Train Your Dog the Walkabout Way

Reproduced with kind permission from David Tomlinson of the Shooting Times

Many years ago I ate one of my dog's biscuits. I was driving home late from a long day out and it was the only food I had in the car. To say I wasn't impressed is an understatement, as the biscuit was dry and tasteless. I was reminded of this recently when Stephen Salter, principal of Salter’s Pet Nutrition, passed me a jar of Salter’s Canine Energy. "Try one of these," he said, eating one himself. I tried it and had to agree that it was rather good. My spaniels were equally impressed.

You have probably never heard of Salter’s. I hadn't until a professional trainer friend said that, following a recommendation, he had switched his dogs to Salters from one of the leading brands. He was most impressed with the product. Intrigued, I found out more. I discovered that Salter’s is a small company, based in Saxmundham in Suffolk, specialising in producing dog foods from high-quality ingredients free from artificial flavours, colours and preservatives.

For several years I fed my dogs on a BARF (bones and raw food) diet and have no plans to switch back to conventional dry foods. My dogs do well on BARF, but offering such food is more time consuming than feeding straight from a sack. Moreover it's always a challenge to provide it when away from home for more than a couple of days. Thus, I’ve long been looking for a suitable back-up, but until now hadn't found anything that came up to my standards. I’m pleased to say Salter’s does and the spaniels seem equally happy with it, which is just as important.

I took the opportunity recently to meet Stephen Salter and learn about his product. Stephen is a butcher by trade, as was his father and grandfather. When he decided to launch his own range of dog foods 10 years ago, he looked at the existing food available and decided to do something different.

"I'd lived in Spain for a number of years so was well aware of the nutritional value of extra virgin olive oil. I decided that this should be one of the basic ingredients. No other dog food you can buy uses it. I wanted all the other ingredients to be of the same high quality, so everything that goes into Salter’s food is fit for human consumption. 'The chicken we use, for example, is the same quality as is used in soups and for pasta sauces, and I got specialist advice on rice from an expert. He told me that there were 437 varieties in the world, but recommended that we should try an Italian wholegrain risotto rice, which we now use exclusively”.

"If you read the small print on a sack of dog food it will inform you of the percentage of protein in each portion, but you've got to remember that the quality of the protein is even more important. We really do use the best in our products and haven't changed the recipe since we started production nine years ago. When the prices of basic commodities go up it’s tempting to compromise, but we never have.”

"A 15kg sack of Canine Maintenance costs £41.65, slightly less than some of the most expensive dog food you can buy, but considerably more than the cheapest. However, the daily cost of feeding it to a springer is still only about 70p a day. If you switch to our Canine Energy product for the shooting season your daily cost will only rise by a few pence."

Salter’s is a small company and, unlike its bigger rivals, it doesn't have a budget for advertising and sponsorship.

"We don't do free fleeces or baseball caps as our margins are tight, nor do we take a stand at Crufts or the Game Fair. Almost all our business comes from word of mouth and personal recommendation. If anyone wants to discuss our foods, they aren't put through to our public relations department because we haven't got one, they come straight through to me."

Junk food or dog food?

I have often been surprised by the number of people who are happy to provide their dogs with the cheapest possible food. Dogs are amazing creatures in that they will eat whatever you give them without complaining, even apparently thriving on what is basically rubbish. The multi-billion-pound dog food industry started in the US more than 50 years ago. A bright executive worked out that it was possible to make money by putting food unfit for human consumption in a tin and labelling it dog food. Even today the majority of dog food includes ingredients that you certainly wouldn't want to eat yourself. Last year, there was a major pet food scare in the US when the company Menu Foods withdrew $40million of products after animals died of kidney failure. The cause was a rodenticide used on wheat in China . The contaminated wheat was used in about 100 brands of pet food, including some of the big names.

Most of the major dog food manufacturers are subsidiaries of huge conglomerates. For example, Eukanuba and lams are part of Proctor and Gamble, Hill's Science Diet is a subsidiary of Colgate Palmolive and the large French manufacturer Royal Canin is now part of Mars, which bought the company in 2001. Not long before that, Royal Canin bought the British manufacturer James Wellbeloved. Mars also owns Pedigree. Nestle is the other major player in Europe with Purina Pro Plan, Bonio and Winalot among its products. With the backing of multinational companies behind them, these manufacturers can market their products in ways unthinkable to small companies such as Salter’s. Pedigree, for example, is the principal sponsor of Crufts at a cost of many thousands of pounds. How many bags of feed does the company need to sell to pay for such sponsorship? However, there can be no doubt that such investment pays off, as otherwise Pedigree wouldn't spend its money.

