Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2022 i Your Dog

News HOUND-UP FOOTBALL CLUB AND PET FOOD BRAND TEAM UP The‘world’s greenest football club’, Gloucestershire-based Forest Green Rovers, has signed up with award-winning, plant-based vegan pet food brand HOWND. “Our partnership to be their official vegan pet food partner is an exciting achievement and we look forward to the wealth of opportunities it will bring,” said Mark Hirschel, commercial director and co-founder of HOWND. “Let’s just call this a ‘matchday’ made in heaven.” GRRR-EAT TO MEET YOU! Analysis from pet brand Good Boy has discovered dogs are learning new words and commands, such as‘Zoom’, ‘Teams’, ‘meeting’, ‘internet’ and even ‘boss’, from listening in to their owners’ work video calls — so much so that 58 per cent of respondents’ dogs can recognise many of their colleagues. The study suggested having…

Case study “Prioritise your dog before yourself every single time…” After leaving the 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment, Chris Lewis had difficulty adapting to civilian life. Now he’s walking the entire UK coastline to raise money for the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA), which provides lifelong support to the Armed Forces and their families. His adventures started back in 2017. “I was a single parent, and I think I was suffering from depression,” Chris explained. “My daughter left to go to college, and I suddenly found myself on my own. My escape was always being outdoors. I went for a surf one day, looked down the coast, and just thought: ‘Right, I’m going to walk the coast of the UK!’” Two days later, Chris set off. Nine months later…

The Gallery Give your dog his five minutes of fame. To be included in our gallery, email your photos to gallery@yourdog.co.uk or post traditional prints to the address on page 4. Include your name, address, and daytime telephone number, plus your dog’s name and breed. Alternatively, you can share your images on social media at www.facebook.com/yourdogmagazine Twitter @yourdog. Please, no images of dogs playing with sticks or wearing extreme clothing!…

SUBSCRIBE NOW! Alongside their March issue of Your Dog Magazine, our subscribers will also receive the Your Dog Annual and Discount Card 2022/23, which includes offers, discounts, and perks from more than 300 dog-friendly partners throughout the UK. To take advantage of these offers, including savings on online shopping, dog-friendly holiday accommodation and hotels and B&Bs, eateries, dog-friendly attractions, and more, why not subscribe to Your Dog Magazine? Find out more at www.yourdog.co.uk/your-dog-discount-card or check out our latest offer on page 37 of this issue. WHO’S ON THE COVER THIS MONTH? Cover pic: Labrador by Mark Taylor, Warren Photographic Ltd. Our March cover star is six-month-old Ginny, a fox red Labrador, who was only 12 weeks old when our pic was taken. She is owned by Rob and Ashleigh Dix,…

10 WAYS TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR DOG WALKS They are brilliant for bonding and for discovering more about your environment, says top trainer and behaviourist Jackie Drakeford. Walks with our dogs can be the most bonding experiences we share with them, but when the weather closes in, daylight is short, or we have an endless ‘to-do’ list at home, it is all too easy for them to become just another chore. Do you sometimes catch yourself thinking about how quickly you can get this walk over with, so you can tackle everything else that needs to be done? Dogs are well aware when we are not paying them attention, and react in different ways according to their breed bias. Some will niggle at us to interact with them;…

TRICK TRAINING Perhaps the most accessible activity is trick training. Certified trick dog instructor Joe Nutkins, of Dog Training for Essex & Suffolk, said: “Trick training is pretty much boundless, and fully inclusive of every dog breed, age, ability, and training level. Tricks can range from actions we can use in everyday life, such as a straightforward sit or ‘watch me’, through to highly advanced and poses, such as reversing around a person, or paw wrapping a tall item and holding it upright — such as a pole or flag. “You can start at home in even the smallest of spaces — in fact dogs may focus better by starting at home — with the help of a book, video, or by joining an online class.” Trick training isn’t really…

LETTERS Spot on! I loved Jackie Drakeford’s article on common training pitfalls and how to avoid them (February issue). I thought her advice to ‘train the dog in front of you and not an ‘ideal world’ dog’ was spot on. In today’s world so many of us expect too much of our dogs, in terms of their behaviour and how they deal with our hectic lifestyles. All dogs are different and we need to observe and understand what they are trying to communicate to us, and when things go wrong step back and work out why, rather than blaming them. As the owner of a five-year-old Border Terrier (my first terrier I should add), I have had a lot to learn, having previously had Labradors who were all desperately keen…

YOUR RESCUE DOG OTHER DOGS AND ANIMALS Image: Toni Shelbourne. Introducing dogs and other animals to your adopted dog can be time-consuming and complicated. They are all having to work each other out and build a bond. It’s not something to be rushed. Again, you can swap scent; you might take both dogs for a walk together or let them have a play in the garden, or meet through a barrier. If either is reactive, the safest solution is to ask for professional help from a behaviourist. The key to success is not to rush your rescue into overwhelming situations. This includes unwarranted vet visits, training classes, or trips out and about. Continue to keep his world small and safe spending the time getting to know each other.…

