Welcome
Providing Compassionate Canine Care with Wellbeing at Heart
Serving Winslow, Buckinghamshire and the surrounding areas.
My Story
They say that every once in a while a dog enters your life and changes everything, and that’s exactly what happened to me.
For six wonderful years Jax - my adopted Corgi x Terrier - was my heart and soul. He was incredibly fearful and his worries about the world would manifest in a multitude of ways. Little did I know that this very special little dog would take me on the most rewarding journey of my life.
Jax was a fantastic teacher and I dedicated myself to learning as much as I could about training and behaviour so that I could guide him through this life in the most gentle and empathic way possible.
Sadly, Jax passed away in September 2020 but the lessons that he taught me will last a lifetime.
Through our time together Jax taught me the importance of observation, how to read canine body language, how emotions effect behaviour, the skills needed to manage the environment and how to set your dog up for success by being proactive rather than reactive.
But most of all, Jax taught me that even when you’re afraid, you can face anything with the right person by your side.
My aim is be that person for every dog in my care.
- Laura Spackman
Quality Care and Compassionate Support
In my opinion the paradigm is changing, creating space for a more progressive version of canine care.
Traditionally, dog walks are offered in groups, holiday options are limited to kennels or home-boarding, and dog-sitting involves meeting only the most basic of needs. These essential services are a lifeline for guardians and yet I firmly believe there's another way - a more holistic approach that takes the dog in front of you into account for the most beneficial results.
Providing solo walks with an emphasis on mental stimulation over distance covered, in-home holiday stays to enable your dog to remain comfortable in their own environment, and care sessions that cater for your dogs wellbeing as well as their welfare - this is The Canine Carer way!
I pride myself on offering bespoke, one-to-one services that are adapted to suit your dogs needs, rather than a one-size-fits all approach as I believe that every dog is an individual and deserves to be treated as such.
My goal is to build and nurture a long-term relationship with your dog that is based on mutual respect, kindness, and trust. I have a keen interest in canine behaviour, I only use the most up-to-date, force-free, reward-based methods and everything I do has the best interests of the dog at heart.
In order to bring out the best in the dogs under my care, I make it my mission to get to know them so that I can provide the service that suits them and their needs the most. Taking a gentle approach, going at their pace and building the relationship slowly, creates solid foundations for our work together and helps to form a long-lasting bond that is the heart of everything I do.
Their personality, likes, dislikes, preferences and habits are all taken into account and each session - whether it’s a one-hour Working Walk or a two-week Holiday Stay - is tailored to your dog and shaped by their needs at the time.
I work with a wide range of dogs but my main area of interest is being there for the dogs who need a little more support. This could be due to behavioural or medical reasons or simply due to client preference. Some dogs are unsuitable for multi-dog options such as home-boarding or kennels, some dogs need space from other dogs and so need to be walked alone and in quiet areas, some have separation anxiety and are unable to be left - the circumstances are as individual as the dog’s themselves.
I am fully insured, DBS checked and canine first aid certified.
Client Feedback -
'You're are a superstar and you've helped my girl become one too!'
- Mrs B
'Wow! Lots of great focus - she looks so very happy having fun and interacting easily now. She loves you!'
- Mrs T
'Thank you for looking after them so well - it has helped give us a great family get together without worrying about our precious ones.'
- Mrs B
'We were able to go away without worrying about him for a second and to be honest that's priceless.'
- Mrs C
'You are amazingly understanding and a force for good. With much gratitude as always.'
- Mrs S
'I feel I have upped my learning about him this week by pushing myself out of my comfort zone. Thanks as ever for all of your support.'
- Mrs A
Services Overview
A note on fees -
Due to the individual nature of each client, every job is different and so my aim is to put together a customized package and that includes the fees charged.
Please contact me to arrange an initial consultation where I will guide you through your options and we can put a plan together. You will then receive a written summary of the services offered to you and a quote tailored to your individual requirements.
Enrichment Walk -
Suitable for all ages and abilities, enrichment walks are fun and dynamic with a strong focus on providing mental stimulation alongside appropriate physical exercise to satisfy your dog in the healthiest - and most beneficial - way possible. Activities may include toy play, scatter feeding, destruction boxes, and a variety of scent-work games, all tailored to your dogs individual preferences.
Working Walk -
Suitable for all ages and abilities, Working Walks incorporate all the elements of an Enrichment Walk, but with an added focus on confidence building and general life skills.
Canine Care -
Providing in-home, customized care for sessions of one-hour and above, your dog will receive personal attention and companionship for the duration of the visit. Sessions may include feeding, walking, toy-play, enrichment activities and a variety of scent-work games, depending on the client requirements and the individual needs of the dog.
