Barkers Feeding Guide What should I feed my dog? Opinions will differ on what to feed but some recommendations flow across the board: Feed premium quality food which generally means avoid supermarket dog food. Feed only the amount recommended by the manufacturer. They’re all keen for you to re- order sooner rather than later. Raw …
Latoka’s Attack Two months ago a very important member of the Barkers in Balance team was rushed to the emergency vet after being attacked and pinned down by a huge off-leash mastiff dog. I think it was the shock that enabled her to walk home but the pain began to be unbearable. She started to not …
Helping owners live an easier life Yesterday afternoon I finished with a consultation with a leash reactive dog. As I left the backyard of the vet we realized that a vet client had positioned him in the laneway we were to exit through. On enquiring from a distance we discovered that his dog too was …
New Normal Behaviours It never ceases to amaze me with dog owners the great variety of “normal” that dog owners accept. Do you sometimes think “oh my dog probably shouldn’t do this” but let it continue.. ? Here are some examples. 1. The other day a couple entered a park with a Border Collie that …
Preventably “Dangerous” Dogs Sometimes our work is more than you would expect it to be. Yesterday I saw a client with a dog that has been declared dangerous. The dog belongs to her nephew who is in rehab. The dog has had a colourful life and resided in some seedy places with the nephew. He …
The Return of Puppy School Recently we started a new round of puppies at Mayfield. Two of the puppies came with return clients and I want to tell you why this is more significant than the income they brought. The Staffie is a good little puppy, already with a few skills and a lot of …
Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks People often ask, “Can you teach an old dog new tricks?” My answer is always “Yes”. Yesterday I saw an 11 year-old Poodle who has moved into a lifestyle village with her 80+ year-old humans. She has become reactive to other dogs on the lead and even hesitant around …
Our Holistic Approach to Training I’ve decided that the word “holistic” describes the approach that we take to helping people and their dogs, especially when they come to us with problems. While of course we want to with the barking, pulling on the lead or separation issues, it is practically impossible to head straight to …
We love what we do Today I’d like to thank the Department of Education for awarding me a cadetship in 1985 to attend university full time to study behavioural science through Special Education. I’m not sure if they intended me to use this qualification to help people live harmoniously with dogs but I’ve always been …
Transition out of Lockdown Well we’re all at the crossroads – when, where and how to we transition out of lockdown? For our business this means: When do we advertise new group classes? Will indoor classes have different limitations to outdoor classes? Do I need to wait till my trainers and I are double vaccinated? …