Starlight Barking Training

28/03/2023

🐾 CLOSED 🐾

As many of my clients know, I have now relocated across the oceans to Vancouver, CA! This was a difficult decision to cease Starlight Barking Training but the opportunity to live within the mountains and share my expertise in a new area was not to be missed!

I wish all my clients the best for the future and know that I will miss all the muddy paw prints and wet kisses from my doggy pals 💞🐾

Thank you for everyone's support over the past 3.5yrs, it has been the most amazing time!

Please keep me updated with your progress via email ([email protected]) and I will always be there with any training tips as needed 🐾

Photo of my morning walk to the supermarket!

21/02/2023

🐾 🥞 Pancake recipe to treat your pooch tonight 🥞🐾

Flip flip hooray – Pancake Day is here again! 🥞 Check out our recipe for pooch (and people) friendly pancakes. 🤤

Ingredients:

🍌 2 Very Ripe Bananas

🥄 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder

🥚 2 Eggs

🥄 6 Tablespoons Plain Flour

🥥 Coconut oil to fry

🥜 Fresh Berries, yoghurt or peanut butter (without xylitol) as toppings

Avoid using sugar or lots of yoghurt/peanut butter as toppings as we want to avoid foods which are high in fat.

14/02/2023

👇👇 THIS 👇👇

Boundaries. Rules. Clarity.

Dogs need these. Because they are dogs. Who live in a human world. With human rules which make no sense to them.

It is our responsibility to provide boundaries, rules & clarity to our dogs to keep them safe and to help them function and thrive in a human world. But you can do so without using force, intimidation or, in some cases, physical pain. It's entirely possible to teach clear boundaries kindly and gently.

Positive reinforcement led training is sometimes portrayed by people who don't understand it or feel threatened by it as being permissive, putting the dog in charge or giving no leadership. And it's a total nonsense.

You don't need to be forceful to implement rules. And you don't need to discipline your dog to create clarity. Don't let anyone tell you any differently.

16/01/2023

A very important post to take the time to read!

It’s important to ensure we think about our ourselves and our dogs safety when out and about. A situation can arise very quickly and having thought through a back up plan previously can save you vital moments during a fight.

Take this moment to wise up on what you could do and how to prevent fights occurring in the first place 🐾

06/01/2023

❗🐶 1-2-1 Training availability 🐶❗

Meet Milo 🐾

Milo was a typical adolescent boy who LOVED other dogs and chasing wildlife. This meant on walks he struggled to engage with his owners and made time outside of the home less than enjoyable for everyone. Sadly this meant Milo was restricted to being on lead until his recall was more reliable.

I have spent the past year working hard with his owners through 1-2-1 training and walks to build to this amazing moment! Milo 'offlead' and recalling! You can hear in the video the use of different commands, his recall says 'come here now' rather than 'this way' tells him we are changing direction and to stay near. You see me play games with him, 'hide n seek' and 'catch me', which helps maintain that engagement in a fun way, again building our success rate. He has a longline on as part of our back up plan, if our recall fails but the need for this is continuously reducing 🤞

This took hard work and time but the joy of seeing Milo be offlead was worth it! I look forward to continuing to train with Milo and watch his progress 🐾

Contact Starlight Barking Training today to find out how you can reach your training goals in 2023 🐾

24/12/2022

🎄🐾Santa Paws is coming to town 🐾🎄

I woof you a merry Christmas! Hope it's full of long walks and yummy treats 🐕

See you in the new year 🐾

21/12/2022

Meet Loki 👋🐾

Loki started training as an adolescent who was fearful and frustrated when on walks and around dogs. He would express this by pulling, barking and lunging on his lead towards dogs across the park.

We worked with Loki's owner to understand why he behaved like this, how to help him and even progressed to meeting some dogs. We did this while assessing the equipment used, learning his body language and lots of positive reinforcement to build his confidence. This in turn reduced the pulling, helped him be in proximity to other dogs and now the whole family can enjoy walks together! Some days are better than others, but his owners are better equipped for these and continue to put in good practice. Go Loki 🐾

Contact Starlight Barking Training today for help with all your training needs for puppies, adolescents or older dogs 🐾

12/12/2022

🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾Puppy Training🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

Are you counting down the days for puppy hood or adolescents to be over! Waiting for that well trained dog you always dreamed of 🐕

Do you love your pup but struggling with their training and don't know what to do next? 🐩

Look no further for the solution to make your doggie dream come true! 🐶

✅ 6-week training covering all things puppy or adolescent, lead walking, recall, manners and so much more!

