Brainwork for Dogs

30/01/2025

Just a quick note to clients to say thank you for being understanding of me rescheduling sessions today 🫶🏻

Doctors orders are to take the antibiotics and rest up!

I will be working through my messages to get people rescheduled and booked in once I’m feeling a bit better.

Sorry once again 🧡

28/01/2025

MUNCHIE BOXES

Did you know you can grab yourself personalised boxes? I got asked to make up two £20 boxes for a birthday with no chicken.

You can order these through the website!

28/01/2025

🐾 BEN 🐾

Ben was in over the weekend for another session in his training block. We started implementing place training, which is a great way to start teaching your dogs how to settle and switch off.

Teaching dogs to DO things is easy, teaching them to be content doing nothing (obviously ensuring they are being fulfilled) is a HARD task.

Many owners give up and spend their time refilling their lickimats or kongs to keep their dog entertained - keeping the cycle of overstimulation going.

This is also a vital skill for a dog to learn if you plan on taking them to cafe’s, pubs etc.

If this is something you need help with, get in touch! 🧡

27/01/2025

🔥 PLAY SESSION WITH BLAZE 🔥

Blaze is back in this week for more training so you’ll be seeing a lot more of him!

He gets worried by noises so I’m building up his drive for tug so we can use that to build his confidence up, especially outside.

He’s such a fun little puppy 🧡

26/01/2025

PLAY WORKSHOP

Today I had 4 teams in to look at some play 🤩

We had Lucy letting loose and showing off her goofy side which was just lovely to see.

Teeka opening up and showing some expression for the ball 👏🏻

Bruno learning to co-operate and bring the ball back for a game of stalking and then using obstacles to add layers to the game.

Angus learning to commit to the game of tug! 👏🏻

Big wins for each dog and owner today.

I really really enjoyed teaching the things I’ve been lucky enough to learn from Jack and Chris!

Playing with your dogs is so much more than choosing a new toy!

Can’t wait to see these 4 dogs develop 🤩

25/01/2025

🐾 SCENTWORK ACADEMY 🐾

Week 2 - working on bag searches and accuracy of indications!

Brilliant work from the teams once again 🧡

24/01/2025

🫶🏻 POLITE NOTICE 🫶🏻

I hate writing this as I know January is a long month for us all. But I do have a good number of people with outstanding invoices to be paid.

I try to be as generous as I can with payment plans however I also have bills to pay.

Thank you once again for all your kindness and support for this last year. It means the absolutely world 🧡

24/01/2025

🧡🧡🧡🧡

24/01/2025

Being self-employed comes with its perks—flexibility, freedom, and the ability to build your own path. But it also has its challenges, and one of the big ones for me is this: the expectation that we’re available 24/7.

I get it. We all lead busy lives, and sometimes a thought or a question pops up at the most random times. But here's the thing—imagine if I messaged my local barber out of hours asking for advice on, let’s say… my roots (don’t worry, I have no clue what that means either). Tony, the barber (a nice guy), is probably sitting at home at 7 PM, watching TV with his wife and kid, wondering, “What on earth?” And because he’s a nice guy, he'll respond… and suddenly, that polite reply turns into a full-blown conversation 🙄.

Let’s keep it simple: If you’ve got a good, reasonable trainer (or barber… or anyone else self-employed), don’t take advantage. Stick to normal working hours, and trust me, they’ll appreciate it. It’s all about mutual respect, isn’t it?

Thank you for understanding!

Tony Ataou

23/01/2025

My brain is too frazzled from today to post anything.

This words what I want to say perfectly.

Many swear words were shouted as I wast bed today at the inaccuracies and lies being spouted by our MSP’s.

Now is not the time to be quiet because we’ve “won” this round, we need to keep showcasing how these tools have changed your dogs lives!

The amendments to ban vital training tools were rejected! 😊

It was found that the amendments were sneaked into legislation without proper debate and consultation.

The Scottish Greens were apparently lobbied by the kennel club.

The Kennel club who ironically use more 'Choke chains' than anyone else!
So you can choke a dog for show but not to stop it chasing a car or attacking a dog!

Listening to some of the MSPs was infuriating to be honest.

One MSP said -You can't ban electric fences because they are usefull to many .
He also said - It was ok for dogs to be shocked by electric fences but not ecollars!😂
Electric fences are so much more powerful than any ecollar !

Another MSP said- Dogs can be two miles away from their owner and recieving 6000volts!😂
That same MSP could also be doing 140mph in his car on the M8 motorway but he's probably not. Likely just doing around 70mph!

While another MSP said- Ecollars can burn your dogs skin!....He probably believes the infra red on his TV remote will blind you if you look at it!

This one was the best though -

A very experienced Dog owning MSP said if you can't train a dog with positive reinforcement only then you shouldn't have it!

