DW Dog Training

24/06/2024

LAST CHANCE FOR 50% OFF!

I’m partnering with Lyka to make sure no pup misses out on life changing nutrition! Use my code to get 50% off your first box. Be quick — this offer is for a limited time only!

From energy boosts to shiny coats and better breath, there are more benefits to be found in every Lyka bowl licked clean. Lyka is...

✅ Australian made
✅ Real food ingredients
✅ Custom-portioned meals
✅ Formulated by board-certified veterinary nutritionists
✅ Delivered to your door

This offer ends 01/07/24 - Link in bio 🐾

17/06/2024

How cute is Rumble 😍

Limit spots remaining for this week’s puppy class starting on Wednesday at Canine Kindergarten!

DM or email [email protected] for more info or to enrol 🐾

09/06/2024

Play isn't just fun — it's a powerful tool in dog training! 🐾

Interactive play with your dog strengthens your relationship and reinforces positive behaviours whilst learning:
🌱 Impulse control
🌱 Socialisation
🌱 Problem-solving
🌱 Mental stimulation
🌱 Energy release

So, next time you pick up a toy, remember, you're helping shape a well-rounded, happy pup all while having some fun! 🐶✨

21/04/2024

🐾 Last call for this block of Puppy Classes 🐾

Snag one of the final spots in our puppy school starting this Wednesday, April 24th at 6:45pm. Don't miss out on this enriching experience to learn, understand and play play endless games with your pup!

05/02/2024

🐾 LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE 🐾

Our next block of Puppy Classes start this Sunday at 9:30am - Contact Demi on 0435448060 or email [email protected] to secure your spot now!!

Visit our website for more information.

03/02/2024

Teaching an Attention Noise 🐾
It can get your dog’s attention, get them to do something, or stop doing something, all rolled into one. You certainly don’t have to hurt or bother your dog!

How to teach:
1. Make your attention noise
2. The moment your dog looks at you, mark and reward
3. Toss the treat away from you
4. Before the dog turns to look back at you, make your attention noise
5. Mark and reward when your dog looks at you
6. Repeat steps 1-5

30/12/2023

🐾 LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE 🐾

Our first Puppy Class of 2024 is now open for enrolments! To secure your spot, email [email protected] or call Demi on 0435448060.

For more info about our classes please visit our website - dwdogtraining.com.au

25/12/2023

Wishing you and your furry friends a very Merry Christmas 🎄

09/12/2023

☀️ Hot days call for extra care! ☀️

Keep pets indoors, exercise in the cooler hours, provide shade, and ensure they stay hydrated with plenty of fresh water. Your furry friend will thank you!

24/10/2023

Our not so little guy recently underwent a luxating patella repair on his back right knee. Stay tuned for what we have been up to over the past 8 weeks! 🐾

A luxating Patella is a condition where the kneecap (patella) dislocates or moves out of its normal position within the knee joint. It can cause discomfort and abnormal walking with severities varying.

08/05/2023

Demi has obtained her Canine First Aid Certificate through absoluteDOGS.

Completing this course has helped boost her confidence and knowledge of what to do in any first aid situation 🐾

26/04/2023

Desensitisation to sound 🐾

This involves exposing your pet to various noises in a controlled way in order to change a stimulus from causing a negative association, to a positive association to something.

1. Using a video or a real life recording, play the sound at a low volume
2. As you play the sound, give your dog a treat or form of enrichment
3. Slowly repeat steps one and two as you gradually increase the volume of the sound

REMEMBER to go at your dog's pace!

**If even the lowest volume is too much for your dog you can create distance from the noise. A great way to do this is to use speakers which can be moved around the room**

20/04/2023

Gully and I thought we’d get out and just have some fun! This really helps build a stronger relationship between the two of us 🐾

The oval was empty, so I felt comfortable letting him off lead but don’t forget the power of a longline!

In this video we are just playing around, I’m cuing a few behaviours that I know he will be able to perform in this specific setting and because I didn’t have any treats for a reinforcer, I got creative and used the environment around me!

