TEDDY: is a Beagle x Foxhound, who looks a lot more Harrier than Beagle with his long legs and pointed floppy ears. He is a lively and vocal hound; you’ll see him in just about every photograph proudly singing the song of his people. He is bouncy and friendly, enthusiastic to the max, and 100% motivated by snacks. Equally he is a sensitive soul, often misunderstood, and a bit of a loner. His best friends are his toys; Duck 2.0, Gloria the Crocodile, and Steven Seagull. Ted is a proper weirdo and an absolute legend! 

 

ALFRED: part Beagle part hurricane, this dog is absolutely fearless and the cause of all my grey hairs! Clever and cunning, Alf has a number of special skills, most of which are self-taught, all of which are used for his regular attempt at world domination. He can open doors, drawers, cupboards, and even zipped bags and he can disappear as quick as a flash by squeezing himself through the tiniest gap in a fence despite being a lifetime member of Chubby Club. In-spite of it all, he’s a complete mammy's boy and is the snuggliest most loving dog. He is the very definition of an enigma! 

 

Together, they are known as The Beags, and feature heavily in all things Cwtches Dog. Ted was just six months old when I adopted him and despite being absolutely bonkers and FULL of energy, I found him incredibly receptive to training and loved teaching him lots of new tricks. A year later, aged just 18 months Alfred joined the family. He was a complete whirlwind and it quickly became apparent that he had a number of behavioural issues that required immediate attention; unsurprising given I was already his fifth home! 

 

The trainers I had initially engaged with to assist me took a very strict and aversive approach which didn’t sit well with me or my dogs, so, I set about searching for a kinder approach to training and there began my journey to becoming a proud IMDT Trainer.

ELSIE: and that brings us to Elsie! A current foster that landed at Cwtches Dog in early November 2020 from The Pack Project. Aged just 8 months, she had a huge number of anxieties and behavioural concerns and it was agreed that the home she had been adopted to wasn’t right for her and she needed urgent rehoming. Though wholly impractical to have three dogs in a tiny South East London flat we have made it work. Elsie has put my skills and knowledge to the test on a daily basis and I am so incredibly proud of how far she has come. She is a truly wonderful dog with a loaded armoury of coping mechanisms for her anxieties, and solid communications and reactions. She’s a fantastic example of how you can work with the most reactive of dogs using positive reinforcement techniques to get the very best outcome.