Clyde is part of the same littler as Mylie, Kylie and Pixie. They are reportedly Mastiff /Greyhound crosses, although some of them look  more like German Shepherds! Clyde is now 10 months old and still hasn’t even been on trial once! No one has given this boy a chance.

Getting to know Clyde is easy. He is a soft hearted guy who loves a good belly rub (and will frequently throw himself on his back in order to get it) and a good cuddle. He yields quickly if he perceives a threat from a person or another dog, although he loves to play and doesn’t mind being knocked around a bit by dogs who like to play a bit rough.

Although Clyde does get along well with other dogs and should continue to socialize, I think he would benefit extremely well from a home where he was the only dog. He is so yielding that another more confident dog would push him out of the way and he would always let that happen.

Clyde has gotten along really well with the volunteer’s kids that come to play with him ( two boys ages 5-8) so I think a family with kids in that age range (or possibly even younger) would do well with a dog like Clyde.

Clyde does startle easily, so you may find that walking him initially may pose a few minor challenges. But he recovers quickly, so I would recommend starting with short, fun walks before moving on to areas with high traffic or long walks.

Please come meet our Clyde at Waikanae SPCA on one of these nice weather days!

Ted has been with Newtown SPCA now since he was a little cuddle puppy. He was born just after Christmas on the 29th. He is a Staffy/Bull Terrier Cross with a busy personality.

When he was first moved down from the puppy run into the dog run about a month ago he was very nervous of the change. I was pleased with how quickly he settled in and learned that the way to get attention from me was to sit quietly instead of barking.

I enjoy training with him in the dog yard and last week when the yard was busy I decided to take him for a training walk. I expected him to walk with confidence and although he didn’t react badly to anything, he would regularly stop and sit. This told me that the walking was a bit scary for him, so I waited for him to get comfortable and he quickly decided to join me. We passed bicycles, skateboards, a baby in a pram and even passed a leaf blower! by the end of the 30  minutes he was walking nicely along side me and checking in regularly with eye contact.

Ted plays with the other dogs his age but does tend to get a little too rambunctious on occasion, so needs lots of breaks while playing. I think he would do great with a family who could give him plenty of structure and training. He would need positive interactions with other dogs and people regularly, and he would do really well as a second dog if the first dog is older and confident and would help him learn polite doggie behaviors!

Overall  Ted’s personality is friendly, and outgoing, but cautious in new situations. I enjoy working with him now and I really hope that whoever adopts him will give me a call and take advantage of their free training certificate!

Zac is a Brindle Labrador mix, has has gotten to be quite a chunky boy since he was first surrendered to the SPCA in Waikanae in February. At that time he was not quite 4 months old and had been rescued from a neglectful owner.

He became fast friends with the other dogs, in fact he really looks up to Tane, who is the  confident older dog of the group.

Zac is initially nervous of new people so don’t be surprised if he gives a good bark when he first sees you, but offer him a treat and get to know him and he will warm up very quickly. He loves a good cuddle and belly tub!

He learns cues pretty quickly, although during training he is laid back and very relaxed. If I get distracted from training by a question from the staff, Zac will settle into a ‘down’ and just wait for us to finish chatting! So he is not overly demanding of attention. He will probably be a fairly big dog (my favorite) which also means his energy requirements are going to be a bit lower than the typical medium sized dogs. He gets along well with the young boys who visit him regularly (age 6-10).

Pumba is a rough and tumble girl with the face of a comedian. She is a Mastiff cross, born in October 2010. She arrived at Newtown SPCA in February at 4 months old. She spent some time with the puppies upstairs then moved down to the dog run at 5 months old.

The thing that stands out the most about Pumba is her strikingly, twisty face. No one is completely sure what happened to her before being surrendered to the shelter but the right side of her face is twisted up like she may have been in a bad accident.

Although she has a face only a mother could love she is a friendly and dynamic young dog who loves people and games! One of her best traits is that she is so quiet in her kennel, while other dogs may be barking she will only move from the comfy spot on her bed if someone walks up to her door and says hello!

