New Milton Advertiser 16th Oct 2020

28 · Friday 16th October 2020 G oodDog with JasminMason Preparing for fright nights news@adt.press · advertising@adt.press · 01425 613384

Our monthly series o ering tips and advice on keeping your pooches happy and healthy

THE festive season is just around the corner with Hallow- een quickly approaching, Bon- fire Night on its way and the Christmas period not too far behind. So there are many things we need to think about when it comes to preparing our dogs for these events. Loud noises, strange costumes and busy, lively family events can some- times be a little scary for our dogs, particularly if it’s not something that they have expe- rienced before. To get a step ahead, and pre-

vent any terrified terriers, both- ered beagles or scared shep- herds, it’s important to put some training in early. When it comes to our dogs we always prefer to be proactive rather than reactive. Halloween First up: Halloween. Whilst we can’t pre-empt what Hal- loween will look like this year, it’s likely that our little ones will still be getting dressed up and trying on their scariest outfits. There may be ghosts and ghouls wandering the lo-

cal streets, and there may even be some trick-or-treats outside our front doors. For any dogs that have had little exposure to people, are a bit timid or maybe have had some bad experiences with hu- mans, a sudden change in the way people look or behave can be a big shock for them. Masks, hats and headdresses can limit their ability to read our facial expressions and add to our ‘scare factor’. As a result, it’s really important that we allow our dogs to investigate our new outfits, and behave in a relaxed and non-threatening manner. When you finish getting all dressed up, come into the room calmly, side on, avoiding any scary poses or terrifying dis- plays. If your dog is afraid take things nice and slowly and al- low your dog to approach you when they are ready. If your dog is one that goes crazy when the doorbell goes, Halloween can be monstrous (excuse the pun). To make things easier for yourself and your dog, it can be extremely useful to teach your dog to head to their bed when they hear the doorbell go. Instead of barking and charg- ing towards the door, we have a lovely calm settle on the bed. If you struggle to implement this, popping a sign up outside your door, some sweets on your porch and turning on some clas- sical music to muffle the sound of visitors can help to make the evening go more smoothly. Bonfire Night Then it’s Bonfire Night – the bane of the dog owner’s life! Fireworks very common- ly cause huge distress for our dogs and can often result in

Your dog may need some extra help to prepare for Halloween, Bonfire Night a nd Christmas

on a lead during evening walks or, even better, swapping your walks for boredom busters and enrichment at home can ensure that your dog is not spooked or put in any danger. If you are looking to attend any displays, it’s best to leave your dog at home with a mem- ber of the family or a dog sitter to ensure they have all the support they need. Many people believe that when our dogs are afraid, we should not comfort them due to the risk of reinforcing their fear – this is not true, if our dogs are seeking reassurance it is impor- tant to provide that. So how can we actually ad- dress our dog’s fear of fire- works? To do this we need to begin to turn their negative association into a positive one. Instead of the sound of fireworks eliciting a sense of fear, anxiety or stress, we want fireworks to be some- thing that elicits either a posi- tive response or, even better, no response at all. To do this we often like to pair the sound of fireworks with either super yummy food, or play. Through repetition, the sound of fireworks prompts our A SURGE in people buying puppies and kitten during lockdown has led to fears that many will end up being aban- doned. The RSPCA revealed it has been called to 1,090 incidents involving dogs alone in Hamp- shire this year. It fears that number will in- crease as furlough ends at the end of October and people are unable to look after their new pet as they return to work. The charity also warned that those who are made re- dundant may not be able to afford a dog anymore. RSPCA chief executive Chris Sherwood said: “We know that there are not enough puppies bred in the UK to meet the demands of those who want to buy them and, worryingly, there appears to be a surge in puppies coming in from out- side the UK. “The problem with this is that, although breeders from countries like Romania are licensed, we have no way of checking the conditions those animals are being kept in and we fear that sales like these could be fuelling cruel puppy farms as well as exposing pup- pies to long and stressful jour- neys.” Google searches for “pup- pies near me” increased by 650% during the pandemic, said the RSPCA, and there has also been a huge increase in the number of licences issued for the commercial import of dogs. The charity is now urging families to make sure they can commit long-term to a dog and think of rehoming an animal

