www.naturallyhappydogs.com - The online dog video magazine

Saturday 17 December 2011

A partnership in action

Today we had the immense privilege and pleasure of meeting Lorna Marsh, and her amazing Canine Partner Eli.  Lorna suffers from Cerebral palsy and is Quadriplegic, and we were visiting to see how much of an impact having a Canine Partner has made to Lorna's life. 

Having already filmed at the CPI headquarters a week ago, we ought to have been well prepared for what we were going to film today.  Not so.  We were simply blown away by what a help Eli is every day to Lorna, doing everything from opening and closing doors, retrieving dropped items, helping to remove Lorna's jacket, flushing the toilet and even clearing up his own dinner bowl. 

Lorna was a natural in front of the camera, and thoroughly enjoyed demonstrating the wide range of skills Eli has whilst explaining how he instills a very strong sense of independence in her. 

We will bring you Lorna's story in the May 2012 issue.

Wednesday 14 December 2011

Breed library: Dachshunds

Today we met with Sue Seath who breeds and shows her wire-haired standard Dachshunds and smooth-coated minis.

We had great fun filming this adorable breed, and look forward to bringing you the breed library next year. Thanks very much for your time Sue!

Naturally Happy Pets

'Vets in Practice star' and TV vet Joe Inglis talked to us today about nutrition.  As well as talking to us about his own brand of pet food (www.petskitchen.co.uk), he also gave us an explanation of the different nutritional requirements of a dog as it progresses from puppy, to adult dog, into the senior years.

We thank Joe very much for his time today, and look forward to putting his articles live next year!

Wednesday 7 December 2011

Roger Abrantes

It was a great privilege and honour to meet and film Dr Roger Abrantes of the Ethology Institute today. 

Dr Abrantes talked to us about various aspects of canine psychology, and gave an interesting angle on the topic of dominance.  Look out for these fascinating videos in the new year. 

We thank him very much for his time, in the middle of his busy seminar schedule!

Tuesday 6 December 2011

Breed library: Australian Terriers

We were very pleased to meet Christine Foskett today with her five Australian Terriers, and delightful little dogs they were too

Look out for the new breed library early next year.

Canine Partners

We spent this morning in Midhurst in Sussex today to film at the Canine Partners training centre.

We interviewed CEO Andy Cook about the history of the charity, and got to film a puppy training session as well.  We then interviewed 'Puppy Parent' Sue Simms about the work she does for CPI, and also spoke with Rebekah Kendrick, an advanced trainer with Canine Partners who showed us some of the fantastic things the dogs will do for their partners after training. 

We were very impressed by the work this amazing organisation does, and look forward to making them a future charity of the month.

Monday 5 December 2011

Breed library: Pyrenean Mountain Dogs

Today we went to visit Paul Meakin who shows Pyrenean Mountain Dogs and has them as family pets. 

We were pleasantly surprised to see them living happily side-by-side with 7 cats!  It was great to spend some time with this lovely breed, and we look forward to bringing you the breed library early next year.

NHD meets Victoria Stilwell!

What a great end to our first year, and we could not be more excited about meeting the star of TV's "It's Me or the Dog", the legendary Victoria Stilwell.

We were not disappointed; truly professional, she made light work of our articles, including topics such as compulsive disorders, dogs with children, and more.  We also spoke to Victoria about the campaigns she is involved in.  We cannot wait to bring you these articles in the new year, watch this space!

Saturday 3 December 2011

Pet Blood Bank UK: take 2

To follow up on our interview with Wendy Barnett of the Pet Blood Bank, we have been filming at Davies Veterinary Specialists in Higham Gobion, watching a number of donation sessions taking place.

We were delighted to see how much the dogs enjoyed the whole process, and how calm and relaxed they were too.  We very much look forward to bringing you this feature in March next year.

Friday 2 December 2011

Countdown to Christmas 2011

With December rolling in and the advent calendars being opened, the Naturally Happy Dogs team was on the road again.  Firstly to Loughborough and the head office of Pet Blood Bank, and to film founder Wendy Barnett about the life-saving work that they have done since 2007.  Filmed in the laboratory where the blood products are processed and stored for later usage, Wendy gave us a brief history into the company and what they do.  We will shortly be filming a donation session to go with the interview, to show exactly what happens during a donation session.

Next, further north and the University of Lincoln, where we met up with Kerstin Meints.   Kerstin is a researcher at the University and has been running extensive studies into dog-child interactions, with particular focus on dog bites and their prevention.  The studies are based around a DVD called 'The Blue Dog'.  The creators asked Kerstin to look into how effective this is as a learning tool for children aged between 3 and 6, a key age group for dog bites in the home and therefore a key target for the education.  Thanks very much to Verity and Rufus for allowing us to film them in one of their sessions too!

