Treat Play Love (2026)

31/12/2025

Wishing you all a Happy New Year and hoping that 2026 is full of the kind of joy and enthusiasm that young Patrick Russell finds in all things. ❤️

25/12/2025

Merry Christmas from our family to yours! ❤️ Patrick Russell is enjoying his first ever gift unwrapping holiday. He's currently on his recharge station after much shredding and playing with new toys.

Share a photo of your pets enjoying the day in the comments.

Happy holidays! 🎄

20/12/2025

Me: "Give your puppy a snuffle mat to help them settle."
Patrick Russell: "...I choose violence!"

He is having a nap now that I've put the snuffle mat away and he's finished finding the treats that he flung around the room. He just took the creative terrier route to get there.

🤦‍♀️😂

14/12/2025

Patrick Russell was somewhat of a pest this afternoon - struggling to settle to either rest or quiet activities, only briefly interested in play with toys, highly motivated to bite and wrestle with our hands.

When puppies seem hyperactive it is tempting to try to physically wear them out in the hope that they will then rest.

Having seen Patrick continue to wind himself up following some active play in the yard, I opted instead to take him to a quiet park for a sniffy stroll. We covered barely 1km in a slow 30 minutes, and he's now happily and quietly chewing a piece of bark in the yard.

Puppies wind up for all sorts of reasons - teething, boredom, hunger, frustration, etc.

If you can identify an unmet need, taking steps to meet that need should help settle your pup down.

If their needs are met, as best as you can tell, help them out with quiet activities that allow them to sniff, lick, or chew - these are great primers to help your pup get ready for a rest.

04/12/2025

Sleep is one of the most important things your puppy needs. Lots and lots of sleep! 💤

When you first bring home a baby puppy, they should be sleeping approximately twice as long as they are up and active. As they grow, the amount of sleep they need will be less but it will still be more than you probably think!

Most estimates put sleep requirements for adult dogs in the range of 12-16 hours per day, with puppies and seniors requiring more (up to 20 hours for young pups). Dogs who don't get enough sleep tend to appear more hyperactive and find it increasingly difficult to settle and rest. If you've ever contended with an over-tired toddler, you know the mood!

You can help your pup or adult dog transition from active periods to rest with activities that encourage sniffing, licking, and chewing - think a treat scatter in the grass, some soft food on a lickimat, or a Kong or other chewy treat to gnaw on.

When faced with a hyperactive young pup, the temptation is to increase physical activity to tire them out. What most of these individuals need is more rest, not more activity.

You should absolutely provide physical activity that is appropriate for your pup's age and health but if they still seem eager for more after that, try some brain games and food enrichment to take the edge off and help them get ready for a restorative snooze.

Despite being a very active breed, Patrick Russell is very good about settling for naps throughout the day. He's usually resting quietly throughout the morning, more active in the afternoon, and then resting again before bed.

Does your dog get plenty of beauty sleep? Share a photo of their favourite siesta spot in the comments.

01/12/2025

Patrick Russell is 5 months old! Time flies when you're wrangling a terrier puppy. 😵‍💫🤪❤️

So many things are going very well for young Patrick - we only vaguely keep track of his toileting as he's so good at taking himself outside when he needs to go, he's sleeping through the night (with a slightly earlier wake up than we would prefer, but not too bad), he is confident and happy meeting people, he's playful and happy at home, and he's enjoying his daily walks.

Some things are a work in progress - the biggest being teaching him to feel safe and relaxed when home alone. More about that another day!

At 5 months old, Patrick is no longer in his critical socialisation period. He is, however, still learning about how to feel and how to behave in the world.

Each week, I try to take him to a variety of places where he will see, hear, and smell new things. I aim for some walks to be "busier" with people, bikes, traffic, and barking dogs, and for others to be quieter in local parks or reserves.

On any walk, when we see people and dogs, we move to the side and Patrick can watch quietly (tail wagging furiously). If he looks back at me, he'll earn a treat or two - distractions predict snacks from Mum! We don't expect to greet every person or dog we see.

