www.yourlifestyleportal.co.uk - Your Lifestyle Portal
Get a free giffgaff Sim
Posted By A & B Animal Care on 22/04/2020

Newsletter Edition Three

 

Newsletter 3

 

Welcome to Edition Three of the A & B Animal Care Newsletter! It has been really lovely to see your pictures and hear updates from you and your animals, please keep your lockdown pictures coming. Theme for next edition is Spring. The newsletter is aimed to be light hearted and fun and hopefully gives you all a break from this whole situation as well.


 

                   


 

     

                           Tio pre and post lockdown.                 Tio pre and post lockdown (no difference really…)

         

                    Bertie Pre- lockdown                                                                         Bertie Post-lockdown

                                                                Awww! Poppy during lockdown.


 

 


 

 



 

What have we been up to? 

We had a very quiet Easter Weekend. We had a BBQ with the animals, video chatted to family and just generally chilled out.

The start of last week continued similarly, then Eddie (our youngest cat), decided he didn’t want Rory having all the excitement and went on a little adventure of his own. We were sure he had got locked in somewhere as he doesn’t seem to wander far, so after 36 hours missing, put out a facebook post asking people to check sheds etc, near the new HQ. One of our neighbours from our old house immediately messaged and said she thought she had seen him there the night before. Another of our old neighbours then messaged saying the same! Over to the old house I trooped, had a lovely catch up over the garden fences with Nicki and whistled for him. Just as I had given up and was getting ready to head home, he comes strolling up, meowing to announce his presence! Little rascal!

We were very pleased to have him home, although he is now on house arrest for the next few days.

The same day I got the call I had been waiting for, saying we were finally able to get our new addition to the family: Jake.

We had been to see him and reserved him before the restrictions were put in place but were unsure if we would be able to get him due to said restrictions. Thankfully we could and he is a handful and a joy. Jasper is doing very well with him and the cats are getting used to him too. We are smitten!

Nicki is busy teaching online still and has been growing her client base, which is great news for her. She has also got her garden planted up and ready to start growing!

 

 

Daily Exercise Route Ideas

I have posted one from Pocklington below, then the second is from Shiptonthorpe village, but it can be done from Everingham/ Harswell too if you live in or near those areas.

Alternatively, simply save it until we have more freedom of movement again!

1. Pocklington towards Givendale. Approx 4 -8 miles.

This route can be done as a shorter out and back route, or made into a loop for a longer walk/ run. The start/ end can be done as a loop in either direction.

From Pocklington, head up Chapel Hill towards the KP Golf Course. Dogs fine off here if safe to do so. Stay to the left hand edge of the course, following the public footpath. (described in more detail in Issue 1). At the end of the 7th hole, where the nature trail turns right along the course, carry straight on, remaining on the public footpath and descend down Woodhouse Lane towards The Mile. Pop your dogs on here and when you reach The Mile, turn right, then about 10m along, head left where the fingerpost points through the hedge. Dogs usually OK off here again. Across the field to the corner of the next hedge, then turn right to follow the hedge. At the end of that field, the path cuts straight across the next field to a small lane. You will have done around 2 miles by now, so if you wish to head back you can. Either return the way you came or take the path alongside The Mile back into Pocklington.

If you wish to go a little further, keep following the directions below and head back when you are ready, or follow the full loop.

Cross the small lane and climb the style. The path is well defined, straight across the next field to the wood at the far side. Climb the style into the wood and follow the path up through the wood, some patches are still a bit damp, so watch your step.

At the top of the wood, the path heads left, following all along the top of the wood. Finally the path heads right at the edge of the field and down to a little beck at the bottom, lovely for a paddle for your canine companions (and you if you wish!). You are now between two fences as you head uphill and pass between two hedges to an open field. Turn left and follow all around the edge of this field on a grassy path until you are at the far side and see a kissing gate to your left. Pass through the gate, taking care to clean it or use gloves and the path goes down the hill and very slightly left. It then become a clearer path and bears further left along the side of the hill, before you reach the wood at the bottom. You are aiming for another kissing gate in the bottom right of the field, that leads onto a track. The track takes you to the Meltonby-Bishop Wilton Road, but you want to take the kissing gate on your left.

