I have extensive experience caring for dogs and in particular Schnoodles and poodles. I used to be a nanny and child care educator, and I have now transferred a huge amount of those skills to working with and caring for dogs: I know how to correctly stimulate a dog with different types of toys and outings, or calm and reassure them. I can train and speak to dogs well and I have a number of pieces of agility equipment set up in my secure garden. I can also give your dog a basic groom if necessary, I have a bath available for this purpose and I regularly wash dogs in my care on request.

My strengths as a dog carer lie in being particularly suited to sensitive and intelligent breeds or dogs that might be nervous, anxious and need a bit more paitience and gentle handling.

If you have any concerns you can arrange to come and visit to check how I do things, where your dog would stay, and meet my own dog Poppy who is a very laid back and social animal, and genuinely loves having other dogs around, and is a very good influence. I am also happy to come and meet you and your dog in a pubic park so you can get to know me first and see how I get along with your pet.

We start the day with walks in the morning in the countryside to burn off energy and then in the afternoon another local walk. Naturally this depends upon the range and energy level your dog has, it could also be that we break up walks throughout a day. I have no kids so Dog-care is as flexible as the animals I have in residence. Afternoons will likely be spent doing a mixture of free play, human interaction and enjoying things like puzzles and licky mats. I will aim always to match activity and activity levels to the weather and the dogs.

As a long term dog owner I take the trust you place in me seriously. I understand how important your dog is to you and therefore follow all the recommend guidelines when looking after your dog, and I take an interest to update my knowledge when those guidelines are changed. 

My house and space where your dog will stay is secure and regularly risk assessed, as is any location your dog visits for a walk whilst in my care. I maintain a safe and loving space for your dog by keeping the environment hygienic and stimulating. I also understand that your dog will need a good routine to feel safe and anchored into daycare with me. My moto is: ‘Bad behaviour = un-met needs’ so I’m always alert to how I can meet these needs better as it makes my job easier. Your dog will never be punished or shamed if they are naughty, I don’t believe it works. Instead their good behaviour will be re-enforced and their needs met. They will KNOW that they are good and they are loved. I will monitor them for over and under stimulation, respect their boundaries and work closely with you to achieve the best possible setting in and staying in day care. I will also separate dogs from one another if needed, they will all have different requirements for space at different times and I can easily accommodate this need even in bad weather. In the summer I have at least one air conditioning unit assigned just to keep the dogs cool, the benefit of this is you will be able to bring your dog here on an extremely hot day and know that they will be in a room that can be cooled to 20 degrees even when outside is 42 degrees! 

I take the hygiene and care of the environment that your dog is in personally. With positive discipline and environmental control I keep your pets safe and out of trouble. My house sets dogs up for success. I make sure to give dogs the correct amount of stimulation and remove dogs if they seem over stimulated. I will always give dogs variety in their walks.  They will also be spoken to a lot engaged with and played with. I will set up our working relationship for success too, as you the owner, will provide me with written instructions for your dog and then we will as a team manage care of your dog. It is really important to me we all get our needs met.

A typical day will include a variety of physical and mental stimulation. I have taken care of more than a couple of high energy dogs over the years so I’ve got used to finding many fun ways to occupy their attention such as licky mats, stuffed kongs, snuffle mats, different walks in different places and all kinds of training and one on one interaction.

I will want to know your dogs personality, favourite activities, need for down time, if they are crate trained, previous medical history, socialisation background, recall abilities and what commands they can respond to. Its worth mentioning that I am something of a specialist with poodle mixes and Schnauzers; I have a wealth of experience with them and I know these dogs really well and I’m extremely well placed to respond to them and keep them happy and stimulated.