✅1-2-1 support ensuring you get the most out of the sessions

✅Training sessions in the most appropriate location for your pup to build distractions in real life situations

✅ Holistic positive techniques that solve your issues at the source to provide long term solutions

✅Written up notes to refer back to for life

✅Degree Qualified Dog Trainer

✅ Availability at the most convenient time for you and your pup

🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾Message now to secure your place for a 1-2-1 puppy/beginners training course starting this December 🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

01/12/2022

STARLIGHT BARKING TRAINING IS BACK ✈️🐾

After having the most amazing few months away, I am now home and back to business 🐕

This means there is availability for:
🐾 1-2-1 dog training for recall, lead walking, home behaviours and much more
🐾 1-2-1 all things puppy training course
🐾 1-2-1 Train and walks by Georgia
🐾 Limited availability for dog sitting

Contact Starlight Barking Training today to find out more either via messenger or WhatsApp on 07599058760 🐾

Please note that all services will cease in March when Georgia relocates to Canada

30/08/2022

Waving a paw goodbye for now 🐾🇺🇸

As many know, I am off for a 3 month holiday to roadtrip around the USA with my partner. Unfortunately, there will be no four legged friends joining us but I am sure I will find some on the route 🐾

This means all services are unavailable until my return in December (limited services will return at this point before my relocation). If you need anything urgent please Whatsapp me, otherwise I hope to see you all at Christmas!

If you would like to stay up to date with our travels, we will be posting to our Instagram 'gees_and_jays_travel_days' as much as possible!

Have a pawsome time without me, I will miss my dogs but look forward to catching up soon 🐾

26/08/2022

It's international dog day !!

To celebrate, here is the amazing Millie who graduated the puppy course yesterday 🐾 She is obviously too cool for (pup) school and so stuck her tongue out at us 🤣💕

Millie is a typical lab puppy that loves food but also other dogs and people. Over the 6 sessions we built on her training skills around distractions, with lots of socialisation mixed in! Millies recall improved lots as well as her impulse control exercises. I hope Millie continues to progress well on her training with her super owners 🐾

16/08/2022

Does your walking equipment help or hinder your dog and their training?

This great video (don't worry there are English subtitles) explains and shows what forms a good harness and I completely agree. I always speak with owners about the use of harnesses and styles I recommend.

Do you realise that an illfitting harness or just using a collar could be increasing unwanted behaviours on your walks?! Think about when you have had to wear an outfit that was itchy or too small and it constantly distracts, irritates or restricts you. Resulting in you not feeling and performing to your 100%. It's the same for our dogs!

A good harness should:
✅ Prevent strain on the dogs neck
✅ Not restrict joint movement
✅ Aid with loose lead training by bringing balance to the dog with a double ended lead and two points of contact
✅ Aid with recall training by safely allowing long line use
✅ Be comfortable for your dog!!

Brands I particularly love are Perfect fit, Balance blue-9 and T-Touch harnesses.

Does your harness meet this criteria or are you not even currently using one? Comment or contact me today to find out more on if your harness suits! 🐾

09/08/2022

🐾 Ampthill dog show - put it in your diaries 🐾

A dog show can be great fun experience to have with your dog whether you enter competitions or not. It can also be a great way to socialise your dog to a busy environment.

But remember it's not for every dog! If your dog finds it stressful or overwhelming, the best thing for them, is to not go.

Socialising is about our dogs being calm and confident in situations. For many, large crowds and lots of dogs, may be too exciting or scary and can actually put your training back. You should build up the distractions to this point to help them cope. Throughout the day assess how your dog is doing and always set them up to succeed and make the right call for them.

That being said, go enjoy the day out whether that is with or without your pet! It will be great to have some starlight barking training graduates in the ring 🐶🏅

Fun Dog Show in Ampthill Park!

30/07/2022

Meet Peter 👋

I have been working with him and his Owner over the past few months to help with his 'reactivity' to dogs and triggers. Having met him, I quickly realised that adolescent Peter was very excitable but found that his lead restricted him getting to interact resulting in frustration aka 'reactivity'. With this in mind we created a plan and implemented it over the months.

This was Peter at Ampthill park, in the middle of the school holidays! He would watch and take his time to process his environment but remained able to engage with the owner and disengage from the distractions and most importantly relaxed. I was more than impressed with his progress and the hard work his owner has put in !!

This took time! This took patience! This is what setting your dog up to succeed looks like 🐾

Great work!!

21/07/2022

🌞✈️ Holiday time ✈️🌞

I will be taking a short break from dog training until the 4th August. If you have any urgent queries please contact me via WhatsApp, otherwise enjoy the sunshine and hopefully cooler weather with your dogs 🐾

12/07/2022

👏 A round of ap-paws for the latest graduates 👏

All of these dogs with their owners have worked hard and taken on the advice to ensure they saw improvements from week 1 to where they are now !

