Oak & Howl - Holistic Dog Behaviour & Pet Husbandry

09/09/2026

Important Update. I have decided to take a break.

I have been thinking a lot about it for the last couple of months and it’s a difficult decision, but truthfully, I am tired, and I need to take some time to focus on myself. In the last few weeks it has just culminated and it's affecting a lot.

In the past, I have struggled a lot with my health, both physical and mental. That has now come back with burnout, impostor syndrome, grief amongst other things. In the last two years, a lot has happened, there has been loss and stress and it has taken a toll on my mind and my body. Me being me, I made myself work through it all. That was a mistake, my health is really not good now and it’s affecting everything, even my ability to think. If you know me you know I struggle with a chronic condition and it has gotten worse a lot lately.

So, Oak & Howl is taking a break, indefinitely. I don’t know when or if I will come back, and what I will do then. If I do decide to come back to this, it might be in a month, in a year, in two years. Who knows. For now, I am no longer taking any new clients. Those who I have been working with and who have booked or are in the process of booking in, don’t worry, we will continue working until we are finished. You will not be affected. We’ll work together as planned. I will still do social walks sometimes, but it will not be as often now. I will do the upcoming scentwork classes and then that will be it for a while

I love animals, I love dogs, I love working with them, but my priority has always been the welfare of these animals, and working with them in ways that are kindest for them. Unfortunately we live in a world of quick fixes and instant results. All I can say is, if someone promises results in one session, run, your dog will thank you. Anyway, this makes my approach take some time. But people want quick fixes, and I can’t provide that. I don’t want to compromise dogs’ welfare for results. Actual, genuine welfare-based work takes time.

Thank you to those who trusted me with their dogs and supported my little business. And for those who continue to do so. I just need to rest now. We'll see what we'll do when I come back. I had started some projects and courses and don't intend on giving up on them, I just need time.

I have some messages and people to get back to over the next while, I will do so, but please do message me if you don’t hear from me as I might miss a message

05/09/2026

Dog training sale - today and tomorrow only - places are filling up 🐕

If you've been thinking about doing one-on-one behaviour work or training with your dog, now is the best time to book in.

I am finalizing my timetable for autumn and winter and things will be very busy in the coming months. There may be a possibility of having to open up a waiting list in the next month or so. I am currently finishing up going through my backlog of messages, and have left spaces open for people who are already booked in, and other people are interested in booking their dog in for training, and so I am about to have a full calendar.

Today and tomorrow only I'm doing a 30% sale off of behaviour consults and training plans/packages.

Send me a message or text/call to book at 089 216 8942 🐶🐾

(This offer is valid only if you book in today or tomorrow. If you contact me today but decide to book in after the weekend, for example, on Monday, the offer will be gone by then.)

03/09/2026

Autumn scentwork classes are starting Saturday 26th of September in Claremorris and will go on Saturdays and Sundays after that! 🐾🍂🐕

We start with a 3-class intro starting on Saturday the 26th of September which is a set of 3 classes to get you and your dog started. After that you can join in on our drop-in classes which will run every weekend for a while.

Locations vary across Mayo, but we will start in Claremorris. The locations will vary some weeks(from Westport to Ballina) but there will be a weekly class in the Claremorris area.

Autumn can be stressful for a lot of dogs and providing them with healthy, fun ways to use their nose is a great way to reduce that stress. Scentwork is also a great activity for all dogs in general! It's suitable for all breeds, sizes and ages.

26/08/2026

Every day is international dog day for us 🧡
Hope all the dogs had a wonderful day. 💚

25/08/2026

21/08/2026

Important!!!!
Picking up after dogs and how we approach it.

I just want to make a quick post about something (that, quite frankly, shouldn’t need to be said)
I was working with a nervous dog today. At one point, the dog p**ped, but immediately after was in a position where it was vital that I paid specific attention to my movements to help the dog feel safer. This meant that I could not move towards the p**p straight away, though it was my intent to pick it up within the next minutes.

Someone nearby opened their front door and shouted at me, saying only “pick it up” repeatedly(maybe twice or three times). I wasn’t going to yell back because again, I had a nervous dog with me, so I calmly tried to explain the above. The person immediately interrupted me, shouted just “pick it up” more angrily this time, then slammed the door. After this, the person proceeded to stare out their window and watch me for the next 30-40 minutes that I was in the area with the dogs, even long after I had picked up the p**p, and even as I was driving away when we were finished.