Holiday Stay -
Providing the highest possible levels of care, the Holiday Stay service offers your dog their very own luxury break in their own home. Whether for one-night or a fortnight, your dog will receive dedicated care and companionship customized to their individual needs. To ensure the experience is as beneficial as possible, no other commitments are undertaken during this time, leaving me free to focus entirely on providing the best possible service for you and your dog. You will receive daily updates, photos and videos and a one-hour handover session can be arranged on completion of the stay to discuss my observations further if required.
Emergency Cover -
Once a suitable relationship with your dog has been established, clients are able to access emergency care cover - subject to availability. Whether it’s a short visit to provide toilet breaks, exercise and company or an emergency stay, when life hands you the unexpected, I will do everything in my power to be there for you and your dog.
Remote Holiday Support -
Forming strong bonds and relationships with both the human and canine client is a natural by-product of the work that I do, and taking the time to truly get you know your dog means I am often uniquely placed to offer insights, tips and advice regarding their individual needs. For dogs that can find the world a little overwhelming, holidays and all that they entail -travel, a new environment, disruption to routine etc - can be challenging and extra support is often needed. This is a unique opportunity to receive remote assistance (via text, phone call and/or video call) when you - and your dog - need it the most.
Sensory Garden Design -
I firmly believe that every dog could benefit from having their own dedicated, sensory-rich, outdoor space to encourage exploration and species-specific behaviours to enrich their lives. A sensory garden aims to reduce stress and anxiety and encourages dogs to engage in the environment which can increase confidence, resilience and overall well-being. Designed specifically to make the most of the space available, whether it's a balcony with a small herb garden for self-selection, or an entire field with designated areas for free-work, proprioception equipment, scent-work and relaxation, my aim is to design a space that both human - and canine - client can enjoy.
Client Testimonial
'My sproodle, Teddy came to us during a period of great change for our family and just before the pandemic arrived. As time progressed, I began to notice ever increasing levels of anxiety in him. This would display as lunging at other dogs, barking at people who came too close, being scared of anyone in a hi-viz jacket, anyone wearing a hat, snowmen, hay bales, the great outdoors generally. The thought of taking him into a café or a pub or a shopping centre filled me with dread and I found my world getting smaller and smaller. I felt I had failed Teddy completely.
I engaged with a trainer who, whilst had some good tips, didn’t really focus on Teddy but more applied a number of techniques and ideas that may well work but weren’t really focusing on what was actually going on.
Then I met Laura, who - while adamant that she wasn't a dog trainer but a canine carer instead - has somehow made the biggest difference by forming a relationship with us both that has benefited our life together in many ways.
Laura came to us via a friend who was looking for someone to look after her dogs whilst she went away. We also needed a dog sitter so I contacted Laura. Instantly, I knew that what she would be doing was far more than looking after a dog (which she can do of course and I would highly recommend her without question). As soon as she met Teddy and took the time to chat to me about what was happening with him, it was as if she could see. She could see him, she could see me and she could see how she could work with us both to get us to the place we wanted to get to.
At the time Laura came to work with us both, Ted would:
- Bark and growl at every dog he saw that he didn’t know
- Shout at men, haystacks, Christmas trees, tractors, horses
- He would regularly hump my poor old cat
- Be on constant border control in the garden
- Lunge into the road every time a car went past
- Detect a leaf falling from a tree and run out into the garden, shouting
Inside the house, he was (mainly) calm and wonderfully snuggly – but outside was a completely different story.
We have been working with Laura for the last 14 months – once a week sessions and completely focused on Teddy and developing the communication between him and me. Her methods are completely force free and non- corrective. There are no aversive techniques here and her total way of working is to read the dog’s body language, and communicate with him. In turn, he communicates back.
By building a loving, trusting relationship with Teddy, getting to know him as an individual, building his confidence, and introducing games that tap into his natural breed-specific instincts, she has helped Ted to develop options in his own mind that means:
- He can choose to sniff and play rather than be bothered by another dog
- He can walk past people in hi-viz jackets with a confidence that he doesn’t have to sort them out, he has someone with him and we are in it together
- He doesn’t run out screaming into the garden
- He can cope with cars, even when the road is wet (before, I wouldn’t take him for a walk if it had been raining, the noise was far too much)
- Leaves can do what they like, he doesn’t care
As much as Laura has worked with Teddy, I would say that most of her work has been with me. She has taught me to understand his body language, how to spot the signs that he is becoming anxious and has given me strategies to help me to work with Teddy to keep him under threshold and as calm as possible. She has taught me about trigger-stacking, flooding, impulse control, listening to what he is saying and so much more. He can now trust me to advocate for him and to help him believe that he doesn’t have to take on the world by himself. She has also taught me not to worry what other people think, not to apologise for my dog, not to avoid so much.
