Big-dog-little-handler: who’s afraid of the big bad vets

Duke is a big, strong looking dog. But he is an inconsolable wimp from time to time. We have built his exposure to new things and have got him very much use to things he once found terrifying. We are getting there. But there is one big bad fear Duke can’t conquer... the Vets. In...

Bucket list update: 160. Get Duke (my doggy) through his good citizenship bronze award.

I never thought Duke and I would pass our bronze award. But we really wanted to give it a try. What is it? Well it's a scheme run by the Kennel Club. The awards aims is to: “The Bronze award aims to provide the handlers with a basic knowledge of understanding and training their canine...

Big-dog-little-handler: wet walks!

I love a rainy walk. I always have done it probably comes from rainy holidays in Wales as a kid. Gran and Grandad took us out for the day no matter the weather. In fact I can’t remember a single occasion where wet weather prevented a day out. In my adulthood nothing has changed. My...

Big-dog-little-handler: Moving home.

How stressful is moving home? If it’s stressful for us humans imagine how stressful it is for our four legged babies! They have no idea what is going on. I was extremely worried about moving. It concerned me even before we got the go ahead we would definitely be heading to a new home. Duke...

Big-dog-little-handler: one year of training.

So it’s been almost a whole year since we joined our dog training club! I can’t believe it’s been that long. Duke has changed so much since we first walked into (burst into) class on a Friday evening last August. Has training helped?? Yes. 100%. Duke and we (Hubby and I)have changed for the best....

Big-dog-little-handler: Why we “do Agility”

Duke is never going to be zooming around a course on crufts.... he won’t even win a local agility competition (if I was ever bothered enough to enter him). So why do we bother? Firstly it’s fun; I love that it’s not competitive. I love that we are under 0 pressure to get it right....

Bucket list update: 243. Be in a dog show with Duke.

We have come such a long way with our beastie! Although I would never wish to “show” my dog (we both don’t have enough discipline for that) it’s a great feeling to be able to show that all our work has taken some effect. Our boy Duke. I wanted to take part in a local...

Dorset Dog Walks Pt2!

We love to explore. Dog walks round Dorset are brilliant. Since we took Duke home we have been exploring as much of Dorset as we can. You can find part one of our favourite walks here. Wether it's beach, woods or riverbank we are there. Lulworth castle Lulworth castle is a brilliant walk. Our favourite...

Big-dog-little-handler: My dog will never be able to do that!

My dog will never be able to do that, I’ll never be able get him to do that - I’m guilty of saying it. Not just saying it but of thinking and feeling it. The thing is it’s wrong! All dogs are capable of so much more than sit, stay and paw; even though sometimes...