Meet Us
Hi I'm Tammy and creator of Fitness for Dogs. I'd like you to share a little about me, my dogs, and why I started this business.
About me & my dogs:
I am a big Rottweiler fan. They are very loving and intelligent dogs but they do have huge difficulties with their joints. My last Rottie lived until nearly 12 years old, which is a great age for this breed, but he did suffer from such an early age with osteoarthritis. I did have to make adjustments for him, learn how to keep his weight down and what supplements that would help him. I didn't want him to be on pharmaceutical products all his life as it is bad for their liver, so I looked into different natural products.
He was also quite a naughty dog and I wished I had taken him to training classes as a puppy, but I did learn a lot from this experience and definitely learnt what I wouldn't do in the future.
One of my current dogs is a Rottweiler cross that came from the Dogs Trust as a puppy, and I did take her to puppy classes, plus follow on classes. I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to learn more. So I signed up for a college course and became a helper at a local puppy class, learning from the trainers. Again, because of her breed she also suffers from the same joint problems. So I take her to a physio and they have given me so much valuable advice and training in looking after her joints, conditioning and muscle-building.
My other dogs are like elite athletes and are very busy girls. In fact, they would play fetch, games and run all day nonstop. Therefore I have to keep them stimulated, as I have a busy lifestyle myself and I can't take them out for hours on end. So I have adopted different activities that can keep all of them fit and healthy, that are not necessarily time-consuming. All are very different but they still get what they need for the hour I take them out. On the odd occasions where I do not have an hour to spare, I will lead-walk them and spend time conditioning later, then do training in another part of the day. Currently I am learning about gundog training with my youngest lab which has been fun so far but not easy.
My expertise:
- Volunteered at the Dogs Trust and now volunteer at Dogs Friends dog rescue in Somerset
- Looking after friend's dogs and trained their dogs for fun for many years
- Learned about positive reward trainng by going to Solihull college, reading, studying and working with qualified trainers
- Qualifications in Canine Studies & Training and Canine Behaviour Training
- Dog first aid trained
- I have completed courses on Canine Conditioning, canine comminication and dog behaviour.
- Studied nutrition, dog aggression and games based training.
- Qualified Pro Trainer
Hi I'm Danielle, I am the sister of Tammy and I started off just helping out in 2016 mostly doing the 1-2-1 walks and the puppy sitting.
I then went on to do 1-2-1 walks and have group walks of my own which are so much fun. I am now a partner in the business running Leamington branch working closely with Tammy and our walkers to continue to acheive the high standards we are known for.
I learn a lot from Tammy about dogs behaviour, which I find fascinating and didn't realise how complex it was. We are always learning so we can offer our customers advice and Tammy keeps us informed on our Training site and our What's app group.
I do not have a dog at the moment, but I have looked after Tammy's most of my life when she has been working or away. I have looked after quite a few friends dogs too.
I would like to do some dog courses in the future however my spare time is taken up with my young son who is huge dog lover too. We have taught him how to behave around dogs and what signs to look for when they are not happy with him. He is also learning about canine behaviour.
Hi I'm Charlotte and known as the joker of the team! I have known Tammy for many years, I met her when she walked my ex-employers dog and I used to tap her for advice for my own dog I had at the time. I left that job but reconnected with Tammy and Danielle when I got my new Bulldog Pup Boris. I love training him and walking him, so much so that I got another Bulldog Pup Babs a year later. I saw Tammy had walking vacancies and applied and the rest is history. I love this job, I love the dogs I walk and I have so much fun. I think I learn something new everyday and I am keen to learn about dogs as it helps me with my job and my own dogs. I can't wait until Tammy makes me the CEO in the future HaHaHa.................