But that's not all.  Wrapping up a very busy day's filming saw us further north again, filming for our upcoming breed library, and the versatile Glen of Imaal terrier… more news on the breed library soon, watch this space.

What a busy day, I've a feeling we'll be very glad of the Christmas break!

Thursday 1 December 2011

Merry Christmas to one and all!

In our last issue from our first year, we have a bumper Christmas special featuring some great advice for helping your furry friends cope with the festive season.  Hear advice from behaviourist Jez, and from Veterinary Surgeon Anna Marshall, about the potential yuletide pitfalls and how to avoid them thus ensuring a very happy Christmas for everyone.

Hot off the press is our article covering the Discover Dogs event at Earls Court last month.  That was filmed less than 3 weeks ago, and with Jez's 'Stress free Christmas' being filmed less than two weeks ago, it has been a rush to get it all edited in time... phew, great work Sally!

Also in this issue we hear from Turid Rugaas about coping with the teenage dog, and a feature on the Retrieva tracking collar, a great new product on the market now, well worth a look at.  You can also save £40 off one of these great collars by quoting our exclusive code NATXMAS when you order, so what are you waiting for?

Sally Rowe teaching targeting and another great scentwork video from Pam Mckinnon wrap up another action packed issue (wrap up, get it?)

We are really looking forward to bringing you even more great videos and the best contributors in 2012, have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year, see you in January!

Tuesday 22 November 2011

On your marks

Today we filmed with our resident trick-trainer (and extremely hard-working editor) Sally Rowe, who talks us through the various steps to training your dog to go to a mark.  Big thanks to Katie Mardell who kindly brought her lively collie 'Poppy' down to the hall for filming

Saturday 19 November 2011

Double trouble

Today we headed down to film with Karen Lawe from the Deaf Dog Network, where we also met up with Dali, a deaf Staffordshire Bull Terrier currently looking for his forever home, and being looked after at Battersea.  This is our second visit to film Karen, and we thank her very much for her time, we are really looking forward to bringing you the first of her articles about the Deaf Dog Network and Living With a Deaf Dog.

From there, we headed on over to see Jez.  Once again we were very impressed at his professionalism and knowledge, he is always a pleasure to film.  Jez completed our December issue with a very detailed breakdown of the potential dangers around the festive period, and what we ought to look out for in terms of our furry friends.  He also filmed another two fascinating articles for the new year, so watch this space!

Monday 14 November 2011

Discover Dogs 2011

What a great day we had on Sunday, filming at Discover Dogs show in Earls Court, London!  Firstly we met and interviewed Caroline Kisko, the Kennel Club's Secretary, who gave us a breakdown of some of the activities happening across the two days.  This fed into an interview with Faye Moore of the Young Kennel Club (YKC), who explained about the benefits of joining for children and young adults aged between 6 and 24, and talked to us about the team building days that they organise, including Outward Bound and Go Ape.  We hope to bring you these interviews very soon...

Next in front of our camera was Marc Abraham (aka Marc The Vet) who caught up with us in between his very busy schedule of seminars.  He talked to us about an issue close to his heart – puppy farming.  He has started a high-profile campaign called Pup Aid which has attracted the support of a large number of celebrities.  In this article, which we'll bring to you early in the new year, Marc explains how to identify a mass-bred dog, what problems they can come with, and what you can do to help eradicate this terrible practice.

To finish off the day, we interviewed Jo-Ann Essex and Lesley McFayden from the East Anglian Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club, who talked to us about Staffie breed generally, the great work they do with them in agility, and about the National Stafford Weekend.  We will bring that article to you in March of next year, in time for the National Stafford Weekend. 

We even found time to catch up with Joe Inglis on Joe's Vets Kitchen stand, very good to see him too!

Wow, time to recover now, and of course loads of editing!

Saturday 12 November 2011

Golden Oldies

Today we visited Jean Adams who has homed two adorable Jack Russell-Chihuahua crosses from the Oldies Club, a rescue organisation that re-homes the more mature rescue dog.

In this fascinating interview Jean talks about her experience with the Oldies Club, why she prefers the older dog to puppies, and also touches on the benefits of fostering.  We very much look forward to bringing you this article in the new year.

Friday 11 November 2011

Jordan Shelley - after The One Show

Today we had the good fortune of meeting with Jordan Shelley, the dog trainer and fosterer made infamous by his recent appearance on BBC's "The One Show".  A furore followed that appearance with many from the dog behaviour and training world up in arms about his use of dominance-based techniques, in particular their use on national television without adequate information about how potentially dangerous they can be.

