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A fundraising dog walk organised by Allyson Giel is to take place Saturday 17th March 2012 at 1pm, opposite St. Botolphs Church, Bradenham.

The walk will be a gentle meander through the glorious Chiltern countryside, with stunning views, for a couple of hours. There will be plenty of opportunity to take photos and watch the dogs play.

A minimum donation of £5 required. As it is Mothering Sunday the next day, any money raised will be donated to a dog rescue who has either a pregnant bitch, bitch with puppies or very young pups to support.

For more information see:

http://www.facebook.com/events/345856075436276/

• • aturday, 17 March 2012
  • Time 13:00 until 15:00
• Where Opposite St. Botolphs Church, Bradenham, Bucks. HP14 4HF
• Description

  The walk will be a gentle meander through the glorious chiltern countryside, with stunning views, for a couple of hours. There will be plenty of opportunity to take photos and watch the dogs play.

  A minimum donation of £5 required. As it is Mothering Sunday the next day, any money raised will be donated to a dog rescue who has either a pregnant bitch, bitch with puppies or very young pups to support.

  At any of the walks we are always pleased to recieve donations of goods for dog rescue and dog related charities. This can be anything from the obvious food, treats, bedding, collars & leads to used stamps, mobile phones & ink cartridges, new stationary such as A4 paper & envelopes and clean plastic milk bottle tops.

  You can find directions to St. Botolph’s Church, Bradenham here:

  http://www.achurchnearyou.com/bradenham-st-botolph/

The new evening puppy and pet dog training classes are starting in Downley this week. All places have now been allocated however not all payments have been received. Therefore please let me know if you would like to notified if a place becomes available.

The next set of 6 weeks will start in Downley on Tuesday 13th March, the puppy class again will be at 6pm and the pet class at 7pm. Also currently there are only two places available on the puppy course at Holmer Green starting 17th February. Please email me if you would like a booking form for any of the courses, admin@estellewingrove.co.uk

As always class numbers are limited to ensure everyone gets some individual attention and dogs are not too distracted by the other dogs in the class. I believe that some distraction can be beneficial however if there is too much the dogs are not able to focus and learn which can be frustrating for an owner. The classes are for pet dogs, designed to be fun, relaxed and enjoyable for owners and dogs, whilst also learning training methods useful for everyday situations.

People are often asking me if I know of a secure area they can walk their dog off lead and unfortunatly I do not so I was wondering if anyone does know of somewhere dog friendly in the High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire area. Please leave a comment if you do know of anywhere or if you know of any lovely walks you and your dog enjoys.

New evening indoor puppy and pet dog training classes will be starting Tuesday 31st January 2012 at St James’ Hall, Downley. The puppy class will start at 6pm and the pet dog class at 7pm.

The existing classes will still be taking place. The next puppy class at Holmer Green starts 17th February 2012, bookings have already started to be taken. The January pet outdoor class on Saturday mornings has started and is currently full, bookings can now be made for February.

Please see the classes page for more information or email me for a booking form.

I always aim to reply to emails and send booking forms requested by phone within 48 hours. However in the past some people do not appear to have received my emails or they have ended up in spam folders. Please feel free to text, call or email me if you have not received a reply.

Merry Christmas everyone I hope you and your dogs all have a lovely Christmas 2011 and a great new year.

Just a reminder dogs cannot have chocolate or grapes/raisins. Make sure any presents under the tree aren’t opened early by your dog just in-case and keep the mince pies and Christmas cake out of reach just in-case your dog fancies a festive treat that ends up at the vets.  The Dogs Trust have a Christmas Saftey page to help dogs stay safe over the Christmas period.

Th 12 Dogs of Christmas – just a bit of festive fun!

The next set of 6 weeks of classes will start in January. The puppy class at Holmer Green is now full and the next set will probably start 17th February 2012.

An outdoor class will also be starting in January on Saturday mornings at 10am. It will be held near Lane End (High Wycombe). This class is designed for dogs who have completed puppy training classes and to develop the exercises taught with increasing distractions and duration/distance from the owner. (Please note dogs over 5 months who have not attended a puppy training class are welcome but may require a 1-2-1 training session before classes start). Please see the classes page for more information or email me for a booking form.

I have posted the new owners puppy pack in the client area of the website. If you have attended my puppy classes or had a 1-2-1 with me please email me for the password.

6 Things to Ask The Breeder
Can you see the mother and father (if not why not and why did they choose the sire and what is the dogs history)?
Is the dog in good health (i.e. has it been vaccinated, wormed, last visit to the vet were the parents screened for breed problems)?
Will you be provided with a diet sheet/bag of the dogs current food
Does the dog get on well with other dogs (if a puppy is it happy to eat and play appropriately with its litter-mates)
Will they take the dog back if there is a problem?
Has the dog been socialised/exposed to novel objects?

If you are thinking of getting a pedigree puppy it is vital to do research into the characteristics of different breeds of dog. Choose a breed that best fits into your lifestyle, if you have children, pet hairs, are you active person who likes walking for miles, if not then a border collie is not for you.

Puppy socialisation is very important see the APBC website for more very useful advice on the subject.

The pet travel scheme (PETS) allows pet dogs, from certain countries on certain sea, air and rail routes to enter the UK without quarantine.

Dog must, in this order, be microchipped, vaccinated against rabies and blood tested. It must also be issued with an EU pet passport and treated against ticks and tapeworms. Your dog may not enter or re-enter the UK under PETS until 6 calendar months have passed from the date that a vet took the blood sample which gave a satisfactory test result.

Contact the authorities (e.g. the Embassy) of the country you wish to enter to check the requirements. Some countries may not allow certain types of dog to enter and may have rules on others (e.g. muzzling, maximum size).

Dogs entering the UK from non-qualifying countries must spend 6 months in quarantine on arrival. If a pet is entering quarantine, you must have obtained an import licence from Defra, Scottish Government or DARD before travelling. However this would not be something they should consider if they are only leaving the UK for a short stay and so they should only go to the countries included in the PETS or find somewhere the dog can stay while they are away.

For more information see Defra
Pet travel rules will change on 1 January 2012 when the UK brings its procedures into line with the European Union.

Basic First Aid Kit – below is a list of items you could use to make up a canine first aid kit.

-The container itself (marked clearly First Aid Kit)
-Tweezers
-Scissors, preferably round ended
-Sticky tape
-Antiseptic cream
-Soft lint free sterile pads
-Bicarbonate of soda (for bee stings)
-Vinegar (for wasp stings)
-Socks (to put over dressings on limbs)
-Eye bath and Optrex
-Something that will act as a muzzle
-pen & paper

**Make sure that your vet’s telephone number is securely attached to container. **

Puppy training classes for November are now full however I will be running more in January, please let me know if you would like details.

I also intend to run some outdoor training classes in January near Lane End, if you are interested please contact me.

Bookings are now being taken for the next set of puppy training classes. They will start Friday 4th November at 3.15, please see the classes page for more information if you and your puppy would like to attend.