Small Steps Dog Training

04/09/2025

So if you followed my post yesterday (thank you 🙏🏼) Mickey was having a FEAR REACTION to the crane in the yard. The body language he was displaying in the moment (described in previous post) and the fact that he was not happy to go out into the yard by himself were indicators of this. Unfortunately his arousal levels were too high and he was unable to take food to help settle him, remember if a dog cannot take food it is usually and indication of stress (in this context). So to help him out, we went inside to a spot where is was unable to see the crane at all to help lower his arousal levels enough so that he could take a chew to help settle. 🐶

03/09/2025

Thought I would use this platform to share some behaviour observations.

My own dog, this morning was barking quite loudly and one might say “aggressively”, he was running from the back door to me. So I followed him because there was clearly something he was worried about and needed me to come and look at it.

This (photo) is what I walked out to. Something unusual and huge (especially for a 5kg dog).

So the behaviour he displayed was running towards it, barking loudly and fixating on it (unable to take his eyes off the crane). He wouldn’t move past me. He would charge toward my level and then move backwards. His body was stiff and he made him self bigger (chest out) when moving towards it. He wouldnt go out when I came inside. But the barking continued and running towards the back yard.

So I would like to know your thoughts on his behaviour he was displaying and what you might do to help your dog feel better about “the monster” in your yard.

26/05/2025

I am currently not taking clients / running classes. If you wish to find a trainer in the Rockingham area, please use the link in the comments below. Until then, happy training. Candice 😊 and Mickey 🐶.

30/01/2025

What’s your favourite dog related book? It can be about training, breeds, enrichment, fictional anything at all, I’d love to hear them. 📚

28/01/2025

Sunday we helped team Makopup at their City of Canning event and let’s just say it was a tad warm 🤣 I took part in the annual photo under the rainbow sprinkler (to cool down). Saw and helped lots of dogs through the awesome obstacale course they had set up. Thank you to Frank and Carolyne for asking me down. 😊

27/01/2025

What lessons have you taken away from your dog/s?

Positively Present

25/01/2025

Sunday’s are for Snoozing 😴

Did you know puppies and senior dogs need between 15-20hrs of sleep a day and adult dogs between 12-14hrs a day.

I’ll admit it 🙋‍♀️ I have ALOT of photos of my dog asleep on my phone. So feel free to share yours below 👇

24/01/2025

Where you will find us tomorrow, Sunday 26th January. Helping out the lovely Makopup team at their stall. Come past and say hi 👋

24/01/2025

Some things you CAN do with your dog on a HOT day:

Exercise at home under the aircon. If you are after some amazing guidance and resources for exercising your dog at home please reach out to the amazing Megan from LoveDog Training Co she helped put together a fitness programme for my own dog and he has made big improvements since day one. This video was filmed when it was a lot cooler!

Do you have any other ways to keep your dogs fit in summer? I’d love to know! Comment below. 👇

23/01/2025

Some things you CAN do with your dog on a HOT day:

Walking early in the morning or late at night to avoid the heat!

22/01/2025

Some things you CAN do with your dogs on a hot day:

Learn a new trick! Trick training has multiple benefits. Learning a new skill can be quite tiring, think about when you started a new job, I bet you came home mentally exhausted that day! The same for our dogs! Not sure where to get started? Have a look at this tutorial from the amazing Emily Larlham from Kikopup. 🐶

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BhfOk05nM_4

Feel free to share a video or photo of your dog doing a trick below. 👇

20 of Kikopup’s all time favorite dog trick tutorials she has created over the last decade to help you train your dog like a professional!The dog trick tutor...

21/01/2025

Some things you CAN do with your dogs on a hot day:

Go for your walk yourself and bring home some smells for your dog to sniff at home. Think leaves, sand, feathers etc. 10 minutes of sniffing is equivalent to one hour of walking.

What other smells can you think of to bring home for your dog? List them below. 👇