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Willow The Working Cocker Spaniel

@wanderingwonderwillow

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Account for all things Willow. Training updates & cuteness overload (probably a few hiccups along the way too!)

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A little snippet of my life with Willow.
I’d love to hear about your dogs & what they love & what your current training journeys are looking like.

#dogparents #dogtraining #dogsofinstagram #workingcockerspaniel by @wanderingwonderwillow

Hi everyone,

I’m absolutely blown away by the amount of people that are following my little journey with Willow. Genuinely can’t believe it & I’m so thankful.

I thought it was time to introduce you to the face behind this account. I won’t be popping up very often as this account is all about Willow, I’m merely her servant & giver of foods 😂

Thanks again everyone & really hope you stick with us ❤️ #dogparent #reactivedog #workingcockerspaniel #dogtraining by @wanderingwonderwillow

Slightly obsessed with this photo of me and Willow from a mantrailing session with @bowwowdogadventures & @benpoole.dogtraining earlier this year.. do you think Willow was enjoying herself? 😂

Thank you @j_s_photography2019 for capturing this moment.

#workingcockerspaniel #mantrailing #happydog #spanielsofinstagram #dogsofinstagram by @wanderingwonderwillow

Happy Halloween! Thought I’d share this photo of Willow I took in an enclosed field last week (it was nicely decorated for Halloween), just because I like it 🤷‍♀️ thought it was quite atmospheric? I dunno, I’m not a photographer 😂

Haven’t got much else to say other than I’m super proud of Willow, I feel like a lot of things we’ve been working on for months are finally coming together.

We may not always be on the same paragraph, but I think we’re definitely reading the same book & at least on the same page now. I’m super proud of that.

It’s taken a lot of work, time & watching many many Q&As by @maherandhounddogtraining on Bonzos Happy Gun Dog Club & gaining a better understanding what Willow actually wants & needs.

Excited for everything else we can achieve together in the future ❤️ #halloween #dogparent #dogtraining #dogsofinstagram #workingcockerspaniel by @wanderingwonderwillow

So after lots of practise of doing memory searches for sprats, we’ve finally progressed to a memory retrieve 😭🥹

For a dog who really couldn’t care less about retrieving (and still has her moments 🤪) I’m so incredibly proud of her.

So if your dog isn’t interested in retrieving or motivated by toys... use what does drive them & you can get there. We are proof of that!

Also I’m sure the technique needs tidying up & I appreciate the distance wasn’t far, but she did it & that’s all that matters to me! ❤️

#dogsofinstagram #memoryretrieve #workingcockerspaniel #spanielsofinstagram #dogtraining

Spaniel . Dog training . Gun dog training . Pet gun dog . Cocker spaniel . Retrieving . Memory retrieve . by @wanderingwonderwillow

No triggers… no ‘my dog’s friendly’… no rogue wildlife.

Just you and your dog.

Perfect.

#workingcockerspaniel #rescuedog #dogreactivedog #dogparent #dogsofinstagram dog field - reactive dog - dog guardian - dog reel - spaniel - cocker spaniel - reactivity - fun with dog by @wanderingwonderwillow

He may not be able to open dog treats (see last post 😂) but he’s very good at sending over pupdates whilst I’m at work & missing our pup.
May not be ‘instagram’ worthy pictures, but I love them 🥰

(Inspired by @margotstothecountry post)

#dogdad #dogparents #pupdates #workingcockerspaniel #dogsofinstagram by @wanderingwonderwillow

Dog dad is honestly one of the most intelligent people you could ever meet… but seriously? What is this?! 🫣🥴😬

Sorry @jrpetproducts you put the resealable bit on for a reason… but clearly this gets lost on some people 😂

#dogdad #dogparents #workingcockerspaniel #dogsofintagram #dogtreats by @wanderingwonderwillow

Happy Tongue Out Tuesday from this little Pup!

Sorry its feels like I’ve been a bit quiet on here as a late. To be honest I haven’t really known what to post. Also instagram hasn’t felt as much fun as of late, and more like ‘something else I needed to do’.

Plus the darker days are coming & I bloody hate them 😭. So errrm see you in March?! 🤪

Just kidding, please know if I’m not commenting as much or engaging in as much as before I’m still watching & cheering you all on. Me & Willow are still good too ❤️

#doginstagram #dogsofinstagram #workingcocker #tongueouttuesday by @wanderingwonderwillow

I’ve had so many conversations this week with overwhelmed dog mums & it’s made me feel so sad. They’re brilliant mums, but due to social media/trainers/the world they feel like they’re not doing enough for their dogs. Or they feel like they’ve regressed because they’ve had to make their dog’s world smaller.

I’m here to tell you, you are doing enough, if anything you’re probably trying to do too much & you’ve taken the fun out of it.

DON’T FORGET TO PRIORITISE HAVING FUN WITH YOUR DOGS

This is the best & easiest way of giving them breed fulfilment, find what makes them tick & run with it. We’ll run so Willow chases us, we chuck treats for her to catch, we’ll hide so she has to find us. We hide treats/toys for her to find. We make silly voices, run about like loons, there’s literally no limit or ‘too much’. She loves it, we love it.

Until your dog sees you as someone fun to be around, all of your other training will feel like an uphill climb.

Prioritise the fun! For your sake as much as your dogs ❤️

#dogtraining #workingcocker #dogsofinstagram #dogparents #spanielsofinstagram by @wanderingwonderwillow

Today is World Mental Health Day 🌎

I just thought I’d share something I haven’t really spoken about before.
In May 2025 we lost our previous spaniel, Poppy, she’d been with us since August 2012.

Losing her absolutely broke me, she was who I’d turned to when I’d been struggling for nearly 13 years & she suddenly wasn’t there anymore. I was honestly in a hole of sadness & didn’t know how to get out. Pet loss grief isn’t really treated the same as other loss, you’re expected to bounce back the next day & carry on with your life. I’d go to work and count down the minutes until I could go home & cry again.

I simply couldn’t cope with life without a dog in it, so the search began to find one to re-home.

The rescue journey isn’t an easy ride, you can apply for dogs & not hear anything back. You can become shortlisted & then not selected. All whilst trying (& failing) to not get your hopes up. I said to my boyfriend one morning that I couldn’t do it anymore, I needed a break, it was becoming too hard.

That same day @secondchancespanielrescue emailed me to say that they had found a dog for us, if we were still interested. Here enters Willow, she even had the name I’d already lined up in my head for our next dog.
I got told on my birthday, that we’d been selected to be her forever home & we collected her 2 days later.

I truly believe she was meant for us. She came just when we needed her most & I hope she feels the same way about us.

Dogs can heal you in a way nothing else can. I’m so thankful everyday that Willow came into our lives as I don’t know where I would’ve been without her ❤️ #mentalhealthawareness #dogparents #workingcockerspaniel #petloss by @wanderingwonderwillow

Can confirm that Willow LOVED her first visit to @porters.farm today - the clean up operation which followed has been substantial but we would do it all again in a heartbeat 🥰. Also I’ll never take for granted a check in, even ones where I get covered in mud and pond water 🤪 #workingcockerspaniel #muddydog #dogsofinstagram #spanielsofinstagram by @wanderingwonderwillow