Cross the field (sometimes sheep in here) to another gate half way along the far hedge. Take this, over a small wooden bridge and continue straight across the grass field, towards the telephone pylon. You will see the next gate in front of you, where the larger hedge meets the smaller one. Take this and bear slightly right towards another bridge over a dry beck. The path is straight across the field to join the Pocklington-Meltonby road. Head left on the road and take the small lane on the left, about ¼ mile down. This is the lane we crossed earlier on so look out for the footpath across the fields. You want to head right, back towards The Mile and return down The Mile.

2. Shiptonthorpe Loop (approx. 5 miles)

Start at Harswell Lane in Shiptonthorpe and walk down the lane, away from the village. Dogs fine off lead here, if safe to be. Just keep following the lane until you reach a gate across the lane, skirt around it to the left-hand side and keep following the lane towards an old farm. At the farm, take the track to the right and at a signpost, take the left turn, along a small copse of trees. When you reach the beck (brilliant for paddling), you can go either way for the loop, but I usually start right. Follow the edge of the fields and beck for about a mile until you come to a minor road. Back on lead here for a short while and head left along the road, through the village of Harswell. After the last house on the left is a farm track. Take this and follow it along two fields, past a large pond. OK off lead here. You will reach the old railway line path and head left until just before reaching the road. This is a busy road so make sure they are back on lead in plenty of time. You don’t actually go on the road, but stay along the hedge just by the side of the road for maybe 100m. You hit another farm track and head left again. OK to come off lead. Follow the track across a beck, then when the track turns sharp left, the path goes right along another beck, around a corner, then across the beck and back the other side. You then follow the hedge on your left all the way along this field, heading for the old farm we passed right at the beginning. When you hit the larger beck again, turn right along it, then at the farm track, cross the beck and follow it left until you reach the start of your loop. Head right back along the way you came to Shiptonthorpe.

 

 

Training Games:

This can be done with any animal as well, not just dogs! Cats are very good at it, as are smaller rodents. Others may just take a bit more time.

All my training uses marker words or clickers to let your dog/ animal know when they’ve got it right. I have a tutorial about marker words/ clickers on my Facebook Training page (A & B Animal Care - Dog Training) and YouTube channel (A & B Dog Training).

 

Skill level is medium with harder progressions: Middle – Teach your dog to loop around your legs and finish between your legs. Add on a ‘sit’ or a ‘down’. This exercise is similar to the spin in it works our dogs’ core and flexibility really well, but it is also a very safe and secure position for our dogs. You can progress it into leg weaves.

You can teach it in either direction, but as with the ‘spin’, they will usually find one way easier than the other.

Method – Start with a treat/ piece of food in each hand and your dog stood in front of you, facing you. I will describe going right first.

Hold the treat from your right hand, just in front of your dogs’ nose and slowly lure them around your right leg in a clockwise direction. When they are behind you, move your left hand between your legs and reach towards your dog. Lure them through your legs and reward when they finish between your legs.  

If they are struggling, release the right hand reward to them at half way, then finish the rest of the move with the left hand.

Some dogs may be unsure about coming under your legs to start with, so practice just rolling treats forwards and backwards, between your legs for them to chase. Once they are confident with that, add in the round the side part.

Progressions – Remove the lure from your right hand, just reward the end position from the left hand.

Then, when in the end position, raise the treat slightly to get a ‘sit’ and reward then.

Add the word ‘middle’ as they come around your right leg.

You can also ask for a down at the end (especially with larger dogs!).

Finally remove both lures and just reward the end result from a pocket/ pouch.

Try the other side too. I use the middle cue for both directions, but you can use a different cue for each way if you wish.

If you are enjoying these skills and tricks, Abby is running online, interactive classes, teaching these sort of skills as well as general life skills. Contact Abby for more details

 

Jasper doing ‘middle’:

 

 

Send your ‘middle’ pictures/ videos in!

 

That is about it for this edition of our newsletter. Please send in your photos, walks and what you have been up to as we miss seeing all your animals!

Look out for the next edition dropping into your inbox soon.


 

 


 

 


 

 

 

Find Local Businesses