v THE HERALD - Your Community Magazine v 3rd August 2023 • The HERALD • Page 57 ANIMAL MAGIC Caring for your animals when you can’t be there Vanessa Rouse ex-RSPCA Inspector Experienced & Insured 07742 848265 www.purlieuanimalcare.co.uk ank you to everyone that has made a donation to Barry’s Farm via the collection tin in e Herald. We recently had a count up and have transferred another £60 across to the farm’s Mole Valley account, which will to go towards the cost of food and other supplies for the animals. Thank You For Your Kind Donations! Thank you! HAS YOUR EASY-GOING PUPPY TURNED INTO A TEENAGE TEARAWAY? by Rachel Clark, Little Rascals Dog Coaching Are you worried your puppy’s behaviour is getting out of control? Wondering whether they will ever grow out of biting or jumping up? Fed up with being ignored or having to apologise for your dog’s behaviour? You’re not alone! Just as you think you’ve cracked puppy training, along comes adolescence and messes it all up. It’s no coincidence that the most common age to rehome dogs is between 6 and 18 months. So why are teenage dogs such hard work? Hormones o en get the blame leading people to think that neutering their dog is the answer. But hormones young, will give them freedom when they’re older. Baby gates and long lines go a long way in speeding up training by making it easier for you to set up opportunities to reward the behaviour you’d like your dog to repeat. And whatever is rewarded is repeated. When it comes to rewarding behaviour, remember that anything your dog wants can be a reward. For example, a recall from water can be rewarded with a return to the water. Just as chocolate buttons are less rewarding for a human teenager than a toddler, food may become less interesting for your adolescent dog so you may have to start getting more imaginative with rewards. For smaller breeds, adolescence can be particularly frustrating. They have the same drive for independence but because it’s so much easier to pick them up, they have fewer choices. is is why biting can get worse at this time. It’s important to teach small dogs to do things on their own four paws. The sooner you ask for help, the easier problems are to fix. Get in touch via www. littlerascalsdogcoaching. co.uk to nd out how I can help. forgotten everything, there is lots going on in their brains and they’re learning faster than ever. Adolescence is also nature’s way of preparing them for independence. ey’re not being deliberately rebellious; it’s just a normal stage of their development. The problem with shouting “No!” “No!” might temporarily interrupt your dog’s behaviour but it doesn’t tell them what to do instead so the unwanted behaviour will keep being repeated. What can you do? “ at was so much fun. But it was a bit too much fun so I’d better not to do it again”… said no puppy ever! If something is rewarding, your dog will keep doing it so it’s essential to remove opportunities. at may involve some inconvenience on your part initially. But remember, this is the rst year of a life span of 12 years or more. Boundaries, when they’re are only one ingredient of many and in some case neutering can make things worse not better. Teenage brains are undergoing major construction. New connect ions are being formed, unused connections are being pruned. While it might feel like your puppy has Jack Russell Terrier Fawley & The Waterside Companion Dog Show Take your four legged friends along to Gang Warily Recreation Centre on Saturday 2nd September for the Fawley & e Waterside Companion Dog Show, entry is £1. Classes are £2 per dog and include pedigree breed classes, gamekeepers class, obedience classes and a fun dog show. e show opens for dog owners to prepare their dogs and will open to the public at 10.30am. On the day there will be a pop up bar from the Jolly Sailor, live music, food outlets, stalls, bouncy castle, gundog scurry and more! For more information follow Fawley & e Waterside Dog Shows on Facebook. My first practical, work experience with Seadown was at the end of secondary school when I spent a week with the small animal team. I did everything from watching consults to helping in the kennels, to even watching surgeries. I really enjoyed it and it showed me the behindthe-scenes side of veterinary work that I had not been exposed to before. My placement allowed me to get to know the team better and I got on well with everyone. Towards the end of my final year at University, Laura Trigg at Seadown mentioned to my Mum that they might be looking to take on a New Graduate, whilst visiting one of our horses. I sent over my CV and the rest is history! The New Forest is my home and has been a huge part of my life so, naturally, my long term family connection with Seadown, their extensive history with the area and their wonderful, talented people, made it a particularly attractive place to work”. Seadown celebrate their centenary this year. For more information please visit: www.seadownvets.co.uk Young Equine Vet Now Working for Practice That Inspired His Career 24 year old equine vet, Alex Tooley from Copythorne, is now working for the Veterinary Practice that inspired him from an early age, to become a vet. Alex became interested in becoming a vet, whilst watching Seadown Veterinary Services’ Gillies Mo at, treating his family’s horses. Work experience at Seadown during Secondary School con rmed to Alex that he wanted to become a vet and a er graduating from the University of Surrey last July, he moved back to the New Forest to join the team at Seadown. Alex comments: “My family started using Seadown in January 2006, shortly after our horse Willard had an accident in the forest and became trapped in a ditch. My first memories of Seadown are of Gillies attending regularly to treat a wound Willard had sustained to his leg. Over the years, I can recall visits from many of the Seadown team. These were mostly for routine visits, but also the occasional colic or lameness. I would often be out helping, even before I had decided I wanted to be a vet. As a child, seeing how they were able to fix the horses seemed like magic and I wanted to be able to do that too. Alex as a boy with his pony, Alex undertaking a health check on an equine patient (Credit: Seadown/Richard Dunwoody)
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