bernie's buddies
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Group walks
At Bernie's Buddies group walks are an hour of fun filled, monitored and stimulating activities!​
Pups are picked up in a car and taken to one of a range of walk locations to explore, with a group of 2-5 dogs.
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I walk both on lead and off lead dogs, so even if your pup's recall isn't perfect, they are still very welcome! The only requirement is that they are dog friendly!
benefits of group walks
Group walks are a fantastic addition to a dog's routines, for countless reasons! Socialisation: First, it's a great way to let your dog socialise in a safe, monitored environment, with known dogs. For shy or nervous dogs, the right group of dogs can really bring them out of their shell and increase their confidence in all aspects of their life. Mental & physical stimulation: Group walks are extremely mentally and physically stimulating, so your pup will be exhausted after they are dropped home, perfect for if you are out at work all day, they will happily sleep until you get home after a group walk (and probably into the evening too!) Doggy manners: It's a great environment to work on dog manners, if your dog doesn't always know how to appropriately interact with other dogs, it's a great way for them to learn in a supervised environment. Change of rountine: changing your dog's routine, taking them to knew environments and meeting new dogs improves your dog quality of life significatlly! Basic Training: We can also work on basic training on the walks, recall especially, dogs learn from watching each other, so being surrounded by other dogs who have good recall, for instance, can massively help them with theirs!
sign ups for group walks
The first step of your pup joining one of the groups is a free meet and greet with both you and your dog, where I will get all of the information I need to care for your dog, and we can decide if it's a good fit, both for me and your dog! To ensure that all dogs are happy and safe on the walks, the groups are carefully curated, keeping similar energy level dogs together. For example, if you would like your dog to socialise more but they don't like having super bouncy pups trying to play with them, they will be put in one of the chiller, slower groups! Before your dog joins a group walk a minimum of 2 solo walks with me are needed, so I can work out where they will be happiest, and so we can bond one on one. These solo walks will be half price, and after them we can discuss what will be best for your pup going forwards! If you aren't sure whether group walks will work for your dog, for whatever reason, don't hesitate to get in contact and we can arrange a meet & greet to discuss!
how the walks work
I will pick the pups up in my car and take them out to a walk location which I know very well. I like to use secure dog fields as it allows all dogs to be off lead and run around as much as they want without having to worry about recall or unwanted interactions with unknown dogs or people. There will be allocated time windows during which I will pick up and drop off your dog, and once we arrive at the walk location there will be an hour of paws on the floor, pick up & drop offs are not part of the walk time. During the walks I incorporate both mentally and physically stimulating activities, and ensure that all dogs are involved and enjoying themselves! If your pup gets muddy on the walk I will wash paws and dry them off with towels in the car, before dropping them home!
saftey precautions
It's extremely important to me that not only are the dog having fun, but they are all as safe as possible. Some precautions I take are: I am fully Pet First Aid trained, and carry a first aid kit on me at all times for any accidents that may occur on a walk. Your dog will be introduced to other dogs slowly, usually one at a time, so I can make sure the dogs get on before they join a full group walk. By making sure that I know each dog personally, I can tell when a dog is uncomfortable, whether that be with a dog within the group or a member of the public's dog, and I will always advocate for your dog and remove them from situations they are not happy in. Additionally, if anything did happen, I have a lot of experience and training on what to do to diffuse and put an end to high stress situations involving dogs. I put my own tags on all dogs when I walk them which have my phone number on in case it's ever needed. All dogs are safely secured in the car, with dog specific tethers. If anything were to happen to any of the dogs on a walk, I would cut the walk short and get them home or to the vets (if necessary) as soon as possible. While anything happening to a dog on a group walk is extremely unlikely and uncommon, it is always a possibility, as it is any time you walk a dog in public, and at Bernie's Buddies I take this very seriously and do everything I can to keep all pups in my care safe and happy!