Tag: Well being
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What’s Happening at SkellyWAGS?
After a summer that has involved heat, cancelled sessions, rearranged appointments and more conversations about the weather than even we British would normally consider reasonable, it’s lovely to be looking ahead to a busy few weeks at SkellyWAGS. We have new courses, practical workshops, scentwork and even an opportunity for the humans to do some…
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VARK, Not BARK: Dog Trainers Need to Understand How Humans Learn Too
As dog trainers, we spend a great deal of time learning how dogs learn. We talk about reinforcement, association, motivation, timing, environment and whether the piece of cheese in our hand is actually more interesting than the spaniel disappearing into the undergrowth. All very important stuff. However, there is another animal standing at the end…
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How Does a Dog’s Nose Work? Scentwork, Sniffing and Hot Weather
Scentwork is often suggested as a good alternative to walking when the weather is hot. That makes sense. It can be done indoors, it doesn’t need lots of space and a dog can enjoy using their nose without racing around or covering miles. However, scentwork isn’t a magical hot weather loophole. When it becomes extremely…
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Sharing Your Lovely Words Without Feeling Like a Show Off
I’m very lucky to receive some truly lovely reviews from the people who bring their dogs to SkellyWAGS or homes I visit. I read and reply to every one of them. I appreciate every one of them. Occasionally, they even make me feel as though I might know what I’m doing. Then comes the difficult…
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Puppy Classes in Kent
Our 6 week puppy course covers all the basics to get you and your pup off to a flying start. The course covers all of the basics such as recall, sit, wait, down, loose lead walking and more.
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The Dogs Came First. Every Time.
July 2026 has officially entered the record books. It was England’s driest July on record and its second warmest, while here in Southern England it was both the warmest July and the driest month ever recorded. Those figures probably won’t surprise anyone who spent much of the month checking the temperature, looking hopefully at rain…
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Why Is Sniffing So Important for Dogs?
You’ve left the house with your dog, planned a decent walk and perhaps even imagined returning home before the kettle has completely forgotten about you. Then your dog finds a particularly interesting patch of grass. They sniff it from one direction, approach it from another, investigate the neighbouring lamppost and then return to the original…
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Scentwork Classes for Dogs in Kent
Our scent work courses are an introduction into the world of scent work for your dogs…we will not teach them to search for explosives…but we will teach them how to train for a scent!
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The Dog Training Questions Everyone Asks – And Where to Start
If you’ve ever typed “How do I stop my dog from…” into Google, you’re certainly not alone. In fact, I’m fairly sure the words “stop my dog” have been followed by everything from pulling on the lead to stealing socks, barking at the window and disappearing after a squirrel. Many of the most common dog…
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Scentwork: A Practical Guide to Building Your Dog’s Confidence Through Nosework
Scentwork: A Practical Guide to Building Your Dog’s Confidence Through Nosework Scentwork is a rewarding dog sport and enrichment activity that encourages dogs to use their most powerful sense: smell. It is suitable for almost any dog, from high energy youngsters to older dogs who need low impact exercise. Better still, it is easy to…
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Why Connection Is the Foundation of Everything We Do at SkellyWAGS
A Busy Week That Reinforced an Important Lesson As another busy week at SkellyWAGS comes to an end, I’ve found myself reflecting on just how many different dogs, people and conversations I’ve been fortunate enough to be part of. It’s been one of those weeks where no two days have looked the same. There have…
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When a Dog Says “Not Yet”. We Should Listen
Every dog deserves to have their voice heard Yesterday I spent some time working with a lovely dog called Nala who is weary of strangers. Like many dogs, she wasn’t being naughty or difficult, she was simply unsure of the unfamiliar person standing in front of her. That person happened to be me. Normally, I’m…
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Life Skills Workshop. Why do we not call it Obedience training?
The main reason is because we do not like the word OBEDIENCE and what it implies, the same as why we use the word CUE instead of COMMAND. Although only words they still have an association to them, as a human I would rather be asked to do something instead of told or commanded to…
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Canicross and Canitalk. What is it all about?
Our answer may not be what you expect; as we think the most important thing is time spent with your dog. In our ever busy lives we sometimes forget to allocate time for ourselves, our dogs, exercise, well being, and generally just taking time to enjoy the great outdoors. The thing we love week in,…