Our Day at Dog Fest! | Knebworth House #TeamSouth

Hi everyone,

We had an absolutely fabulous time at Dog Fest on Saturday, and I couldn't wait to share some photos with you! Dog Fest South was held at Knebworth House in Hertfordshire this year, which is just over an hour away from us. I'm a nervous driver but it was super easy to find, and we managed to beat the queues by heading there early! I just wanted to take a minute to say that the event was really well-organised: there was plenty of space, chill out zones, shady spots with water troughs and lots of parking. Last year the venue felt a bit cramped at times, but in the grounds of Knebworth House there was lots of room to wander.

We went to the event with our friends Bernie, Sev and their lovely owners... we couldn't believe how many other dachshunds we saw throughout the day!

Sev's Mum, Jaime, took this fab photo of Sev and Winnie on the signature Guru chair! ^ I didn't get a chance to talk to the Guru team, as their stall was super busy and I was of course juggling both my dogs (who actually behaved really well, despite my last blog post!) We had to snap a few photos of them in the chair though, as it's a staple of every show! Hopefully we'll get a chance to see them again at another event, where we can have a proper chat!

We couldn't resist even the daftest of items; one stall was selling hilarious dog clothing, including shirts, dresses, pyjamas and all sorts! I very nearly bought Archie some froggy pyjamas, but reined myself in at the last minute... I think Archie would disown me forever if I put him in something like that, bless him. Sev was treated to a Hawaiian shirt, which came in very handy at a different stall later on, and Bernie tried on some adorable dungarees.

Testing out the furniture at the Elite Hound stall!

One of my favourite parts about events like this, is that I can discover new brands I haven't previously come across. One such small business is Elite Hound! They were selling beautiful collars, leads and other accessories... and gorgeous greyhound Mick was helping out on the stall too! I really loved the denim collars and leads in particular, they were so timeless. We've followed them on social media, and will definitely keep an eye out for them at future shows!

We were so excited to meet the Benyfit Natural team! I've been wanting to transition the dogs onto raw food for such a long time, but it's a big decision to make. After seeing the food in person and chatting to the lovely girls on the stall, I'm feeling more confident to make the switch. For now, we took some details and picked up some yummy venison bites!

I think Archie stole a few hearts at the stall, and it was so nice to see him getting some cuddles! Everyone fawns all over Winnie, but it's rare that Archie gets much attention. He's such a precious little dog, and so loving, so it made a nice change for him to get some fuss! Thank you Benyfit!

Of course, we had to pop by the PitPat stand and pick up our first activity tracker! I've wanted one of these for Archie for so long, so I took the opportunity to grab one at the show. The boys all posed on the #PitPatPetaway deckchairs (I love the photo I took of Sev and Bernie!) and Winnie got lots of cuddles too. I've set it up Archie's PitPat today and I'm loving it so far; it monitors their activity, and you're given a daily exercise goal for them to hit. It'll be so fun to compare Archie's stats with those from my fitbit! I'm sure we'll write a blog post on it soon. 

We've been following Huxley's IVDD story on Facebook and Instagram, so we stopped by the Huxley Hound stall to say hello and pick up some treats! The HH team are so lovely and friendly, and their products are top notch. The dogs love the dried organic treats, and this time they kindly gave us some of the parsnip variety to try. We were so happy to hear that Huxley is doing well and resting up, I hope he's back to his usual self very soon!

Of course, we also had to swing by and see our friends at Broughton and Co. I treated both dogs to a new collar, as there was a special show offer that I just couldn't resist! The best part was that they had their engraving machine at the stand; you could purchase a collar or other accessory, have it engraved, and collect it later on! I had Winnie and Archie's names engraved onto their collars, and they look gorgeous. I absolutely love everything that B & Co sells, and I'll be heading back to their stall at Paws in the Park this weekend. 

Thank you to Sarah from Twilight Bark UK for the photo!

