Puppy Plus

29/08/2026

A few photos of Allie from the Working Gundog Certificate Assessment day we took part in earlier this year. Thank you to Clwyd Retriever Club for organising and running the day, and Mike Castle for the lovely photos ♥️

I've now achieved WGCs on both Dummies and Game, with a working-bred Labrador, two show-bred Labradors and a rather bonkers Springer Spaniel.

Whatever dog you have, whatever breed they are, they will have been bred for an original purpose. Even a mixed-breed dog will have genetics that predispose them towards certain behaviours.

Gundogs have been selectively bred for generations to work alongside people, to hunt, retrieve, carry, use their noses and respond to movement in their environment. Different gundog breeds, and even different lines within the same breed, may have very different strengths and behavioural tendencies.

Learning, early experiences, health, environment and the individual dog all matter too. But understanding what a dog was originally bred to do can help us understand why some behaviours come so naturally to them, and why giving them appropriate outlets for those behaviours can be so important for their welfare.

For me, working my own dogs has always been about more than training for an assessment! It gives me another opportunity to understand the dogs in front of me, what motivates them, what comes naturally to them, and how we can work with those instincts rather than against them. ♥️

If you are looking for breed specific outlets for your dog, just get in touch. Our Gundog Classes, Scentwork Classes, Rally or Tracking Sessions, might be just what you both need x

26/08/2026

Amy Jones Veterinary Physiotherapy is visiting the barn next Tuesday for her monthly visit!

We’ve two spot available on Tuesday 1st September! This is a fabulous opportunity to get your dog checked out before the autumn months set in.

Book online here - https://puppyplus.as.me/physio

Physiotherapy isn’t just for dogs recovering from an injury or surgery. It can also be incredibly useful for dogs who are showing more subtle changes in their movement, posture or behaviour.

You might have noticed your dog:

• slowing down or becoming reluctant to do things they previously enjoyed
• appearing stiff, particularly after resting
• changing the way they sit, stand or lie down
• becoming reluctant to jump into the car or use stairs
• struggling with particular movements
• becoming more sensitive to touch or handling
• showing unexplained changes in their behaviour

Pain and physical discomfort can have a significant impact on behaviour, which is why physical health is something we consider so carefully in our behaviour work.

Having physiotherapy sessions at the barn also means dogs can be assessed in a quiet, familiar and dog-friendly environment, with plenty of time and space to help them.

Suitable for both existing Puppy Plus clients and new clients and their dogs 🐾❤️🐾

26/08/2026

I love competing in dog sports, I’ve competed in just about every dog sport going at one time or another 😆 I love challenging my own training skills, and being the best trainer that I can be x

Yesterday Alys won her NNA Elite Trial, and her last badge to stage up to Spirit, currently the highest level offered by the National Nosework Association. I’m so proud of what we have achieved especially as we only started competing in February of last year.

But no matter how much I love competing, my dogs welfare, happiness, and general enjoyment of an activity will always, always come first. My dogs are my family, they share my home, and love them all very much.

If Alys told me, tomorrow, that she’d had enough of competition. I’d stop.

Every time we compete I’m checking on her enjoyment of the sport, looking for signs of stress, or any behaviours that tell me she’s not comfortable.

Last month we withdrew from a selection test, that had been set up on a floor I knew she wouldn’t be confident working on. It ment that we weren’t in the running for a medal, but for me that was secondary to Allie’s happiness and confidence.

Being a good trainer and handler isn’t about winning stuff (although that is nice!).

It’s about being the best advocate for your dog that you can be.

It’s about learning as much as you can about how they perceive the world and respecting that.

It’s about being able to interpret how they feel through their body language - those tiny shifts in arousal, and knowing what to do about it.

It’s about being a good trainer, identifying gaps in your own knowledge and always being open to learning more.

It’s about constantly developing your practical skills.

It’s about putting your dog first ❤️

I like shiny stuff as much as the next person, but there’s so much more to competition than that x

25/08/2026

25/08/2026

Another Puppy Plus class has graduated! 🥰

The progress these puppies have made over the last few weeks has been amazing to watch. ❤️
I have loved every minute of teaching them x

From building confidence and learning new skills, to developing calmer behaviours and better communication with their humans, they have all come such a long way. We’re incredibly proud of them (and their humans too!).

