Out & About
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How sniffer dogs have moved on from drugs and bombs to Japanese knotweed
Kat Janczur spent years training dogs to sniff out drugs and explosives. Today, she and her canine companions have a very different quarry: Japanese knotweed.
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How to train your dogs around your gardening, by expert trainer Ben Randall
It's the time of year when we're all starting to get out more and more — particularly in the garden. That's an ideal chance to work on your dog's training, as Ben Randall explains.
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J.R.R. Tolkien: The life and times of the lord of the books
From a sentence born of an exhausting teaching job, J. R. R. Tolkien crafted a series of fantastical novels that, 50 years on from his death, still loom as large in our imagination as Sauron’s all-seeing eye, says Matthew Dennison.
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'The last red squirrel in Dumfries — if it comes to that — is most likely to be predated by a pine marten'
The pine marten is proving a mixed blessing in the task of restoring wildlife for Jamie Blackett.
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How to adopt a dog without it upsetting the pets you already have, by top trainer Ben Randall
Though some dog owners are happy to stop at one, many of us like to bring more into the home as years go by — and if your new arrival is an older dog who is being rehomed, it can need a bit of thought to make sure things go smoothly. Ben Randall explains more.
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What to do if your dog keeps barking when you leave the house, by A-list trainer Ben Randall
The unconditional love of a dog is a wonderful thing, but when they get so attached that they can't bear to see you leave then they need your help. Ben Randall explains how to stop a dog getting upset when you leave the house.
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How to stop your dogs waking up too early, by top trainer Ben Randall
An unwanted early morning wake-up call from her dogs is the problem faced by our reader this week.
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The A to Z of the Cheltenham Festival, from Arkle to Zarkander
Here is all you need to know about the 2023 Cheltenham National Hunt Festival, one of the greatest sporting occasions on the calendar.
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Would-be dog owners urged to buy British by the Kennel Club
'There is a real danger we could lose our diversity of breeds', warns the Kennel Club's Bill Lambert, as Agnes Stamp reports.
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Are you overtraining your dog? The signs to look for, and how to put it right
A reader this week suffers from a dog who can't concentrate and is getting distracted all the time, but with things now going badly our dog training expert Ben Randall takes a look – and suspects that overtraining is the problem.
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How to stop a dog nipping or biting when it's excited, by expert trainer Ben Randall
A dog that starts nipping, biting and mouthing when it's overexcited may not mean any harm, says Ben Randall, but it's something which just can't go on. Here's how to handle the issue.
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You don't need to teach your dog to lie down, but you do need to nail the 'sit' command — by top trainer Ben Randall
A reader writes this week to ask Ben how to persuade her dog to lie down on command — but is it really something she needs to teach?
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Curious Questions: What was the first ever vinyl LP?
Music-lovers who replaced their records with CDs three decades ago can still barely believe vinyl's unlikely resurgence — but the fresh interest in this old medium is still going as the first ever vinyl LP turns 75. Martin Fone charts the history of vinyl long-play records.
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What's the best name to give your dog?
It may be time to park Rover and consider something more imaginative, says Jonathan Young.
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'Every time I got near my dog, she ran off with the fish!' Ben Randall on how to train a disobedient dog
Some dogs quickly pick up the basics of training — yet somehow only respond seven or eight times out of ten. If that sounds like you, help is at hand: expert trainer Ben Randall explains how to train a disobedient dog.
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May Hill: A walk across the summit of Gloucestershire
May Hill, with its spectacular views lit by winter sun, has a promise of the spring to come, as in Edward Thomas’s account of an epic walk. Fiona Reynolds follows in his footsteps.
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Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland: The spectacular border town with a castle that changed hands 13 times
Berwick-upon-Tweed spent centuries as a pawn in Anglo-Scottish conflict; today, it's a charming border town with spectacular sights. Clive Aslet takes a look.
