Polly, Queen for the week!

Cara Doll has always enjoyed sharing with other dogs; it doesn't matter what it is- toys, food, her bed- it matters not one iota to her.
However, imagine Cara's surprise when Polly came to stay for the week and found out that Polly DOES NOT share!!
Polly is a cute, lovable and loving White Chinese Crested Powder Puff; she is tiny in size and massive in personality. This is her second visit to Kingsdale and immediately remembered that this 'home' was her temporary home and she became Queen of the Kingsdale Pack for the week!

Cara and I have a really great 'girlie' moment when I go to bed. She cuddles in to my side, flips over onto her back, all 4 legs in the air, her head resting on my face and I imagine her 'purring' in delight. If a dog could purr, I know she would!
As soon as Polly arrived, she watched this encounter and instantly decided that this was definately for her. So she leapt on the bed and crawled her way up my body until we were nose to nose and eye to eye. She then settled down to sleep. Cara was nestled into my side as happy as can be.
The next night, Polly made sure she was first on the bed and then defended her territory with vigour and enthusasism! Cara initially wasn't concerned until she was chased off the bed by this tiny dog.
The pattern had been established, if Polly was on the bed first, there was NO SHARING with any dog. If Cara was on the bed first, then sharing was allowed and Polly and Cara slept together.

I tried different tatics with Cara and Polly to no avail; they both seemed very content with the arrangement.

I am always humbled by dogs as I observe how they bare no grudges and always respond from the present moment. Cara held no grudge against Polly, they played together, lay on the sofa together, had treats together; in fact they were best pals until it came to the BED!!

A wonderful lesson for me to apply to my life. Just let go of all the negativity and enjoy life.

Pretty Polly- The Sofa Queen!

Have a fabulous Christmas with love from the Kingsdale Pack.

Cara bottled out!

My adorable Cara Doll visits a pal of mine, Julia, for 'socialisation' whilst I walk her dog in Evanton Woods.
Today was her 4th visit and with each visit she is becoming more accepting and peaceful at being with Julia, which is fantastic!

Cara and I trotted down to my friends house today for her weekly visit and when we arrived, I visited the 'loo' (if you got to go!) without realising that Cara hadn't seen me go into this room. Cara realising that I wasn't around panicked and as Julia called her name she ran out of the house and sprinted all the way home (about half a mile) within a couple of minutes!

There is always a 'Silver Lining' in all experiences and for me this was a wonderful lesson.
Although Cara Doll is becoming more relaxed being left alone with my pal, she isn't completely at ease and just wants to be with Mike and I. Next visit we will be prepared and close the doors!!

This morning was a rushed affair and so I had no time to sit down to meditate and reflect on the day ahead. I usually would have already imagined Cara and I meeting with Julia; seeing the meeting as a positive event for Cara with her confidence and understanding growing with each visit, but today I did nothing! My energies were a little chaotic and the outcome was a little chaotic!!
Life is always a reflection of how you feel; a valuable lesson for me to remember again.

Cara Doll and I exhanging cuddles.

 Has your dog ever felt the same way and needed the security of their own home? Post a comment below and share your experience.

Bye for now from the Kingsdale pack.

Scrumy, yummy, home baked dog treats

I made a batch of Black Pudding bisuits for all the kids at Kingsdale today. They were consumed instantly and are a useful, tasty morsel for training purposes.

I have a dog bone cookie cutter and I also roll the dough into small balls in the palm of my hand. Do what ever you like as this dough is very pliable and easy to roll.

One roll of Black Pudding (not the huge roll)

A dollop of runny honey

A Tablespoon of Oatmeal

A Desertspoon of Ground Flaxseed.

Oven Temp- 185'

Cooking time- approx 20 minutes.

The best method that works really well is to put the Black Pudding in a processor and blend until crumbly. Then add the remaining ingredients. Blend it again and the mixture will form a dough within a few minutes.

Flour a board and roll the dough out to the required thickness and use a bisuit cutter or make balls in the palm of your hand.

Place on a parchment sheet and bake in the oven for around 20 minutes. I then turn the oven off and leave them to cool in the oven and then the biscuits get crispy which my dogs like.