There was so much going on at Dog Fest this year: water diving, hay bale racing, agility, a fun dog show, the big dog walk and all sorts! Of course, there was also the main stage where Supervet Dr. Noel Fitzpatrick did a talk, and there was live music most of the day also. If I were by myself I think I'd have taken part in a few activities, but for me the highlight of Dog Fest was getting to hang out with some of my blogging/twitter friends! 

As I said, I attended the event with my friends Jaime and Shannen, but we also got to catch up with Silly Tilly Poodle, Adventures of Doodles, The Cotswold Collies, Fraggle and her Mum (who very kindly gave me their free ticket!) and the lovely Sarah from Twilight Bark UK. Sarah actually took the fab photo above, of all six of our dogs! It was SO nice to meet everyone and their dogs "in the flesh", we saw so many insta/twitter famous pooches too! Our next post will be all about the goodies we bought at the event, can't wait to share them with you!

Did you go to Dog Fest? Let us know in the comments!

Chloé, Archie and Winnie

Our Dog Fest Packing List!

Hi all!

We're off to Dog Fest South tomorrow at Knebworth House, and we thought you might want to see some of the things we're taking with us! In the photo above, you can see our snacks for the day; a packed lunch for me (I've just started Slimming World, so no tasty burger van food sadly!) and treats for the dogs. We absolutely love these Lily's Kitchen Snack Bars for big days out, and I always keep a few stashed away. I've also got a little pot of tasty bitesize treats, as we're going to be seeing several of our blogging friends and I want my two to sit nicely for photos!

I'm hoping to take both dogs with me, but I don't have a photo of Archie's "outfit" for the day. Sadly his new harness hasn't arrived in time, so I'm not sure what I'll put him in yet! Winnie on the other hand, will be looking super stylish in her new Pink Shetland Wool harness from Teddy Maximus, and a beautiful new lead from Bramble and Friends. Considering they're from different retailers, they're a match made in heaven and I cannot wait to show them off tomorrow. Of course, I've also got a little zip pouch of poo bags attached to the lovely tassel clip on the lead.

I've got this little zip bag too, with hand sanitiser, wipes and a mirror (my worst nightmare is having something on my faces/hands or whatever and not being able to get it off or wash my hands!) and I'll be taking my vlogging camera with me also. I'm trying to pack super light this year, but there are a few neccessities that I haven't pictured; obviously, I'll be taking a bottle of water, a collapsible bowl, our ticket and I'll most likely take Winnie's carrier as well. A few bandanas or bow ties might sneak into my bag for photo opportunities too!

Are you going to Dog Fest? What are your day trip neccessities?

Chloé, Archie and Winnie

Help! My Dog is Reactive!

Hey all, happy Friday!

We're back after another long hiatus; things have just been so crazy around here for the last few weeks. Now though, it's all downhill until the summer holidays!

This post is one that I've wanted to write for a long time. When I started this blog, the purpose was to document my life as a dog owner. Of course that involves fun days out and cute purchases, but it's also involved lots of challenges which to be honest, I want to write about! Having a dog isn't always idyllic weekends away or posed photo shoots, and I want to stay true to myself and write about the hard times too. Who knows, maybe someone will have some advice!

At the time of writing this post, the dogs (especially Winnie) are actually much-improved, but I'm just going to come out and say it. My dogs are reactive. My dogs bark. My dogs sometimes even snap if people don't listen to me, when I ask them to keep their own dogs away. My dogs are not perfect. When you read/write a dog blog, it's easy to believe that everyone else's dogs are perfectly behaved, perfectly poised and well-trained. In all honesty, you could look at my photos and assume the same. In reality, though, that's often not the case. 

Archie was honestly the perfect puppy, bar some house training issues and a bit of separation anxiety, which soon righted itself. I took him all over the place with me, he was well-socialised and loved other dogs. When we got Winnie though, he completely changed. She was so fear aggressive, and he soon picked up on and copied her behaviour. For a while, I was genuinely afraid to take them out together on walks, as I'd come home and cry after every trip out. They barked hysterically and lunged at any unfamiliar dog, and off-lead walks became a thing of the past when one day, Winnie ran away and seemingly went completely deaf to me calling her name. 

