them to promote human socialisation, she can also practice training and recall of the Association of Professional Dog Walkers & SittersTM, a veri ed member of the Professional Dog Walkers Association and part of e New Forest Professional Dog Walkers’ Charter. For more information p l e a s e v i s i t : p a w s i n t h e p i n e s . co.uk, email: chloe@ pawsinthepines.co.uk or call: 07584 194279. skills with your puppy to reinforce your own progress. Chloe is passionate about the natural world so it was crucial to her that she incorporated eco-friendly measures into her business including using equipment made from sustainable or recycled materials, using eco-friendly cleaning products, only using treats that are not packaged in plastic, using compostable poo bags and she even has her own homemade ‘dog poo’ composter to deal with her four legged clients waste! Chloe is fully quali ed with an Animal Management Level 3 Diploma, she is also canine rst aid trained, DBS checked and fully insured. Chloe is a member AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION….. by Rachel Clark, Little Rascals Dog Coaching Dog bites are on the increase and while children are particularly vulnerable, according to hospital data, the increase is being driven by adult cases. Accurate gures about breeds most likely to bite are limited by the fact that many bites are considered too minor to report and o en happen in the dog’s own home. Nevertheless, small dogs o en feature in the top 10 lists of dogs who bite. Why do dogs bite? Dogs communicate with their whole body from their nose to their tail. Dogs generally won’t bite when a warning will do, but many warnings are quiet and can be easy to miss. Small dogs nd it particularly challenging to make themselves heard. ey’re further away from our eye line so quieter signals are more likely to be missed, particularly for dogs with u y coats or at faces. Dog ownership has soared, and with it, so have expectations of dogs. Old wisdom such as never bothering a dog while they’re eating or sleeping is being lost. Meanwhile, dogs are expected to cope with increasingly stressful lifestyles as well as getting caught up in the thirst for social media photos, regardless of how uncomfortable they feel. Puppies are not blank slates and unscrupulous breeding practices result in puppies predisposed to fear and anxiety-based behaviours. Silent ways your dog will tell you they’re trying to avoid something or are feeling uncomfortable • Tongue Flick (see image) • Head turned away from you or another dog • Whites of their eyes showing (frequently misinterpreted as the ‘guilty’ look) • Yawning (also seen when they feel under pressure to ‘perform’) It’s important to note that these are only a few examples. ere are many more ways a dog can communicate silently, and like words in the English language, the meaning can change according to what is happening at the time. What should I do if my dog growls? e most important thing to do is listen and give them space. Listening isn’t rewarding them for growling, it’s rewarding them for warning. Your dog is perfectly capable of removing ngers but is choosing not to. Sometimes owners of small dogs wait for longer before asking for help at which time their dog has started biting hard. But the earlier you ask for help, the easier it is to start helping your dog feel better. If you need help, get in touch by calling me on 07903 859960, or email me: rachel@littlerascalsdogcoaching. co.uk Earth Friendly Dog Walking in the New Forest Chloe walking her dog Tongue Flick (Credit: iStock)
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