Hi, I’m Natalie from Tees Valley Dog Training, and I’m delighted to be working alongside My Happy Hounds!
Picture this… you take your dog to the dog park on a summer's day, get to the middle of the field and release them from their lead. You pull out their favourite toy and they are off! Half an hour of pure bliss of running and chasing their toy and retrieving (or in some cases not!). They are totally obsessed with their ball and tired as you head home for the afternoon… sounds good doesn't it? Is this your idea of a perfect playdate for your favourite four-legged friend?
But when your dog is running around and chasing their ball their breathing reps per minute average 60-80. However if they are engaging with the environment, sniffing, foraging and exploring this increases to an impressive 140-200 reps per minute…. Therefore just 10 minutes of scentwork for your dog can be just as stimulating and tiring as a half an hour run in the field.
So what would your dog want from the perfect play date? The perfect partner - they have that in you! They adore you and love receiving all of your attention! That is a given. But what else? What would they ask you to do? Where would they ask you to take them? Let me give you some options!
Canine Hoopers is a great activity to help strengthen your bond, really connect with your dog while keeping them active. Hoopers is a fun, low impact version of agility. Work as a team of two and navigate the course of hoops, tunnels and barrels in this technical sport - improve your handling skills or attend for fun! For an active pairing, this really is a great way to enjoy your time together.
Or would your dog enjoy something more mentally challenging. Have you ever seen the police tv shows where the search dog sits on the luggage carousel and freezes over the bag with the hidden ‘loot’? Believe that your dog has the same potential to learn these skills? I do! And I will teach you all you need to know in our Scentwork classes! We can teach our dogs to sniff out a range of different scents and let us know exactly where they are. Our dogs have a massive 250-300 million scent receptors compared to our measly 5 million so it’s no wonder they would be able to smell a drop of blood in a football field. So why not channel your dog's inner bloodhound and give Scentwork a go!
Tees Valley Dog Training is the lead promoter of dog sports in the North East with regular Canine Hoopers and Scentwork workshops, I’m also planning to add Mantrailing to the list in a few months. All sports are promoted through force free, positive reinforcement and I guarantee you will have a chilled out relaxed dog by the end of each session. The great way to provide variety to all of your play dates! So what are you waiting for? I’m running these sessions at My Happy Hounds.. Book now and the fun begins!
