Hello everyone! 👋 We are all set for Don’t Walk Your Dog Day today! 🐕 🚶 To give you some inspiration, here are some things you could do instead of walking: ⭐️ set up a Freework activity around your home, or secure garden ⭐️ surprise your dog with a treat filled boredom buster such as a kong, lickmat or snuffle mat ⭐️ start some consent-based training exercises using positive reinforcement ⭐️ if your dog enjoys it, spend some bonding time grooming your dog or even, simply petting them ⭐️ chill out and watch a dog-themed movie together on the couch ⭐️ if your dog doesn’t mind the car, drive to a nearby secure dog run where they can spend some time off-lead with no distractions or other dogs to worry about Perhaps you can think of more? Today it would be AMAZING if you all post what you’re getting up to with your dog. Later this evening, I will check in with you all and hopefully get to hear what you have gotten up to! Have fun today everyone, and remember, you’re not a failure for having a dog who struggles with walking in public places, and there are still ways to offer your dog opportunities to have fun, decompress and stimulate their busy minds while you work on those issues 🩷 See you tonight!

Dearest community, please forgive my 'MIA' the last couple of days. My most precious girl, Nala, has been in end of life care for the last year, and passed away yesterday afternoon in the safety of her home, in the arms of the person who loved her the most in the world. I'm trying to navigate the loss of the very best 'dog teacher', a behaviour student could ever have asked for - she taught me so much about boundaries, about deep-rooted behaviours, about dog-on-dog conflict, about food resource guarding, and so much more. But most importantly of all, she taught me that even a dog with significant behaviour and physical impairments, can be supported. Can be beautiful. Can be loving. Can be the best comfort in times of stress. I am utterly devastated. I am broken. So, I ask that you all please bare with me as I may be a little less active in this space over the next few days. If there's anything really important remember you can reach out to @Clare Hudson Hill or @Vanessa Barber - our HGA tutors. I intend to be back on track for our next Live check in on Monday.

To all human and canine mums alike, hope you have had a lovely day! 👦🐶 Let me know what you’ve gotten up to 🩷 I had a day in pjs with my three kids and doggies watching movies all day and stuffing our faces with crisps and cake 🏡

Before it happens, I just wanted to put out a respectful and polite notice to you all, asking you to refrain from posting any Crufts related content in this space. Without getting too controversial The HGA, as an entity, does not support the event in any capacity on animal welfare grounds. While this is my own decision, I do respect everyone is entitled to their own opinions on the matter and therefore I would like to emphasise that regardless of your views surrounding this, you are still more than welcome here in this space 🩷 If you’re at all interested in WHY I feel this way, I do have a blog post detailing my reasoning along with scientific references to support my claims, here. But if not, I respect your own views and opinions, and let’s just leave it at that 🩷

😁 Welcome to The HGA Community! This community is for passionate, ethical and holistic-inclined DOG PEOPLE who are desperate to raise dog industry standards, build confidence working with dogs, and learn wonderful ways to bond with dogs through the magic of holistic grooming 🥰 Please share a little about yourself with our beloved community below👇 To help, why not start with filling in the blanks: "Hi, my name is ____________ ! I'm from ______________ :) Here is a photo of me with my dog, _______________. I have joined this community because ___________________________"