Limousin Dog Training

05/08/2024

03/08/2024

01/08/2024

😆😆

01/08/2024

Good to be aware of, especiallywith the fool/fidget. How many times have we heard, "He/she's just being friendly"? My boy certainly doesn't like dogs full on when first meeting each other .......

WHAT THE F?

Recognising stress responses in dogs.

Fight or flight are well known reactions to fear or stress, but these other “F” words are also important to understand and be aware of as they may not always be so obvious.

Freeze, Fawn, Fidget or Fool around are also responses to stress or fear and are also commonly seen in people.

Some dogs may have a genetic predisposition to one type of response while some react based on previous experience - what has worked for them before or what hasn’t. Some dogs have different reactions depending on the specific context.

Recognising and taking note of situations or circumstances where these responses are seen is important in understanding how our dogs are feeling.

When we recognise a fear or a stress response, we are able to intervene and advocate for our dogs.

27/07/2024

There is nothing that gives me greater pleasure than saying this: 'Another successful day at Limousin Dog Training. Congratulations to .......... for passing their Obedience Award'. And here we are again. Congratulations to Patricia Baldrick and Maisie, and Marion Paul and Lily for passing their Gold Award. There should have been four doing this test, but unfortunately, due to moving from the area, Logi and Mac couldn't complete. All four dogs have been with me from puppies and it's been a long, hilarious and, sometimes, a frustrating journey, but on Friday, these two girls didn't put a paw wrong. I'm so proud of both dogs, but also their handlers who put in the hard work. Once more, thank you to Robert Liddiard for conducting the test, and here's a few photos showing the girls in action .......

24/07/2024

A work in progress, but a few weeks ago, Timba couldn't do this. As I'm walking and filming, one of my dogs is walking with me.

22/07/2024

Just a few photos of Timba, a young GSD who has reactivity issues with dogs that he sees. There is no aggression, although to see and hear him initially, you would think otherwise. We started off with a Focus Game, which isn't a 5 minute fix, but a lot of hard work put in by Timba's owner. These pictures are of Timba gradually getting closer to one of my dogs in the garden and being able to sit quietly next to the fence with no reaction. There's a video that I've posted separately so you can get an idea of how we progressed after doing the Focus game for a number of sessions. You may never get a dog that wants to be best buddy's with other dogs, but if we can convince them that they aren't a threat and look to you for their guidance, putting their trust in you, then I think that's a big achievement.

18/07/2024

For extreme cases of cruelty towards animals this new government telephone number & website with email address is now live, also attached is the relevant page.

https://www.interieur.gouv.fr/contact/signaler-maltraitance-animale
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560894611922

12/07/2024

I've tried many, many times to explain to people with not just problematic dogs, but puppies too, that training and activities with your dog will build up a unique bond. All the dogs that my husband and I have owned have been trained by myself. I understand completely that my husband doesn't have the free time to do this as he is working full time. The work with training , whether it's work or play, is put in by me and to be honest, it's me who receives the benefits, and I love it. The dogs listen to me more, will respond better to me, and as I surprisingly discovered just recently while being away from home for several days, my husband informed me, together with a photograph, that my older dog sat at the back door waiting for me to return. He checked every time my husband came in through the door, to see if I was behind him. When I did return, he was obviously pleased to see me, but once the greetings were out of the way it was, "OK, you're back so we can now settle into our usual routine, no more to be said". So, read through the post below written by trainer and behaviourist, Lewis Nicholls, who has explained things more eloquently than me. Work with your dogs, guide them, give them education and fun and you will be rewarded a thousand times more.

Here they are, the words from the great man himself:

I’m convinced that one of, if not the best thing you can do for a dog that is struggling with life, no matter what the challenge is, is to give them a goal or purpose.

That may be through a sport, a hobby you do together, or a game that you’ve created yourself. It doesn’t really matter what it is, it just has to be something the dog loves.

We focus too much on trying to resolve the issue ASAP and over expose them to things they struggle with and disregard what they would actually rather be doing.

If you’ve got a dog that has a challenging behaviour you want resolved, make sure they have something to look forward to first before you expect them to change.

