IAMS are launching a new initiative, they want everyone to make a special pledge to their pets in the hope that 2018 will see much healthier and happier pets. If you already feed your dog IAMS you have great nutrition covered with beneficial ingredients for superb skin and coat, healthy digestion and a strong immune system so what would you pledge instead?

I think it’s a fantastic idea and was only too eager to join in myself. I love our dog Summer, she completes our family, so I want her to be content in life. She gets plenty of hugs and love, treats and playtime (she loves the game hide and seek with the boys and has lots of toys), but I do think sometimes she could do with more exercise beyond the garden perimeter!

Summer enjoys companionship luckily, I work from home so that box is quickly ticked off!  But she also needs lots of physical activity. As a working dog breed, collies are used to being busy. But I find it hard giving her as much exercise as I would like because she is quite a timid dog at times. It is essential though as apparently 49% of dogs are considered overweight!

Our Dog Views The World With Suspicion

Summer adores her human family but isn’t quite as keen on everyone else. She can be scared approaching new things, from an advertising board to an old boot left on a wall.  Anything that differs from her usual routine.  She will sometimes growl and refuse to carry on without lots of coaxing! The same with people and dogs everyone is viewed with suspicion.  She is more likely to get the most bark in just because she wants to look heroic! A nervous dog like Summer can benefit from a calming dog bed and YuCALM tablets.

I want to make more of an effort in 2018 with my IAMS pledge.  I think the more positive outdoor experiences she has the quicker her confidence will grow. It might be hard at first, but I owe it to her to do my best. She has shown some signs of improvement, she can now see a dog in the distance and not growl at it.  So I want to build on that, helping her to face the world and put her nerves behind her!

To do that she needs regular walks, every day come rain or shine I want her to stretch her legs properly. She enjoys them so much after all we just have a few issues we need to iron out!

Going to a dog trainer

We have taken Summer to a dog trainer and they didn’t think she was aggressive just very fearful. As a pup Summer was attacked by another dog and her confidence and mine took a bit of a knock. I think how I held her on the lead afterwards changed and she picked up on my nerves and anxiety (I was worried another dog would hurt her).

The trainer said collies don’t always bounce back as well from negative experiences.  They dwell on things and that’s what seems to have happened to my gorgeous pooch. For a while we did take her to flyball training and that was perfect for her mental agility. But it became hard when she had to race alongside another dog.  Some she had grown to like but a couple she couldn’t take too at all, so it seemed easier to stop.

But really, I just feel like we keep giving up when we should be persevering, so 2018 will be different! I will try and keep my cool and be brave, so she can be brave too! The lead will be held slackly, and Summer won’t pick up on any tension from me. I will let you know how we get on in my next blog post for IAMS. In the meantime why not head over to the website and make your own pledge.