The Doggy Lady

27/08/2024

Over the weekend, our Advanced dogs got to show off their interior searches with a brand new odour! Last class, we introduced Clove, and the dogs all breezed through their searches with this new challenge.

Awesome work teams!

26/08/2024

Our Intermediate class got to learn about "shows" or precision indications this weekend! There are SO many ways for our dogs to communicate to their humans that they've found the hide, so adding in a precision indication can be helpful for locating the exact location of the hide.

25/08/2024

Week 2 for our amazing beginner teams!! We worked on some tricky stuff today but all teams nailed it, well done!!

24/08/2024

What a tough class for our intro to trial teams today. We had the lovely smells of food all over the venue from a previous group. BUT our teams smashed it and the dogs did some amazing searches!! Handlers learnt how small areas can be tricky to navigate.

17/08/2024

Our Friday Night Sniffer Club lets us really play with individual skills and adapt them to each team - it's a great challenge for student and coach alike!

Last night's theme was "high hides"... Or rather "hides at different heights". After all, a big part of searching for high hides is also remembering to search for low ones!

11/08/2024

Trainer Steph was thrilled to welcome back some of her intermediate students to join their first Advanced class today! We introduced a new odour, and they all ACED it - so proud 🩵

11/08/2024

Welcome to our new Intermediate class! A mix of skills and personalities is going to make for a fun term - I can't wait to see how these teams develop.

10/08/2024

The new Intro to scentwork trials teams learnt a lot today and did some beautiful sniffing in a new environment!

10/08/2024

Our Friday Night Sniffer Club has started again... And this week's theme was DASTARDLY DISTRACTIONS!

Our fantastic teams worked through some fun distractions while looking for those magical hides. I've put a small selection below to give you an idea of what these fabulous dogs went past while searching. Awesome work teams!

07/08/2024

Congratulations to Maggie for passing Master Containers today and gaining her Scent Work Containers title! How AMAZING is that? I think we all need to celebrate like happy labradors!

A little birdie also told me Luna took home a pretty ribbon for 1st place in Containers.

Such lovely teams!

01/08/2024

Well done to our fabulous Trial Ready Classes who had their "mock trial" over the weekend! It's been wonderful to see your teamwork grow over the term 🐾

28/07/2024

A massive congratulations to our latest beginner sniffer dogs!! Well done and we can’t wait to see where your sniffing journey takes you!!

28/07/2024

Congratulations to our new Master Dog Teams - Ammo, Frankie, Oscar, Leopold and Greta!

Today Trainer Fiona got to take the Advance Class and put them through their paces, reassessing some container work and introducing on body detection training. What a lovely bunch of dogs and humans! Well done to all!

And a big thank you to our ‘body’ volunteers - we couldn’t do it without you!

26/07/2024

Super proud of our amazing intermediate teams who graduated last weekend! We can't wait to see the sniffing you do in the future 🐾

(And sorry for the delay in posting!)

22/07/2024

Fiona had a chat to Michael on ABC Afternoons today about settling dogs into a new home - and then answered some questions live (always slightly terrifying!)

Starts at 2hours 12 mins if you would like to listen

Keeping you entertained and informed whether you're at work, on the school run or at home.

11/07/2024

A big shout out to Team Maggie who got the final pass needed to gain their EXCELLENT Scentwork title yesterday (DogsWest pending). This is a HUGE achievement. And she did it in style gaining third place in a field of 36 dogs!

She was pipped at the post by wee Rayne in her first ever Excellent search - she gained 2nd place!! My spine actually tingled watching!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️All teams did great in challenging searches ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

But this afternoon it’s time to wipe away all that competition vibe and it’s time for SNIFF-A-Fun!!

07/07/2024

Cooked chicken bones can be so dangerous for our dogs and are so often carelessly left out and about. We found THREE on our walk today.

Thankfully, I have taught young Tomas a very good ‘give’ behaviour so that, if he picks up something I don’t wish him to have, he drops it very quickly for me. In fact, whilst he picked up and quickly spat out the first bone for me, he simply found the second two and looked at me for a treat! Such a good boy!