You can freeze these biscuits; however I'll be surprised if your dogs will leave you any to freeze!!

Pictures of the biscuits and dogs!

Khan, Cara and Benny patiently waiting whilst Teal, the Springer Spaniel, is more interested in her bone! 

Please comment if you try this recipe and let me know if your dog gives the biscuits a 'Paw Up'!

Please add any favorite recipes that you would recommend; Cara Doll and Benny Bear would be grateful.

Bye for now from the Kingsdale Pack

Cara Doll, Benny Bear, Khan and Teal  

My Amazing Poker Face!

Lovely, big boy Khan enjoys chewing and his owners very kindly gave me a sheepskin rug for him to chew on.
This is my first experience with a dog chewing his rug (Cara and Benny have never chewed anything other than a bone) and scattering the remnants all around the room and after the first day, I knew Khan was having a good time, but Mike and I weren't! So something had to change and it had to be Khan's behaviour. After all I am not a housework goddess and didn't enjoy getting the hoover out all the time!!
I began this little exercise with attempting to get the rug out of his mouth, then the commands 'Give' 'Drop' with really tasty morsels to tempt him as an exhange. Outcome- more chewing with excited leaps around the house as he expressed his enjoyment of this new game!! I then began to notice that I was feeling a tad annoyed with this very happy boy which was hotly followed with frustration.
So, I left the big boy and ignored him totally. I got on with something else that made me feel alot better and then when I was feeling good, feeling happy, I went to see how Khan was doing. He had dropped the rug, but as soon as he clocked me, his fabulous chewing game resumed. So, I put my brilliant poker face, didn't say anything, turned around and left the room. Within a second he followed me with no rug. I turned and lavished praise on him- cuddles, kisses and treats, he had love poured all over him. This is the routine I adopted every time he decided that he wanted chew and I added in a meaty bone when he was being a good boy. It took a day and there has been no chewing since- nothing at all. Chewing the bone hasn't activated chewing in the home. So, Khan very happy and Mike and I very happy.
I had to be consistent as did Mike; we followed the same routine throughout the day and it WORKED! His chewing game wasn't being energised by Mike and I; we just left him to it with a neutral uninterested body language and then praised and loved him when he was being good.

So, if this routine works for me and Khan, it can work for you!

I now tell Khan "You Rock!" when he is behaving brilliantly.

Tomorrow, I will share the Black Pudding biscuit recipe that results in the dogs waiting and sitting beside the oven whilst the biscuits are baking!

See you tomorrow.

For The Love of Dogs

I am so excited to be writing my first Happy Hounds Blog and my desire is for this Blog to inspire dog owners to share their stories, to ask questions and to be supported on their journey as a dog lover and owner.
I have always wanted a dog; infact I struggle to remember when I wasn't imagining having a dog. When Mike and I moved to the Highlands our dream came true and Cara Doll and Benny Bear became a part of the Duffy clan!

Through my relationship with these wonderful dogs, I have gained many insights about myself and how my emotions and feelings have a direct influence on my dogs and I now wish to inspire dog lovers to reach their highest potential for themselves first and foremost and then for their beloved dogs.
                                             Happy Owners=Happy Hounds!

We have a lovely boy staying with us at Kingsdale Dog Home Boarding called Khan. He is a Black Labrador and is brimming with energy and vitality!
When he arrived last week, we soon found out that Khan loves to CHEW! He gets the Kingsdale Award for the best chewer that we have shared time with and now after a week with us, he has stopped his chewing completely.
Tomorrow, I shall share how I acheived this through first releasing my negativity and reclaiming my positive outlook.
His award? An activity toy that I made which Cara, Benny and Khan enjoy and which cost me next to nothing! How awesome is that?!
I got the idea from a great book called 'Brain Games' by Claire Arrowsmith.

I used an threadbare tea towel and cut it into 3 strips. Tied one end and then began to plait the ends, placing a treat in the plait as I went along. You then tie the other end.
If you are lucky you will have the toy unravelled after being chewed and thrown around, so you can use it again!! The above toy is Cara's and has been used twice; Khan's is in the rubbish bin!

Any questions, please post.

Bye for now from me and the Kingsdale pack.