Our next Puppy Plus course starts on Tuesday 8th September at 6pm, and we currently have spaces available if you have a puppy snd would like to come along!

Our puppy classes are about so much more than teaching cues. We focus on helping you understand your puppy, building confidence, developing important life skills and creating the foundations for a happy life together.

Starts: Tuesday 8th September at 6pm
8 week course
Puppy Plus Training Barn, near Newtown

If you have a puppy and would like to join us, get in touch or book your place, or book online through the Puppy Plus website!

www.puppyplus.co.uk

22/08/2026

The last 6 weeks have been really challenging x
I’ve cancelled and rearranged so many sessions I’ve lost count. It’s been soul destroying at times.

And then today, I got this in the post 🥹❤️🥰

Thank you Sheila Waller - so very kind ❤️

21/08/2026

Brilliant to be back on location with our search dogs this week!

The hot weather has meant we’ve had to cancel the last three sessions, which has been very frustrating 🙄

The dogs were all super motivated, and hadn’t forgotten a thing!

We looked the difference in human behaviour when handling blind searches V known hide locations, we also gained experience working unseen areas, and calling them clear.

A few tricky hide placements were also thrown in to challenge the dogs!

16/08/2026

I’ve been quite quiet on here recently.

Between the heat, rearranging sessions, trying to move forwards in less than ideal circumstances it’s been a trying time. All of our clients have been amazing, so supportive and kind, which I’m eternally grateful for x

One good thing that’s come out of this summers ‘enforced’ time off is a new desire to complete my APEL/APBC application.

I finished my BSc 10 years ago, so going back to learning/academia is proving a challenge. I’ve spent this morning sorting out my very extensive 👀 bookshelves, and making lists of texts I want to study/reread. I do love a good hyper focus.

Why am I posting this on here?

Accountability.

I’ve intended to go down this route so many times in the past and I’ve never had the motivation/time, and I want to fix that.

So here I am. Being brave 😆😆
Oversharing as usual.

So if I’m a bit out of touch over the next 6 months, I’m probably absorbed in a book. Or paper. Writing a case study, or analysing and reflecting on why I do what I do.

I’m still going to be at the barn, running classes, teaching and organising workshops, doing behaviour consults. None of that is changing. I’m just prioritising my time off for study - which I do really enjoy x

And cuddling dogs also - obviously.

15/08/2026

Katie posted this in our Trackstars Tracking Group and I thought the wider world might like to see what we’ve been getting up to!!

‘A beautiful day at Glansevern…

25,000 instructor steps later and we have three new TS1 teams.

Congratulations to Louise Nicholson and Billy, Ruth Millington and Jed, Helena Griffith and Storm.

Sheila Waller and Layla also completed their first TS2, Nikki Hopkins and Ronnie their first TS1, Lena Williams and King their first TS1 on non-household scent, Elaine Weston and Nellie ticking off another 600m terrain track and Keri Slater and Bryn for their second TS1.

We were busy!’

Our Intro to Tracking workshop in September is full, but we’ll be putting another on soon x
Get in touch if you’d like to find out more 🐾

Puppy Plus, Scent and Track UK

03/08/2026

Sharing because I think this is important ❤️
I’m a massive fan on CAMS as an organisation. Management of pain is so very important for general quality of life x

❌ MYTH: "If my dog is on daily pain medication for osteoarthritis, it will mask their symptoms and cause them to overexert themselves, leading to more joint damage."

FACT:
Pain management is essential for breaking the cycle of chronic pain and inflammation. When a dog's pain is unmanaged, they tend to move less, leading to muscle wasting (atrophy) and stiffness. Unmanaged pain can also cause central sensitisation- where the nervous system becomes hypersensitive to pain signals over time.

Properly managed pain allows dogs to comfortably engage in controlled, low-impact exercise (like gentle walking or hydrotherapy), which builds supporting muscle tissue and preserves joint mobility. Rather than masking a problem, targeted pain relief helps maintain physical health and improves quality of life.