People would stare at me when they barked, they'd shake their heads or tut at me. They'd let their dogs approach mine, despite my protests, and then treat me with disgust when mine barked. I'm sad to admit it, but Archie and Winnie made me feel like a failure as a dog owner. They felt out of control... I felt out of control. I was the stereotypical small, yappy dog owner.

Everything came to a head when we took the dogs on a weekend away. My boyfriend was coming with me, so I felt we'd be alright with both of them, and up until that point they'd only really been reactive on walks. Much of the trip, however, was a disaster. In a restaurant, someone repeatedly tried to introduce their dog to Archie and Winnie, despite me practically begging her not to. Something I'd really like to emphasise is this: just because your dog is friendly, that doesn't mean every other dog will respond well to it. My two did not appreciate a large, unfamiliar dog cornering them under a table. They went into a complete meltdown. I could feel the eyes of all our fellow diners burning into my skin, and the tears threatening to fall. My boyfriend took the dogs back to our room, but the damage was done. I could hear the other dog's owner saying hateful things about myself, Archie and Winnie, and I just wanted the ground to swallow me up.

We had to cut the trip short as Archie was completely beside himself the next day, his stress level was so high. It took over a week for him to calm down fully, which is quite common in reactive dogs. That trip was the final straw for me. I couldn't deal with their reactivity any more, and it was time to put a stop to it as much as I could. I thought I'd tell you a little about how I've started to try and improve their behaviour;

• My first goal was to try and find out why they were barking. With Winnie, I felt it had simply become a learned behaviour, which Archie had then copied. He was only a little puppy when we rescued Winnie, so it makes sense that he was impressionable. However, Archie also seemed to have become stuck in the second fear phase (all dogs go through it!) so some of his reactions were definitely as a result of fear.
• My second step was to try and change my own thinking. My dogs were not bad. I was not a bad owner. Dogs bark, and it's natural. It's just that mine were barking excessively, and I needed to try and find a way to help them, removing my own embarrassment from the situation.
• Research, research, research. I frequented facebook groups and forums, read articles online and looked into the methods of several behaviourists. I picked and chose the parts that I felt would be relevant to my dogs, and looked at how I could put them into practise. 
• Being sensible: I realised that Archie was an angel if Winnie wasn't there, and vice versa. This meant that I had to accept that often, I wouldn't be able to take both dogs to a big event like Paws in the Park or Dog Fest. This is such a shame, but sometimes you just have to be sensible. I'm considering giving Dog Fest a go with both dogs this year, but if I do, I'll take Winnie in her carrier. If Archie can't see her, he's an angel! 
• Consistency! I found that positive reinforcement was the most effective method with my two, so even when they barked I'd talk to them in a kind voice and try and bring their attention back to me. As soon as I saw a potential trigger I'd get out some food and distract the dogs, talking in a calm and happy tone. Within a week, it was working 90% of the time! I made sure to use the same method every time we went out.

We went on another weekend away shortly afterwards, and it was a completely different experience. The dogs were angels (for the most part!) and we continued to work really hard on our new training methods even whilst on holiday. Yes, there were hiccups (my two seem to behave much worse if we sit down to have a drink/something to eat) but it was such an improvement. 

A few months later, and we're still working on it. There are definite ups and downs (Archie's barking is quite bad at the moment) but Winnie is changing before my eyes. She'll still have a grumble if another dog suddenly gets up in her face, but last weekend I took her out to a dog show and she only barked once. In fact, she was such an angel that we're headed to another fun dog show tomorrow. She also came to Pet Fest with me (blog post coming in a few days) and behaved beautifully there too. 

Several of my dog blogging friends have met my two, and Archie loves them and their dogs, especially Bernie Beau Jangles, Silly Tilly Poodle and Adventures of Doodles. I really hope that by writing this post, I haven't put people off spending time us, or from working with us on the blog. Archie's not a bad boy and despite everything I've just written, he does actually love to play with other dogs. He's a complex little chap, but we will get there.