How have I taught this? I started the day Tomas came to live with me at 8 weeks old. When he had something of not much value in his mouth, I got something yummy held it at his nose and said ‘give’. He then would drop his item, take the yummy, and I’d even give him his item back.

After a while, I could say ‘give’ and he would drop what he had and I could then bring the treat out. A very important step, and ensures Tom will do the behaviour without the food on his nose. I always paid him with something yummier than he had, and I always offered the item back… if it was safe.

Why is it so important I give the items back? Because I don’t want a dog who sits there and considers the bargaining I’m offering him, weighing it up, with something potentially dangerous in his mouth. I want a dog that, when they hear that special cue, immediately gives up the item as they get a yummy. They don’t consider what they have in their mouth as they usually get that back.

Now, they ‘usually’ get it back… that means that 1/10 time they have something dangerous like a chicken bone they don’t get it back. They are decent odds for the dog though :)

Tomas happily have me the bone, he got some lovely goat tripe for his good work (a special treat I have in my pouch for extra good boy actions), and we had a great fun time going to the bin, putting bone in it, and more treats!

Good boy Tomas!

Now, whilst prevention and early learning is sooo valuable, it is never too late to teach your dog to swap items. Email our team at [email protected] if you need some help!

07/07/2024

We had some COLD weather yesterday so what a great day to work on exteriors 😂🥶
All teams from both classes did amazing and learnt so much about how the cold can effect odour!

05/07/2024

Our next Doggy Lady team to celebrate is the gorgeous Team Angus. Angus has been a member of our quirky TDL family for a while now, he is a lover of all things sniffing - especially our fun elite classes! We even used sniffing when helping Angus feel more comfortable with those vets with sharp spikey things. One special thing that came out of that was when we labelled his body parts… Fiona can say ‘butt’ at the end of a search and Angus shuffles up backwards for his celebratory butt scratch!! Love this extremely handsome man with his very dedicated human.

His human can tell us more:

Angus is my 7yr old huntaway cross.
He's a special floof who's not always sure of new people, places and things ...and likes to use his big bark to make that known....which can make them go away...sometimes at great haste.
But he loves to use his snoot to help find lots of tiny things called hides... Off lead is usually his most favourite so he loves to come visit all the cool new venues when the nice doggy ladies put them out for him to find.
Then as a reward he also enjoys a good butt scritch.
Woof woof (thanks from Angus)

04/07/2024

Mystery Sniff fun tonight!

03/07/2024

There is a reason our trainers understand what it feels like to have quirky dog - most of us have travelled that road ourselves. We hope to help smooth out the bumps for you.

So, a story about one of our own, Mr handsome, but extra quirky, Jinks!

Trainer Alison welcomed Jinks at 8 weeks old. He aced puppy school and flew through levels classes with all the ease in the world. Then adolescence hit.

At 15 months old Jinks was diagnosed with generalised anxiety and canine compulsive disorder. He struggled to settle in new environments, he would pace and whine and pull heavily on the lead just to get through wherever he was and back to a safe place. He would "hunt" for flies in the backyard in a trance like state and cry whilst not being able to take his eyes off of light flickers on walls and ceilings indoors. One day, he slipped his lead and chased the shadows of swallows that were darting in all directions for what felt like hours, close to a road and disrupting training class. Trainer Alison knew this was not a 'problem behaviour', but a 'behaviour problem'.

Under the care of a Behaviour Veterinarian and with behaviour medication on board, Alison was able to make headway with training. She lived months with minimal lights on in her house to prevent light flickers. When the sun was out, Jinks was on lead to prevent any possibility of practicing chasing bird shadows. She worked hard to teach new behaviours in their presence. She worked hard at changing the association Jinks had with the backyard, and it meant no unsupervised access. She incorporated herding games and specific enrichment into everyday life. All of this was to start helping Jinks feel more comfortable in certain environments and have his needs met in healthier ways.

