Paws of DownUnder

Kirra had a good time at scent work seminar near us today
It was an early start, we left at 6.15 am and it was cold!
Proud of you Kiki 👏 💓

*Children and dogs interactions post*

When interactions are coached and supervised we get to enjoy magical moments such as this one 🥰
Bub asking to have a refreshing beverage with her fave cuddle companion, Henry 💓
For full disclosure, I sat next to bub as soon as I took this picture to make sure interaction remained appropriate and safe for both Henry and bub

Merry Christmas everyone!
First Christmas 🎄 without our Little Lady Zoey
Henry and Kirra wish you all a safe and lovely Christmas
🎄❤️

Kirra and I attended ORT for Anise and Clove on Saturday at Mittagong. It was a very well organised event!
I decided to enter Kirra, as we resumed our K9 nose work training (at home) about a month ago. We used to do group classes before bub arrived but our trainer is no longer doing group sessions
I'm very proud of Kirra, we passed Clove, failed Anise, but she enjoyed both searches just as much 🤗

We encountered a snake 🐍 in our early morning walk

As the weather is warming up, here are some helpful tips regarding the safety of your dog and the snakes when going for a walk:

🐾 Walk your dog on a lead. It may seem obvious, but it is worth mentioning! in NSW, all areas are leashed areas unless clearly designated an off-leash area
🐾Henry, 14yo beagle, is almost completely deaf, the leash is now my main communication tool with him, a gentle tap on the leash tells him he needs to stop and look for me. Can your dog do that?
🐾 Recall training. Can your dog come back to you no matter what? If not, invest time (and treats) in training your dog a reliable recall, it can save your dog's life
🐾 "Leave it" training. Dogs are inquisitive by nature, if your dog is digging or trying to get something under a rock, can you ask them to "leave it" ? similarly, if you see a dog approaching a snake (or something that may look like a snake), can you ask your dog to leave it? If not, consider training this useful skill, as it is quite handy with all wildlife, not just snakes
🐾 Walk on clearly marked trails / short grass and stay clear of overgrown areas
🐾 If you do see a snake, like we did today, stay where you are and if needed, slowly move away from the snake, giving it lots of space; in our case the moment we stopped moving (upon noticing snake), snake decided to hide away deep into the bush, minding its own business, wanting to be left alone (this almost always happens when we see a snake in our walks)
🐾 another obvious one, if using a long lead, keep an eye on your dog, make sure they stay on the marked trail
🐾 in the unfortunate event that your dog does interact with a snake (or you suspect such interaction has occurred), take your dog to the nearest emergency vet and call the vet ahead of arrival (if possible) so they are ready to provide timely care for your dog

Stay safe!

These 3, Kirra, Zoey and Henry
Waiting very patiently for their dinner
They don't demand bark or complain, they just stare 👀 🤣



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It is Kirra's birthday today! 🎂 she turned 4 yo, still behaving like a 9 month old 🤭
We are holidaying in QLD, as I am still on mat leave
So we decided to take her on a family walk to the local beach with some yummy treats she got for Christmas 🎄❤️

Out on our first trip camping with baby and Kirra's place training is getting a real workout 🤭
The beagles are in their crate snoozing away 💤

Starting our morning walk with calmness 😌