Summer updates from The Dog Coaches

Hello!

We hope you and your dogs are doing well and finding ways to enjoy the summer safely. It has been a busy and exciting few months for us, with lots of lovely classes, training moments, and cute dogs! We recently celebrated our first birthday, and we wanted to say a massive THANK YOU for all your support over the last year. If you missed the celebrations, head over to our socials to see if you and your dog featured.

Since then, the hot weather has definitely kept us all on our toes. We hope you and your dogs have been managing to stay cool; we’ve mostly been hiding in dark rooms and only emerging early in the morning or late at night. Our biggest challenge has been keeping the dogs comfortable, so we’ve included lots of hot-weather tips below.

Classes

We’ve loved supporting lots of puppies and older dogs in our group classes recently, and it has been amazing to see everyone’s progress. We really do celebrate every success alongside you, so if you have any updates since coming to classes, we’d love to hear them!

Classes are a great way to build skills that support your dog in everyday life. If you ever feel you’d benefit from a refresher, you’re always welcome back to school.

You can also continue your training through our monthly Booster Club. We’ve had some brilliant first sessions in the field, helping people progress their training and work through real-life challenges in a supportive setting.

Booster Club is taking a short summer break, but the next session will be on Sunday 13th September. You can find more information on our website.

Dogs progressing their learning at Booster Club!

Hot weather entertainment: 

When it’s too hot for normal walks, your dog still needs something to do, just not something that gets them too excited or overheated. This is where calm enrichment and short training games are brilliant. Keep sessions short and if your dog shows any signs of overheating then stop the game and give them a rest. 

Find its:

1.  Place your dog in another room, behind a baby gate or have someone hold on to them.

2. While your dog is away, hide some stinky treats around the room. To begin with place them in easy spots like in front of chair legs.

3. Release your dog, asking them to ‘find it’ and allow them to search for the treats and eat them.

4. Repeat steps 1-3 but increase the difficulty of hiding places. For example you could place them under cushions or behind chair legs.

Sniffing is naturally tiring and helps many dogs settle without needing lots of movement.

Dog waiting patiently to go find his treats!

Indoor enrichment game 2: Treat towel:

1. Away from your dog, lay out a towel and sprikle a few treats across it. 

2. Roll the towel up loosely.

3. Place the towel on the floor, and allow your dog to work out how to unroll it and eat the treats.

For confident dogs, you can add a gentle twist or fold. For dogs who get frustrated, keep it very simple.

Stay nearby, keep it calm, and pop the towel away when the game is finished. This is also a great way for dogs to have their breakfast or dinner.

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  Kiwi having a go at finding treats in a towel

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  Moo looking for treats in a pink towel

Dog Superstar 🐕✨

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  Max when he was a puppy

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  Max all grown uo

Our dog superstar for this newsletter is Max, the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. Apart from having one of the longest breed names, he has also had the greatest success story.

Max came to us when he was a tiny puppy, starting off with some one-to-one support. He has then gone on to complete 2 puppy classes, another one-to-one, adolescent classes and has even come to 2 booster clubs so far! 

Kate has done an amazing job with Max, and we can’t wait to see how they get on as they progress together with their training. 

Dog First Aid Course 🚑

Did you know the advice for helping a dog with heat stroke has changed?

People used to say to put a wet towel over your dog. We now know this is not the best way to cool them down and can trap heat.

Instead, use cool or cold water to wet your dog. If you can, let them stand or lie in cool water. If not, keep pouring cool water over their body.

Once you have started cooling your dog, call your vet straight away. 

Signs of heat stroke: Heavy panting, drooling, very tired, wobbly, sick, or collapsing.

We found this out recently when we completed our Dog First Aid Course. This was such a great session, so good in fact we are hosting another one! 

🎟 Early bird tickets: £59 

📅 Sunday 15^th November  

⏰ 9:30am – 5:30pm 

📍Headley Park Community Centre

If you’ve ever worried about what you’d do in a medical emergency, this course will give you the confidence and skills to respond. It’s run by All Winds and covers topics such as cuts, burns, and dog CPR. We loved how this course was a mix of theory and practical and was a great place to meet other dog owners and professionals! 

You can book directly through our website or get in touch to find out more.