If anyone has any advice, I'd love to hear it!

Chloé, Archie and Winnie

One Year of Being a Dog Mama

Hi everyone, I hope you're all well!

Yesterday, the 11th May, marked one whole year of being a dog mama. On that day last year, I went to IKEA with my mum, bought a tonne of furniture, and picked Archie up from his breeder on the way home. I know, crazy right? I moved in with my boyfriend on the same day I got a puppy, two short weeks after quitting my full time job. I look back on that time and just marvel at how my brain was working. Or rather, not working. If you want to read more about my mental health and having dogs, you can read the blogpost I wrote on it here.

I look back at puppy photos of Archie, and it honestly almost brings me to tears. We'd always had dogs when I was growing up, and I loved/love them dearly, but nothing prepared me for how I'd feel about Archie. He honestly feels like an extension of me; my best friend, my little shadow and the best therapist. No one listens to you like your dog does, haha. 

I used to be one of those people who rolled my eyes at all the Mums on Facebook, who posted ten thousand photos a day of their babies. It soon became clear when I got a puppy, though, that I'm totally going to be one of those parents. Archie is so precious to me, and I can never understand when people don't instantly love him like I do! (Such a typical, embarrassing Mum thing to think.)

In my personal life, this past year has been full of ups and downs, and now things are all change again! I'm needing to look for a new job, and it's all a bit overwhelming. One constant, though, is the unconditional love I get every single day from Archie and Winnie. Is the responsibility hard? Sometimes. Do I ever wish we could just drop everything and go on holiday? Occasionally. What I know for certain, is that I could never be without my own dog now, and I hope to have so many happy years with my two.

Happy first gotcha day Archie pup <3

Chloé, Archie and Winnie

Dog-Friendly Finds | Winkworth Arboretum

Hi everyone!

I'd just like to preface this, by saying that all of the photos in this post were taken by the incredibly talented Amy at Aura Photographs, and she has so kindly given me permission to use them. 

The best part about dog blogging for me, has been all the wonderful friends I'm making along the way. It's even better when those friends are fairly local, and we can meet up for play dates! When Emily from Adventures of Doodles asked if I'd like to go to Winkworth Arboretum with her and Amy of Silly Tilly Poodle, I of course said yes. I absolutely love exploring new National Trust properties, and I thought it'd be great to get all the dogs back together again.

I'd never been to an arboretum before, so I wasn't sure what to expect or what the walking routes would be like. To be on the safe side, I took Winnie's carry bag with me; we'd been to the beach the day before, and her little legs definitely couldn't have dealt with another full afternoon of walking! She travelled in style for half the afternoon, and then she was able to stretch her legs and do a little bit of modelling for Emily's business Devil Dood Designs. 

The whole setting was beautiful, but undoubtedly the best part were the thousands of bluebells. I've honestly never seen so many in one place, they were like a carpet! I'm so thankful to Amy for snapping some photos of my two in the flowers, especially Archie, whose character she captured perfectly. We headed first to a gorgeous meadow so the pooches could have a run, and the bigger dogs made good use of the streams along the way! 

We had an absolutely lovely afternoon, and I think Archie will be lovesick over Rhapsody for a good long while, bless him! Thank you again to the girls for a fab play date, and to Amy for all the beautiful photos. 

Have you been to Winkworth Arboretum? Let us know!

Chloé, Archie and Winnie

Dog-Friendly Finds | The Tenth Hole, Southsea

Hello everyone, happy #woofwoofwednesday! 

This evening's post is the final installment from our recent weekend away, and this time we're doing a little review of The Tenth Hole, a tearoom and nine-hole golf course in Southsea. This is another spot recommended by our friend Bernie and his Mum, you can find their post here. When my boyfriend said he fancied playing a round of golf on the Monday morning, I remembered Mr Beau Jangle's post and knew the perfect spot! We decided to head there early, to avoid the rush, and arrived for brunch at about 10am. 