dogs to know that something wonderful is on its way. Play can also be a fantastic way to help our dogs to unwind, to relax and to release all their happy endorphins. If your dog is motivated by a game of tug, whip out your tug toys whilst you play some fire- works sounds on a low volume through your speaker. Remem- ber, whilst play and food can be helpful on the night, it’s impor- tant that you put the work in beforehand – creating a mock, smaller, quieter, fireworks night before building up to the real thing. Chews, lickimats and snuffle mats can also be a fantastic way to help our dogs relax by giving them an outlet for their stress. Christmas Yep, I know it’s only October but we want to get our think- ing caps on now! Again, we don’t know what this ‘new nor- mal’ Christmas has in store for us, so we need to prepare for everything. Christmas generally brings visitors, family, and lots of hus- tle and bustle. One of our fa- vourite things to teach our dogs

in preparation for this magical time is a really solid settle to bed. When you’re carving up the turkey, opening presents or drinking bucks fizz we don’t want our dogs under our feet or eyeing up our magnificent feast. A calm and relaxed space to be, such as a bed or mat, offers a wonderful alternative to any- thing we may want to avoid on the most magical day of the year. Of course, with lots of excite- ment going on we don’t want our dogs to feel bored, frus- trated or even experiencing a little bit of FOMO. We love to arm our dogs with some excit- ing and interesting puzzle toys, some extra special chews and some fun toys to ensure they aren’t missing out. So get your thinking caps on, work out which areas your dogs may struggle with this festive season, and get training! If you are struggling with your dog’s behaviour, feel free contact Paragon Dogs on info@ paragondogs.co.uk, www.para gondogs.co.uk, www.facebook. com/paragondogs1 or 07532 825702.

pacing, hyperventilating, and sometimes even destructive be- haviour. We may also spot more subtle signs of distress such as yawning, whale eye, panting and restlessness. One of the most important things to remember is to keep our dogs safe – a scared dog may not behave in the way you expect; they’re not robots, after all. Simply keeping your dog

Did you know we offer a Leaflet insert service? The New Milton Advertiser & Lymington Times is the perfect platform for you!

INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING? For further information contact your

Jasmin is a trainer at Hordle-based Paragon Dogs

sales rep or call us directly on 01425 613384 for more information

Abandonment fears after lockdown animal surge

Calmore

Cadnam

FORDINGBRIDGE

TOTTON

SOUTHAMPTON

Ashurst

Marchwood

New Forest National Park

HYTHE

LYNDHURST

RINGWOOD

FAWLEY

BEAULIEU

BURLEY

BROCKENHURST

Calshot

BOLDRE

BRANSGORE

Bournemouth Airport

LYMINGTON

NEW MILTON

HIGHCLIFFE

BARTON-ON-SEA

CHRISTCHURCH

MILFORD-ON-SEA

BOURNEMOUTH

Animals like Susie (left) and Shiloh have been put up for adoption

Hengistbury Head

ten they are buying a healthy and happy kitten from a re- sponsible breeder.” The RSPCA is urging any- one thinking of getting a pet to consider whether they can care for them in the long-term – and not just for a pandemic. Ms Potter added: “Sadly, we do see cases of cats coming into our care who have been bought without the correct vaccinations, care or attention and the results can not only be devastating for the cats them- selves but also the new owners who have to provide the time and cost it takes to look after these very poorly kittens. “This is why the RSPCA and other cat charities have come together to create The Kit- ten Checklist to provide vital information, such as ensur- ing you see the kitten with its mum and siblings in the place where they were bred, and peace of mind for anyone look- ing to bring a kitten into their home.”

from a rescue centre instead of buying one – this month being Adoptober for the charity. A similar boom in kitten buying could lead to more cats coming into rescue centres and needing new homes, the RSPCA warned, as it revealed there had been 1,010 cat inci- dents in Hampshire this year. It reported Google searches in July for “Kittens near me” increased sixfold compared to the same period last year. Alice Potter, the RSPCA’s cat welfare expert, said: “It’s fantastic that so many people are interested in bringing a cat into their home this year. “However, with such high in- creases in people searching for kittens online, it’s important that prospective owners are doing their research and not buying a kitten on impulse. “This means making sure they have the time, money and resources to care for a cat for the rest of their lives, but also ensuring that if buying a kit-

We are also able to offer a print and design service — rates available on request

Read by 38,484* local readers

every week * (JICREG June 2019)