Many people, faced with the ferocity of opinion against them, would have faded into the background as quickly as possible.  Jordan, however, decided instead to seek the best advice he could get.  Armed with advice from Beverley Cuddy of Dogs Today magazine, and within a week of The One Show airing, Jordan was on a plane to visit and learn from the best – Ian and Kelly Dunbar.

The next two weeks saw Jordan attend the APDT Annual Conference, where he listened to some of the keenest minds in positive reward based training.  He attended Ian Dunbar’s SIRIUS puppy training classes, as well as his Science Based Dog Training (With Feeling) seminar, and spent the two weeks living with Ian and Kelly and their three dogs.

Upon his return, he agreed to talk to Naturally Happy Dogs on film about his experience, what he has learned, and how he intends to move forward with his newly learned techniques.  Please click here to watch this article.

Wednesday 9 November 2011

Naturally Happy Dogs learns about feeding raw meat with BARF

Sittingbourne in Kent, and Naturally Happy Dogs are on the road to visit BARF Pet Foods UK, which offers the largest selection of raw foods and supplements available to the UK market.

Whilst the raw food market in Germany, where Managing Director Andreas Dauer moved from recently, enjoys a 30% market share, in the UK it only stands at around 1%.   When Andreas moved to the UK and tried to source some raw food for his Bernese Mountain Dogs, he realised that there wasn’t a huge selection available and seeing an unfilled niche, started his company just over a year ago.

In our article which we will bring to you early in the new year, we hear about some of the benefits of the “Biologically Appropriate Raw Food” diet, how and why supplements can support it, and also how you can move your dog across to it from classic processed kibble.

Wednesday 2 November 2011

November 2011 is live

This month we have some great videos including DogLost, Teaching your dog to roll over, an introduction to Galen Therapy, The benefits of Fun Scentwork, Environmental Enrichment for your dog,  Surgery for bone cancer, a look at chain collars and their alternatives and how we can use fish oils to treat inflammation. What a month!

Sunday 30 October 2011

Dancing with Dogs

We have had a really nice day today meeting the lovely Mary Ann Nester from www.aslanagility.com and two of her dogs - Tico the Border Collie and Twizzle the parti-coloured Poodle. 

Mary Ann explained all about doggy dancing including the differences between Heelwork to Music (HTM) and canine Freestyle. We were treated to Twizzle's latest routine which included a very cute trick where he performed a 'spin' with all four legs inside a bowler hat!  

With the help of Tico, Mary Ann taught us how to teach our own dogs to walk around an object, to weave between our legs and even to walk backwards. We look forward to bringing you these videos in the new year.

Sunday 23 October 2011

Possibly the UK's most popular dog?

We were rather star struck today to meet a dog who is more popular than everyone at Naturally Happy Dogs put together! Minnie Antoniou, a Bichon Frise from Potters Bar was featured in the Times Newspaper having reached 4,400 friends...by the time we visited, Minnie's owner John had discovered that there is a limit on facebook of 5000 friends - as a result she now has a waiting list!

Following a career in sales, John started Minnie's page as a challenge to himself to see if they could reach 1,000 friends - they did within months and their fan numbers just kept growing. They regularly chat to their friends on facebook, including dogs in many countries including Russia and even a parrot in America! 

According to Minnie's profile page, her religious views are Woofnostic and her favourite quotation is 'A dog is for life not just for Christmas'.

Friday 14 October 2011

Gundog work

Today we met up with trainer and behaviourist Adem Fehmi from Dog-Ease to find out all about the work he does with gundogs and other 'high energy' dogs. Adem explained to us that these types of dogs were bred to do 'a job' and that when they are bought as pets and not given an outlet for their energy, they can sometimes develop behaviour problems. Adem has found that by teaching gundog work to his classes, their behaviour often improves a great deal.

We filmed some articles about what gundog training is, what it involves and how you can do some gundog training with your dogs to help to channel their energy into positive behaviours

Wednesday 12 October 2011

A day at the RSPCA

More filming for our Christmas issue today - we visited Anna White from RSPCA Southridge to find out what happens at their shelter at Christmas - it was lovely to hear all about how the staff and volunteers all pull together to make the day as nice as possible for everyone and all the animals in their care.

We also filmed an article about their adoption process and what they look for in potential owners.

While we were there, we met the Chairman of the "Friends of RSPCA Southridge" Terry Pavey and he told us all about what the 'friends' do and how much of a difference the thousands of pounds they raise each year makes to the older and unwell dogs in the care of the RSPCA. This will be a rather touching video which we will be bringing you early in the new year.