Shooting Times & Country Magazine 29 May 2008

Peanut Pet Shelter and Kennel - Playa del Carmen, Mexico

23.2.08: Just to let you know that the donation has come through and of course to say a great big THANK YOU from Andy, myself and the 'family'.

Life has been completely manic recently, we have had so many dogs come to us, we haven't known which way to turn. We have met some really interesting people recently and it looks like some good stuff could be headed our way (fingers crossed). We are in waiting mode at the moment, but I will keep you posted.

We are waiting for our website to be updated. As soon as it is, we will put on a link to your website. We are also going to produce a newsletter, not sure yet whether it will be monthly or quarterly, but I will put you on the mailing list.

Once again, thank you so much for the donation. It makes such a difference, especially as over here, the money goes twice as far!

Jen

A message from the founders of the shelter: "Caroline has told me the wonderful news about the money you raised - thank you all so much. We are so grateful, as much for people caring as for the money. Things have been manic here as Andy has had dengue fever and I can't tell you how difficult it has been to cope. With 37 dogs at the moment, trying to feed and clean up after them all, nurse the sick ones, exercise the ones that need it, as well as looking after Andy plus working (I teach 3 days per week) has been exhausting, though we do have a loyal band of helpers who came to help exercise. Once the paperwork is all done for the association we will be allowed to employ a mexican to help. We then have to get the association papers into immigration by 4th December at the latest. However, once we have done that, we won't actually be allowed to leave the country until they have completed their processing and who knows how long that will take - could be 2 weeks, could be 3 months. Once the set up of the association is complete (we have been with the lawyer this morning) we will be opening up a bank account solely for the association. It has taken a long time because our vet has been coming up with ever-expanding ideas (all of them good ones). If we are to make a real change, we need to be able to re-educate the people and maybe even change laws. Thank you all so much again - it means a lot to have your support" Jennifer McDonald.

To date we have raised just over £300 - thank you so much

Glad to report that all the dogs and their wonderful carers survived Hurricane Dean despite being squashed all into 2 rooms. They were all very calm despite the horrendous noise. If anyone wants to see the latest dogs then check out:

http://www.playadelcarmenpets.com

PAST EVENTS

UNDERSTANDING THE WOLF IN YOUR LIVING ROOM

27th September at 7pm - an evening with the Behavioural team.

Come and learn more about what your dog is trying to tell you. Why does my dog do bark all the time? Why wont he listen? Why wont he eat his food anymore? Why does she rush off to somebody else in the park and not come back when called? So often in class, we are not able to cover all the many different signs you need to recognise to help your dog. So why not come along with friends and family and learn more. Ask those questions you always wanted to ask.

Over £150 raised for the Wolves - thank you so much - dont miss your chance to meet them.

Workshops for the summer

Saturday 11th, 19th and 25th August - Understanding dog aggression

These three workshops were designed to help you understand your dog and its behaviour. Whether it is your dog showing it or at the receiving end, we all need to know how to handle this situation. We did not have lots of aggressive dogs but more importantly all the dogs learnt how to prevent aggression starting. Everyone was impressed to see that there were no fights - no loss of temper and all the dogs were soon walking happily on nice loose leads within a group of other well -behaved dogs. We ended with a parade of lovely dogs of all shapes and sizes all behaving well with happy confident owners.

Please contact us if you would like to come along and watch and learn at our next meetings later in the year.

AN EVENING WITH OUR VET

We were delighted to hold on Wednesday 25th July at 7.15, another evening with our Vet, Dr Caroline McCarthy. She answered questions on First Aid and also gave people a chance to practice using bandages and other techniques. This was not a replacement for consulting a Vet, but a chance for us to learn how to deal with an emergency.

Fleet Carnival Dog Show also raised just over £170 for local charities on 1st July. The rain held off for most of the day although our demonstration of dog training was marred by the biggest downpour ever! Thanks to all who supported us.