I understand that nobody wants to see dog p**p left in public spaces, trust me, neither do I. Please though, before you get angry, consider why someone may not be picking it up immediately. I have seen this happen to other people before, where they’d be watched and yelled at by strangers for not picking up their dog’s p**p immediately when it was clear that the person had mobility issues, or they left their p**p bags in the car and had to go back for them, or other reasons, even though they were going to pick it up, it just wasn’t going to happen the second the p**p hit the ground.

Now, a dog does not know that someone shouting is just annoyed about dog p**p. What happened today can be quite stressful for a lot of dogs. Some people are doing behaviour work or training and no, you can’t always tell if they are because a lot of the time behaviour work doesn’t even look like your typical dog training does.

You can be much kinder about it. If you see someone whose dog has just p**ped and they haven’t picked it up but are staying in the vicinity, it’s much kinder to the dog AND their handler to CALMLY approach them and just plain normally ask something like, “excuse me, were you planning to pick that up?” chances are the answer will be yes and if you can be patient for just one moment then you might even find out why it did not happen immediately.

It’s so important that we give nervous dogs space, and you don’t always know if the dog you are shouting around is nervous or not or how they will react to YOUR aggressive behaviour. And it is SO important to give dog handlers a moment to manage a situation. You don’t know how a dog might react to someone suddenly shouting near them and it’s so unnecessary to add stress to a situation like this. Just be calm, be PATIENT, and if you’re worried someone won’t pick up their dog’s p**p just ask CALMLY.
In short: Dog p**p should be picked up 100% but please don’t yell at people that are handling dogs. There are sometimes occasions where it can’t be done immediately, but will be done. Yelling and being aggressive(and creepy - who stares at someone for half an hour???) is really impolite, and it can make a huge difference to just be kind.

Thank you for reading…

17/08/2026

And now, a little something I have been working on...

Dogwatching, Ireland!
You can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4351358198420353

It's a new interactive group that is designed to educate you about dogs and their needs. The idea is that there is educational content posted regularly by myself, and lots of interactive ways for you to learn how to better understand dogs - this includes surveys that will be uploaded regularly and the results of which will be presented in the group and interpreted, weekly educational content on various topics from dog body language to why dogs pull on the lead, observation exercises and the ability to upload your own videos and ask questions, and free regular Q&A sessions on anything dog care and behaviour.
You can participate or just lurk and observe, but participation is of course encouraged :)

It is something I've always wanted to do: to give a free resource to people who either have dogs or don't, who would like to learn more about them.
There is so much misinformation out there and to be honest dog training and behaviour has become a bit of an industry. There's a ton of information out there that is flat out dangerous and that causes a lot of problems for dogs and their guardians, and so much of it is hidden behind expensive paywalls. So often I get told by people that they are just about ready to give up because they get told to do five different things by different trainers and behaviourists. Then when I ask them what it is they've been told, I realise that so many of these professionals are missing the most important part: that we are working with an animal, that has its own needs and preferences. Did you know that a large majority of dog professionals do not know dog body language enough? And this is even those who claim they do!
So, this resource is there for YOU to learn, for YOU to understand all about your dog, what they need, what they want, what they are communicating. It's there to teach you how to truly learn to listen and understand your dog, and how to speak their language. Sometimes that is all you need for your companion to feel safer and to "listen" - the first step is that YOU learn how to listen :)

16/08/2026

"My Saint Bernard, Buddy, is an amazing dog. He may just be a genius as far as dogs go. He may even be a genius as far as humans go. Buddy seems to know exactly what life is all about at the tender young age of 10 months. I’m 38 years old and still working on it. Every single day I find that my young, wise, 150 pound puppy professor has another special lesson for me to learn.

Buddy knows for instance that it is always the right time for a hug even if a little doggy drool accompanies it. Buddy knows that life is a feast of good things whether they come in a dog bowl or whether you have to stick your head on the table to enjoy them. Buddy knows that rest is an important part of life. It doesn’t matter if it comes from lying in the sunshine in the middle of the day, snoring on your blanket at night, or sneaking up onto the bed after everyone else is sleeping.