TOP TIPS! ● Scout out the area ahead on a map, app, or online. ● Keep your dog on-lead until you’re certain there’s no livestock around. ● Be careful of ground-nesting birds, especially in spring. ● Remember, landowners can put restrictions on open access land. ● Look up where the nearest vet is in advance. ● Check campsites are dog friendly. ● Practise putting up your tent. ● Follow the countryside code. ● Train a good recall. ● Walks designed to accommodate humans with mobility issues will also be more accessible for dogs with mobility issues. ● Carry a canine first aid kit. ● Consider your dog’s needs first. ● Check out the countryside code at www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-countryside-code…

NEWS. CHAT. INTERVIEWS. PICTURES. COMPETITIONS. Talking dogs One in 250 dogs prescribed behaviour modifying drugs, says RVC research A new study from the Royal A Veterinary College has identified the Toy Poodle, Tibetan Terrier, and Shih Tzu as the breeds most likely to be prescribed drug therapy for undesirable behaviours. The data also revealed that one in every 250 dogs in the UK is prescribed behaviour modifying drugs each year to treat anxiousness, dementia-like behaviour, and nervous aggression. It’s hoped the VetCompass study of 103,597 canine clinical records — the largest of its kind — will raise awareness of the need to improve veterinary expertise in the prevention and management of undesirable canine behaviours, particularly as only 2.2 per cent of dogs prescribed drug therapy were referred to a behaviourist.…

Well travelled! What are the options when it comes to travelling easily and safely in the car with your dog? Alison Gallagher-Hughes considers the alternatives. “When it comes to car travel, there’s a range of different options…” Travelling with dogs is all a matter of physics — variables and constants that need to be weighed up to maximise the comfort and safety of your dog, while minimising driver distraction. There are many variables: your dog — his breed, height and weight, his predispositions around travel, the number of dogs you have, and the vehicle itself (model and specification) that will determine fit. This is not lost on me because last year my canine family increased in number. The back seat hammock liner and seat belt tethers — ideal for one…

IT’S A VET’S LIFE! March 2022 Cough, cough… Since the start of summer last year, vet practices across the UK have seen a rise in coughing dogs. Vicky Payne advises. In recent months, outbreaks of kennel cough (KC) have caused havoc with competition entries, training classes, and in boarding kennels. Nobody knows the exact reasons for this rise in cases, but in the break room my colleagues and I have wondered if dogs mixing again after their relative isolation during the COVID-19 lockdowns, and delayed vaccinations have been to blame. Vets are now being encouraged to call kennel cough canine infectious respiratory disease complex (CIRDC) as there are many different agents which can cause the symptoms, and any dog who goes to doggy places can catch it, not just those visiting…

YOUR RESCUE DOG A small, safe world In the second part of our series, animal behaviourist Toni Shelbourne advises on your rescue’s first three weeks, and how to help him feel safe in his new home. Not much will have changed for your rescue dog from the initial three days we highlighted in last month’s Your Dog, when he was feeling confused and unsettled. He may have more energy now, having probably slept a lot in the first few days, but he still has a lot to cope with. You are both getting to know each other; the relationship will take months in the making. Trust is still building and a healthy — or even unhealthy — bond developing. Many rescue dogs develop an over-attachment, seeing you as their safety net…

It’s GOOD to be BACK! The greatest show on earth is back in town — and we can’t wait, says Andrea McHugh! “Crufts is a wonderful four days… it really is magical.” Crufts takes place from Thursday, March 10 – Sunday, March 13. For further information, visit www.crufts.org.uk It’s been a long two years, but Crufts 2022, the biggest and best dog show in the world, is almost here! Your Dog caught up with a few people who have been counting down the days until the Kennel Club once again welcomes thousands of dogs, handlers, spectators, and exhibitors back to the NEC in Birmingham. MAGICAL CRUFTS Radzi Chinyanganya has been a roaming reporter for Channel 4’s TV coverage of Crufts for four years, co-presenting the show with Clare Balding. “Crufts…

Me and my dog A WINNING TEAM Milly Elliott now attends college, socialises with friends in town, and trains at the gym, all thanks to her guide dog, Libby. Joanne Bednall finds out more about this special partnership. Libby the Golden Retriever is much, much more than a guide dog to teenager Milly Elliott. She is her “best friend”. In fact, 18-year-old Milly says she loved Libby right from the moment they first met three years ago at the Guide Dogs National Centre, near Leamington Spa in Warwickshire. Then aged just 15, Milly, who suffers from a genetic condition that causes her eyesight to gradually deteriorate, was one of the youngest people in the country to be partnered with a guide dog. Although Libby was the first dog Milly was…

READY FOR ANYTHING! Make sure you and your dog are prepared for an emergency. Floods and high winds seem to be becoming a regular occurrence in the UK — but as well as extreme weather conditions, incidents such as fires, sinkholes, gas leaks, and domestic and industrial accidents may mean that you need to evacuate your house in a hurry. While you personally may be able to count on the help of others, have you thought about what might happen to your dog in the event of an emergency? Should you need to evacuate your home it may only be for a few hours, but in the event of a major incident you could be away for days or even weeks. Don’t just have a disaster plan in place for the…