First Aid Talk raises £170 for DBARC - 16th May brought us to our first charity talk of the year - we invited Dr Caroline McCarthy to give us some practical advice and help in recognising an emergency situation and what to do.

Christmas Puppy Party at Guildford - December 16th 2006

We had wonderful weather for the puppy party at Guildford Socialisation Group and it was good to see old friends and new get together and let puppies run about for a while. I am sure that the owners were grateful for the peaceful afternoon. We had a few games to help all the older dogs let off steam as well and it was great to see so many happy dogs despite the wet and muddy conditions underfoot.

Fun and Games for all at the Guildford social group meeting on Easter Saturday - 15th April

Despite the promise of some inclement weather, we had a good number of dogs join us for a fun and games morning. Our social group took part in a good range of games organised by Jennie and Karis, two of our trainers. All the dogs took home a prize and border collie, Luke and boxer puppy, Tyson won the run offs for the fastest recalls.

Thanks to you all we raised another £30 for our charity through our raffle. We hope to see you all again soon.

Getting ready for the egg and spoon race - two teams race against each other and still keep their dogs under control - well done to everyone.

Past Events

Fun and Games for all at the Guildford social group meeting on Easter Saturday - 15th April

So often our dogs don't get a chance to join in the fun and games at a party or social event. This one's just for them. Come and join us for the social group meeting as usual on the Saturday but we are going to include a few games and some fun for all the dogs. Prizes to be won and general celebration of all your dogs have achieved over the past year. So please make sure you come along and enjoy yourselves. Whether you have been attending regularly or haven't been along for a while, please come, it will be good to catch up again.

Understanding Dogs workshop

For all those interested in learning more about social work with dogs.

Assessment Workshop Weds 12^th April from 11am

·Come and learn more about your dog's behaviour

·Book now for your dogs individual assessment and training plan

·We specialise in solving problems no matter how small or large

· All ages and breeds welcome

Do you or your dog have problems with pulling on lead, wont come back when called, nasty on lead or general bad manners? Come and learn how to correct it in a safe and friendly environment. All dogs need somewhere to play, exercise and socialise with their doggy friends. Walkabout now has venues where you can allow your dog to run free in a fully supervised and secure environment. All dogs are fully assessed before joining the groups - so why not book your dog's now.

All ages and breeds are welcome at our Social Groups held on Wednesday or Saturday at local venues. If you would like your dog to join our group and to meet some new friends, why not call us now to book the first visit. Together with our dog training clubs at Godalming, Frimley Green and Finchampstead, we have helped over 10,000 dogs. Isn’t it about time you brought your dog along to one of our groups and find out how to Train Your Dog the Walkabout Way.

Its not just about dogs – but all animals

Monty Roberts ‘Horses in My Life’ Tour
Introducing Kelly Marks’s New book "Perfect Partners - How to be the Owner Your Horse Would Choose for Himself"

Your chance to see the legendary ‘Real Life Horse Whisperer’ at work The depth and breadth of Monty Roberts knowledge and experience is extraordinary. How many horse trainers do you know who have produced champions in fields as wide as racing, showjumping, dressage, polo, show classes as well as the western disciplines of reining, cutting, working cow horse including the US National Leading Horse in Western Dressage? Don’t miss the opportunity to watch one of the world’s greatest horse trainers on his UK tour. Monty will be dealing with the neighbourhood’s trickiest equines and showing the methods that have revolutionised the horse world.

MONTY ROBERTS FEBRUARY 2006 TOUR- 7pm

Thursday 23 February 2006 - Merrist Wood Campus, Guildford College, Worplesdon, Guildford, Surrey GU3 3PE

Sorry - all group tickets are now purchased - please contact the venue direct for tickets

***INVITATION TO OUR OPEN EVENING 25TH JANUARY FROM 6.30 - 8.30PM***

Be sure to join us at our Open Evening at the Finchampstead Memorial Hall, Finchampstead on 25th January 2006. Come and meet the team of trainers and professionals with their teacher dogs. Sign up for our new course starting soon at this fantastic new venue.

Have a FREE dog training lesson and find out which type of dog you have - you may even have a Teacher Dog and can join our team - now that would be fun.

Lots of bargains; free gifts for all who visit us and money off vouchers for your next course with Walkabout.