Buddy knows that people always enjoy sharing the joy and love that can fill their hearts to overflowing. This sharing can be the last bite of food at dinner, a nice long belly rub and head scratch combination, an ice cube fresh out of the freezer, or a long, enjoyable walk outside. Buddy knows that all the time can be quality time if you do what you do with the energy and delight that is in your heart and mind. When Buddy plays he plays happily, when Buddy sleeps he sleeps contentedly, and when Buddy loves he loves joyously.

I am sure that Buddy has a lot more to teach me, my wife, and my kids in the years we will spend together. I only hope that I am a student worthy of his genius. I still thank God for him everyday. I hope that all of you too find a ‘Buddy’ in your life. I hope that all of you find a God given teacher whether two-legged or four-legged that shows you what is important about life and reminds you everyday that Love is the only thing that matters. I hope that all of you take these lessons to heart, live them well, and always share them with the world."

Text by Joseph J. Mazzella.
Some wonderfully written thoughts that I found years ago that I still think are so, so relevant.

14/08/2026

Hi all, a quick important update...

I think you may have noticed that there has been some radio silence here in the last couple of months. There are some reasons for that. To put it straight and simple, things have been a bit bumpy in the personal section of our life lately. It has affected my work, but I am on the mend.

In as short as possible.. We were living in a situation that was becoming extremely uncomfortable and unpredictable. Had to get out of there, and quickly. This resulted in a house move and a change in environment, which was for the better but still a mentally and physically taxing change.
Myself and my partner both suffered from a bit of verbal se*ual harassment in the last months also. It was, simply put, weird, and you know they say to ignore people like that, but it eventually started to take a toll on me and it felt quite heavy. That had to be dealt with.
A few other things had been going on and in the end, my physical health took a turn. It went from chronic pain returning much stronger, to existing conditions getting worse, to mental fog. I started to have some issues some months ago and ended up sick a lot and eventually had to go to the hospital. Finally, some weeks ago I had nosebleed after nosebleed, which turned into sinus pain, which turned into what I thought was a cold, which very quickly spread to my throat, chest and other parts of my body. It acted very strange, and I think a lot of people are sick with something similar at the moment, so maybe someone knows what I mean.

On top of all of that, pretty much immediately after we moved a few weeks ago, our sweet girl cat started to have seizures. She had seizures every day for two weeks, on some days having at least 5 or 6. Between vet visits, blood tests, medication trials and changes, we -finally- got her to a place where she has one seizure every few days. Feline epilepsy is rare, and my god is it difficult to watch. You want to hold your cat and make sure she doesn't hit her head but you can't even touch her because her whole body jerks at the sightest movement or change in the environment. Seizures are not scary; I've seen many in different animals, such were the jobs I've had to work, but when it's your own pet you feel so helpless knowing that all you can do is watch them and hold something soft near corners and walls, and hope they don't tear out their nails with the unpredictable movements.

So, a lot has been going on. It eventually took a toll on me, and in hindsight, I should have taken some time off to recover from everything. I am on the road to recovery now, as is our cat, and things are stabilizing, but this did unfortunately take a toll on my work. I have, for the last few weeks, struggled to remember what day it is and if I've eaten. So I had a lot of days where I was doing things last minute, replying last minute, or my communication had been delayed. I'm spending the next couple of days re-organizing and getting back to everyone who has been waiting on a reply from me.

This has created a backlog of messages and people to get back to, so although I am getting back to people and working, it may take me some time to get back to you as I have a queue system in place for the next few days. If you don't hear back from me by Tuesday at the latest, please send me a message with a small reminder, just in case I missed your message. I'll get back to you immediately then x

There is some exciting and good news on the way soon though. I have worked on some things prior to everything going upside down: finally, courses for pet owners! And for professionals. These will be finalized in the next while. I was also working on a cool free resource for all the dog owners out there that will be finished soon and that will be part of the bite prevention project. And, I'm about to take a busy but fun leap into growing as your friendly neighbourhood dog-and-other-pets' little hedgewife-thingamajig. More on that in a few days, let me get back to everyone first 😅

So, I am so sorry about the radio silence and I hope everyone is having a great summer. Happy August.

14/07/2026

Limited spaces left! We have recall classes and social classes for dogs starting very soon. You can book by sending me a message or texting at 089 216 8942 :)