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Howling Wolves, Wanaka (2026)

29/08/2023

I was away for 6 weeks overseas , first time Ralph and I had been apart.

Ralph went from having me home majority of the day , to only seeing my husband in the morning and night , and then a lunch time outing 3-4 times a week with 2 trainer friends of mine.

He handled it all very well.

During this time Darren started packing our house up.

I arrive back , and within 4 days of having me back , we are on our way down to our new home.

The trip itself had a a few stressful moments for Ralph , but he got through them well and we started settling into our new home.

I tried to leave him at home alone in our new house last week after being there for just under a week and he howled and barked the house down. I had only gone a few houses down , so I drove back.

He wasn’t ready.

I took that reaction as information, that he needed more time to adjust to his new home.

Today , I trialed leaving him again , this time straight after an adventure walk , and he was fine.

Life changes for dogs can affect them in different ways.

A baby being born.

Moving to a new house.

Going away on holiday.

Adding a new dog into your home .

It can make us feel like we have gone back to square one with things , when in reality , they may just need more time to adjust or they may need certain needs met which we may not be realising.

I have had to go back in steps in terms of using a more confined safe space for him. I use this when I notice he isn’t settling around the house , or if visitors arrive or while I shoot out somewhere.

He isn’t being a bad dog.

He hasn’t forgotten everything he had learnt.

He is a dog that is working through 2 months of changes , and starting to adjust to his new home. While he is working it out , I’m here to give him a helping hand.

28/08/2023

It took us 3 days to get down to Wānaka from Auckland - we had 2 overnight stops in 2 different places and a 3 hour ferry trip.

Here is the list of things I packed into Ralph’s own little suitcase so that they were always at hand in the Ute as well as on the ferry as we had a dog friendly cabin on .

- his own blanket which he had been lying on in advance to our trip. This came in handy on the ferry as I placed it on top of the bunk bed and it added a level of comfort
- Wet Wipes , because wet wipes come in handy for a lot of things! I didn’t have to use them but if your dog spews , if they have diarrhoea ( stress and cause this) etc. then you have them on hand.
- slip lead , this is there as an emergency leash. Incase for some reason a leash broke , or his collar , or I had to get him out of the cabin in a hurry etc.
- Adaptil spray , I used this on his bedding and Bandana . It’s important to spray it 15 minutes prior to placing your dog on the bedding etc.
- his favourite treats , I knew the ferry crossing would be a big test for him , as well as a bit stressful , so , his favourite treats helped to make it that little bit easier for him
- favourite chews , this gave him something to do on the ferry and the drive , as well as every night when we arrived at our accomodation. He would get an after dinner chew to chill out with.
- poo bags , you never know when you may need them
- a small pack of K9 Naturals dog food , in case we had any delays on the ferry and we needed to give him some food
- puppy pads , in case he decided to wee on the deck of the ferry ( they soak up wee really fast)
-Muzzle , I had this on hand just incase we had to deal with a stressful situation , or if there was an emergency evacuation on the ferry for whatever reason , or if it turned out he wasn’t coping with the situation as well as I thought he would.
- dog bowl
- bottle of water

I will share how I helped him settle in the overnight accomodation as well as how our first few days in our new house looked tomorrow 🏡

27/08/2023

Moving houses is stressful.

Moving houses is even more stressful when your new house is in a different city or town.

Your dog will be going through it all right there next to you , so it’s important you still meet their needs as best as you can.

Here are my top tips for moving homes with your dog - there will be a few posts on this topic so keep an eye out 🏡

23/08/2023

Ralph grew up on a rural property - we didn’t have many visitors.

Now , we have moved to a more urban home means that there are a whole lot more sounds , smells , movement which he hasn’t had before.

Luckily I work from home , so I have time to ensure that I can help him start to get used to it all.

Visitors coming to our front door is unavoidable, and while I would love to be able to set up every visitor as a great training opportunity, sometimes that just isn’t the case.

I set up a safe little area for him in the laundry which is right by the front door , so that I can ask him to go in there whenever someone comes to the door.