Progress is slow and it takes some hard work – there were numerous times when I would either be crying on a walk or when I got back from a walk. Don’t believe any of the TV trainers who give quick fixes – this is simply not true and can be very demoralising to watch. There are no quick fixes or magic tricks to help a dog overcome its fears.
For me, I was attempting to communicate with a different species to try and help them make sense of this world whilst they were terrified of it. Ted didn’t think he needed to change, why would he? If he shouted at a dog, the dog would go away, if he shouted at a person, the person would go away – why on earth would he change that strategy? No wonder getting lasting and proper change takes time – and is on-going.
At first, it was exhausting, as the major changes needed were in me rather than him. But we see progress literally every day and Ted is now understanding that he doesn’t need to worry about certain things, that he has options. So – if he hears a knock at the door at home, he can choose to go to his comfy bed (Laura suggested beds in as many rooms as possible to create safe-spaces that Teddy could choose to use when feeling unsure – a brilliant suggestion that totally worked) rather than overreact to the noise. He can bark of course – that’s what dogs do, but the change is that he doesn’t have to go over the top – he has alternative behaviours in his toolbox.
I am getting better at reading him and now that I can see what he is trying to communicate to me, I can respond, he doesn’t feel that I am not listening and therefore is alone, so he does more communicating and I do more listening – a virtuous circle.
The difference in Teddy categorically from him 14 months ago and him today is totally down to the impact that Laura has made to us both.
Don’t get me wrong, he isn’t ‘cured’, but Laura has helped me realise that there was nothing 'wrong' with him in the first place. Teddy is a naturally fearful dog who was simply communicating in the only way he knew how - but the difference for him is that Laura has helped him – and me - to develop strategies to deal with whatever situation comes our way.
Laura’s passion for her work is total and is infectious – and the difference she can make to you and your dog’s life is unquestionable.
- Clare Jones + Teddy
Joining The Canine Carer Network
Due to the wide range of highly individualised services offered and the often all-encompassing nature of my role in each dogs life, I prefer to keep client numbers relatively limited and therefore, my services are only available to a select group of pre-approved clientele. This 'quality over quantity' approach enables me to give my best to every dog, every time, and allows me the time and space needed to nurture long-lasting and highly beneficial relationships with both the dogs in my care and the guardians who support them.
Once initial contact has been made and further information taken, a complementary, in-person consultation will be arranged so that I can meet you and your dog, and we can discuss your requirements - and their needs - further.
When a home-visit has taken place and both parties are happy to go ahead and book a session, you will officially join my client list and will have full access to my services.
As everything I do is aimed at providing a positive experience for your dog, I recommend building our working relationship slowly and allowing them the time they need to feel comfortable and secure in my company. Therefore, Holiday Stays will only take place after a suitable amount of walks or care sessions have been booked in order to establish the bond needed for my services to provide maximum benefits.
The amount of sessions needed will depend on the individual dog and their needs. Some show signs of feeling perfectly comfortable in a one-hour session and others - in particular those of a more nervous disposition - may need a carefully planned package of multiple visits in order to begin building the solid foundations of a suitable, sustainable relationship.
Superior Quality Care Guaranteed
I pride myself on providing a superior quality service that treats your dog with the love, care, and compassion that they deserve. With a strong focus on building supportive client relationships from the very beginning, and by taking the time to get to know you and your dog - and pairing this approach with a wide range of flexible service options - I am able to put together bespoke packages that aim to meet all of your canine care requirements in one place for ultimate peace of mind.
By utilising my services your dog will benefit from having one dedicated and consistent carer catering to a variety of needs (rather than seeing multiple people for different roles) which can help increase a dogs sense of security and stability and improve wellbeing. This is an often overlooked factor when considering care options but one that I believe is of the utmost of importance for all dogs and especially those who are nervous or fearful.
Connection is at the heart of everything I do and by building a strongly bonded, nurturing relationship with your dog over time, I am often uniquely placed to help in ways that clients have never even considered and that can be a lifeline for guardians that's incredibly empowering. Sharing your life with any animal can be difficult at times, but even more so when they have special care requirements or behavioural challenges and service options are limited. My aim is offer alternative, flexible options that allow everyone to flourish.
In my experience, my work with dogs involves wearing many hats, I am an observer, a coach, and a cheerleader, but most importantly - I am a friend and as far as I'm concerned, that's the most meaningful - and potentially life-changing - role of all!
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