Penthwell Dog Training

22/06/2026

☀️ Keep Your Dogs Cool Over the Next Few Days! ☀️

With temperatures set to soar, please put your dog’s wellbeing first:

✅ Early morning walks only
✅ Scentwork and enrichment activities in the shade or indoors
✅ Plenty of fresh water and opportunities to hydrate
✅ Rest and relaxation during the hottest parts of the day

We don’t want dogs travelling in extreme temperatures, and it’s simply too hot for both dogs and humans to learn effectively. For this reason, we have cancelled all training sessions until Friday.

We will review the forecast on Thursday and assess conditions for the days ahead, with the health, safety and wellbeing of your dogs remaining our absolute priority.

Stay cool and give your dogs an extra cuddle from us! 🐾💙

21/06/2026

⭐️🐾 Happy Father’s Day to all the amazing Dog Dads! 🐾⭐️

Lars is definitely a daddy’s boy and loves posing with Rob. In fact, he loves doing just about everything with him — snuggles, adventures, playtime, farm jobs and, of course, training sessions! ❤️

At Penthwell Dog Training, we’re passionate about helping dogs and their humans build strong, positive relationships. The skills we teach are important, but the real magic happens when training becomes a way to connect, communicate and have fun together.

Lars and Rob are a wonderful example of that partnership. Whether they’re out exploring, learning something new or simply relaxing together, their bond shines through.

Today we’re celebrating all the Dog Dads who make time for walks, training, enrichment, cuddles and everything in between. Your dogs appreciate you more than you know! 💙🐶

Happy Father’s Day!

20/06/2026

🌟 Graduation Day! 🌟

These 4 fabulous dogs have just completed their Introduction to Scent Detection course and what a pleasure it’s been watching them grow in confidence and skill over the past few weeks. 🐾

Scent detection isn’t just for working breeds – it’s a fantastic activity for pet dogs of all ages and abilities. Whether you have a busy youngster, a senior dog needing gentle enrichment, or simply a dog who loves using their nose, scent detection has something to offer.

👃 Taps into natural instincts
🧠 Encourages problem-solving
💚 Builds confidence
🤝 Strengthens your bond as a team
🎯 Improves focus and engagement
🐾 Provides rewarding mental enrichment

Most importantly, it’s great fun for both dogs and handlers!

A huge well done to these brilliant teams. 🎉

🚨 We have just ONE SPACE remaining on our next Introduction to Scent Detection course, starting 27 June.

If you’d like to discover why so many dogs (and their humans!) fall in love with scent detection, follow the link below to grab your space !

✅ Suitable also for dog- reactive dogs
✅ Delivered by an instructor who has completed City & Guilds Assured scent detection instructor training.
✅ Small groups to ensure maximum learning for both dogs and humans

🔗 https://www.penthwelldogtraining.co.uk/service-page/sniff-and-seek-1?referral=service_list_widget

📩 [email protected]

20/06/2026

This ⬇️⬇️⬇️

And it’s not just “for spaniels” as many dog owners believe. Check your dogs over daily … you’ll save 💰💰💰at the vets and your dog a lot of discomfort and pain 😊

🌾GRASS SEED SEASON IS HERE🌾

Margot and Frankie are always happy to head off on their adventures… but they know the drill when they get back to the car: it's time for a full grass seed check!

Although grass seeds can be tiny they can cause some huge issues as they’re able to track up into the dog’s skin, ears and nose.

After every walk, give your dog a quick once-over. Pay extra attention to:

🌳 In between the paw pads
🌳 Around the ears and just inside the ear openings
🌳 Their armpits – especially the front ones, and particularly if they wear a harness, as seeds can get trapped underneath
🌳 Around the nostrils and facial hair, especially in long-haired dogs
🌳 Around the eyes and under the collar too

Dogs can also inhale grass seeds through their noses, particularly if they're running around, so avoiding longer grass areas might be worth it.

If your dog has a longer coat, keeping the fur around their paws, ears and tummy trimmed can make spotting any grass seeds much easier.

If your dog has a grass seed stuck, they might be:
🌱Licking excessively in areas like paws
🌱Sudden head shaking
🌱Sneezing
🌱Swelling and redness

But any concern do contact your vet and get a professional once over.

16/06/2026

🐾 Introduction to Scent Detection 🐾

📅 Starts: 27 June 2026
⏰ Time: 9.00–11.00
📍 West Oxfordshire
🗓️ 3-week course

Discover the wonderful world of scent detection with your dog! Whether you have a bouncy youngster, an older dog looking for enrichment, or anything in between, this course is suitable for dogs of all ages and breeds.

Scent detection is a fantastic activity that taps into your dog’s natural abilities while strengthening your partnership. Benefits include:

🐶 Builds confidence
🧠 Provides mental stimulation and enrichment
🎯 Improves focus and engagement
🤝 Strengthens the bond between dog and handler
😌 Can help dogs learn to work calmly around distractions

Dog-reactive dogs are welcome. We understand that every dog is an individual, and we strive to create a supportive environment where teams can learn at their own pace.

