Frequently Asked Questions

Firstly, we like to meet you and your dog at home to find out more about your dog and your requirements. We ask that you are able to provide an up-to-date vaccination certificate (or a note from your vetinary surgeon stating this) and can verify that vet-supplied flea preventative treatments have also been used.

All dogs must be microchipped and wear a tag stating owners name, address and phone number, as this is a legal requirement. However, your dog will also wear a tag identifying him as part of our crew, whenever he is with us and on a Harbourside Hounds walk.

At the initial consulation, we always like to find out what commands your dog has learnt and responds to, as this is very helpful for us in working with your dog, but we also like to teach a few universal commands that your dog may then associate with his walks as a member of the Harbourside Hounds Crew! For example, a three short-pip whistle command can be an instantly recognizeable command for those dogs off lead to come back to me, for a tasty treat!

Sometimes, as this is a coastal area, we will be walking near water at high tide and so some salty sea dogs may of course wish to swim! We provide an assortment of correctly sized drying jackets for your dog to wear after the walk to try to ensure that they are returned home as dry as possible.

Your dog will be with us for an hour or more and the walk itself will be a minimum of 45 minutes or longer, to allow for pick up, drop off and drying time.

For dog walking services, we ask that you leave a key so that we are able to collect your dog and return him home after his walk. Security is of paramount importance and with this is mind, we keep all keys labelled with your pets name only. All keys and customer information is kept in a locked filing cabinet in order to comply with data protection policies.

You are able to request the services that you would like by phone, email or text. Services are not confirmed until you have had a confirmation email or text. We would ask that you give as much notice as possible in order that we can try to fully accommodate your pets needs.

We carry a canine first aid kit with us at all times. This means that in the event of an injury occurring, we are able to tend to the situation immediately, using our knowledge of first aid. If it is deemed necessary to take your dog to see the vet, we will try to contact you, the owner, first or in the event of an emergency situation, we will use our own most local vetinary surgery. Please also see our terms and conditions of service.

We are just in the process of launching our new dog therapy service and will also be adding some interesting articles onto the website to give an insight into some of the evidence based theories around why dog therapy is so effective in achieving a variety of goals. More information on our services that Harbourside Hounds will be able to provide is coming soon and these will include:

-Homework therapy sessions. These are ideal if your young person requires some support with focus and motivation. This may also be useful to progress a specific skill, such as reading. Dog assisted therapy can bring an association of good things to homework time!

-Dog walking for mental health: Therapeutic walking is a great way to keep mental health on track and provides a time and space to talk and gain more awareness about oneself, whilst bonding with the therapy dog.

-Confidence around dogs: These are fun sessions where we teach young people how to respond to dogs and understand a little bit more about how they see us. The sessions can include games, fun role play and learning some basic dog training skills in order to help build that confidence. (please note, we are only currently able to offer this service to participants aged 10+ years).

-Lend a hound service for those who enjoy a regular visit and cannot perhaps own a pet of their own, such as older people living in assisted living accommodation. Visits from Henry our therapy dog can brighten an older persons day and can include carrying out tasks such as reading aloud, helping with light chores, preparing a simple meal, trips shopping or to a local coffee shop and providing accompanied walks to local appointments such as to the doctors or to the library. Together with handler, this sort of dog-assisted therapy can help facilitate social connections for that person and to help them maintain a sense of belonging within their community.

During each of our sessions, Henry, my qualified therapy dog, will always wear his therapy dog jacket, to show that he is on a therapy assignment.

If you are interested in our dog therapy services and have a specific requirement, please do get in touch, to discuss the possibility of a bespoke therapy programme and what we can offer!