Fast forward a few months and Jinks was recalling off bird shadows. He could walk calmly and confidently and settle in new environments. He could spend time unsupervised in the backyard. Alison was able to use shiny cutlery and wear a watch with the lights on inside again. She even remembers the time Jinks simply laid down in the backyard for the first time - yes there was tears from witnessing her dog just do a normal dog thing!

Fast forward a few more months and Jinks was immediately disengaging from shadows to just continue being a dog. He won many pretty ribbons in competitive dog sports which meant performing in many new and varied environments (well, there was that one time he chased a bird shadow out of a competition ring and got disqualified because Alison broke her own rule during the behaviour modification period ....). But he has helped Trainer Alison help so many other border collies and herding breeds with similar challenges.

Jinks still has his moments, especially when over aroused (or there is something that looks like a cat!). But they are few and far between. And trainer Alison knows him limits. Seeing him today, many people wouldn't know his struggles.

Knowing the difference between a 'problem behaviour' and a 'behaviour problem' was key to kick starting Alison and Jinks' journey. Herding breeds with quirky traits are Trainer Alison's passion, so if this has struck a chord with you please reach out - you're not alone.

02/07/2024

In our series celebrating the quirky and lovable teams that make up The Doggy Lady Family we meet Team Tilly. There has been many happy tears by our team as Tilly puts her big brave pants on and achieves milestones. We are so proud of this team and privileged to be part of their journey. And wow, once she felt safe in our presence, this girl has shown she got sniffing abilities!! Bow to Queen Tilly!

I also want to thank the rest of the Doggy Lady family who are always helpful to us accomodating teams that need a bit more space to enjoy the activities all dogs should enjoy.

Let us celebrate this amazing team and let the human half tell us their story -

“In July 2020 a perfect nugget of heeler goodness came into my life. A long awaited addition to our family, from a registered breeder, I had big expectations of what our lives would be like together.

Six months in, things became strained, Tilly was struggling and I quickly became overwhelmed. As we started working with a fear free trainer she suggested we try Sniffer School. I didn't know what to expect but was willing to give anything a go if it had a chance of helping.

We signed up and began classes in May 2021. Our beginner class went well with Tilly comfortable enough. The sessions gave Tilly and I something to focus on together in a safe setting which felt good.

Between beginners and intermediate class Tilly's struggles escalated and her level of reactivity became so severe that opportunities for us to enjoy walks or any activity outside the house was almost impossible. But we had sniffing.

So, we signed up for intermediate class in the hope we could attend. By this point Tilly was not comfortable with a trainer in the pen at sniffer school. The Doggy Lady team didn't hesitate to adjust to accommodate our needs, building our confidence and offering unwavering support.

We did intermediate class three times, each time developing Tilly's trust in sniffing with other (humans and dogs) in the vicinity, and building Team Tilly's relationship.

Tilly now has her Master Sniffer bandanna and Team Tilly has taken part in mystery sniffs, sniffa-fun and even a mock trial.

Owning a complicated and reactive dog can be a very lonely experience at times. Sniffing has given Team Tilly connection and community and for that we are truely thankful.”

01/07/2024

💖 We Love LUCY 💖

Introducing Lucy, the next special dog we’d like to celebrate from The Doggy Lady family. Sometimes fear and anxiety can really limit a dog’s life, and it’s nice to be part of a team that helps open up that world.

And Lucy has managed to cuddle her way into the hearts of all of The Doggy Lady trainers - we often tease each other with Lucy selfies - she literally melts into you 💜 It has been a joy for our team to share many milestones with Lucy’s family and she keeps on surprising us as her confidence grows. But let’s have Lucy’s dedicated and amazing caregiver’s tell you more about her journey.

“Lucy's anxiety first started when she was 9 months old. She was reactive to any car on the road and could not go past the end of the driveway without fear. She also had separation anxiety and couldn't be left alone for more than an hour.

