All profits from the day will be given to three Welsh dog rescue charities and organisations:

• Four Paws Animal Rescue (Registered Charity 1117893)
• Friends of Cardiff Dogs Home
• Hope Rescue (Registered Charity 1129629)

A special thank you is given to Sir Brooke Boothby who has kindly donated the use of the grounds of Fonmon Castle.

Offer

Attempt your KCGCDS Bronze level for only £5, at the South Wales Dog Charity Fun Day, successful candidates will receive a certificate and rosette. Proceeds to benefit Four Paws Rescue, Hope Rescue and Friends of Cardiff Dogs Home. If you’re interested in taking advantage of this offer, please email me at cardiffcaninecitizens@hotmail.co.uk to register your interest. Find out more about the K.C. Bronze Level Course.

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Shocked? Irritated? Scared? You may even lash out in self defence. And yet the scene I’ve just described is a fair description of how most people approach dogs.

Please remember that a dog should be approached with caution and respect, whether big or small, familiar or unfamiliar!  If you don’t know the dog’s character, approaching him incorrectly could be very dangerous.

This illustration by Lili Chin of Doggie Drawings is the perfect example of how NOT to greet a dog, along with the correct way to approach a new dog. Please make sure that any children in your family get to see it.  This information could save their life.

See more illustrations by the the wonderful
Lili Chin here

Beware they may have no knowledge of learning theory and engaging their services may cause irreversible damage to your dog!

Currently there is no legislation or regulation on the provision of dog training and behaviour services and anyone can call themselves a dog trainer, instructor or behaviourist. This means that dog owners have no guarantee that the ‘trainer’ they’ve hired knows anything about training dogs!

Also beware of rash claims that a particular trainers’ methods are 100% guaranteed to work, as this cannot be accurate and truly representative. On one site after stating the ’100% Guaranteed’ read their small print!

Before you book any sessions, ask the question, “can you tell me what qualifications you have?” If the answer is anything but yes, do yourself and your dog a big favour and go elsewhere.

• Read a report published by the Companion Animal Welfare Council (PDF, 52 pages)
• See my qualifications and experience here.
• Read my testimonials here.

Did you know that, far from helping with behavioural problems such as pulling, choke chains can actually cause and compound behavioural issues?

There are much kinder, more effective ways of controlling your dogs than choking them with a choke chain or slip lead (basically the same principle). If your dogs pulls and you don’t want to train them, please use a halti collar or similar to avoid choking them.  Better still bring them to one of my dog training classes and learn how to walk them the kind way, on a loose lead. It woud make both your lives so much more pleasant.

“In 30 years of practice (including 22 as a veterinary advisor to a police dog section) I have seen numerous severely sprained necks, cases of fainting, transient forleg paralysis and hind leg ataxia after robust use of the choke chain.

My ophthalmology colleagues have decided views on the relation between compression of the neck, intraocular pressure distrubances and damage to the cervical sympathetic nerve chain resulting in Horner’s syndrom. I personally have seen a case of swollen eyes with petechial scleral haemorrhage and a number of temporarily voiceless dogs”

Robin Walker BVetMed MRCVS

“In a retrospective study on spinal pain, injury or changes in dogs conducted in Sweden, Hallgreen (1992) found that 91% of dogs with cervical anomalies experienced harsh jerks on lead or had a long history of pulling on the lead. Uses of chokers was also over represented in this group. This strongly suggests that such corrections are potentially injurious”

Karen Overall MA, VMD, PhD, DACVB Clinical Behavioural Medicine for Small Animals.

Both taken from the APDT leaflet entitled “Let’s Teach Them, Not Choke Them” available from their website here.

Lungworm infections can result in a number of different signs which may easily be confused with other illnesses. If your dog is displaying any of the signs below, consult your veterinary surgeon immediately.

Breathing problems Coughing Tiring easily	Poor blood clotting Excessive bleeding from even minor wounds/cuts Nose bleeds Bleeding into the eye Anaemia (paleness around the eyes gums)
General sickness Weight loss Poor appetite Vomiting Diarrhoea	Changes in behaviour Depression Tiring easily Seizures (fits)

There are some dogs which don’t initially show outward signs of lungworm infection. Your veterinary surgeon can perform tests which may help detect if your dog is infected with the lungworm parasite, if you are concerned.  Find out more at www.lungworm.co.uk