2005 WINTER WORKSHOP INFORMATION

ONE DAY INTENSIVE TRAINING FOR YOUR DOG

Leave your dog with us for the day and we will train it for you. Whether it is bad manners with you and your family; rude with other dogs; pulls on the lead; wont come back; just wont listen

- dont worry we can help you regain control.

Especially successful with the "teenage/adolescent dogs" - not suitable for aggression cases - we can help in other ways for these. Call or email us to book your assessment and then we can book your dog in for a fun day with our trainers.

Introductory prices available for December and January bookings of just £75

We understand your dog.

Is your dog Naughty but nice?

We held a mini workshop for all those Interested in learning more about rehabilitation and social work with dogs. Thursday 29^th December from 12 noon at our indoor riding school in Frensham.

Just £50 per person

Did you miss this one - then watch out for the next workshop coming soon to a venue near you.

Don't miss the opportunity to bring your dog along for assessment and learn more about this rewarding way of training dogs. Apply soon as places will be limited

Over the Rainbow Bridge

Khan's Story

On the 10th January 1997, a large fluffy black and tan male called Shane bounced into my life to fill the void that had been left following the tragic loss of my previous male Shepherd. He had sadly died from a gastric torsion whilst I was away and I came home to a very sad Freya, my young bitch. The only thing to do was to talk to my friends at Vigil and see if they had somebody to fill that void. And fill it he did, flying about, totally non streetwise – he could not understand that he could not walk on water, go through trees carrying large branches, or jump over walls without considering what was the other side.

Within 12 hours he had done all this and more, including sharing my dinner. No I didn’t give it to him – he took it. You often forget when you have had your dogs around for so long, that a new face does not understand the house rules and he wanted my dinner and so took it. But, I can honestly say, that within 48 hours, he had learnt the rules and began to show his real character as a fun loving dog who didn’t understand why other dogs were growling at him, as all he wanted to do was run about and enjoy life. And his name was changed to Khan.

A few weeks after he had joined our family, he went off to do a street collection in Guildford, and full of trepidation, I allowed folk to meet him. A perfect gentleman, some of the many admirers have called him and he was that day. Another occasion, he tried to walk on water– yes on the Basingstoke canal – and found he could not. Stuart pulled him out – and gone was his lovely big coat – all that we could see was a skinny wet thing covered in duckweed. And we think that is what may have caused his first problem. You see he was hiding a great big secret. He was epileptic.

Gosh, what a shock the first time he had a fit – we just did not know what to do. I naturally thought, that he needed reassurance but in fact that can prolong the fit in the first place. It seemed like hours, but in fact was less than 5 minutes. A trip to the Vets, after he had recovered, we learnt the facts and then spent many hours searching for ways to prevent another. But they came along, in clusters, a few here and then nothing for weeks or even months, then a few more. Following our wonderful Vets advice, we monitored the situation and found that stress could cause him to fit. A stressful day (for him that could just be that I had been away from the house too long) could sometimes lead to a fit. It was always at night – about four o’clock in the morning, and the art we learnt was to keep as quiet as possible, and keep the other dogs away.

With regular medication, these were controlled and over the years we managed to make sure he had a happy and full life. He was a wonderful stooge dog for our rehabilitation work. You see if another dog came roaring up at him, he would just turn away and invite the dog to play. This tended to confuse them and we had a chance to teach the dog with the problem how to behave correctly. He had real character but this was reserved for his closest friends and family. He was never concerned if I had to bring another dog into the house for help. He just accepted it and although over the past few months, he had developed some nasty spondylitis in his spine, he was still up and ready for his walks every day.

Sadly, that was all to come to a tragic end, when on 30th January, I awoke at 4 am to find him in the middle of a fit. To begin with it seemed that he would recover as normal, but within a few minutes he had gone into another fit and then another. I knew something was wrong, things were going badly and so called our Vet – by this time Khan could not get up. We tried everything, including keeping him dosed up to allow him to come out of the sleep naturally, but soon recognised that with his other problems in his spine, he was in deep trouble. We had to make the kindest decision we could and give him total peace. And now I have another big hole in my life – my two lovely shepherd girls miss their big strong friend and are sticking close by and maybe one day, we will find another big strong friend for them. He will have to be good, to fill the shoes of my two wonderful boys who gave so much and taught me so much to help others.