Most of all, you’ll become part of a welcoming and encouraging community of like-minded dog lovers, celebrating progress together every step of the way.

Ready to unleash your dog’s superpower?

🔗 https://www.penthwelldogtraining.co.uk/service-page/sniff-and-seek-1?referral=service_list_widget

12/06/2026

Socialisation doesn’t stop after puppy class! 🚂🐾

Lars is now 18 months old, and we still make a point of seeking out new environments with different sounds, smells and surfaces for him to experience.

Yesterday, we visited a local train station. Trains arriving and departing, announcements over the speakers, people moving about, unfamiliar noises and plenty of new sights and smells to take in.

Socialisation isn’t just for puppies. Ongoing exposure to new experiences helps dogs develop confidence, resilience and the skills they need to cope with the unexpected. Rather than asking Lars to interact with everything around him, we simply gave him the opportunity to observe, explore and process the environment at his own pace.

A confident dog isn’t one that has experienced everything – it’s one that knows how to handle new situations when they arise. 💚🐾

Want to help your dog feel more confident in the real world?

We have some exciting new workshops in the pipeline, focusing on real-life socialisation, confidence building and navigating novel environments with your dog.

Whether you have a young dog, a sensitive dog or simply want to broaden your dog’s experiences, these sessions will give you practical skills and guidance in a supportive environment.

📩 Get in touch to register your interest and be the first to hear when bookings open. We can’t wait to share more details with you! 🚂🐕

👉 [email protected]
🔗 https://www.penthwelldogtraining.co.uk/

31/05/2026

So proud of my spaniel boy 🤎

Yesterday we travelled to Warwickshire to join the “Spaniel Special” scent detection workshop with Kat from K9 Behaviour Consultancy

We focused on lots of motivational searches and early finds for Henry, all designed to build confidence and encourage independent searching.

This is huge for him. When he first came to me, he was glued to my side, very visual, and wouldn’t sniff for anything… not even the tastiest piece of sausage!

To see him walk into a completely new environment and ask very few questions of me shows just how much progress he’s made, not only in his scent work but also in his emotional development and confidence. Great to see what we have been working on is paying off - and a lot of this is patience!

We’re now at the stage where we can start thinking about introducing a more official target odour and indication training, but there’ll be no rushing. Building strong foundations and keeping the work fun will always come first.

I couldn’t be prouder of how far this little dog has come. 🤎🐾



📹 Sniff and Learn K9 Academy

28/05/2026

Different breeds, same drive 💦🐾

Water retrieves are about far more than simply fetching an item back.

For dogs, this type of work builds confidence, problem solving skills, steadiness, focus and commitment to the retrieve — all whilst working through the added challenge of water.

Lars the dachshund and Trudy the Labrador approached the exercise side by side, both swimming confidently, staying focused on the retrieve and delivering back to hand beautifully.

Good training isn’t about making every dog work the same way. It’s about developing the individual dog in front of you and building clarity, confidence and enjoyment in the task.

21/05/2026

☀️🐾 Hot Weather Update 🐾☀️

Please note that all sessions THIS WEEKEND after 12pm (midday) have been cancelled or rescheduled due to the hot weather.

As next week is also looking incredibly hot, I am currently contacting everyone who has booked a session after 12pm midday to rearrange to a morning slot, or move sessions to the following week instead.

These temperatures are not safe for dog training, and I would also like to avoid dogs travelling in the heat wherever possible.

🐶 During the hot weather please remember:
• Walk your dogs early in the morning — we’re talking 6/7am early
• Provide plenty of fresh drinking water
• Make sure your dog has access to cool, shady spaces
• During the day (and evening if it doesn’t cool down), stick to short toilet/sniff breaks only
• Be mindful of hot pavements, which can burn paws
• Avoid unnecessary travel with your dogs
• NEVER leave your dog in the car — even for a short time

❗ Remember: No dog has ever died from missing a walk, but many dogs have died from heatstroke or heat exhaustion.

You can find the symptoms of heatstroke via the link below 👇

https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/dogs/health/heatstroke

17/05/2026

What a fantastic workshop day yesterday 🙌🐾

One of the best parts of working with mixed-level teams is seeing every dog and handler progress in their own individual way ✨

Some teams focused on developing more methodical search systems, others worked on building stronger, clearer indications within the search, while some strengthened their dogs’ confidence, commitment and understanding of odour.

Watching that partnership grow between dog and handler is always such a rewarding part of the journey 🐶💛

Milo & Naila were absolute superstars, showing us they truly know what they’re searching for — and their handlers did a brilliant job confidently reading and trusting their dogs throughout.

Huge congratulations to both teams for smashing their Level 2 assessments 🎉👏

So much progress, teamwork and happy dogs all round!