Hello October!

Well crikey- a week of all seasons to start off October with a bang! With some cold and very wet moments, we were pleased to see the sun come out on Thursday. I was stuck indoors at Uni for most of the week, but can’t say I was too sad about that, peeking at some of the weather that was had!

Vickie waved us goodbye Thursday and headed off down south for a well-deserved break. In true Dogs Galore style, her holiday has been filled with all thing’s dogs - of course!

Perfect timing to test out the new car crates , Vickie took main crew away with her (Trigger, Wheedle, Alaska and Cilla).

After a stopover in Otaki to visit friends, and a lesson with the amazing Charlotte Rundgren from Dynamic K9’s, it was southward bound for the crew!

First trip on the ferry for Alaska, who was far more interested in her stuffed kong than the fact she was travelling to a new Island. The weekend brought the ‘Top of the South’ National NZ Dog show! Of course, always time for some agility (with Wheedle picking up a cool 2nd place in a Snooker round).

Last we heard from Vickie was that she was roaming the town of Murchison with her partner in crime Bruce- watch out South Island!

Sav and I spent Saturday at Hybrid Dog Training, attending workshops. Consent was the big theme of the weekend- it is not just for people! The idea of having a dog give consent to a procedure may sound odd to some folk, but it’s been a hot topic in the dog training world over the past year or two.

You see, animals can’t tell us in words that they are uncomfortable- we must look for other signs. Smaller, more subtle changes in behaviour to tell us when we are getting close to (or crossing) that invisible threshold.

Even better, we can deliberately structure our training sessions to include clear yes/no opportunities. Incorporating “start button” behaviours into our training sessions lets us do just that: involving the animal in the learning process, providing clear choices, making sure all of our training sessions (especially those including stressful or scary things) are deposits instead of deductions, AND making the training process faster and more efficient. I definitely look forward to having more lessons with Kelly!

At last, but not least, while the boss is away, I have taken the opportunity to start giving away free things! (Shh, nobody tell her!). Head on over to our Facebook page, and vote for your favourite ‘movie poster’!

Have an excellent week everyone! Lauren.