We know that our behaviour is massively affected when our ability to do the things we love is taken away from us - we saw that first hand during covid.

Your dog needs something to get up for and if that’s just to go for a street walk and yell at everyone and anyone, then that’s just what they’ll keep doing. If you’d like that to change, ask yourself, what does my dog really like to do and how can I let them do that safely and regularly..

Bring the joy back into dog ownership. Effective, reward based dog training for strong relationships, peaceful homes & happy dogs.

11/07/2024

UPDATE - Bailey is en route to her new home. Thank you to all those people who shared her post and to all the offers of a new home. I'm sure that everyone will join me is sending good wishes to Bailey and that she will be forever happy.

RGENT ADOPTION

This little girl is still waiting for a new home. Her owners leave France for good in a week and still nothing for her. Please, please, please, is there anyone out there who can give Bailey a loving home? If this doesn't happen soon, she will be sent to a refuge and knowing Bailey, I don't think she will cope. She has recently been sterilised and at 12 kilos, is not a big dog and at 7 years old, she is still young. She will need a very secure garden. If there is anyone interested please contact me on 06 04 47 35 19. It's breaking my heart. Not sure of her address but it's dept 86/87.

25/06/2024

Remember to drink lots of water and stay indoors between noon and September 1

Jokes aside. We’re hitting the dog days of summer. Please be mindful.

Pavement heats up quickly and gets even hotter than the air surrounding it, which can lead to discomfort, blisters, and may burn a dog’s paw pads. It only takes 60 seconds.

Summer pet safety tips:
- walk early morning or late afternoons. It’s hottest between noon - 4pm
- provide plenty of water
- don’t leave dogs in a hot car
- don’t leave dogs outside without shade / water for prolonged periods of time

Signs of heat stroke:
- confusion
- excessive drooling with thickening saliva
- bright red, blue or purple gums
- dizziness
- re**al bleeding
- refusal to drink water
- lethargy
- loss of consciousness
- seizures

Brachycephalic (flat-faced) dogs like pugs, bulldogs, boxers, Boston terriers or shih tzus may overheat more quickly.

77°F —> 25°C 125°F —> 52°C
86°F —> 30°C 135°F —> 57°C
87°F —> 31°C 143°F —> 62°C

25/06/2024

This is such good advice from a very respected behaviourist who I absolutely trust.

WHY UNDISTURBED SLEEP IS VITAL FOR NEW RESCUES

One of the most important times for new rescues is the first night home.

So much changes in those first hours. There's so much to learn and so much to take in. It can be overwhelming.

Yet I know how hard it can be to make sure our rescues have a good night's sleep. I mean if they weren't just so cute in their new bed and if it wasn't so tempting to go over there and give them a bit of love to let them know they're safe...

And if it wasn't so entrenched in well-meant but inappropriate advice that we should start as we mean to go on and crate them or put them in the kitchen or whatever, instead of having a night or so adapting our sleep so that we don't end up causing anxiety for them over sleep routines...

Sleep is the one thing we can do immediately to make a difference for the next day. While the effects of diet may be immediate, it's very rare for that to be the case. Likewise with exercise. Sleep doesn't just improve mood. It also improves learning. And it improves adjustment. It helps us adapt. Sleep also acts as a bookend to bad events, closing the chapter for most of us and enabling us to process what happened and find safety in the aftermath of traumatic experiences.

Many new rescues arrive in a state of exhaustion.

In the first days, their sleep may be deeper than normal or more shallow than it would be at other times.

Some dogs have been living in a heightened state of emotion and arousal for some time and they may not sleep as deeply as they could. That means they can be easily roused and this may cause panic and disorientation. We might mean to only sneak off to bed because they seem settled, but it could cause them to startle and panic... Imagine trying to sleep in a hostel or dormitory after you've experienced a traumatic event and you can maybe imagine why.

On the other hand, they may be completely exhausted and sleep much more deeply than they would normally. It can be harder to rouse them - and it's also likely they'll be startled upon waking.

Small things can make a big difference.

Leaving the lights on low is one.

Having some familiar smells around them may be another.

Making sure they have a safe space where they will be undisturbed but they won't wake up feeling confined or trapped may also help.

