'Anywhere dog is wonderful, this is totally dog'

Humans and their canine companions have headed to the gardens of a stately mansion for a festival of all things dog.

The North East Dog Festival has been taking place in the grounds of Kirkley Hall, a Grade-II listed stately home in Northumberland dating back to the 1600s.

The event invited people to bring their furry four-legged friends to try new activities, training, sports, and take part in competitions.

Co-founder and dog trainer Rebecca Earle, who began the event in 2015 with Dawn Oliver-Doyle, said this year's festival had more visitors than ever before.

She said: "It's been a wonderful weekend, lots of smiling faces, happy dogs, and lots of rosettes going out.

"We're particularly proud, because this is exactly what we wanted to build."

Sean Brown was at the festival to host Petcercise, an exercise class for dogs and their owners which he usually holds in Stanley.

He said the bond between humans and dogs was "incredibly unique" with the animals "integrated into our lives".

He said the "most special thing" about the festival was the amount of things pet owners could discover and get involved with.

"They maybe see things they didn't know existed, come along and try something, then actually become a life-long member - we've had plenty in the years gone by," he said.

He said his favourite part of running the classes was when they were attended by rescued dogs, who may have previously been neglected or abused.

"Some now compete at some of the highest agility levels and are still working their way up - that's what this is all about," he said.

Newcastle-based dog trainer Rebecca Edny said she was encouraging owners to try teaching their dogs tricks alongside basic training.

"Owners tend to get a little bit strict and become a little bit regimented, but when we do tricks, we relax and have fun - and the dogs enjoy spending time with us."

She said this could help "strengthen the bond" between dog and owner.

"If we do something fun, they're more likely to engage with us, come back to us, and behave beautifully," she said.

But she said she also dealt with plenty of "naughty dogs" and "tricks don't always go according to plan".

"One big hack is always the treats we use, if you use something smelly and high-value, it can really help engage them," she said.

Jane, who travelled to the festival from Hartlepool with her Great Dane George, called it a "day out" for them both and a "bit of fun".

She said George won Best in Show at one of its competitions last year, and although she said it was "probably a fluke", they were trying their luck again this year.

Jenny, who came from Redcar with sausage dog Poppy, said it helped with training her pet to overcome being nervous of other dogs.

"She used to bark at dogs because she was scared, but now we've trained her to come back to me and wait," she said.

Penny from Barnard Castle, visiting with her two Dalmatians Bonnie and Byron, said it was "nice to be able to try new things with them".

Moira from Berwick, attending with her Westies Ayla and Kelsa, said: "Anywhere dog is wonderful, and this is totally dog."

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