Three of our Canine Club members recently went to compete at a Talking Dogs Rally trial in Elham, Kent. Thankfully they had a glorious day for it and commented on what a lovely venue it was.

Carol (& Buddy), Teresa (& Ace & Jack) and Margaret (& Jessie & Rufus) were all awarded ‘Ace’ rosettes for their rounds which is the highest rosette you can get! Buddy and Ace also managed to earn themselves their Level 1 Titles (yet more lovely rosettes!).

A big congratulations to all of you- all that hard work clearly pays off!

If you would like to find out more about ‘Rally’ or how to get started just email jo@naturallypets.co.uk or call 01424 830551. We offer a ‘Beginners Rally’ class each month along with all of our usual rally classes and our more advanced ‘Rally Plus’ each week.

We have developed a 1 day interactive course at our centre on Wednesday 13th June specifically for those working in canine industries. Veterinary Nurses, Kennel staff and Groomers often experience difficult situations with dogs in kennels and are sometimes given little training in how to deal with such situations.

Those who follow the content of this course will be better equipped to deal with kennelled dogs by developing an understanding of canine body language and some of the techniques that can be useful in kennelling situations. This is a fantastic CPD opportunity and our OCN courses are recognized by the BVNA.

During this course we will cover:

• Understanding the reasons for a dog being kennelled- comparing permanent kennelling, boarding, illness and so on.

• Effects of the kennel environment on behaviour & welfare- looking at mobility, kennel design & layout, social implications & problems including barrier frustration, territoriality & den guarding.

• Appropriate techniques for placing a dog in a kennel & returning to a kennelled dog – looking at body language & behavioural signals that may indicate fear or aggression.

• Techniques that can be used to help in difficult situations- the role of habituation, counter-conditioning & systematic desensitisation.

‘The Kennelled Dog’ can be taken as a stand-alone course, but it is also a practical complement to our OCN Level Three ‘Applied Canine Behaviour’ course.

Phone 01424 830551 or email info@naturallypets.co.uk for more information or to book your place

• Buddy & Carol- scored 204, earning themselves 3 scoreboard points.
• Ace & Teresa- scored a perfect 210, earning themselves 3 scoreboard points.
• Jack & Teresa- scored 208, earning themselves 3 scoreboard points.
• Teasel & Frances- scored 189, earning themselves 1 scoreboard point.
• Rufus & Margaret- scored 200, earning themselves 3 scoreboard points.
• Jess & Margaret- scored 204, earning themselves 3 scoreboard points.

Some fantastic scores were achieved (210 being the highest you can achieve) so a big well done to all of you! The Rally scoreboard in the clubhouse has now been updated and some of you are due your next ‘special achievement’ rosette!

The ‘Rally dog of the day’ rosette was awarded to Ace & Teresa for their perfect ’210′ round! Congratulations to you.

Advanced Agility:

• 1st Place- Bertie & Mike
• 2nd Place- Ben & Gavin
• 3rd Place- Poppy & Chrissy

Intermediate Agility:

• 1st Place- Buddy & Chrissy
• 2nd Place- Poppy & Chrissy
• 3rd Place- Tala & Gavin

Beginners Agility:

• 1st Place- Archie & Julie

Once again, a big well done to all of you that took part- we had some great rounds and most of the dogs seemed to quite enjoy our ‘water jump’! All those dogs placed have earnt themselves points on our scoreboard- pop in the clubhouse to check where your dog ranks!

Naturally Pets Canine Centre has been approved by the Open College Network (OCN) as a Centre, meeting national quality standards and delivering accredited learning. All of our OCN courses undergo accreditation standardisation and quality assurance procedures, therefore ensuring the highest standards of quality. Naturally Pets Canine Centre is also an Accredited Course Provider for the British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA) as part of their Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Scheme.

Our Level One course is ideal for pet owners who want to understand their dog better, or those new to canine handling professions. This course will give learners a basic grounding on the foundations of canine behaviour. It can be completed in your own time at home with guidance from our tutors, and the units can be taken individually if required. Units include:

• Basic Needs & Desires
• An Introduction to Learning
• Basic Physiology: The Brain & The Senses

The course assumes no previous knowledge of canine behaviour. All the relevant material is provided in the units. We recommend this course for pet owners with a keen interest in canine behaviour.

Our Level Three course provides a higher level scientific understanding of classical and operant conditioning, natural evolution and ecological history of the canine, impacts of the modern environment on behaviour, and canine cognition and intelligence. Ideal for professionals who work with dogs, as well as those seeking a deeper understanding of canine behaviour.

