North East Dog Festival set to return as organisers announce latest partnership

The festival, which will take place on September 2 and 3 at Kirkley Hall near Ponteland, has grown to be one of the largest dog events in the north.

Since launching six years ago, the event has gone from strength to strength and is thrilled to announce this year’s partnership with Scentventure.

Thanks to the dog club, owners won’t have to wait until September to try out the popular activities thanks to the launch of a new online adventure quest.

Available now, the seven-day free Scentventure training programme has been built to hack into the naturally rewarding and relaxing use of your dog's nose.

It’s not all about scentwork though - scent is just one of the tools from the unique kit of techniques that bring calm, confidence and focus to reactive, anxious and overexcitable, easily distracted dogs.

It helps dogs with loose lead walking, recall and over-excitability issues so their owners can enjoy easier, more relaxing walks.

Katie Guastapaglia, founder of Scentventure, said: “Dogs have an incredible sense of smell, with one third of their brain dedicated to their sniffing superpower.

"That’s why sniffing is so relaxing - it uses a lot of brainpower and can be a miracle for calming down reactive and easily distracted dogs.

"It’s been great to partner with the festival and create the Adventure Quest, and we hope to have as many dogs as possible take part to create a wonderful and supportive community.”

This collaboration brings an exciting new experience to the festival with the Scentventure team of expert instructors offering dog owners a chance to learn top tips that can make everyday walks easier, calmer and more fun.

Rebecca and Dawn, festival founders, said: “Scentventure is always one of the most popular have a go activities at the festival and Katie and her team bring a wealth of knowledge.

“Dog training is one of our passions alongside helping dogs and their owners; so Katie and her ethos of Scentventure fits very well.

"The festival is always growing and we love that this partnership adds another layer of learning and exploration opportunities for owners and their dogs.”