Thankfully for us, as we were visiting on a Monday morning, the café was reasonably quiet. They have a lovely outdoor seating area with water bowls and treats for dogs, so we decided to sit outside and make the most of the sunshine on our last day away. Bernie's mum tells me that the cakes there are absolutely amazing, but as we were heading to the beach afterwards and I'd given up most sweet things for Lent, I opted for the full english breakfast and a pot of tea. It was absolutely delicious, and I was served really quickly. I'll let you in on a secret though... I'm such a fussy eater and I hate herby sausages, so the dogs got the sausage all to themselves! The staff were all friendly and welcoming, even when Archie and Winnie started grumbling at each other for the last piece of sausage.. what an embarrassment they are. After breakfast I enjoyed a few more cups of tea and snuggles with the dogs, whilst Will played his round of golf.

The Tenth Hole is in an ideal spot; a short walk from other attractions (fab if you're visiting with kids, there are beautiful gardens and play parks) and of course, the beach. We had a stroll along the sea front after breakfast, and Archie even had his first swim in the sea! To end the morning we walked through the flower gardens back to the car, stopping for ice cream and a drink at the model village on the way. 

Huge thanks to the lovely Bernie and his Mum for giving us recommendations of where to visit on our weekend away, it was fab to enjoy new dog-friendly spots. Don't forget to check out their blog here, and give The Tenth Hole a like on Facebook here!

Have you visited The Tenth Hole? Let us know! 

Chloé, Archie and Winnie

Sunshine, Daisies, Butter Mellow... | Winnie's Wardrobe

Name that film?!

Hi all, 

Today's post is all about Winnie's favourite colour, yellow! Well, I say Winnie's favourite colour... more like my favourite colour to put Winnie in. I thought I'd start up a new little series called Winnie's Wardrobe, where I can talk about all the super cute bits and bobs she's wearing at the moment. I don't know about anyone else, but I find it far harder to get cute accessories for Archie. Even in my own etsy shop, we sometimes find it difficult to gather fabrics that cater for all you handsome fellas. 

Yellow is definitely one of my favourite colours for Winnie. It totally pops against her black fur, and just looks so lovely on her! I thought I'd share some of my current favourite yellow pieces. 

Watts in the Box Jumper:

So I know the weather has warmed up, and that the dogs don't really need jumpers at this time of year... but as soon as I saw that Watts in the Box needed testers for their new dachshund knits, I jumped at the chance! This jumper is so beautifully made, with an adjustable tummy strap, and is perfect for those slightly chillier spring days. It's the loveliest sunshine yellow, and looks adorable on Miss Winnie. You can order your own hand-knitted jumper here, you may even spot Winnie modelling on the website!

Chloe Suzanne Designs Bandana:

I'm sorry to shamelessly plug my own etsy shop, but my current favourite bandana for Winnie is this gorgeous yellow, floral one. It was actually part of our autumn line last year, however I feel like the floral design translates well into spring and summer also. This fabric is buttery smooth, comfy for Winnie to wear, and a fab bandana for mixing and matching with other accessories. If you're interested in nabbing one for yourself, you can find it here in our shop for just £3!

Bramble and Friends Bow Tie:

This gorgeous yellow bow tie is the stuff of spring dreams! I won't ramble about this one as I recently wrote a post about my Bramble and Friends order, which you can find here. All you need to know is that the quality is fabulous, and that I will absolutely be ordering more! 

Koko Collective Collar & Lead Set:

This is another one I won't ramble about, as I also wrote a blog post on this gorgeous set! Koko Collective make beautiful, ethical dog accessories in India, using recycled sari fabric and inner tubes. When they contacted us at the beginning of this year and asked if we'd like to review a couple of sets, I of course decided on this beautiful yellow for Winnie. It looks absolutely stunning on her, and is a perfect addition to Winnie's wardrobe year-round. 

So there you have it! Our favourite yellow pieces this spring. I hope you like the idea of this new series; do you have a favourite colour to dress your dog in?!

Chloé, Archie and Winnie