Her training is coming along nicely. The first time I worked with her the first thing I noticed was that she tended to jump up (very common issue) and she had what we call a “hard mouth” that means when I offered her a treat she grabbed it as if I might take it away at the last second. As she has gained confidence  and practiced a ‘gentle’ cue, her mouth has become much softer and she has learned the beginnings of a very solid ‘leave-it’ cue! She still occasionally tries to jump up for attention but quickly remembers that sitting is the way to all good things!

I would recommend Pumba to a moderate-active family, as she has lots of energy now, but will probably need less exercise than your average high energy puppy. My guess is that she will love to play and run a couple times a day  but will happily curl up and be a couch potato as well!

Joanie has had a hard time finding the right home. She was brought into Newtown SPCA at about 10 weeks old with her mother and all her litter mates. Slowly each one of her litter mates has found a home and Joanie herself has been on trial twice.

Why didn’t they keep her? She is very interested in livestock! Both homes that have looked into adopting her eventually brought her back because of her livestock focus.

She is fantastic with other dogs, as she is not an overly confident girl on her own, an older calm and confident dog would be just the thing to make her feel at ease in a new home home.

If you go to Waikanae to meet her keep in mind that she is a very relationship oriented dog. That is, she needs a relationship to be able to interact with you. Joanie is a dog with a lot of fidelity to offer, she will look to you for leadership and support when she is nervous. You will find that when she does warm up to you, she is a dog who loves a good cuddle!

I have been working on her on obedience cues since she arrived in Newtown at 16 weeks old and she is now  almost 1 year old. She is a fast learner, although confidence is an issue so we take things slow and steady! She is very good at sit, down, target, focus, stay, heeling, and walking on lead with the Gentle Leader. Though much of the time she would prefer to hang out and sit together calmly. But don’t let that fool you, she is a young and active dog and will need a good bit of exercise!

So if you don’t live near livestock, maybe you have another dog, and you want a dog who will be a fantastic companion, then you should definitely come meet Joanie!

Mylie and Kylie are Sisters. Brought in as young puppies with a large litter, they were registered as a cross between a Mastiff and… wait for it… a grey hound!

They are both amazingly sweet girls who get along well with other dogs and seem to love everyone.

I got the opportunity to walk Mylie at Lyall Bay a few weeks back for the dog walkathon and although she was only 4 months old at the time she learned quickly to walk with me and politely greet the other dogs. She is a big girl (must take after the Mastiff!) and she just loves to cuddle!

Kylie is much smaller than Mylie, she has tighter skin. She is laid back and loves to learn! I have only had a chance to work with her once, so far and she picked up behaviors like ‘target’, ‘sit’, and ‘focus’ quickly.

I have 3 of their sibling as clients, and have enjoyed working with all of them, frankly I am surprised these two are still looking for homes! They are both at the SPCA in Newtown waiting to meet just the right person or family to adopt them!

The Wellington SPCA was recently honoured by the RNZSPCA for Outstanding achievements in Saving Lives, but they continue to need help from people in the area who can open their homes to fostering until the  perfect home is found for these animals.

If you think you can help and want to foster cats, kittens, puppies or dogs please send an email to info@wellingtonspca.org.nz

The photography I do is natural setting and relaxed poses, basically candid photography, with a few sit/stays in between! Some example of what I have done can be seen in the  SPCA annual report. I took most of the photos used in this report and also much of my pet photography is featured on the SPCA adoption pages, and my photos are frequently used in the Wellington SPCA cards and promotional flyers.  I produced this year’s SPCA Cat and Dog calendars which have now sold out, but I look forward to doing next years calendar as well! And of course all the photography on my own webpage was taken by yours truly.

I take pictures of my clients dogs while training, if requested and will do photography sessions at 60.00/30 mins.  I post these shots on my Flickr page, where they can be downloaded with permission (all rights reserved).