Tuesday 11 October 2011

Christmas 2011 filming

We visited the Roebuck Veterinary Group in Stevenage today to film vet Anna Marshall-Brown who explained to us some of the dangers of Christmas. We heard some of the details about why chocolate, raisins and anti-freeze can cause problems and found out what action to take if we ever find our dogs have ingested these things, but we also learned about the dangers of things like tinsel. We will be bringing you this video in our December issue so that we can all make sure we enjoy a safe Christmas with our canine friends.

Thursday 6 October 2011

Missing dogs and finding dogs

Today was an interesting day for filming but a sad one too. We met up with Jayne Hayes from DogLost to find out all about the fantastic work that they do. DogLost is a national network of thousands of dog owners and volunteers who are keen to help reunite lost dogs with their owners. If you have lost or found a dog, you can register for free as a DogLost Helper and log in to add details of lost and found dogs to our database and to get assistance with your search from our national network of helpers.

As part of our video, we also visited Heidi and Chantelle, owners of 1 year old Chihuahua x Jack Russell "Pickles" who went missing from their garden in Sarratt, Hertfordshire on Sunday 17th July. She is mainly white with some tan on and looks more like a Chihuahua. She is micro chipped and all her details are up to date on their site. Unfortunately, Pickles is still missing, there is a group on facebook called Please Help Us Find Pickles and their DogLost poster can be printed off from the DogLost website.

After that, we visited the headquarters of Retrieva tracking, makers of "The World's First Tracking and Anti-Theft Dog Collar" - a fantastic product that has been designed to withstand dogs swimming, disappearing down rabbit holes and even thieves with bolt cutters!

Saturday 1 October 2011

October 2011 issue goes live

As we say hello (or goodbye!) to the last of the summer sun, here at Naturally Happy Dogs we are very pleased to put our October issue live. In addition to what now seems to be a regular dose of our favourite behaviourist, Ian Dunbar, and our excellent natural vet Nick Thompson, we have the second instalment of our feature on the Bionic Vet.

Ian is his usual brilliant self teaching us the importance of phasing out treats during the training process, and Jez gives a very interesting insight into how to use the normal days food allowance as a reward, to encourage behaviours that we want and also to add interest into normal walks. Turid Rugaas on reading calming signals during training puts the finishing touches to a mammoth behaviour and training month!

Sally Rowe tells us the importance of handling puppies all over, and how this can help with trips to the vets further down the road, and we are very pleased with the very technical and informative article by Barbara Houlding on Canine Anatomy and Movement.

With the first article in our scent work feature making its first appearance this month, I think you'll agree it is an information-packed month again!

How do we fit all this in every month...?

Tuesday 23 August 2011

Filming 2 more videos - Scent and Rallys

Today we filmed Pam MacKinnon from www.talkingdogs.org.uk with Cherry a 6 month old Red Fox Labrador discussing Scent work. Dogs love to sniff and smell their way through the day. Why not harness this skill rather than fighting against it? Scentwork offers a great way to have fun with your dog and tire him out quickly. This can be done at different levels, from letting him work alone while you watch from the sofa to encouraging him to cover larger, more challenging areas.

We then found out all about a new type of obedience training they do called 'Rally'. This is brand new and includes updated and clarified station signs, clear, well defined rules and regulations, and a unique ethos with an emphasis on pet dog owners competing with their own scores rather than simply against each other, Talking Dogs Rally aims to bring trainers and owners together to have a hoot with their dogs.

We also filmed a great video with Pam teaching a 'find it' game that we look forward to bringing you so that you can try it yourselves at home!

Monday 8 August 2011

Playing with puppies

We had another great day's filming today, visiting little Daisy - a 'whattie' (Westie cross something!) We filmed an article about handling puppies and Daisy was a little star. Daisy's sister was also very friendly and seemed keen to get in on the filming action so we got some great shots of them playing together. They really are both a credit to their breeder - both such friendly, happy little pups.

We then filmed a lovely Hungarian Vizsla learning how to give a paw and then on to a Rottweiler to teach a roll over and a hand touch. All three dogs were very quick to learn and filming went effortlessly. We look forward to bringing you the videos over the next few months.

Monday 1 August 2011

August 2011 is underway

What a fantastic month! In this issue, meet Michael Ball and hear how his dog Freddie survived pioneering new hip surgery. Also hear how Turid Rugaas advises we can improve our dog's confidence by providing a variety of mental stimulation. Ian Dunbar talks about the type of walks that he enjoys the most and recommends for a happy, healthy pet, and Barbara Houlding explains how Veterinary Physiotherapy can benefit older dogs. Nick Thompson tells us how 8yr old Great Dane Sasha who was suffering from Spondilitis was helped with acupuncture and other therapies to help her to pee again. We also find out about the links between Castration and Behaviour and how TTouch can be useful in agility training.