Remember to have fun whilst enjoying the journey you are on with your dog - you will both benefit from it 🥰

17/04/2023

Demi has completed the Geek component to her Pro Dog Trainer course!

This area of the course follows on from the Pro Dog Trainer course Demi completed earlier in the year and has really given a layer upon layer of understanding dog behaviour and how their brain’s can be reshaped through all positive games and activity based training 🐾

07/04/2023

Happy Easter from DW Dog Training 🐰

Just a friendly reminder that chocolate and hot cross buns are toxic for our 4 legged friends 🐶

Please ensure that all chocolate is out of reach from our dogs during and after any Easter hunts!

23/02/2023

Working on our stays at Canine Kindergarten 🐾

18/02/2023

Ice Blocks for your Dog 🐾

1 Likes, 0 Comments - DW Dog Training () on Instagram: "Ice Blocks for your Dog 🐾 Easy to make ice blocks for your dog on a hot day, here is how: Use an old yoghurt, ice cream, etc. container - we have an old ricotta cheese one. Fill with water or some broth to make it more flavo...

13/02/2023

Why Do Dogs Dig?

Dogs tend to dig for many reasons, including but not limited to:

🌳 Creating a cool & comfortable spot to lay
🌳 Curiosity or bordem
🌳 If they smell or hear something underground
🌳 To bury items or escape
🌳 Stress or anxiety in some dogs

Followed by a few tips to help your dog stop digging:

🌳 Provide plenty of physical and mental exercise
🌳 Create a safe outdoor space for your dog to dig
🌳 Providing appropriate toys & chews
🌳 Redirecting their attention away from the digging

05/02/2023

Scatter Feeding is Simple and Easy 🐾

This slow-feeding enrichment activity involves scattering your dog’s dry food across a grassy area for them to forage.
As with all enrichment, the purpose is to add something positive and mentally stimulating to your dog’s day that fulfils a natural behaviour.

Scatter feeding can be used to help your dog adjust to new environments, distract them from certain triggers, as well as reduce arousal levels which helps create a calmer dog. It can be kept simple or made more creative for dogs who need a higher level of mental stimulation!

How to Play:
1. Toss a handful of treats/kibble on the floor close to your dog
2. Use a cue like "go find it” and watch while your dog scavengers for their food.

Start in a low distraction environment and toss food in a small pile close to your dog while you are introducing the rules of the game. Once your dog understands the game and you wish to make it harder, start tossing the food further away from the dog and in a larger area for them to scavenge.

03/02/2023

The “Zoomies” 🐾

0 Likes, 0 Comments - DW Dog Training () on Instagram: "Zoomies 🐾 I am sure we have all seen a puppy or dog do “zoomies" but what are they? Zoomies are simply a natural result of pent-up energy! There is plenty of anecdotal evidence that a case of the zoomies can be caused by m...

31/01/2023

Ditch the Bowl 🐾

By ditching your dog's food bowl, this allows you to use their food in other ways to help with training and enrichment.

Why bother ditching the bowl?
Food has great value to most dogs and you can use this value to improve your dog’s life. By gaining food through different methods other than from a bowl, they can learn more, learn faster, be mentally stimulated and have a more enriched life.

5 ways to use your dog’s daily food allowance to create amazing real life benefits, shape great habits and pour value into your relationship instead of the bowl!

1. Training
2. Scatter feed
3. Interactive Toys
4. Stuffed Toys
5. Slow feeders

29/01/2023

Small Training Steps🐾

Excuse the mess and poor filming but this was captured in real time.

You guys can't see it in the video but there are two men working on the roof next door. This is something that Gully would usually bark at however, today I have used it as a training opportunity for him!!

Whenever the 2 guys are talking or make a noise, Gully looks up. As he looks up I throw some treats as a scatter feed for him to not only disengage but to also associate a positive relationship when he is exposed to something strange (in this instance, men working on a roof).

I eventually moved inside and gave him a long lasting chew while the men continued to work. This helped him stay calm in the given environment.

24/01/2023

Fear Periods 🐾

Fear periods aren't only experienced with new pups. This fear period is reintroduced as the dog reaches adolescence, these are the two main phases but any dog may have numerous fear periods throughout it’s life.

