Starbarks Dog Training

30/09/2023

Wild cornwall.. such a beautiful part of England... moody moors, and bubbling rivers..

28/09/2023

A bit of a wet and wild day today, but who cares... wolf pups followed by a fabulous Cornish cream tea!! Perfect day 🤩

26/09/2023

Helping the babies practice their communication, being so close to them as they howl is such an emotional and spiritual experience..you feel what they feel...amazing

25/09/2023

A wonderful experience over the weekend meeting the wolf babies for the first time..yes babies...these guys are just 5 months old...

04/09/2023

A chilly but lovely morning with bella hound, it's a dogs life, a little sniffing, chatting with the ducks, followed by brekkie and a nap 😍

03/09/2023

The communication sessions have to be one of my favourite days of the week. Watching our tolerant training dogs teach and support those dogs who are learning is joyful and humbling... seeing little eugene embrace good measured play with fun loving zeppy, seeing bella doby happy to stop and relax on a walk with archie something this hyper mobile girl struggles with.. handsome niko and cheeky winston working on reading safety cues from zeppy and honey, little pup loki, learning from nanny honey how to chill.. all of these pooches need support and understanding to help them learn what good communication looks like.. helping these fabulous owners and dogs, absolutely makes my week.. here is a little snap shot from august

01/08/2023

A lovely catch up with the spinone crew at the weekend, after some nosework activities, we finished with a version of the back pack walk devised by steve mann, a great activity based on exploring, and relaxing with pup...

22/07/2023

A beautiful misty morning.. just love comming here with bella..

16/07/2023

Congratulations to our graduating pups.. you survived puppy school!! ..well done everyone..🥳🥳 keep up the great work...

16/07/2023

Some lovely moments today as puppies had fun strutting their stuff..well done Maverick 😘

26/06/2023

A fabulous session catching up with the spinone crew yesterday and of course wonderful chloe honorary spinone. Great to catch up with everyone and to meet new faces..

24/05/2023

I am so excited.. it is always an amazing learning experience when I visit the wolf and dog development centre in the UK. To have the opportunity to spend time with wonderful wolf pups next month.. learning about their early development, which is so important in shaping all of us.. is a rare experience and one I will treasure...

16/05/2023

Just checking mums work!!! 🤩

15/05/2023

Puppy mayhem past and present, love it!! Congratulations to all graduating the pups..

29/04/2023

A wonderful winter morning with bella, doing what bloodhounds do best..

19/04/2023

So funny but true love it!! 🤣🤣

07/03/2023

I just love seeing the development of the communication skills with these dogs. We are often told how important socialisation is with lots of other dogs, the bit we can mis understand is this should be quality over quantity, and our involvement is necessary to help support this process.. we don't want our pooches sorting things out on their own. Without the right support some dogs can struggle and develop poor communication skills.. particularly young dogs who are still learning their ps and qs 😊 seeing these dogs testing their skills, receiving unconditional support from their owners and from the wonderful goldies who help us, is a joyful process for everyone involved😍

21/02/2023

A client found this and sent to me... so true and challenging when out with our pooches!!

29/01/2023

Meet little eugene.. a sweet little rescue dog who was scared of the big bad world and everything in it!! This little man barked and shouted and yelled because he was frightened.. his lovely owners have worked hard with eugene to support him on his journey, reinforcing trust and safety with them as they help him build better coping strategies.. as part of this work eugene has been helped initially by wonderful goldie honey, and on Friday he was ready to meet playful zeppy.. for the first time little eugene embraced his playful side... it was such a lovely moment, made even more special when he felt a little unsure and rushed back to mum for support, before playing again.. made my day seeing him so happy!!

22/01/2023

Enrichment has become a bit of a buzz word in dog training. We are bombarded at the local pet store and on line with a never ending sea of
enrichment toys, but what is it really? And Isn’t training more important? We want an obedient dog
don’t we? How do enrichment activities help with that?

When I think of enrichment I consider what that looks like in our human world, what is enrichment
for us and without enrichment what happens? We are all very aware of mental health and
wellbeing, promoting the concept of Act, Belong, Commit to aid us in maintaining our own mental
health and balance in this crazy busy world.. asking us to consider how we maintain work life
balance, relationships, reconnecting by disconnecting from our digital lives.. and the list goes on..
We are mammals right, just like our dogs.. so could it be that bringing enrichment into our domestic
dog lives could provide more than just a treat dispensing toy when we go out.

Enrichment for dogs comes in many forms:
Olfactory - we know our dogs are super sniffers, but did you know that scent goes straight to the
limbic system which regulates mood and drives emotions and memory?
Gustatory – often out first thought to use food to entertain our pups, involving natural scavenging
and foraging behaviour for our dogs
Exploratory – dogs are naturally inquisitive, so we can explore with our pups, introduce new and
interesting things within the environment to engage the dogs senses.

Enrichment strategies for our dogs should consider what they like to do!!! We need to consider our
individual dog, their age and capabilities, for example if we make it too hard for a puppy we create
frustration.. if it involves physical activity, this might be too strenuous for our older dog..

We can even consider our breeds, and how we have enhanced certain aspects of natural dog
behaviour to create our many breeds and the jobs they complete for us.. the scent hound whose
nose is always glued to the floor, versus the gun dog who just LOVES having things in their mouth..

Those of us who have dogs in our lives over the years will recognise they are all different, have preferences influenced by natural identity ( or personality), breed, past experiences or trauma, they
prosper when they have choice just like us and are motivated by so many different things..

Can we then use enrichment to be more than just a “place holder” when we go out… Over the
coming months, we will dig into enrichment and how that can differ for our puppies, adult and mature pooches, and how we can balance, mental enrichment, physical enrichment and rest.
Improving our understanding of what enriches our dogs lives and helping us build, stronger connection and relationships with our best friend

18/01/2023

Love it !

From the home alone dog file

12/01/2023

Happy New Year!!
If you are wanting to understand your dog better and help them with their good manners, the first obedience course for 2023 starts soon in Victoria park.

The course begins Saturday 21st 11am and runs for 6 weeks, covering basic obedience, recall and lead manners, and most importantly fun!

If you and your pooch are interested and would like more details I'd love to hear from you
[email protected]
Happy training

24/12/2022

Another year comes to a close..2023 here we come..!! Goodness.. new adventures and new friends await.. merry Christmas and best wishes to pooches and to you all 🎅

04/12/2022

Awsome fun yesterday as the dog whispering team celebrated xmas, with some cheeky axe throwing! No messin with these ladies!!

02/12/2022

Around the grounds this week.

20/11/2022

Little beau.. what a character.. after stealing the snuffle matt from the car, he proceed with much determination to carry it around the field 🤣🤣

19/11/2022

Oh my goodness so impressed with chillie and bruno.. practicing recalls together.. and nailing it!! Well done pups and peeps!! Best recalls are when we have fun with pooches .. go team! Hysterical laughter optional 🤣🤣

18/11/2022

A wonderful session last week with luna shepherd when we increase the challenge by having both goldies involved in the social session.. Luna has to communicate differently to each Dog, and be able to cope when they interact together.. it was wonderful to see her make great decisions and when unsure come to us for support..

02/11/2022

A wonderful session with Luna yesterday exploring rock pools at tge river 😍.. Luna likes to go through the world slowly watching and investigating new things, knowing she is safe.. yesterday the bowls club caught her attention and with the low tide the rock pools required exploration.. a lovely shared moment 😘

01/11/2022

Fun times around the grounds this week, some amazing social sessions with the wonderful goldies, kicking goals in obedience and puppy school or just enjoying spring sunshine..