New subscribers ALSO this month get a voucher for a KONG product up to £20

Tuesday 19 July 2011

WGAS becomes WGAC

Something new is happening at Wood Green Animal Shelter in Godmanchester, UK...they are proud to be re-branding themselves and improving the possibilities they have as a charity to help dogs find new forever homes.

We caught up with some of the members of staff today to film an article for you on the charity's ethos and how they help so many dogs each year, from strays to abandoned puppies to adult dogs needing new loving homes.

With their headquarters in Cambridgeshire UK, the charity has built up a fantastic reputation locally and we are pleased to be able to support them to help increase their visibility on a more national and international scale.

Their 'new look' website can be found here www.woodgreen.org.uk

Friday 1 July 2011

July 2011 is live

The July issue of Naturally Happy Dogs is now live and we have some more great videos for you. In Dominance: Fact or fiction?, Ian Dunbar discusses the existence of dog hierarchies and how the truth about dominance differs from the common beliefs.

As well as giving away a FREE KONG to anyone who signs up to an annual membership this month, we also have a great video by Lizi Angel about Kong toys.

We also have fascinating videos on Police tracking dogs, how to Bandage dog paws, how to teach a Basic recall, things to consider when Choosing a 'type' of dog, find out what happens at an Acupuncture session and see how TTouch can help improve a dog's state of mind ready for training.

Monday 6 June 2011

Canine Health 101

There are some people you meet, that you just know are incredibly passionate about their cause, Hope Turner is one of them. Having completed an animal management degree, Hope is now looking to start her MA and is tirelessly pioneering the value of a more natural way of life for dogs.

Hope makes sure that her ideas and ethos are always backed up by science and so we were very pleased to film an article with her on the benefits of a raw diet for dogs.

Her own beautifully healthy dogs (cream coloured German Shepherd x Huskies), are testament to the strength of the nutrient base within a raw diet.

Wednesday 1 June 2011

June 2011 issue is live

The June issue is now live...and what an issue! This month we are supporting Dogs Trust and so for every person who signs up to an annual subscription, we will donate £1 directly to Dogs Trust. To find out more about Dogs Trust's brilliant work, why not watch our free video about the trust 'Dogs Trust: An Introduction'.

As an added bonus for this month, thanks to our friends at www.dog-and-bone.co.uk, every new annual subscriber will receive a voucher code which can be used to purchase a KONG product worth up to £20! And if that wasn't enough, they are also providing a fantastic prize of a 300g pack of Trainers Secret liver or garlic treats (the garlic treats have only just been launched but we have been reliably informed that dogs will do anything for them!) To enter this prize draw, simply sign up to our free newsletter.

Just another dog training method?

There are so many ways to look at dog training and here at Naturally Happy Dogs we are keen to provide you with all the kind, positive methods we can. One such method is a training method called EMRA. EMRA stands for Emotional, Mood State and Reinforcement Analysis...quite a mouthful! However, as we found today the name is the only complicated thing about this fantastic training method.

The method takes a holistic approach to behavioural assessment and looks at the way a dog is feeling when he or she performs certain behaviours. By analysing the dog's underlying emotions and mood states you can begin to understand what is motivating certain behaviours. You are then in a fabulous position to help them and train them through the undesired behaviour.

We met up with Sue Ketland who has been involved in dog training for over 20 years and works at the rescue centre Wood Green Animal Shelters. Sue is an advocate of EMRA having been trained in the method through the Centre Of Applied Pet Ethology (COAPE). The method is used by Wood Green staff to help dogs through behaviour issues and improving their chances of finding their forever homes.

As well as the article on EMRA, we also filmed an article on some seriously outdated training methods of using 'choke chains' on dogs, especially on those dogs that are pulling on the lead.

Sue explained for us the choices dogs owners now have for walking dogs and exactly why the older choking training aids are now so unnecessary and even potentially damaging to dogs.

We very much look forward to proving the video and giving people the knowledge they need to live in better harmony with their beloved pet.

Saturday 28 May 2011

Galen Therapy or Myotherapy

This therapy is named Galen, after a Greek physician who studied anatomy, although it is sometimes know as Myotherapy. It is a form of canine massage that is accredited and includes an intensive study of canine anatomy and physiology in the training programme. The combination of the two factors is what initially attracted practitioner Nicola Wreford to the therapy.

Nicola is now qualified in the therapy and was keen to show us on camera the wonderful ways in which the massage can relax dogs, improve their muscle strength and help keep them in tip top condition.

