Breed Library: Gordon Setters

Today we went to film Maureen Justice and her Gordon Setters. The Gordons are a breed with surprising presence when you meet them, very loving and also wilful, it was a pleasure to film them. Thanks to Maureen for her time, we look forward to adding this video to our breed library.

CV247 and Neapolitan Mastiffs

Today we went to visit Roger Oakes who has been heavily involved with a cancer treatment option called CV247. Originally created by John Carter as a palliative care treatment in dogs, Roger has been working primarily with the human equivalent for many years. Unfortunately John is no longer with us but Roger told us about his work, his veterinary practice, and the work that he started and how his work is benefiting dogs all over the country.

From there we headed to the Fens, where we met up with Steve Cox and his Neapolitan Mastiffs. Steve provided the dogs for 'Fang' in the Harry Potter films and he has a huge collection of these handsome beasts. We were very impressed with Steve's extensive kennels and runs (www.rayvonley.com), and it was a pleasure to film this interesting breed. We thank Steve for his time, and look forward to bringing this video to our breed library!

New site launched!

Some of you may have been wondering why we were a little quiet over January... well, we can now reveal it is because we have been working very hard on a brand new design for the website. As well as giving the look and feel of the website a freshen-up, we have also launched our new breed library. This is a long term project for us, to film each and every breed recognised by the Kennel Club, and create the ultimate breed reference online.

We hope you enjoy the new site, as always any feedback is much appreciated and allows us to continue developing the site to be the best it can be. In order to achieve this, we are giving away 3 pairs of tickets to Crufts (March 2012). To enter all you have to do is provide us feedback about what you think of the new site. Please send your feedback, including name and address, to us via our contact page.

Filming for the breed library

Today we filmed two more breeds for our breed library, the Irish Water Spaniel and the Basset Griffon Vendéen (Petit). First up was Judy Hempstead and her mother Sue with their Irish Water Spaniels, two fantastic examples of this captivating breed. It was amazing seeing them in their natural environment – retrieving from across the water, and having such fun doing it.

Then we met up with Gavin Robertson, the President of the Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen club, and his pack of PBGVs. We were in luck today – he had a litter of pups who were absolutely adorable! Gavin certainly knew his stuff, and gave us a fascinating insight into this lovely breed. Thanks very much to all for being involved in the filming, we hope to bring these articles to you very soon.

Comet country's happiest dog!

Following our recent competition in the Comet newspaper, our Facebook followers voted for who they thought should be crowned as Comet country's happiest dog. Congratulations to Stanley and Nuala, who came in second and third respectively, and each win a year's subscription to Naturally Happy Dogs.

The winner was a very happy cross-breed called Bony, owned and loved by Nicky Visser from Hitchin. The Naturally Happy Dogs team went to visit them and film them for a special article coming soon, we'll let you know when that is live.

As well as being filmed, Mark from A2Zoom photography came along to take a professional picture for the Comet newspaper. He has some experience with photographing dogs and is really understanding and patient with them.

Many congratulations to Nicky and Bony, we hope you enjoy your annual membership for the website, and best wishes for a very happy future!

February 2012 is live

The weather may be turning colder, but here at Naturally Happy Dogs things could not be hotter! We are delighted to bring you another information-packed issue, with the top canine specialists in the world.

To kick things off, Victoria Stilwell tells us about some of the campaigns she is involved with on both sides of the pond, including puppy farming, which leads into our article from TV Vet Marc Abraham in which he goes into more detail about this huge problem.

Then we have the first in our series of articles featuring the great Roger Abrantes from the Ethology Institute. In this article, Roger talks about the difference between nature and nurture, and how the different stages of puppy development play a crucial part in determining it's behaviour further along in it's life. A must see article!

As if that wasn't enough, we have our first video with TV vet Joe Inglis, who tells us about his new product range from Vet's Kitchen. We look forward to more from Joe in the coming months.

On the training and behaviour side we are very pleased to bring you Mary Ann Nester, who has displayed her heelwork to music skills at Crufts, and in this article gives us an insight into the world of doggy dancing. Along with a video about teaching the heel and recall for gun dogs with Adem Fehmi, and another great article from Lizi Angel about separation anxiety, this is another great month for training articles!

And that's not all. In October last year we went to visit Minnie, the Bichon Frise who became a Minnie-celebrity (groan...) when she reached the 5,000 friends limit on Facebook and was featured in the Times. We have finally managed to bring you our interview with owner John Antoniou.

We hope you enjoy the articles, and look forward to bringing you more great videos next month.