Tag: Dog

Banana & Peanut Butter Kong Filler

img_20180629_112335_303One of Rosie favourite Kong Fillers – Frozen Banana & Peanut Butter, quick and easy to make they are perfect for the hot weather as a refreshing treat, and great to keep her mind busy if I pop out. I always have one in the freezer ready to go!

 

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Ingredients
(For Two Kongs)
x1 Whole Banana
x2 Table Spoons of Natural Yoghurt
x2 Table Spoons of Peanut Butter

 

Step One
Make sure your Kong has been washed and dried, often bits of food can be left inside if they are not cleaned correctly. A goodwash then leave it to dry.  (Pop them into the dishwasher if you have one)

Step Two
Peel and chop the Banana and place into a blender of some kind. (I use a smoothie maker)
Top Tip – Cut a small piece of Banana and place at the bottom of your Kong, its stop the mixture from running out the bottom and creating a very sticky mess!

Step Three
Add x2 Table Spoons of Natural Yogurt & Peanut Butter and blend together. The consistency should be thick enough to pour it into the Kong.
Remember! To check the ingredients when buying Peanut Butter, make sure it does not contain Xylitol and that any Palm Oil is responsibly sourced. My go-to is Whole Earth Smooth or Crunchy

Step Four
Pour the mixture into the Kong and place in the freezer, depending on your freezer they should be ready within a few hours, I leave my overnight. For freshness, I recommend using them within a few days from being made.

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That’s it! They are really simple to make and go down an absolute treat! If I have extra mixture left over, I pour it into a bowl for Rosie!

Me and Rosie love hearing from you, please share how you got on making your Banana & Peanut Butter Kongs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friendship

Note I am not a professional dog trainer or behaviourist and don’t claim to be.

Me and Rosie are inseparable best friends. Her infectious, positive outlook on life makes me a better human and I hope in someway I make her a better dog. We ‘just get’ each other and admittedly we spend hours talking about life and random rubbish, while she can’t physically speak back, I know she listening to my ramblings and in an indescribable way I feel her responses. Our close relationship has been building from the moment I got her and has taken some time. Here is a reflection on our friendship.

PATIENCE

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My close friendship with Rosie did not happen overnight and I often wondered whether we would be close. Just like any relationship we had to get to know each other and learn to live together. Her behavioural problems have often been stressful and when she acts out my patience has been tested, especially in the earlier days, however through perseverance and time we have grown close and our friendship continues to grow from strength to strength.

TRUST

20161127_104742Rosie had to learn to trust me, for the first 6 months of her life, she lived with someone else, and everything she knew I took her away, even though it was for the better. By giving Rosie a stable routine, constant training, love and the attention she deserved, she learnt to trust me.

Would I trust Rosie not to chase after a deer? Absolutely not!  However just as much as she has had to learn to trust me, I have had to learn to trust her, by stepping back from time to time to allow her to show me her capabilities and give her the opportunity to make her own judgement, of me and her new life.

LOVE

IMG_20180303_214606584Every day I tell Rosie, how much I love her, while she might not understand my words, I hope by saying it, my she picks up on my positive body language, and in her own mind knows, how much she is truly loved.  I spend quality time with her, provide her with a safe home and ensure she is well cared for so that she can feel content, relaxed and at peace around me. Rosie is the perfect nap buddy, Sunday afternoons after a busy weekend we often go for a nap, she is more than happy to come for a snuggle and we both feel calm, relaxed and loved.

 

The strength of your relationship with your dog is not based on the number of material objects you buy them, a truly strong relationship comes from the heart.

Please share your love below – Rosie and I would love to hear from you x

 

 

Reactivity

Note I am not a professional dog trainer or behaviourist and don’t claim to be.

Owning a reactivate dog can be an isolating and a stressful experience, however with the right attitude and tools in place, walks can become manageable and over time improve and most importantly become enjoyable for you and your dog.

Here are a few tips I have learnt from working with Rosie.

 

STOP STRESSING AND WORRYING

When I look back at my training journey with Rosie, I can clearly see it would have been a lot easier if I had gotten into the right frame of mind sooner. Instead of worrying about what other people thought of her barking and lunging I should

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have focused on what was making her behave that way in the first place. Any anxiety or stress I was feeling every time we left the house was going straight down the lead making her feel stressed, and in turn setting her up to fail before we had left. Rosie was desperate for some guidance on how to behave on the lead, so if she thought I was worried about another dog, so would she. Now I leave the house feeling positive and celebrate any successful moments no matter how small with Rosie.

 

UNDERSTAND WHY

I took Rosie to a number of one-to-one training sessions with a professional dog trainer, these were invaluable as I learnt why Rosie was behaving the way she was. Reactivity in dogs is not a clear-cut issue; there are hundreds of reasons and behaviours that fall into the reactivate category. Rosie is reactivate as she missed out on basic puppy socialisation and training, mixed with hyperactivity and natural instincts to chase.

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She felt frustrated every time we walked past another dog as she didn’t know how to say hello calmly and saw the lead as a problem. In her mind, the lead was stopping her getting to where she wanted to go and would bark and lunge as a way of dealing with her frustration.

 

 

 

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STAY IN CONTROL

One of the best decisions I made was to invest in a head collar. It helped me stay in control over Rosie, boosting my confidence which in turn allowed me to get her focus on me. A collar around the neck was not safe for her, she was going to pull and lunge even if she couldn’t breathe, which would stress us both out. Rosie has a body harness as an extra safety net, I found she could still lunge and because it came from the shoulders she also became very strong. A head collar allows me full control as Rosie naturally goes where ever her head goes and stopped her pulling instantly. To make life easier there are some great training techniques to help get the head collar on.

 

DO SOMETHING TOGETHER OTHER THAN WALKING

Flyball was the catalyst for the rest of Rosie’s training, we both absolutely love it and now train twice a week. We have been lucky enough to find a fantastic team who have welcomed Rosie. Flyball has given us the opportunity

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to work on her behaviour and our bond while keeping us both distracted from her behavioural issues. The skills and tricks Rosie has learnt at training have naturally improved her behaviour out with. I don’t have any expectations for her at Flyball and have trained at her own pace. As Rosie is a naturally fast runner she loves the opportunity to show off her speed and she loves every minute of it.

 

There is no overnight fix for reactivity, it takes patience and time. Don’t set your dog up to fail, become more interesting than the problem and make a huge deal out of small achievements. Stick with it, and if you are struggling seek advice and talk about it.

Please share your experiences below – Rosie and I would love to hear from you x