1. Chewing- many puppies like to chew, it is a natural behavior that should not be discouraged, but encouraged using the appropriate toys. Any heavy rubber toy that you can stuff your puppy’s meals in are great, Kongs are the most well known and all pet stores carry them. They seem rather uninteresting at first but you stuff it with your puppy’s breakfast every morning and you will have a dog that not only is satisfied and sleepy after meals but is becoming infatuated by chew toys, rather than your shoes that also smell great! (but you would rather were not covered in punctures).

2. Nipping- Also a very natural behavior and not one that predicts aggressive tendencies.  However, young puppies have very sharp teeth and very weak jaws, this means that although their nips hurt they don’t cause much damage. Now is the PERFECT time to start teaching bite inhibition! Let your puppy play with you and if they bite just a little too hard, yelp! and turn away. A few seconds later return to your puppy, ask for a sit. Then you can continue to play. Don’t make your “hurt” last too long and always end on a positive note. Read After You get Your Puppy by Ian Dunbar

3. Toilet Training- There are multiple guides on toilet training, I have written about it a couple of times in previous blogs. It isn’t hard but it does take a little patience and the willingness to clean up messes if you forget to take your puppy out in time! A “potty journal” is a great way to get your puppy trained that last 10% of the time.

4. Jumping up- Puppies primarily jump up because they are happy to see you and they want to greet and smell your mouth. It is very confusing for them when this greeting is met with a knee to the face. Please don’t do that. Simply ignore your puppy and instruct all your friends to ignore her until she calms down and shows you a nice “Sit”.

5. Socialization!!!!!- The most important thing you can teach your puppy. Before she has all her shots she shouldn’t be going to public areas to walk around, but you CAN and SHOULD be introducing her to ALL your friends (calmly and safely-don’t let them chase her around the house). Carry a treat bag around with you and anyone new she meets or any loud noise that happens she should get a treat during or right after.

She can start socializing with puppies her own age when she is done with her shots, but don’t introduce too many at one time, that can be overwhelming! If it is a large group then keep her on the outskirts until she looks comfortable. Introduce her to older, calm dogs that LIKE puppies (not all adult dogs like puppies!). You want her to have as many positive experiences with as many situations, people, dogs, and noises as possible before she has one negative experience. I guarantee a negative experience WILL happen. So bank those positive experiences so the negative one doesn’t colour the rest of her life.

If you are thinking about adopting a dog or buying a new puppy from the pet store, might I suggest you volunteer at your local SPCA for a few months first?

Here is my reasoning. If you haven’t had a dog before, or haven’t experienced the joys of rescue dog ownership then a few months as a volunteer will help prepare you for the kind of time and effort you will need to put into your new family member. And to be realistic if you are finding it very difficult to even set aside 3 hours, once a week to volunteer how likely is it that you have the time needed to take care of a new puppy or dog for the rest of her life!?

If you are able to work in a couple hours a week dog walking for the SPCA, it will give you a very good idea if you can handle a dog with “issues”.  I say this because many of the dogs given up to the SPCA have been given up because of some VERY simple and easy to fix behavior problems. Problems like Jumping up and “high energy” are two that we see a lot. These dogs were not out of the ordinary dogs by any means but so often people adopt or buy a cute puppy and don’t go to the trouble to teach it manners or give it the exercise it truly needs, then when it hits adolescence at about 8 months old they get hit with all of the extremely normal dog behaviors and are shocked that their dog doesn’t “listen”.

If you see these issues up close, by volunteering, my hope is that you will  make sure to start teaching your new dog from the very first day you get it so you avoid these same problems or better yet you fall in love with one of these abandoned dogs or puppies and decide to adopt rather than buy!

I am sure you can all tell that I am a huge fan of people adopting rather than buying puppies. This is because there are SO MANY dogs and puppies sacrificed every year due to over population. Most of these dogs are executed simply because there is not enough room or resources to take care of the abundance of abandoned dogs (and cats). So yes, I advocate adoption from a shelter! Second best is to find a reputable breeder (someone who breeds for temperament and socialization) if what you really want is to have a purebred. I understand the appeal of puppies at pet stores, but really take a step back and look at what you are promoting. Then think of how much your home would mean to a dog that has been abandoned by the family that was suppose to love him forever?

Dogs For Adoption