We covered everything from building engagement, to playing tug together, to aceing recalls and so much more!

This is unfortunately my last set of group classes before I go off traveling in September. But don't worry there is still time to get 1-2-1 training to help you with any of your needs now and I can follow up with you towards the end of the year!

Congratulations to all of the dogs that have joined us in classes over the past year, it has been so much fun 🐾 Keep up the pawsome work!

Contact Starlight Barking Training today to support you on your training journey 🐾

02/07/2022

🐾🐾 Recall 🐾🐾

What is your dogs recall like? I often get told that a dog has a great recall unless there is a distraction around 🤷🏼‍♀️

However we want 100% success with our recall so that we can always get our dogs back when needed. We do this by building a solid foundation of positive association to their recall cue. We then can build this out and about by reinforcing fun and more good things to our recall. Keeping motivation high! Lastly, we build up our engagement around distractions and reinforcing highly our recall. Sounds easy?

Of course this takes time and management until you have that great recall. This includes using long lines or practicing in low distraction environments such as enclosed fields/arena to get the practice in. Below is some safe places recommended to me, available to hire in our area for you to put in some practice as well as giving your dog a safe place to run off their energy!

Ridgmont - outdoor field
www.mydogrun.co.uk/

Flitton - 2 acres Paddock
www.thriftend-bedford.co.uk/accommodation/paddock-hire/

Potsgrove - indoor arena hire (and groomers)
www.facebook.com/Old-Farm-Dog-Grooming-101957144954212/

FYI this photo is from an unused farmers field, not any of the above. But a very eager dog recalling with his toy!

25/06/2022

🐾👇👇 Read this now 👇👇🐾

What methods of training should I use with my dog?

This explains the different types of dog training and why I support a force free approach in my sessions.

Hopefully this will help you question Trainers you see on social media or on TV and the methods they are using. They may get results but at what cost to our dogs ?

Enjoy your training together! Contact Starlight Barking Training today for a force and fear free training approach 🐾

21/06/2022

🐾🐾🐾 Dog thefts 🐾🐾🐾
Those local to Ampthill may have seen a recent post regarding an attempted theft of a puppy during the day on a busy street. This has got many owners understandably concerned and may have made you question what you could do if put in this situation. Read below for some advice.

Always follow your gut instinct a situations can quickly escalate and you may not have time to implement any of the below. By giving yourself time now to think about what you could do can make a big difference if the time came to act.

What can I use to protect myself?
R**e alarm/loud scream
- Bring attention to yourself to alert others that you need help
Criminal identifier spray (www.farbgel.com/)
- A coloured dye spray which can be used to help others identify the assailant
Let your dog offlead
- For some dogs this may allow them and yourself to flee more easily. You must assess your location and dogs personality
Chain lead
- A chain lead is much harder for a criminal to cut this can protect from this kind of theft
Record situation
- Use a body cam or your phone to record to get image of person, their vehicle, etc

Lastly, be aware of your surroundings! If you don't like the look of someone or the questions they are asking you CAN walk away. Yes you may have been rude to a normal person but who cares, you won't see them again. So F*** politeness and follow your gut!

16/06/2022

It's looking very hot, especially tomorrow 🔥 so make sure you keep your pooch cool by following advice on this post 🐶

Remember that a dog can survive without their daily walks but in this heat they may not survive their walk.

Hot dogs are only good to eat 🌭 not to treat ⚕️

It’s hot out there! 🥵🐾

11/06/2022

How much choice do you allow your dog? Have you ever tried a choice walk?

Modern dog care involves making a lot of choices for our dogs from what they eat, where they can go (inside and outside the house) and what they can do (play, walks, interact with others).

So this morning I gave Toby all the choice in where and how long he wanted to go for a walk for. at a junction I will ask him 'which way' and then follow the way he walks or he will naturally just choose a route. Normally we go around Ampthill Park or Cooper's hill but this morning Toby chose to do a road walk and led me along lots of great smells (according to him). All this sniffing is super tiring and calming for our dogs and he has since spent the morning snoozing 💤

I challenge you to allow your dog to choose their walking route (either on or offlead) and allow them so more choice in their day!

Contact Starlight Barking Training today for your lead walking, recall and training needs 🐾

02/06/2022

Enjoy the bank holiday and some well earned time off with your 4 legged friends! I hope you are as happy as Ziggy was about the news of an extra long weekend!