Learning is at your own pace at home, guided by our tutors, and can be supplemented with practical experience with our Naturally Pets Day Courses when available. (Check out our Events link to dates diary page for details of upcoming Naturally Pets courses)
Core Units include:

• Advanced Learning
• The Evolution of Behaviour
• The Physiology of Behaviour
• Canine Conflict & Resolution

Optional units include:

• Raising Puppies
• The Kennelled Dog
• Handling & Restraint
• Canine Cognition

If you would like to have a chat with one of our tutors to discuss our courses and which level would be most suitable for you, give us a call on 01424 830551 or email jo@naturallypets.co.uk

The talk will cover everything from basic lead walking and recall to understanding and preventing predatory behaviour and social aggression.

It will be a highly informative evening for all dog owners and trainers with an opportunity for questions at the end.

Tickets cost £10 in advance or £15 on the door (50% discount for our Canine Club members).

For more details or to book your place please email info@naturallypets.co.uk or give us a call on 01424 830551

• Ace & Teresa- scored 208 (earning 3 scoreboard points)
• Rufus & Margaret- scored 200 (earning 3 scoreboard points)
• Buddy & Carol- scored 208 (earning 3 scoreboard points)
• Prinny & Angela- scored 204 (earning 3 scoreboard points)
• Teasel & Frances- scored 203 (earning 3 scoreboard points)
• Ryo & Claire- scored 201 (earning 3 scoreboard points)
• Buffy & her ‘mum’- scored 201 (earning 3 scoreboard points)
• Jess & Margaret- scored 207 (earning 3 scoreboard points)
• Jack & Teresa- scored 207 (earning 3 scoreboard points)
• Bizzy & Angela- scored 191 (earning 2 scoreboard points)

The ‘Rally Dog of the Day’ rosette was awarded to Buffy for achieving such a fab score in her first competition (she’d have scored 206 if she hadn’t done a sneaky sit without her mum noticing too!). It just shows that even an ‘old girl’ can excel at rally! (and she loves it!)

Some of you have now earned your next ‘special’ rosette for your scoreboard points so these will be presented at our next class. Well done to you all!

Beginners Agility:

• 1^st Place- Honey & Beatrice
• 2^nd Place- Jeff & Yvonne

Intermediate Agility:

• 1^st Place- Abbie & Emily
• 2^nd Place- Buddy & Chrissy
• 3^rd Place- Rosie & Steve

Advanced Agility:

• 1^st Place- Poppy & Chrissy
• 2^nd Place- Buddy & Chrissy
• 3^rd Place- Rosie & Steve

All of today’s competitions were very close, with just a couple of seconds splitting the placings! Remember, all of those dogs placed today have earned themselves points on our scoreboard and are on the way to earning themselves some of our ‘special achievement’ rosettes! Check the scoreboard (in the clubhouse) to see how your dog ranks!

We kicked off at 8:45am with the ‘A’ stream competitors and then had a short break where rosettes were awarded (some fab results!) before making a start on the ‘B’ stream. At lunchtime we had a break and some of the dogs took part in our fun jumping competition (Noodles set the standard at 33 jumps in 30 seconds!) before getting back to the competition again. We also had some ‘have-a-go’ activities on offer throughout the day including an obstacle obedience course and rally.

The day was certainly a success with people heading home armed with their lovely rosettes and feeling very proud of their dogs! Congratulations to everybody that took part.

We would like to say a big ‘well done!’ in particular to all of our canine club members that took part, you certainly did us proud!

• Teasel & Frances
• Rufus & Margaret
• Buddy & Carol
• Rosie & Anne
• Ace & Teresa
• Jack & Teresa
• Bramble & Frances
• Jessie & Margaret

Lastly, a big thank you to Angela Lucas who judged all of the classes for us!

• Ace & Teresa- score 204 (earning 3 scoreboard points)
• Ilo & Mary- score 167 (well done on your first ever competition!)
• Bramble & Frances- score 203 (earning 3 scoreboard points)
• Rufus & Margaret- score 205 (earning 3 scoreboard points)
• Buddy & Carol- score 197 (earning 2 scoreboard points)
• Jack & Teresa- score 207 (earning 3 scoreboard points)
• Teasel & Frances- score 197 (earning 2 scoreboard points)
• Tikki & Mary- score 167 (well done on your first ever competition!)
• Jess & Margaret- score 205 (earning 3 scoreboard points)

 Our special ‘Dog of the Day’ rosette was given to Mary as a ‘handler of the day’ for her work with Ilo and Tikki- after a handful of lessons she took the plunge and gave both her girls a go in the competition and coped very well! Congratulations to you Mary!

 Remember, there are special Rally rosettes available when a team reaches 2, 5, 10, 15 & 20 scoreboard points! One of the many great things about Rally is that you are only competing against yourself so if you haven’t tried it out yet give it a go! Speak to Jo for more information, phone 01424 830551 or email jo@naturallypets.co.uk