Participating in social walks provides an excellent opportunity to enhance your handling and management skills while helping your dog become accustomed to being around other dogs and people, ultimately boosting their confidence in a secure and organised environment. The primary goal is to enjoy the learning process and feel secure throughout. Additionally, social walks offer a wonderful chance to connect with individuals who are undergoing a similar training journey as yourself and If we have not yet met, this is the perfect occasion to have a face-to-face interaction and gain insight into my services, including how I can assist you in addressing any of your dog's behaviour. During the walk you can ask me anything you would like to know or help with or you can just join in and simply enjoy the company. The social walk is open to all, however if your dog struggles with either people, other dogs or specific environment, please let me know so I can adjust the route or advise on the right management.

 

Join us for an enriching experience that benefits both you and your furry companion.

 

Benefits of Social walks

• Confidence building for the human and for the dog without flooding or overwhelming. See and smell other dogs / people in a safe and non-confrontational environment allowing the dog to feel more in control and make good choices. For the human, if you are unsure about your dog's behaviour, walking in public areas can be sometimes scary and frustrating. Here you can meet like minded people who have an idea what you both are going trough.

• Social learning is very powerful and watching other dogs greeting each other or interacting with humans, helps them to learn normal greeting behaviour from a safe distance.

• Practice your skills you have learned during our or other training sessions and take it a step further.

• Enrichment! Dogs are sociable animals and they do like to be around their own species, even though it can be quite scary sometimes.

• Puppies will learn how to greet appropriately and that not everyone is up for a chat - avoiding frustration later on in their journey.

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Types of social walks I will be organising

Every dog and human have their individual needs and we can not possibly cover them all, I will however do what I can to find a solution. Please note that those walks are mainly aimed at safe management to make your walks with your dog more pleasant and safe.

• Open to all to get a chance to socialise and play.

• "Anxious" and "fearful" dogs - The world is generally scary and your dog would rather be invisible to it all: during those walks, the main aim is to show your dog the power of choice, reward and positive associations through conditioning, to increase their confidence.

• Quick to react - For those that like to shout out loud about their big feelings. The aim of this walk is safe and confident handling, management for your everyday walk, the types and timing of rewards and learning simple and fun skills.

• Puppies - Everything is either very exciting when you are little or too scary. When meeting other creatures you can not always know how it will turn out. The aim of this walk is safe and polite greeting, making friends and how to stay engaged with their handler.

 

My Recommendations

• All dogs to be kept on standard leads at all times - please no one extendable leads to be used.

• No dogs will be directly interacting with each other (unless it will be a specific aim of the walk) - respect each others space.

• If you have any concerns please feel free to have initial chat about your dog's specific needs. Some dogs prefer to follow at distance and some like to lead ahead, so I will help you to find your place in the group. The weather also plays a big role in how your dog feels.

• In some cases we will be in public places and I will do my best to keep the public and group separate. If however something sneaks through the gap, please advocate for your dog at all times. We will be practising safety and management so you will know what to do.

• We will be outside for the duration of the walk, please dress appropriately for the weather and terrain.

 

Structure

Walks will usually start at 9.30am and finish around 11am during the weekend and at 4pm until 5.30pm during the week (during Sumer, times can be adjusted to later). The location will be sent to you in advance. Upon arrival, please respect each others's space, until I come and help you to find your spot. Some dogs can get restless just standing about while waiting for everyone to gather. If that is your case, keep moving - if you can, walk in little circles, do a little basic training, or play with a toy to keep them distracted.

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If you would love to bring your dog, but not sure about how they will get on or which group will be best to join, please send me a message and we can have a chat about what will suit them. You can also join the first walk without your dog for free.

The frequency and location of the walk may vary depending on the interest and types of walk held.

The size of group will be maximum of 8 dogs to ensure my full support.

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