Wednesday 25 May 2011

Deaf Dog Network

We had the privilege today to meet Karen Lawe, one of the founders of an organisation called the Deaf Dog Network. Karen's inspiration has lead her to create a project to educate people about living with, training and understanding deaf dogs. The network is proud to be available to help out breeders with advice if they find they have pups born that are deaf and to empower owners of deaf dogs with the confidence and techniques to live in harmony with them.

We filmed some great articles with Karen and very much look forward to sharing them with you later in the year.

Monday 16 May 2011

Filming with Michael Ball

We are proud today to have filmed for you an article with broadcaster and actor, Michael Ball and his gorgeous Tibetan Terrier Freddie!

Freddie has undergone a big operation under Noel Fitzpatrick, 'The Bionic Vet'. The poor little dog has had to have a new hip in a revolutionary new type of operation after being involved in a traffic accident.

Michael had been away from Freddie for 5 weeks while he underwent his surgery, his recovery and subsequent physiotherapy programme back to optimal health. Both parties were immensely pleased to see each other as you can imagine!

After interviewing Michael about his life with Freddie and how he has coped with being away from him for so long we were also able to speak to Noel about the revolutionary new surgery and the operation itself.

One of our desires with this magazine is to be able to highlight the advancements that now exist for dogs in veterinary medicine and so we very much look forward to bring you this heart warming article later in 2011 and sharing with the world the choices for dogs that are being developed all the time.

Sunday 1 May 2011

May 2011 goes live with extra benefits

Another month, another 8 fantastic videos are added to the Naturally Happy Dogs Video Library! This month we have articles on Police dogs, Breed Specific Legislation (BSL), dog training - past, present and future, vaccinations, Tellington TTouch, The Bowen Technique, more treat baking recipes, and more training commands.

We have also added some fantastic new benefits. Visitors to the website can enter into a free prize draw to win a month's free Naturally Happy Dogs subscription, simply by signing up to our mailing list.

Also, anyone who signs up for an annual subscription will receive a free copy of 'Your First Agility Show' by Sally Rowe (more details about the booklet can be found on Sally's website).

And if all that wasn't enough, subscribers can now access discount codes for many products and services on our subscriber benefits page!

Want more? OK, we have also launched a 'Pawsitivity' page to allow visitors to send positive thoughts to dogs in need.

Phew... what a busy Easter!

Friday 29 April 2011

New Search function

The Naturally Happy Dogs website is constantly evolving, this week we have yet another feature for you!

With our 'search' function you can quickly and easily search our site for words within the video library, directory, blog or even contributors sections. Click on 'search' at the top of any page and type your search terms into the search box.

Wednesday 27 April 2011

A day with the Bionic Vet

We have had an exciting afternoon today, filming articles with Noel Fitzpatrick, known also as the 'Bionic Vet'.

The Fitzpatrick Referral Centre is a state of the art vet practice, surgical theatre and rehabilitation unit in Surrey UK, where Noel and his team look after animals that need his help.

After a tour of the centre, we were lucky enough to be able to film for you some of the case studies at the centre that day, and also speak to Noel to ask him about his fascinating work creating new limbs for dogs, repairing joints and mending structural injuries.

We also met 'Baron' an elegant looking Leonberger who was in for a new type of surgery aimed at alleviating bone cancer in his front leg, and we were able to follow Baron on his journey into theatre for his operation.

These fascinating articles and more will be coming up in Naturally Happy Dogs magazine in the very near future!

Tuesday 26 April 2011

Dog Power

We have had a very interesting morning filming articles with Barbara Houlding, one of the UK's top canine veterinary physiotherapists. We discovered what 'drives' the dog, which parts of his physiology power him to walk, run and jump. Barbara explained the research which has shown new ways of looking at how the dog moves. We also discussed the influence that the tail has on the dogs balance, movement, physical function and proprioceptive senses.

We also filmed a great article on Hip Dysplasia, the anatomy behind the condition and how it could be helped by veterinary physiotherapy.

Saturday 16 April 2011

Amongst the bluebells with Ian Dunbar

We were lucky enough this weekend to catch Ian Dunbar before he flew back to the USA.

We found a great location to film Ian discussing all things connected with walking your dog - a typically British woodlands with trees, moss, horses in the field nearby and lots of beautiful bluebells. The type of place that is lovely to amble through with a dog.

We were very pleased with footage filmed which included articles about recall and mental stimulation, we look forward to sharing it with you later in the year.

Friday 15 April 2011

Dotty Dalmatian

Caroline from Naturally Happy Dogs was asked to visit a Dalmatian this weekend who simply won't go for a walk.

Poor Scooby (6 months old from Cambridgeshire) is quite scared of walking and will often go into 'fool around' behaviours during his walks.

As walking and dog ownership do rather go hand in hand, Caroline went to see if any Tellington Training could help. During the session, Caroline filmed some of his behaviour to show it to our contributor Jez to get his expert opinion on the subject too.

