Keep on going!

If you are looking for a puppy…keep going – you will find one eventually.

But it really is not worth taking a short cut and getting a puppy from a bad source. I’d like to add a quick note on the current prices of puppies that you might find useful – at the moment prices are VERY high due to supply and demand. Lockdown has caused a lot of people to decide to get a puppy now rather than wait another year or so. EVERYONE wants a puppy NOW. 

(As a breeder with a retiring bitch I get approximately 5 enquiries a day asking if I have any litters planned).

The prices are high, and they are not a good way to judge whether a breeder is good or not.

Because a GOOD BREEDER will have had to put their prices up accordingly otherwise they run a risk of someone buying a puppy from them to sell on for profit. So right now you can expect to pay anywhere for £1000 up to £2000 for a good puppy.

If you are planning on getting a puppy have you taken my fun quiz to see if you are really ready for a puppy? – Get the quiz here:   https://www.faithfulfriends.online/s/Are-you-ready-for-a-Puppy.pdf

If you have a young puppy

Lucky you! (see above). AND Keep calm and carry on. The puppy months are over so very quickly that you will soon miss this stage and look back upon it fondly! Puppies cause a lot of disruption to a household when they are new and this can come as a surprise for some folk. They don’t come home trained!! And suddenly you have a whole load of questions you didn’t know to ask. You might find my Puppy Package useful. It is a bundle of 2 online resources (videos and written content). The Puppy starter course to help you answer all those questions you hadn’t known to ask – including biting, sleeping, vets, UK law, harnesses, basic training tips... to help you raise a calm confident dog. PLUS the Socialisation in Isolation course which is 21 games to play with your puppy that teach them all the KEY skills they need for being a good puppy with good socialisation skills, perfect for those first few weeks and months when puppy is completing vaccination schedules and is not allowed out and about fully yet.   https://www.avonside.academy/bundles/the-puppy-package

If you have an adult dog who has got a few new bad habits during lockdown

Many folk are starting to be worried about life going back to normal and the effect it might have on their dogs. For 12 weeks your dog has had extra, long walks and enjoyed a relaxed atmosphere with you around almost all the time – what about when you go back to work?

So a quick note on preparing your dog for life after lockdown: give your dog some enriching experiences away from your close proximity... eg: get a snuffle mat and sprinkle some food in it (or spread wet food on a licky mat or in a kong) and place it across the room from you, aim for far away from you but still under supervision if you don’t know how they get on with these items – we don’t want a chewed up kong or licky mat or a destroyed snuffle mat if the dog gets anxious. When you know your dog is fine with these types of activities. Try leaving them in a different room with one of these enriching feeders. Leave them for just 10 minutes to begin with then when you return to the room don’t make a fuss just go about your business and let them go back and finish the kong etc if they haven’t yet.

If this seems to work fine leave them for 25 minutes next time and then an hour after that. 

You can leave the room or leave the house. Whatever you prefer to prepare your dog to be without you again. If the dog is older they should settle easily into you leaving again. Younger dogs may have a bit more trouble but generally a confident optimistic dog can cope fine with these sorts of changes to normality. If you have specific separation issues that arise contact me for advice. One thing you can do in preparation is build their optimism and confidence – you can do this through playing games – I recommend my socialisation in Isolation course at just £19 for building these life skills in your dog. The course is designed around building 3 key concepts in our dogs, Confidence, Optimism and disengagement – All good concepts for a dog that might be left alone. https://www.avonside.academy/courses/socialisation-in-isolation

For dogs of all ages who are bored or just need a bit more focus or who seem to be needing a training boost you can still get on the sexier than a squirrel challenge which is at a FANTASTIC 70% discount and is priced at £27 right now – It is a GREAT COLLECTION of games to play with your dog that build all sorts of concepts that are useful for helping your dog to be everything you want... Focussed on you, with good recall, a fab companion!

https://www.faithfulfriends.online/store/world-wide-sexier-than-a-squirrel-challenge

Whatever stage you are right now – Keep Going... Things change fast. Try to enjoy the journey.