Here are a few reasons why your dog might be scratching its backside and chewing its paws. The skin is the largest organ in the body and so it is not entirely surprising that skin diseases account for a significant proportion of dogs with allergies and visits to both the doctors and the vets.

Sore dog paws are a real problem in winter. Parks and country walks are saturated with mud and puddles, and pavements and roads are covered in ice, antifreeze, salt, grit and snow. Avoid an expensive vet visit this winter to treat sore, itchy paws by following these three simple steps to keep them tip top.

All dogs need to chew, it’s part of a dog’s normal behaviour. Chewing relieves anxiety and stimulates your dog. A good chew can occupy a happy dog for hours, and save your beloved shoes or soft furnishings from certain death. But are rawhide chews the answer or is there a safer alternative?

Neem oil - the organic, pure stuff - is brilliant for repelling and clearing out fleas, ticks, mites, lice and flies. It will also sort out mange, but make sure there isn't an underlying bacterial infection with mange, especially if it's been there a while.

All dogs should be able to enjoy a healthy treat once in a while but lots dogs have specific requirements that preclude them from enjoy most mainstream treats. We have many different treat ranges for dogs with special dietary requirements so you can pick out something they'll really enjoy.

Using treats as a training tool is very common. Rewarding good behaviour (positive reinforcement) is excellent for training out undesirable behaviour. One thing to remember when training is to be consistent: if you use treats to enforce a rule make sure that rule always applies even when you take the treats away.

It's freezing! There's even snow in parts and the gritters are out in force. So, with all that salt on the road, de-icing going on, and moving between extremes of hot and cold day after day, your dog's skin can get dry and in a bit of a state. Fungus likes the kind of hot, humid environment we create going from outside in the wet to inside, lounging by a radiator, which can make your dog's skin itch like mad too.