Freya's Story

Over twelve and half years ago, I went with my friends, Stuart and Vanessa, to Manchester to help them pick up a new puppy. She was to be their fifth GSD bitch and they wanted to make sure that she would fit in to their already lively pack of Shepherds.

Yes, you have already guessed it, I came back with her sister! That meant that I had four!! Well over the years, they grew up very different despite having very similar lives. Sadly we lost Fina a number of years ago through a nasty illness called, anal furuncolosis and indeed, 5 years ago we thought we had lost Freya through a slipped disc. But through some magic work from a fine Veterinary surgeon and his colleagues, she survived and continued to give us much fun and entertainment. Although she only had 90% use of her back legs, she made full use of them when out!! Problem was over the past few weeks she forgot where she was and then got lost. Luckily the other dogs would bring her back.

Freya did not know how to play!! She loved hunting in the woods and investigating all those wonderful smells in the park, but could not understand why she should bring a ball back to me ……….. if you wanted it, why did you throw it? - I am sure that many owners of GSD’s recognise that expression on their dog’s face.

But she was a wonderful stooge dog and helped many young dogs to calm down and learn how to interact with other dogs. Over the past two years she has worked with me to help these youngsters find their place and now sadly she has been given rest. I always promised her that when she could no longer go out and enjoy her walks, and her quality of life was going, that I would not let her suffer. But it was not easy. There never is quite the right time to make the decision but hopefully I made it at the right time. She was losing her dignity, and had become quite senile in her manner. She has now gone to play with her sister and all my other dogs. And Ben and Katie are quite lost without their old friend, but I am sure that in time they will soon be able to take over her talents. Even now Ben is becoming quite the ambassador with the young dogs and teaching them how to find squirrels!!!!

Bundle - a true Teaching Dog

seen here with the puppies - Tudor and Podge

– we are very sad to report the loss of a wonderful and such a kind dog who helped so many worried and lost dogs over the past few years. This lovely collie cross retriever was owned and loved by an elderly couple who through various disabilities found him often quite a challenge. Over the 8 years that I knew him and looked after him, he never once turned his lip or told off a dog without being sure that he had not harmed them. Bundle was one of our stars, a true Teaching Dog who was able to deal with most worried of dogs and always enjoyed joining his friends Ben and Zytta at work in Frensham or Wokingham indoor riding schools for the rehabilitation sessions. Bundle was usually the dog we took in when we wanted to assess a new dog. By watching his reaction, we were able to advise the new owners which training programme the dog being tested needed. Even the most shy or timid dogs, felt protected and safe around Bundle and we shall all miss him terribly and send our condolences to his owners, Edna and Gordon Grant.

Jabba - a dog in a million

Another great loss was lovely Jabba, who as a rescue dog a few years back joined our club to relearn her canine skills. She quickly became known as the dog who knew everything, because she liked to tell the class she knew how to do the training exercise they were being shown – she would then be proven wrong but she enjoyed trying anyway. Despite being very vocal, this GSDxLab? was a very loving dog who taught her Mum and Dad loads of new things about dogs and a wonderful friend for their new baby. We saw Jabba in the promotion for the Aldershot Army Show last year and she proved that you can teach an old dog new tricks – they are never too old to learn. Jabba truly was another dog in a million and will be sadly missed by all her friends and especially her owners Michelle and Jamie. Many of you will remember Michelle as your puppy's trainer during the Autumn of 2004.

ARMY ALDERSHOT SHOW

Walkabout has been pleased to run a dog show and village at this celebration of the army in Aldershot for the past two yeas in July. Promoting Responsible dog ownership, we hold two days of entertainment for everything to do with dogs. Supported by local traders and with lots of sponsorship for the tombola, we raise money for Army Benevolent Fund.

We hope to run another village next year, so be sure to watch out for more details.

This years highlights were the MOD display team who supported us with entertainment and music to illustrate the benefits of training your dog to a very high standard. We also had our own display team and were supported by the agility club members from Kiln Agility on the Saturday. Our dog show was well supported and it was good to see so many club members come along and support our efforts for the charity.