This morning a neighbour came over for a chat , and caught us both off guard - Ralph was certainly vocal but followed his “in” cue to go into his little space.

He still barked for a bit , but settled in the end.

Forward thinking is key.

I bought a baby gate within the first 2 days of us being in our new home since I knew this would be a key part of our training. I already started getting him used to it yesterday , and he happily slept in there during the day.

Him being able to listen to the “in” cue when someone is at the front door is our first win , imagine trying to drag a 43kg shepherd into a seperate space - it’s not fun for both parties.

Next step is helping understand that he can bark ( he is a Shepherd at the end of the day) , but that when “thank you” is given , it’s quite time. Also that visitors are nothing to be worried about.

The next step after that is connecting the door knock , with going to his bed. To be able to do this , he will need to be more comfortable with the entire situation.

Our end goal is for Ralph to be able to take the knock as cue to go to his bed without the need for the baby gate.

To be able to achieve all of this , I will need to see if there are confident dog people who will be willing to help us out with training , it’s a small community so hopefully I can find a few people🤞- pre planned visits , where the visitors understand what the plan is will be key for now.

I will keep updates rolling in as we progress through the stages.

22/08/2023

We have made it down to Wānaka!

3 days of driving , staying in 2 different AirBNB’s , and a ferry crossing - Ralph handled it all like a trooper! Not to mention a brand new town and house too.

The move has inspired me to put together an information series on my top tips for moving with your dog - keep an eye out for it this week!

Looking forward to meeting Wānaka and Queenstown doggos soon 🤩

21/07/2023

“I felt like I hit the jackpot when I managed to book the Puppy Essentials package with Livia just before she left Auckland. Livia visited our home before our little Wilson arrived and made sure everything was ready for him in his new home. We were so anxious, given this was our first puppy, from day dot Livia's advice and support was invaluable. Weeks later we are still referencing the information Livia provided and the training methods she taught us. As a result our little Wilson has settled in beautifully and is such a settled puppy.” - Shamini

Little Wilson has an extremely dedicated family who are all invested into helping to raise a well rounded adult dog. I always feel like it’s a huge privilege to be chosen to help with a pups first few weeks , sometimes months of their life in their new world.

Welcoming a puppy into your household can be a very exciting time , however it can also be stressful , especially if it’s your first ever puppy.

The Puppy Essentials package is put together to guide you through the first few weeks of your little ball of fluff arriving into their brand new life.

It includes a Howling Wolves Puppy Essentials Ebook which each week has a weekly task page added to it , as well as other crucial information.

The weekly tasks are simple , easy to follow with step by step instructions, so that you can practice them even while sitting on the couch , having breakfast or making dinner.

There are no half an hour long training sessions , they are broken up in to bite size “digestible” pieces.

The key is consistency.

And support during those first few weeks and months can be a huge helping hand , I am a txt message or email away.

The Puppy Essentials package is available in person or online - if you are interested in finding out more or would like more information then feel free to get in touch via [email protected] or by private messaging me on here 🐶

17/07/2023

Play can be a hard one to read sometimes , here is a video I had put together last year with some of the key things to look out for when two doggos are playing.

Ralph and Thor are a fantastic match in terms of play style , and their communication during play is fairly easy to read when you watch the video.

How does your dog like to play? Are they into rough and tumble? Do they love to chase? Do they love to be chased? Do they love to play bitey face while lying down on the ground?

Pay attention the next time your dog is playing with a friend 😊

11/07/2023

This is most definitely me. Who else can relate? 😂🤣

11/07/2023

I am currently back home in Hungary , visiting family for 5 weeks.

Dogs are viewed differently by the majority of people here , especially in the smaller , poorer towns.

A couple of years ago a dog shelter was opened near the little town I’m from , to try and help with the large number of stray dogs and dogs that were living in horrific conditions.

The shelter is full , they have around 70 dogs currently and they are trying to run it the best as they can with minimal money and minimal helpers.

I started volunteering a few days ago , and as hard as it is to see where they are right now , this is a lot better then where they came from.