Lucy started working with the Doggy Lady at 10 months old, recommended by her vet. With hard work from Steph, Fiona and her dad, Sean, she now loves walking around her neighbourhood without worry about cars (although trucks and motorbikes could calm down a bit in her opinion), she can drive in the car with more confidence (from a 15 min max drive to having accomplished a few 1.5hr car journeys), has an outlet in sniffing (having achieved her master sniffer certificate) and can now settle in a busy park with lots of distractions around her.

She has grown in confidence in leaps and bounds, has learned to love the world around her more, living a much fuller, enriched life. We are so grateful for the time, effort and expertise of the Doggy Lady team. Their contribution to Lucy’s life has truly been life changing for her.”

30/06/2024

🌞Advanced students completing their exterior searches in the beautiful sunshine this morning!! 🤌

30/06/2024

⭐️Check out our current beginner classes, hard at work!!⭐️

30/06/2024

We have some incredible dogs and humans in our Doggy Lady Family and I want to take some time out to celebrate them. Many of these dogs you may not have met, some have small circles. But thanks to incredibly committed humans, those circles are getting bigger. It can be a long and lonely road when your dog has big feelings, but know you are not alone.

Our first team to shine the spotlight on is Team Marley.

We met big beautiful Marley as a new rescue who found the world quite scary. Despite his size, Mr Marley is a bit of a worrier! Trainer Steph has been helping guide his incredible human Sam into helping Marley feel safe. Trainer Kelby was also very privileged to be a helper human to show Marley that strangers are just friends you haven’t met yet. We really do work as a team here! We expanded Marley’s team to include Morley VetCentre - as if you find humans scary, then humans with sharp pointy things are even scarier! Thanks Dr Zoe! Marley has recently started Sniffer Dog School classes and he has had his big brave pants on! The world is his oyster (but slowly opening that shell!)

Some words from the humans -

Trainer Steph: Seeing Sam's dedication to Marley since adoption has been incredible. From a dog who was petrified of me on our first meeting, he has grown in leaps and bounds. Sam has ensured he feels safe, guided him through anxious moments, and now gets to enjoy sniffer school with him

Sam says : Marley is a rescue dog who came to me a nervous and reactive 3 year old boy. Men, delivery drivers, and sudden noises were known to be his reactive triggers.
After engaging the team at The Doggy Lady, we have had multiple sessions with trainer Stephanie. Marley has come such a long way in 18 months, and I thought it was time to begin the conversation about getting Marley more socialised. As a dog that has not had much socialisation in his first 2 years of life, my reality was it may not look for us like it does for so many who can take their dog out wherever and whenever they want. Steph suggested Sniffer School as it would help desensitise him to people being around, and he would enjoy the mental stimulation that these sessions give. Marley loves it. His first session was a stress filled anxiety fest for me, as I didn't want Marley to be the dog that continually barked and disrupted the class, and we would be asked to leave. He surprised me. A few barks here and there, but not anywhere near what I anticipated. In the next session, I had to leave Marley in the centre for a few minutes on his own. Marley doesn't like being away from me, so whilst I went out to the car, Heather walked in to give him treats to calm him. That was the 2nd time he had met her. No barking, just took Heather's presence in his stride. Again, he surprised me.
Whilst these examples may not seem anything big, to a dog like Marley, who needs more reassurance to feel safe, it's huge. Crying tears of joy huge. He's gone from a dog that sounded like he wanted to do harm, to a dog that just lets people know he's around. Sniffer school has helped Marley in a short space of time, I'm so grateful for this option for him to feel safe and supported in an environment where he gets to learn too

30/06/2024

Well done to everyone who played sniffers with their dogs at today’s Scentwork trial! Wow! Some great results to celebrate!

We had two new triallers today and both qualified.