An early night is always useful on those first nights.

For my fosters and newly adopted dogs, it was always helpful to have more beds than dogs, more spaces and all kinds of different beds to help them choose from. Many dogs have strong habits about where they prefer to sleep, and observation can make a real difference. On the other hand, they may need showing where they can sleep. It's not unusual for dogs to arrive having never known what a dog bed feels like.

And although it's tempting to encourage them to sleep up close and personal with you, it's not the best of ideas in most cases. I mean I don't know about you, but the last thing I'd want is to wake up disoriented and find myself in bed with some people I'd forgotten I met only the day before.

Tempting as it is to take our new dogs on a tour of the town, to visit all our friends, on long walks to make up for their experiences or to busy ourselves with new things, the best thing we can do for our newly rescued dogs is take it easy and give them time, space and routines for rest.

With that solid foundation, we're ready to face the world!

25/06/2024

I used one of these flirt poles with my dog on a scent and play course. He loved it. You don't need to buy one as they are easily made. You will need a solid pole, about the same thickness as a broom handle and the height of your shoulder. I'm 5'2" so if you think along those lines. The reason for the length is to stop the dog from grabbing your hand while playing. A length of cord around the same length as the pole and a rag or toy at the end of it and hey presto, you have your flirt pole. The idea is to teach your dog to chase the "prey" but to drop or leave when asked. As Lewis says, 10 minutes is long enough to give your dog extra stimulation.

24/06/2024

Anyone thinking of getting a puppy, this might be of interest to you, it's for new puppy owners only and is online, so get in touch with the man and good luck.

13/06/2024

WHY A MARKER CAN HELP REDUCE FRUSTRATION

Many of the dogs I work with struggle with ALL the big, bad feelings... Anxiety, fearfulness and frustration. They can really struggle to regulate their feelings, especially in complex situations.

I'm a big fan of Leslie McDevitt's Up-Down game. It's often on the agenda as the first thing I teach. It builds focus and it's a foundation skill, to look to the guardian for guidance if you're struggling. It's also a great beginner skill.

With the best will in the world, training can be tough if you're a beginner. You're trying to concentrate on the behaviour and remember all the things that you have to remember. You're trying to remember your marker word and your treat and get your hands right and try not to give stuff away by touching your pouch.

It's hard!

So the up-down game is a good place for both dog and guardian to learn some foundation skills that will build up into more complex things over time. It's the first step in a thousand-mile journey.

One of my lovely clients will not mind, I am sure, if I share her story.

It was our first session together. I told her about the up-down game and how we were going to use it.

"We can already do that!" she said.

"Great!" I said. And she demoed it.

She dropped the treat.

Perfect.

Her dog's head went down to get it.

Perfect.

Then, he looked up.

That's when the barking and spinning started.

He barked and did full circles before she dropped the next.

It reminded me that for our frustrated dogs, when we start training before they can tolerate a delay, or when we start training and our timing isn't perfect, other behaviours can squash their way in there.

And yes, you've guessed it. She'd shaped perfect barking and spinning behaviours.

It was a pretty easy fix. It just requires good timing (and more treats, sometimes, so we can catch up - not easy keeping up with a fizzy, busy spaniel!)

But it reminded me of how useful a marker can be. The marker tells the dog that a treat is on the way. They need do nothing else.

I use the word "good!" with Lidy as my most frequent marker. "Good!" tells her that I noticed what she did at that moment and there will be food for it. This morning she disengaged from a crow that was hopping alongside us on our walk. He was about a metre away and I knew that if she spooked him, he'd flap off and there would be some kind of chaos.

She disengaged unprompted, so I said, "Good!"

She knew exactly what she'd done because it's a skill we've practised a lot.

But I was carrying the lead and my treat pouch was not well-organised, plus I was carrying a little plastic waste bag. My timing was S-L-A-C-K.

By the time I actually got the treat out for disengaging, we'd done twenty paces, the crow had flown off, she'd looked at him flapping away. She'd done twenty things between what I wanted and the food. Still, the marker made it clear precisely which behaviour was the biscuit-worthy behaviour.

Clarity is everything when it comes to reducing the learner's frustration.