FIRST AID EVENING A GREAT SUCCESS

Despite some atrocious weather on Monday evening (28th February 2005), we were pleased to see many members of our group join us in learning how not panic when our dogs fall ill. Our visiting Vet, Caroline McCarthy was full of valuable information in how and what to do in an emergency. She explained that we were not replacing the need for a Vet but buying time until we could get our pet to them for help. Supported by our demonstration dogs Bundle and Zytta, we were given an insight into the various procedures we could do to help.
As all the tickets were sold in aid of Vigil GSD rescue, we were delighted to be able to hand over a cheque for £155 to Kathy Shields from Vigil GSD Rescue and Stuart was pleased to present our guest speaker with a bouquet of flowers as a thank you for all her valuable advice. We hope to hold another evening later in the year.

ALL ABOUT DOGS - Sunday 9th May 2004 at Brentwood, Essex

Over 50 rescue German Shepherd Dogs were asked to be on their best behaviour on Sunday and parade around the main ring, showing off their many talents to a large number of interested members of the public. Despite the dreadful conditions under foot, everyone watching seemed to enjoy themselves and we were treated to some fascinating commentary from Ray about the many qualities of this magnificent breed.

All the dogs behaved impeccably and were true ambassadors to the breed. Some of them have now very important jobs to do such as Police dogs or Search and Rescue, but many of them are just well loved family pets. Whatever their roles in life, the dogs were in beautiful condition and their owners should all be justly proud of them.

GERMAN SHEPHERD CLUB – SPONSORED DOWN STAY

The Walkabout German Shepherd Club recently held a sponsored down stay to help raise funds for their friends who are still waiting for new homes with Vigil GSD Rescue and were delighted to hand over a cheque to Kathy Shields on Monday 10th May of over £320. The dogs were all asked to stay lying down for 10 minutes whilst training for their progress tests just before Easter and it was suggested that we got sponsorship for this. We must thank everyone who has loyally supported the dogs this year, it was a lovely idea and we know that the dogs in rescue are truly grateful. For more information on the charity, contact the Vigil trustees as listed on the Vigil website.

TELLINGTON TTOUCH WORKSHOP

On Wednesday 10th December we were delighted to invite Toni Shelbourne, Tellington Touch Companion Animal Practitioner, to our training centre and give us a demonstration of this teaching method for our family dogs. During the evening, we were shown a number of methods for helping our dogs increase their self confidence and self control. Using a variety of touches on our dogs, we began to comprehend the many ways we could help our dogs and improve our understanding of what they were feeling. TTouch is widely used around the world by animal lovers and people who work with animals. We learnt that it is not necessary to know the whole TTouch approach to help your dog, but spending a couple of hours with a trained practitioner can make the difference to a dog’s life. All the attendees really found the evening useful and we hope to run another workshop during the spring, so be sure to check out the website again for future events.

Can't wait till then and want to know more? Check out their website for more details www.lindatellingtonjones.com or www.tilleyfarm.co.uk. You could even contact Toni herself at toni@ttouch.fsnet.co.uk.

WALKABOUT are pleased to announce the results of the dog show held on behalf of Vigil GSD rescue on Monday 26th August 2002 at Mytchett Community Centre. A good day was had by all who took part and Vigil managed to raise some much needed funds. They also had a number of enquiries for rehoming.

NOVELTY DOG SHOW..... Results

on behalf of VIGIL GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG RESCUE

MOST HANDSOME DOG: LOKI, GSD, DEBBIE COOMBS

PRETTIEST BITCH: JUDIE, GSD, ALISON GOULDING

CUTEST PUPPY: SHILOH, LEONBERGER, TINA CAIRD

SCRUFFIEST MUTT: MOLLY, GSDX, SUSAN BUSSETT

MOST APPEALING EYES: SHUMBA, RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK, MANDY BUDDLE

BEST VETERAN: TRIXIE, BASSETT HOUND, ANDREA

BEST RESCUE: JOJO, SHIHTZU, GEMMA

BEST VIGIL DOG: JAKE COOPER-BURROWS

BEST VIGIL BITCH: AMBER AGER

DOG JUDGE WOULD LIKE TO TAKE HOME: JASPER, PAPILLON, JESSICA HANBURY

Winning Veterans Vigil Winners

You can contact Vigil direct on: 020 8546 4943 or email: garbo@vigilgsdrescue.org.

Summer Competition results

Following a busy summer term, all our members have been working hard with their dogs and looking forward to having a few day trips out with their dogs to local areas to let them play and let off steam!! Lets hope we find some sunshine.