I do need to give a special call out to Team Whittaker who have worked for a long time with an amazing team around them to be able to get to the point of entering an ANKC trial. While I nervously awaited news… Team Whittaker was calmly waiting their turn, calmly entering their search area and calmly qualifying in their first Scentwork trial. Yes, a few tears may have fallen. So proud! Calm was not a word I thought I’d get to using for this amazing team :)

Team Finnley also entered their first trial and qualified in both!

We have several titles to celebrate - including Alexis, Winnie, Agnes and Bella

Oh, and Winnie (pictured) thought she might celebrate her title with a first place ribbon. Bella thought that’s a good idea, and won 2nd in Advanced!

But for me it’s those playing the game, learning from mistakes, having fun with their dogs, achieving milestones, they are champions too.

Proud of you all!

30/06/2024

I am raising a social and friendly dog.

He loves nothing more than an off leash frolic with his friends and it brings me so much joy to watch.

However, I’m a dog trainer, and I understand what a privileged position I am in.

I have a dog I can take anywhere, who loves everyone and every dog. Wow, I am blessed.

Not everyone has a dog like that.

Dogs, like humans, have a range of sociability.

Some dogs used to be like my boy, but after a traumatic event, they are now worried or scared.

Some might be in pain and not want to be bumped.

Others may have not had a great start to life.

Many are in training to learn how to feel comfortable being around other dogs again, and that can be a slow process.

And, you know what? They all still have a right of recreation access.

Me and my dog? We can pretty much go everywhere, these guys, they are more limited. So, given my privileged position, it’s only right I do what I can to make life a little better for them. Be kind

And you know what else? Most of the things I choose to do are also the law!

Yes, it is the law that your dog be on a lead in any public place that isn’t a prescribed off leash area. We have lovely sniffy walks in on lead areas. If I see another dog ahead, I might check in with their owner - do they need a bit more space? Or maybe they actually would like to say hello? I also read their body language - not just the dog’s but the humans too! If they look worried I might call out cheerfully ‘if I head over this way does that suit you?’. Be kind.

In an off lead area my dog still needs to be ‘under effective control’. So, that means he comes when I call him and doesn’t run off and chase or approach others. To be honest, my dog only had off leash privileges in private enclosed areas until recently. I wanted to be sure his recall was incredible. Even now, I check out areas and keep a look out. I am very proud when he is playing with his friend and I call him and he comes running over as fast as he can (for some delicious treats then back to playing for him). If you don’t have such good recall yet there is no shame in using private enclosed areas, a long lead or hiring a trainer for help.

And don’t unclip that leash until you have done a safety check of the area. At an offleash area last week I saw a lady just sitting and chilling with her dog. I let them have their moment and walked around the corner before unleashing. Be kind.

It’s not just the law to use a lead, it’s having a little respect. It doesn’t take much effort at all and is the least those of us in a privileged position can do.

Trust me, those of us with friendly dogs are no better nor worse than those with dogs needing space. Some owners with dogs that need space are the most amazing humans you could ever meet - with exceptionally lovely dogs.

And, remember, many of those dogs were once friendly and sociable but ran up to the wrong dog. So look after your own dog too.

Be kind.

28/06/2024

Tonight was SNIFF-A-FUN night!

Teams had six minutes to find as many hides as they could in a search with an known number of hides!

Tonight’s search had TWELVE hides!! Also some very tricky distractions (green tripe, sheep wool, soft toy plus more!)

It was one of the most challenging searches we have had. Well done to all teams - some excellent searching tonight. No teams found all the hides - but Team Finn managed an INCREDIBLE 11! And boy did Finn have fun.

Oh, the only rule of SNIFF-A-FUN is to have FUN!!

Mention to Rosie and Big Angus for finding ten, team Bella and team Monty for finding 9. Go teams!

But even our novice teams did well, quite a few managed a level 2 or 3 search, go teams.

Most of all, I saw lots of FUN 🐾💜🐾💜

28/06/2024

An interesting podcast to have you thinking!

‎Show Animal Training Academy, Ep Dr Nathaniel Hall; Rethinking canine olfaction: A fresh perspective [Episode 204] - 19 June 2023