A good indication that your dog is going through a fear period is when they are negatively responding to an environment or situation that they were once ok with.

Positive reinforcement can be a very effective tool in helping a dog through their fear period. This involves rewarding desired behaviours with treats, affection, or toys. During a fear period, it is important to provide comfort and reassurance to your dog. Additionally, providing a distraction such as games or toys can help divert the dog’s attention away from the fearful situation.

Being aware of your dog's body language can help allow you to recognise when your dog is going through a fear period.

22/01/2023

Novel Objects & Environments 🐾

It is so important to introduce novel objects and environments to puppies and then reintroduce them periodically as your pup gets older! Dogs go through multiple fear phases which I will talk about in another post but introducing novel objects to puppies and dogs help them learn how to interact with new objects and environments.

By exposing them to different kinds of toys, textures, smells, and sounds, they can become more comfortable and confident with their environment and less likely to become anxious.

When introducing novel objects to dogs, it is important to begin slowly and ensure the pup or dog is comfortable with each new item. Giving the dog a choice, start by introducing the object at a distance and let the pup or dog investigate in it’s own time. It is also important to closely monitor the pup or dog's behaviour during the introduction process to ensure they don't become overwhelmed. When the pup or dog is taking well to the object, allow them to play and interact with it. Through positive reinforcement, you can encourage them to become more confident and comfortable with the new item.

20/01/2023

Why Barriers are Useful 🐾

The top 5 reasons they are an important part of dog training.

1. They provide a way to help control the pup and their environment, denying access to inappropriate or dangerous things.
2. Allows them to have their own safe and comfortable space to explore in a supervised way.
3. They can create positive behaviours by rewarding the dog for staying within the boundary.
4. Barriers help limit distractions that could interfere with their training.
5. It can also help provide structure to their routine.

Taking away their access to temptation helps set your dog up for success!

15/01/2023

What is a Marker Word?

In my last post I spoke about using a Marker Word. This is an important tool used during the learning stage of certain behaviours to help us communicate with our dogs 🐾

In my example, I have used "nice" but your marker word can be anything! Just remember to ALWAYS reinforce your dog after using your marker word.

13/01/2023

Hand Target - Turn Training into a Fun Game 🐾

A hand target can be used for many things and can help develop many skills, even getting your dog to walk loosely on a leash!

How to play:
1. Present the palm of your hand very close to your dog's nose
2. Mark & treat the instant your dog looks at the target - If your dog touches your hand with their nose right away, mark & reward that!
3. Repeat these steps several times
4. Progress to presenting your hand a little to the left & a little to the right
5. Mark & treat every time your dog touches the target with their nose
6. Make it easy for your dog at the beginning by continuing to present your hand close to their nose.

Troubleshoot: If your dog is overexcited and tends to bite at your hand, mark just as they move towards the target.

Remember to keep the session short and end on success. Happy Training!

11/01/2023

The Benefits of Positive Reinforcement Training:

- Builds a strong bond with your dog, based on trust and respect
- Uses fun and easy training methods for the entire family
- Provides mental stimulation which prevents boredom and undesired behaviours
- Allows a dog to choose without fear of repercussions
- Builds a dog's confidence!

09/01/2023

Check out our Puppy Package!

- 4 week personalised program
- 3x in home lessons + 1x lesson out in public, facing real life hurdles
- Covering both theory and practical (incl. handouts)
- Email re-cap explaining what we covered after each lesson
- Training treats for each session + graduation certificate
- Follow up phone call after final session with on-going support

Contact 0435448060 or email [email protected] to enquire 🐾

07/01/2023

Easy Enrichment for a Rainy Day

All you will need is:
- A box / basket / bucket
- Some of your dog’s toys
- Part of your dogs daily allowance of food

Steps:
1. Place toys in the box / basket / bucket
2. Sprinkle in the nominated amount of their food
3. Place it down for your dog to enjoy!

Scatter feeding is a great way to decrease boredom and destructive behaviours whilst increasing creativity and calmness!
It has many other benefits which I will continue to share on this page 🐾