I look forward to seeing everyone next week when I resume work 🇬🇧🌞🐾

20/05/2022

Did you know that needing to be "alpha in your dogs pack" is outdated science?

Implementing forms of this training at a minimum may damage your relationship to causing lifelong anxiety and 'aggression'.

Put simply we do not need to be dominant over our dogs but instead empower our dogs to make the correct decisions and reward them for these! This helps our dogs thrive and be confident and well rounded individuals. As well as building a strong positive relationship between you both, helping improve training such as recall immediately. Just like humans, they will have their own personalities and it's our job as their guardians to understand this and help them fit into our strange human world!

Take your time and read the below poster or for more in depth dive read the article link at the bottom of the post to find out more about debunking alpha theory.

https://www.k9ofmine.com/debunking-alpha-dog-myth/

Contact Starlight Barking Training today for a positive based training approach that will aid you on your training journey, whichever stage your at 🐾

14/05/2022

Training should be FUN!! Yoyo certainly agrees with lightening speed recall despite the obstacles 🐾

Everyone learns much better when training is exciting, rewarding and full of positives and one of the best ways to do this is through games 🐾

Recall is something that can become boring for our dogs, by calling them away from the good stuff (dogs, people, food) and getting them to do a sit for a single treat. Instead I like to find what makes your dog tick ✅ and utilise that in a recall.

Ideas :
Building anticipation and chase with treats
Sniffing out rewards
Getting to play tug or chase a toy
Getting a big fuss

Whatever your dog most enjoys, use that to your advantage and make training fun 🐾🐶

Contact Starlight Barking Training today if you need help making training fun, to build engagement, recall or loose lead walking 🐾

07/05/2022

More Graduates from the final week of classes last night 🐕

We saw all the dogs improve and learn over the weeks as we progressed their skills in a group environment. I am so impressed and cannot wait to see how they keep doing as training continues at home.

The final courses before summer break start the next couple of weeks, so contact today if you wish to know more.

Congratulations again and keep up the good work 🐾

Contact Starlight Barking Training today to see how we can help on your training journey 🐶

26/04/2022

A huge congratulations for Koby who recently completed the 1-2-1 puppy course 🎉

This young staffy has done really well at mastering the puppy basics of recall and lead walking! However, as he has entered adolescents and got bigger his overexcited greetings have not been as appreciated. So for our final 1-2-1 we focused on greeting people calmly and how the family can create a calm welcome to the home. He smashed it in the session, so hope the training continues and he flourishes in his teenages months. Well done!

Contact Starlight Barking Training today to help your puppy, adolescent or adult dog with all their training needs in either 1-2-1 or group settings 🐾

15/04/2022

Looking for some Easter enrichment fun with your pup this weekend? Look no further!

Enrichment helps stimulate our dogs mind and so as consequence has so many benefits. Enjoy some Easter fun together 🐇🐣

07/04/2022

Body language is how dogs communicate and is the deepest insight into their emotions we have!

Take a moment to watch and listen to this commentary to get an insight to what truly is going on in this tv show. I often have people say they ‘enjoy’ watching and learning from this show and I do my best to explain that this is not the show to learn from! If you are wishing to learn via TV I highly recommend cats and dogs at war on Channel 5 with Chirag Patel and Nanci Creedon OR It’s me or the dog on Discovery with Victoria Stilwell. PLEASE PLEASE watch these to help support positive reinforcement training!

Contact Starlight Barking Training today to find out more and create a positive bond between you and your dog 🐾

30/03/2022

🐾 Puppies puppies puppies 🐾

Next course starting 13th May

Contact Starlight Barking Training today for all your training needs 🐾

Puppy classes flying by, just like these speedy pups showing off their recalls in class this week 🐾

Next puppy classes start 7th January with just a few spaces left 🐶 More details below

🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾 Puppy Group Classes🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

Are you counting down the days for puppy hood or adolescents to be over! Waiting for that well trained dog you always dreamed of 🐕

Do you love your pup but struggling with their training and don't know what to do next? 🐩

Look no further for the solution to make your doggie dream come true! 🐶

✅ 7-week training covering all things puppy including common puppy issues (toileting, nipping, chewing, etc) lead walking, recall, manners and so much more!

✅In person and online support ensuring you get the most out of the classes

✅ Holistic positive techniques that solve your issues at the source to provide long term solutions

✅Written up notes to refer back to for life

✅Indoor training sessions to protect from british weather

✅Degree Qualified Dog Trainer

✅ 7-7.45pm Friday evening at Flitwick Village Hall

✅ £110 for the entire course

🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾Message now to secure your place for a puppy training course starting this January 🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

Visit www.starlightbarkingtraining.co.uk for more information.