Last week we had our end of year competition and we were all surprised and pleased to see how well our dogs did.

The results of the top class were very close :

1st	Eddie with Kara
2nd	Ravi with Gevan
Joint 3rd	Linda with Jade
Joint 3rd	Stan with Sharm
4th	Debbie with Loki

We also ran a progress test for the first class and the results for this were as follows:

1st	Alison with Judie
2nd	Mary with Kymber
Joint 3rd	Helen with Rigsby
Joint 3rd	Frank & Hannah with Seigen
Joint 4th	Mike with Holly
Joint 4th	Jane with Zoe

All these dogs did really well as they have only been attending for a short while.

We hope to see them progress up into the top class and fulfil the potential that we can see in them.

WALKABOUT'S Seminar Success

“Surviving the Teenage Years” with CC Guard

Sunday was a lovely day, the weather was excellent and so was the guest speaker CC Guard.

The hall was packed and the 12 "teenage" dogs that took part in the training arrived full of life and very noisy. As the afternoon progressed and CC put them all through their paces, their attitudes changed dramatically.

By the end of the class you wouldn't have thought they were the same dogs that arrived a few hours earlier.

CC demonstrated some basic training exercises with her own two black labs, Pepper and Henry, both of whom regularly take part in TV and film work. Then the "teenagers" had a go and in a very short time, had grasped the principles.

After refreshments everyone joined in the games session, which included Bonio Gamble, The Newspaper Game and The Sock Game, which was particularly entertaining. Of course all these games are designed to build on your dog's basic training.

WALKABOUT would like to thank all those who attended for making it such a success and CC Guard, who kept us entertained and taught all of us a thing or two!

WALKABOUT 's Fun Day in aid of Childline

Despite the (sometimes torrential) rain, this event was well supported with 50 brave souls braving the elements. Typical dog owners - out in all weathers.

The day started off with an Agility demo from Training Lines and carried on with a Scurry race, GSD downstay and plenty of games for the dogs and their owners.

GSD Downstay

There was also a tombola and raffle. Elaine Greivson won the first prize of £50 of food and feeding bowls for her young dog Daisy. Winner of the Scurry race was Freebie a young collie cross, closely followed by Shadow an Australian Kelpie.

Loads of other prizes were claimed during the afternoon and every dog managed to win something!

All dogs (and owners) were very well behaved and there were no problems.

We raised over £300 for Childline.

Agility

WALKABOUT 's "fun agility" class started on 7th September at the Priory Equestrian Centre in Frensham.

Great "fun" was had by all.

Elka and Mia make contact.

Bundle does the tunnel

At the end of the 6 week course there was "Competition Night", where everybody had a chance to try a whole course. The winners from that night were Bear, the labrador, who adopted a very laid back style and Ben the border collie, who was anything but.

Well done to the winners and everyone else who took part.

GSD Training

The GSD class also got off to a good start and proved very popular. They did a mixture of obedience, tracking and as you can see above, agility.

We are keen supporters of Vigil GSD and there are special discounts available for Vigil rescue dogs - please call us for details.

Puppy Socialisation

The puppy socialisation class, which is run by Jo, was well attended when it started on Tuesday 11th September at Frimley. There were a good cross section of puppies which included a boxer, labradors and of course some GSD's.

WALKABOUT Fun Day

7th September 2001, 7.00-9.00pm, Priory Equestrian Centre, Frensham.

Warming up

The evening started off with some warm up exercises to get the dogs and handlers familiar with the surface and see how they interacted with each other.

Musical dogs

We then moved on to the "Fastest Dog Down" competition - when the music stopped your dog went down (hopefully).

Judgement day

Stuart "the judges decision is final" deciding who to throw out.

And finally the winner

Pictured here receiving their prize are Ellie and owner Marilyn. Ellie is 4 years old and will be joining us at the GSD classes.

Everyone then moved onto the agility equipment and spent an enjoyable hour or so trying it out. Some were more keen than others but they all managed to stay the course. I bet the dogs slept well that night, not to mention the owners!

[ Home ] [ News Updates ] [ Training ] [ Dog Walking Club ] [ DatesVenues ] [ Photo Gallery ] [ Contacts ] [ Wolves ] [ Salters ]