We are happy to say that Scooby's owner has been implementing some of Jez and Caroline's recommendations and only 3 days later he is beginning to change his reaction to walks.

Are you a Subscriber? If you are in the Cambridgeshire/Hertfordshire area and would like us to help with your dog's issues please do contact us and your dog could feature in the magazine himself.

Sunday 3 April 2011

New video library

Naturally Happy Dogs have just put live our 'new look' video library. We have split the videos into categories so you can now search by issue, by category, by 'free videos' or alphabetically.

We thought this was necessary as our video library is filling up rather rapidly with so many great and interesting videos.

Please do let us know what you think!

Saturday 2 April 2011

Naturally Happy Dogs 'on the beat'

Yesterday we met special canine agent 'Charlie', a Labrador whose sole aim in life is to find whatever his owner wants him to find....all in return for his favourite thing in life - a tennis ball!

Charlie is a police dog from Cambridge, UK. He is now retired but he has many big claims to fame as a police dog, including finding drugs worth £250,000.

We met more dogs just like Charlie who are trained to sniff out explosives, drugs and also to find missing people. We met their handlers too, who take the dogs home every night and keep them as members of their families when they are not tennis ball hunting.

We filmed a great article for you about how the dogs are trained. We found out that the police work with many different breeds of dog including Belgian Shepherds, German Shepherds, Spaniels and, of course, Labradors. We also heard about how they often take on dogs from rescue centres and train them up through the 13 week training programme to become canine 'special agents'.

We look forward to sharing the article with your in the coming months.

Friday 1 April 2011

No fooling here

It's no fool honestly - Naturally Happy Dogs has put another 8 videos live!

Log in or sign up at the top of the page to access our video library and watch videos by Ian Dunbar, Richard Allport, Dale Pinnock, Barbara Houlding, Nick Thompson and more!

Sunday 27 March 2011

Review of our day with Turid

Having filmed Turid Rugaas for Naturally Happy Dogs magazine, the team were very pleased to be invited by Dog and Bone to watch 'Day 2' of her seminar. It was a thoroughly enjoyable and very interesting day.

To read our review of the day, please click here.

Monday 21 March 2011

A day with Lizi Angel

Our contributing dog psychologist, Lizi Angel, is fast becoming a dog research analysis expert! As well as keeping up to date with the research being published on dog psychology, canine brain chemistry and behaviour, Lizi has also been carrying out some basic trials herself looking into what is the most calming place to stroke your dog. Her research of nearly 100 dogs has shown that they feel most at ease when you are touching them on their chest, especially if you are meeting them for the first time.

The chest was the point that all female dogs preferred and the second most calming for male dogs, whose top was the back of the neck.

Today we filmed with Lizi an in-depth look at Separation Distress - also known as Separation Anxiety. Lizi explained how important it is to differentiate between actual distress and simply opportunist behaviours such as in chewing. She also explained her 9 step success plan on how to allow your dog to overcome Separation Distress.

We also filmed an article about how to get the best from a Kongs and we looked at Lizi's concepts as to what it is dogs really needs and whether owners are providing for all of them.

Certainly a lot to look forward to in the coming months issues of the video magazine!

Saturday 19 March 2011

Turid Rugaas

We are really pleased to have filming some articles for you with none other than calming signals expert and world renowned dog professional, Turid Rugaas! Turid was over in the UK from her home country of Norway for a seminar organised by the company 'Dog and Bone'.

Turid was a delight to meet, film and work with, and we were pleased to film some fascinating articles for you including how to integrate calming signals into dog training and how to understand a 'teenage dog'! We also heard some important messages from Turid on recognising emotions in your dog and encouraging mental stimulation in ways that can most help a dog learn to cope with the world around them.

Thursday 17 March 2011

Acupuncture and Nosodes

Having successfully filmed an article with Nick Thompson on acupuncture for canine cystitis, we were keen to meet some dogs that have been receiving the same treatment but for different issues.

Along comes Brandy! Brandy is a 10yr old handsome Irish setter cross who was rescued as a stray in the USA and now lives in the UK with his owner. Brandy has been enjoying acupuncture under the guidance of vet Richard Allport to treat his aging joint issues and with great success. His owner was happy to explain Brandy's progress for you all to hear just how beneficial acupuncture can be for dogs.

Richard also filmed an interesting article for us explaining exactly what Nosodes are, and how, despite common belief, they are not always recommended by holistic vets as alternatives to vaccinations.

Wednesday 16 March 2011

Training Puppies is live and free!

Naturally Happy Dogs are very pleased to be bringing our fans another free video, especially from someone as respected as Dr Ian Dunbar.