He also gets a treat whenever a dog barks from behind a fence. He found barking dogs a bit worrisome when we first started walking, but is much more confident walking past now.

There is so much for puppies to learn as they start to navigate the world. Our role is to support their exploration and build desirable behaviours by reinforcing the things we'd like to see more of - walking with us, responding to cues, watching the world quietly, investigating new things with confidence.

If you would like help navigating puppyhood and beyond with your new family member, get in touch to see how we can help.

20/11/2025

Patrick is 20-weeks old and has been losing teeth for a few weeks now. He has most of his adult incisors and he lost his first canine tooth on Wednesday this week.

Many people will say that their 8-week old puppy is teething because they are biting like a fiend and gnawing on furniture. This has everything to do with how puppies engage with their world and discover things and nothing to do with teething.

When your puppy begins to lose teeth, that's when they will start to chew and gnaw on items that offer some relief from the discomfort of losing and growing teeth. They might appreciate a variety of textures to chew on, and especially things that are cool and soothing on their gums (e.g. Kong with frozen food inside, ice cubes, etc).

Whether a puppy is 8-weeks old or 20-weeks old, I always work on the assumption that they're doing things for a reason. If they're repeatedly seeking out certain kinds of objects for chewing (e.g. chair legs, couch cushions, rubbery shoes), I will try to offer them appropriate alternatives that are similar in firmness or texture.

Imagine for a moment that you are a teething puppy with achey gums, and a firm chair legs was offering exactly the relief you needed. Your human keeps telling you "No!" and offering you a plush toy instead. It doesn't offer the relief you're so desperately seeking.

Help your puppy out - match like for like, as often as you can. They will grow through this phase, and will do so with good habits in place if you do a great job meeting their needs in safe and appropriate ways.

19/11/2025

Congratulations to Murphy and Quinnie who completed Puppy Classes at Treat Play Love with their families.

Little Murphy is whip smart and loves play, while beautiful Quinnie took a couple of weeks to warm up and reveal her sassy side. They've both been having fun learning new skills and making new friends.

It's truly a pleasure to watch young pups grow and gain in confidence from week to week. I'm confident that this pair will continue to learn with their families as they develop into happy young adults.

We've got no more classes scheduled for 2025, but keep an eye on our page for class dates for 2026. In the meantime, in-home puppy training is a flexible option that offers a ton of benefits, too.

14/11/2025

We've been fortunate to experience several thunderstorms during Patrick Russell's early development. From the first storm, he's mostly ignored the lightning flashes and thunder claps. If we go out to the patio to watch, he comes with us.

While Patrick appears to feel just fine about storms, we still aim to give him fun things to do during storms. This helps build happy associations, rather than just neutral ones. We mostly pick activities he can do independently, and ones that are "busy" rather than exciting.

During yesterday evening's big storm, Patrick kept very busy with some recycling. You'll see his ears swivel with the loud thunder, but he sticks with his very important shredding business.

If your dog is not as confident as you g Patrick, it is 100% appropriate to provide them with comfort if that helps them. They might be most comfortable if they are indoors and able to sit close to you, or with a gentle massage, or in a section of the house where the sound is slightly less and the space is darker (e.g. a covered crate or a walk-in robe).

If your dog is profoundly fearful or panicked during storms, it is essential that you speak with a veterinary behaviourist or vet with an interest in behaviour to explore ways to support your dog and reduce their anxiety.

11/11/2025

Here's a snippet of Patrick Russell practicing "drop it" and "get it" during play this afternoon. We're playing with two identical toys, though Patrick would likely play this just as happily with mismatched toys.

Using this method, I initiate play with the first toy, play a bit of tug, then let Patrick take the toy. I hold up the second toy with the cue "drop it" given in a cheerful voice and when Patrick drops the first toy I cue "get it" to invite him to grab the second toy. The game continues. I spend more time enjoying the game than cuing the behaviours - this isn't about sucking the fun out of play time!