Considering these dogs have spent most of their lives isolated and hardly any human contact , the majority are wanting human contact and love so much.

It’s a very humbling experience for me and being able to work with some very timid and fearful dogs who have lived in environments which most of us can’t even imagine.

You can’t rush these dogs , you have to let them make their own choices. Let them approach , no sudden movements , and help them realise that not all humans are bad ❤️

18/06/2023

🐶Ted the 1 year old Shih Tzu x Toy Poodle🐶

Here is what Cecilia had to say about their experience working together with me :

“We were initially referred to Livia by our vet. Our 1 year old Shih Tzu/Toy Poodle Ted was on medication for anxiety but we were still struggling with compulsive barking as his reaction to certain situations. After our first meeting with Livia we had a different dog on our hands. We couldn't believe the difference in Ted after just one session. Livia showed us techniques that were both simple and fun to do with Ted. Livia took the time to listen and she was so easy to work with. Ted is now off his medication thanks to Livia. The training and knowledge that Livia provided was amazing and we can't thank her enough for all of her help.”

🐻Ted Aka Teddy , is a very clever pup who loves to train and who loves to learn.

He also used compulsive barking as a coping mechanism when he wasn’t sure what else he could do in certain situations.

Over 4 sessions :

🐶 Ted started to understand that his bed meant treats and yummy chews and that he could relax and snooze on it.
🐶Ted’s dinner turned into a training opportunity
🐶That when people arrived at the front door Ted didn’t need to go into a barking frenzy or jump on them , he could instead snack on the treats on the ground and then enjoy a snuffle mat in the lounge.
🐶That when Ted was upstairs on the bed , people walking by on the street wasn’t a big deal.
🐶That there were better ways to ask for attention from his humans than demand barking
🐶That confidence building exercises are a ton of fun

It was an absolute pleasure to work with little Ted , and his wonderful family who were incredibly committed to his training plan , and kept up that consistency 🔥 I am only a small part of a dogs success , the biggest part is his humans.

12/06/2023

When I was 2 years old , I Ioved to act as though I was a dog.

So much so , at one point my parents became worried that there might be something wrong with me. Turns out , I grew out of it after a month or so , but my passion and love for dogs was always deeply engrained.

We had guard dogs in Hungary , who were kept as just that. Guard dogs. However , I definitely always viewed them more as my friends , and spent many hours brushing them , and sneaking them extra food.

After living in New Zealand for a few years , my parents surprised me with our very own puppy when I was 9 , Lucky the Newfoundland. I spent every free time I had with him , and when we had to say goodbye to him when I was 16 , I was absolutely heart broken. It still makes me tear up now.

I spent 12 years in sales and climbed the corporate ladder , I ended up landing my “dream” job , getting to travel around New Zealand in a National Role.

I became rather ill at the start of 2019 , it changed my life. When I came out the other side , my husband Darren told me I needed think about what I really wanted to do and I needed to change my career.

That’s where dogs came back into my life.

It felt crazy , and a lot of people thought I was crazy leaving my career. But in my gut , I knew it was what I had always dreamt of.

I went to Unitec in 2020 and studied Canine Behaviour and Training full-time for a year. Graduating in 2021.

What I learnt , absolutely blew my mind , dogs were so much more than what I had thought they were. “Just dogs”.

After Unitec , I ran a group class dog training business together with a fellow student and friend . It was a fantastic way to get to work with a variety of different breeds and a variety of humans too.

I thought I knew a lot , until my very own bundle of fluff arrived , and totally turned my life upside down. He inspired me to become a better trainer , to have to think on my feet a lot , to have to better my handler mechanics and to learn how to find what brings the best out of him.

I am constantly looking to learn new ways of doing things , constantly expanding what I know , and working on bettering myself as a trainer.

Howling Wolves

29/08/2023

28/08/2023

27/08/2023

23/08/2023

22/08/2023

21/07/2023

17/07/2023

11/07/2023

11/07/2023

18/06/2023

12/06/2023

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