Caninecommunication with Julia Collins

Parlez Vous POOCH?!

Blogger and ualified‘ og istener ’ ulia Collins helpsus to considertheneedsof ourcaninechumsthis festive season

This hristmas,beforeyou go up to bed awaiting Santa’svisit , do makesurethat in addition to your stockings beingsecurelyattached to the mantelpiece, thefollowingare safelyand entirely outofcanine reach grapes,driedfruit,nuts, mince piesandchocolates. These festive itemsrank highlyamongst to iccanine foodstuffs. on’tjustthink toddler height,factor inthe altitude attainabilityofa potentialpet pyramidplus accessories, chairs,tables, piles of presentsandsoon. Holiday timeveterinaryattentiondoes notcomecheapandimagine the shadowa sickly pet wouldcaste over yourcelebrations On afarlighter no ote, many dogs enjoythe festive season mightily,andit’swell worth giving alittlethought t to how our sensitive andloyalcom mpanions mightcomprehend Christmas.A generalincrease inhustleand bustle accompaniesthearriv val ofinterestingpackages,with plentyto investigateand carefully loginthe caninemind. aysaremuchshorter and fre uentlycoldand wetbut, no matter howbusy youare,don’t stint on your dogwalks.Ifit’s reallyinclement, oneheroic outingcouldsu cewithsome indoor play andattention to replacethe afternoon outing. SeeOctober November‘ arlez ous ooch’ . Walksandmeals mean everything to your dog. We set alotofstorebyChristmasand e pect ourdogstobehavewell, even faced with arangeofvisitors andactivities.Theleast we can do is lovingly preserve theirroutine with plenty of e erciseanddown time,ifthe houseis noisywith b boisterous visitors. on ’t let good habits be sabotaged by supposedly well meaning guests feeding your dog from the table, encouraging them to sit on furniture if this is something you don ’t allow and letting visiting children whip them into a frenzy. In fact, if your dog is used to an adult household, better not to leave them alone with children, no matter how gentle and placid they are the dog I mean . Nottoomanyleftovers a fewbyall means, butcutback on thekibble. reservehissleeping areaas asanctuary. eetupwith unfamiliarcaninevisitorsoutside first,theircomingstraightinto thehouseis amistake.Give plenty ofthoughttoa‘strange’ dogactuallystaying over. on’tbeall over your dog duringtheday andthengoout, leavingthem aloneina silent house. akesurethey’rewell e ercised, fedasappropriate, have fresh water andachance to nipintothe garden before you go. eave aradio,lightsandthe heating on. ookup‘foods to icfor dogs’,some oftheitemswill surprise you.

arlez ous OOCH? articles are also availableonthe Oracle, an audio informationmagazine for visually impaired listeners, which is part of Wymondhamand Attleborough Talking Newspapers. To access all theTalking Newspaper recordings,goto

www watn org uk

Julia Collins @walksoflifessuffolk www.walksoflife.co.uk