If I didn't use a marker, I'd have missed a moment I could have built on behaviours worth banking.

If I didn't use a marker, I might have accidentally reinforced some other behaviour, not the one I wanted.

It simply provides clarity for the learner which helps them work out what thing they were doing that was worth doing again.

It's not the dog's frustration I'm particularly bothered about.

It's our own.

My client who'd very successfully built up her dog's behaviours of barking and spinning was pretty frustrated with the barking and spinning to be honest.

Trying to teach a busy, fizzy spaniel is hard work.

Without markers, chances are that your spaniel has thrown out 97 behaviours between the one you were trying to capture and the one that the dog thought you wanted more of for a biscuit.

It also reduces anxiety because it reduces the amount of confusion the dog is experiencing. A marker savvy dog is a dog who can put 2+2 together. You can see the lightbulb go on.

"Oh! THAT's the thing that gets the Good!"

I love those moments.

In truth, a marker is only part of how we might need to work differently with a frustrated or anxious dog. Learning can make us frustrated and anxious. When we don't get it or when we're not sure if we're doing it right, it can cause a whole raft of negative emotions.

For dogs who don't handle those well, learning can be an unpleasant experience.

But a marker is one part of how we give the dog more control more quickly. We make it easier for them to work out what got the weird ape at the other end of the lead to throw them a biscuit.

I love those moments.

They switch on the light. At both ends of the lead.

That also reduces our frustration with ourselves because we get it right for our dogs.

We're smart and our dogs are smart.

That is step 1 in the thousand-mile journey to building confidence, right there.

13/06/2024

Now the weather is hopefully warming up and there's lots more sun to come, unfortunately these slippery critters will also be coming out to sunbathe. I'm sure there will be more in depth information on-line, but here are a couple of little pointers to remember should a bite happen:

13/06/2024

FOR ADOPTION - BAILEY WILL BE STERILISED VERY SOON, SO IF THIS WAS PUTTING ANYONE OFF TAKING HER, PLEASE RECONSIDER, SHE DESPERATELY NEEDS A NEW HOME.

Bailey was taken for adoption on Friday but unfortunately, she did manage to escape and has been returned to her previous owners. It stresses in the post that Bailey will need a secure garden, and she is quite happy in this situation. This is now a desperate situation so please, if you think you have space for Bailey, and you do have a secure garden, please give her a chance, she is such a lovely, pleasing little girl.

Bailey is a 7 year old Sprocker who has lived with her sister and a loving family since she was a puppy. Unfortunately, through no fault of her own, circumstances have changed, and she is looking for a new home. This is an urgent re-home as her family have to return to the UK very soon. She is a busy, lively little girl who likes to hunt lizards, chase butterflies, and likes nothing better than a swim in the river or lake. She's timid with other dogs, but once she gets to know them, she comes round. Not tested with cats, but would more than likely not be good with chickens etc. She will need a securely fenced garden. We have been working on her recall and her leash walking as she is a bit of a puller, but weighing only 12 kilos, she isn't too big, although further training would be beneficial. She enjoys the training and we tried a bit of scenting with her, which she really enjoyed as obviously this is what these dogs are bred for, and she certainly wants to please. All vaccinations, including rabies, are up to date. If anyone is able to offer this gorgeous girl a new home, please contact Tracy directly on 07 80 44 25 74 or myself, Elaine, on 06 04 47 35 19

12/06/2024

We actually do an exercise in training with food for humans and dogs not "sharing". But! This is so true 🤣🤣

31/05/2024

The majority of my dogs I have had from puppies, so they were "easy". But the last two rescues, which includes the present one, did come with their own issues. What did they teach me, for which I am grateful? Patience and gratitude, love and pleasure! 🥰

29/05/2024

This really does happen to me 🥴

25/05/2024

I just love these paws 🥰

24/05/2024

This is the first interaction between Daisy (black lab) and Bodhi (black Kelpie).

20/05/2024

20/05/2024

Trying to socialise your dog at the dog park is like throwing your child into a shark tank to teach her how to swim

13/05/2024

Just had to share 🤣🤣

01/05/2024

🤣🤣