IT'S DOGA!
We try a yoga workout with puppies and it is so worth the nibbles and hair tugs
In association with Tails.com
HOT yoga, naked yoga and now for the latest craze – pet yoga.
One firm, Pets Yoga, is offering sessions where you are surrounded by your puppies, kittens or even bunnies — and the animals are encouraged to interact with the class.
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You can bring your own pets but they are also laid on, sourced from reputable breeders.
Lynsey Hope tried out a session at the in Surrey, where she was surrounded by seven rogue Shih Tzu pups.
After being given health-and-safety instructions — including not to hold your pet while in an unstable position and staying calm if they go to the toilet — the class were put through their paces.
For the first ten minutes, yogis are encouraged to cuddle the pups, who snuggled in laps and laid down on yoga mats for tummy rubs.
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Lynsey says: “The more mischievous started nibbling ankles and they dashed under our legs as we tried to do downward dogs and the warrior pose. A few had a tug at my hair as I lent forward into a stretch.”
Instructor Renee Jones has taught classes with all manner of pets and says of the dogs: “The German Shepherds are hardest to manage — they are more excitable than the Shih Tzus.”
Pets Yoga founder Imane Makrat, says: “This gives you the opportunity to spend a bit of time playing with animals — and get a bit of fitness thrown in, too.”
So far the classes have been a hit — and the Runnymede on Thames is hoping to host more.
Lynsey says: “By the end of the class, I’d had a good stretch and all the puppies were exhausted, asleep around the room. It was brilliant fun and I would definitely recommend it to pet lovers.
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“Yoga classes can be a bit uptight — this was not at all and the moves were easy to master, even for a beginner.”
Having the dogs around is meant to alleviate stress and increase body awareness, because you have to be careful where you are putting your feet and hands.
Lynsey adds: “Seeing the pups’ little faces did have a calming effect on me and that joyful feelings stayed with me all day.”
Pet vet Sean McCormack answers your questions
SEAN McCORMACK, head vet at tailored food company , is on a mission to help the nation’s pets.
KAREN Pope and her husband are frustrated with two-year-old French Bulldog Izzie who keeps digging holes in their garden. When she’s done Izzie lies in them. Karen, 56, from Birmingham, says Izzie is well walked and on a grain and meat-free hypoallergenic diet.
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Sean says: “Digging is fun for dogs, if they are bored or have excess energy. As well as exercise give her mental stimulation — give her puzzle toys daily to keep her occupied.
“Frenchies with their flatter noses can be prone to overheating, so she may be digging a cool hole to lie down in. So, in warm weather, provide her with a cold, wet towel laid in a shady spot to lie on.
“As a last resort try using a Pet Corrector spray can which gives off a sharp hissing sound dogs don’t like when she starts digging.
“Don’t chase her with it but do it from afar without her realising it comes from you.
“Finally, if she’s still obsessed, give Izzie her own area like a sandpit or sectioned off area and use reward based training to help her understand that’s the digging zone.
ANGELA Harris from Dumfries, 47, has a cat called Sophie who is “adorable”. But on a weekly basis she brings in her latest kill, including mice and a frog. Often they’re not dead.
Sean says: “It’s in a cat’s nature to hunt, so can be hard to control.
“One option to reduce this habit is to keep Sophie indoors at least at night and in the early morning when most wildlife is active and likely to be caught.
“Another solution is to attach two bells on her collar side-by-side to alert wildlife to her presence, as cats often learn to stalk silently with a single bell.”
Star of the week
DESPITE being told she was “too old” to re-home an unwanted dog, determined 81-year-old Maureen Leneham refused to give up.
After Maureen lost both her husband and cat Chester she desperately wanted company and found a chihuahua in a local dogs’ home – but was told she couldn’t adopt because of her age.
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Maureen turned to the animal charity Blue Cross where adopting a pet doesn’t come with an age limit and met two-year-old chihuahua Bandit.
She told Paws & Claws: “We bonded straight away, he was straight on my lap and all over me.”
The pair go for walks every day, Bandit is by her side as she gardens, watches TV and crochets blankets for him!
Maureen said: “He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me, he makes me want to get up in the morning.”
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