I also practice a couple of "go" cues which signals to Patrick that I'm about to toss the toy. He is beginning to start to turn in anticipation of the toy being thrown when he hears his "go" cue, which I'm so pleased with.

Patrick is very enthusiastic about playing, and games like this will develop into useful reinforcement strategies as we continue to train and learn together. Having a variety of cues to let him know how to engage with the toy (chase it, grab it, release it) gives me flexibility in how I might use play in training in future.

Practicing these cues during an exciting game is also excellent experience for Patrick, as he learns to use his clever brain even when he's in what we might call a state of higher arousal.

We've been working these little cues into our play since he was 8 weeks old, but it's never too late to start if this looks like it could be useful for your pet!

06/11/2025

The rule in our house is if it's beside the bin, it's free for Patrick Russell to take - this mostly means cardboard boxes that don't fit in our standard recycling tub. He gets most cardboard recyclables, regardless of size, before we toss them away.

As I made myself a coffee this morning, I could hear cardboard box shenanigans in the media room. I stood and enjoyed the fun as I sipped my coffee.

Shredding cardboard is a zero-cost activity that most dogs LOVE. It's an opportunity to rip, tear, and shred. These are all normal parts of the predatory sequence that comes naturally to dogs.

When I look at the tiny pin hole bite marks from Patrick's baby teeth, which he has started loosing in the past week, I'm grateful for the box to be on the receiving end of his play biting and not my hands or clothing.

It takes a few minutes for me to clean up shredded cardboard, but it provides endless fun for Patrick. This makes it a worthwhile activity in my books!

Obviously, if you've seen evidence that your dog is inclined to swallow bits of cardboard, you would choose different activities for them, but most dogs spit out the bits they shred.

Give it a go! Do you have a dog that's passionate about recycling? Share in the comments!

02/11/2025

As Patrick Russell ventures out for daily walks, one of the most important lessons he is learning is that he can't say hello to every person and dog that he sees. In my experience, this is an often overlooked step for many young dogs.

Patrick is a confident, enthusiastic, and friendly young boy. He is certain that every person and dog has been put on this planet to be his best friend. He's also a cute puppy and most people would be happy to give him a cuddle when we're out and about.

Dogs who learn that they can approach and greet everyone often become frustrated when that's not possible - the other dog isn't sociable, the person isn't a dog person, or it's just not practical to stop and say hi. Frustration can look like pulling on the lead and vocalising - a common problem I'm called to help with.

When I'm out with Patrick and we see people or dogs, we move off to the side of the walkway. Depending on Patrick's interest, we might continue to walk past or we might stop and watch before continuing to walk. If he moves towards them, I simply hold the lead to prevent him moving forward and relax the lead as soon as possible so he can watch in comfort. I will also offer him a couple of tasty treats as he watches - people and dogs predict good stuff coming from Mum!

He's not in trouble for being interested in people and dogs - quite the opposite! I like that he's a happy and friendly young dog. He has lots of opportunities to greet and interact with people and dogs within our social circle.

If he were not so confident, I would still drastically limit his opportunities to greet strangers and their dogs on walks - it's better to enlist the help of friends and family who you can coach on how best to support a nervous pup as they get to know new friends. I'm not interested in gambling a pup's sociability on a stranger asserting that their dog is friendly or that dogs love them.

I think I must have a spectacular "leave us alone" face, because I have largely been left to my own devices when walking with Patrick around home, at parks, and even with him in Bunnings. I think the key is to look focused and busy with what you're doing with your dog.

To the lovely lady with two kids and two dogs who we passed twice on our walk this morning, THANK YOU for asking from a distance if they could say hello. Even better, when I said "I'm teaching him that we can't say hello to everyone." she smiled and replied "That's a good idea!" and kept walking. Every dog trainers dream come true!

**Note: Patrick is wearing his collar and lead today as we're still working to overcome his aversion to putting his harness on. A comfortable harness is always my preference when walking dogs.**

Tuesday	08:00 - 18:00
Wednesday	08:00 - 18:00
Thursday	08:00 - 18:00
Friday	08:00 - 18:00

Treat Play Love

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