In his video "Training Puppies", Dr Dunbar (www.dogstardaily.com) explains what is involved in training puppies, including what age you should start training a puppy, what happens if you don't train them, whether training classes are a necessity and how much time puppy training really takes.

Ian highlights the most important things to teach a new puppy including:
- Bite inhibition
- Socialisation
- General behaviour problems

Saturday 12 March 2011

Crufts

Naturally Happy Dogs has had a lovely time at Crufts 2011, talking to lots of Natural organisations who provide a wide range of pet products and services.

We will be adding many of them to our directory over the next few days, do keep checking back to find out about some of the great services there are out there.

Thursday 3 March 2011

Greyhounds galore!

As we are supporting the Greyhound Rescue West of England this month, we visited Janet Peacock to find out what Greyhounds are like to live with as pets. We then went along to the local 'Greyhound Walk' where we met many of these lovely creatures and joined them for their monthly outing. Watch the greyhound video here.

Tuesday 1 March 2011

March 2011 is live

The March issue is now live - sign up here here to watch our fantastic new videos.

Friday 25 February 2011

Naturally Happy Dogs meets Jez

Another fantastic day's filming, this time with dog trainer Jez. Jez's knowledge and enthusiasm for educating people in order to benefit their relationships with their dogs comes across very clearly when listening to Jez. In the videos we filmed today, he uses his professional, practical knowledge to help you train your dogs easily and respectfully and have great fun doing so.

Monday 21 February 2011

Filming with Ian Dunbar

The Naturally Happy Dogs team have had a fantastic afternoon today filming with Ian Dunbar (www.dogstardaily.com). It couldn't have gone better and we are really looking forward to bringing you what he has to say. We think his message is so important we're bringing you his first video to you for free, so watch this space!

Wednesday 16 February 2011

TTouch and Acupuncture

Another great day's filming, today we visited Tina Constance, Tellington TTouch Instructor, to film how Tellington TTouch can help a dog reach a state of learning, focus and calm.

We then filmed a fantastic acupuncture consultation with Nick Thompson and an English Bull Terrier whose incontinence has improved drastically since receiving acupuncture.

We also filmed some articles on vaccination choices and Kennel Cough - what it is, what can be done etc. We look forward to editing these and putting them live over the coming months.

Saturday 12 February 2011

Another two free videos live

Sally Rowe appears again for us in another free video, the 'Down' command , and Dale Pinnock tells us all about Spirulina & Dandelion. Catch all our videos in the Video Library.

Monday 31 January 2011

Baking for your dog!

We have been filming articles for you again, this time definitely one for the discerning canine.

Do you think your dog would like Sophies' Super Steak Biscuits? Sometimes I think our dogs might eat better than us! Our baking for dogs chef Kris Owen is passionate about greyhounds and has recently rescued a beautiful greyhound called Sophie from lurcher greyhound SOS (www.lurchersos.org.uk). Sophie herself is passionate about steak. She managed to persuade her new mum to name her latest recipe after her, in order to share the tasty biscuit with all dogs worldwide - three woofs for Sophie!

Kris also showed us how to create a lovely lightweight gluten free yummy Turkey Gobble Meatloaf, which can be used to compliment your dogs dinner or cut into chunks and kept to be used as low fat treats. The turkey meatloaf is a favourite of Tinker a re homed greyhound who has a delicate tummy and can be a picky eater but loves this Turkey meatloaf.

Look out for these recipe articles later in 2011.

Saturday 15 January 2011

Another free video

Ever wondered what Hydrotherapy for dogs is all about? Is your dog less able to move as they age? Do you compete in a dog sport such as agility, flyball or canicross?

We visited Barbara Houlding at her Hydrotherapy Centre in Suffolk, click here to watch this free video!

You can view any of our other free videos by clicking on any of the videos at the top of our Video Library.

Thursday 13 January 2011

TTouch filming

Naturally Happy Dogs were thrilled to be back filming more features for you again yesterday! For our first shoot of the 2011 we met a lovely lady called Lesleyann Jones who is a Tellington TTouch practitioner.

We filmed an interesting article for the magazine in which Lesley explains in a clear and concise way, exactly what the training method that is so often mistakenly seen as a massage type therapy, is all about.

We also had the joy of working with Max a great Collie cross for the Tellington video too, he was so well behaved. He is a rescue dog after having lived and worked for a disabled lady, helping her by collecting the post for her, picking things up off the floor for her and generally being her best friend. Max thoroughly enjoyed the Tellington sessions he had throughout the filming, he was positively grinning and definitely Happy!

We hope to bring you some interesting features later in the year about the fabulous work dogs do for people with disabilities.