Tell that to the millions of dog owners all over the Uk who have spent untold thousands of pounds on positive reinforcement to get absolutely no where! Before finally enlisting the help of a professional dog trainer to have their issues resolved efficiently and effectively!

Positive reinforcement training is the only way they say!

Please comment below how much and how long you spent with a positive reinforcement only trainers and got no where.

22/01/2025

Handler spaces SOLD OUT (pending payment)

Spectator spots and limited 1:2:1’s available!

GUESS WHO’S BACK 👀

Jack from jpcanineacademy This time for an Advanced Obedience Workshop!! Definitely not to be missed!!

£135 for Handlers (only 5 spaces left)
£60 for Spectators

We also have Jack up for 1:2:1’s which are available for Friday the 27th of June and Saturday the 28th of June.

£155, 2 hour sessions.

Book through WhatsApp, 07359 158662

21/01/2025

THIS 👇

21/01/2025

𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 ‘𝐀𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐞’

There is a new bill going through parliament this week with these amendments to be added into the animal welfare act:

“whether the acquirer is committed to preventing unnecessary suffering and ensuring the welfare of the dog (for example, by not using any device which applies an electric current to the dog's skin)”

“whether the acquirer is committed to training the dog in a safe and healthy manner which ensures the welfare of the dog”

“whether the acquirer is committed to preventing unnecessary suffering and ensuring the welfare of the dog (for example, by not using prong or choke collars) “

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲:

The legal wording could easily be construed in such a way to cover martingales and slip leads; the tighten function is exactly what some dogs need who are a flight risk or a risk to others. It means that we then can’t then rehabilitate these dogs because we can’t use tools to keep them safe - the direct implications for rehabilitating challenging dogs are significant.

Vague Wording

The phrases "preventing unnecessary suffering" and "training in a safe and healthy manner" are open to interpretation. This ambiguity is the core problem. What one person considers "unnecessary suffering" or "safe" might differ from another's view, especially regarding training tools.

Focus on Application , Not Tools

The amendments seem to focus on specific tools (e.g., e-collars, prong collars, choke collars) rather than the application of those tools. Any tool can be misused, including flat collars and harnesses. The issue isn't the tool itself but the knowledge and skill of the person using it.

Impact on Rehabilitation

Tools like slip leads and martingales and ecollars when used correctly by experienced professionals, are essential for managing and rehabilitating dogs with specific behavioral issues, particularly those who are flight risks or pose a danger to others.
Banning these tools could severely limit the ability to effectively address these issues, potentially leading to worse outcomes for the dogs, such as euthanasia.

Unintended Consequences

The wording could also inadvertently impact other training methods that involve any form of pressure or restriction, even if applied humanely. This could have a chilling effect on training practices in general.

Lack of Scientific Basis

There's a lack of robust scientific evidence demonstrating that all uses of these tools inherently cause unnecessary suffering when used by qualified professionals. Much of the debate is based on emotional arguments rather than empirical data. The dog training aides report from the Scottish Animal Welfare Council (paid for by the taxpayer) has not yet been published - this new bill preempts that release.

Potential Solutions & Recommendations

The legislation needs to be rewritten with much more precise and objective language. Instead of focusing on banning specific tools, it should focus on defining acceptable training practices based on scientific evidence and animal welfare principles.

Exemptions for Qualified Professionals

The legislation should include clear exemptions for qualified professionals (e.g., certified behaviorists, veterinary behaviorists) to use these tools when necessary for specific behavioral cases.

Consultation with Experts

It's crucial to consult with experienced and qualified animal behaviorists, veterinarians, and other experts in the field to ensure the legislation is based on sound scientific principles and doesn't have unintended negative consequences for animal welfare.
By focusing on competency, regulation, and evidence-based practices, rather than simply banning tools, the legislation can better protect animal welfare while still allowing professionals to use appropriate methods for challenging cases.

——

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗗𝗼

Write to your 8 local MSPs very soon (they are in parliament about this on Thursday) you’ll find who your local ones are here:

https://www.parliament.scot/msps

Remember this is not just about ecollars this is about training methods and what tools trainers, rescue workers and vets can and can’t use. This is a misguided and quick attempt by a young politician to gain points by looking like he cares about puppies. He’s unaware of the bigger consequences of his actions.

20/01/2025

The best day! 🧡🧡

20/01/2025

This is bigger than e collars folk.

Email your local MSP and do what you can to protect
our dogs.

18 &19

This will affect so many people.

Imagine your a dog walker who uses slip leashes every day but one of your competitors reports you for raising up on a leash.

It could be argued that martingale collars and Ramsay range from bully billows could be banned in Scotland too.

Let's say you adopted a flight risk Romanian rescue and the charity recommends a slip leash well your in trouble if you use one!

Showing dogs in Scotland? This will affect you too! Because you can't use anything that tightens.

It's not just about Ecollars folks it's all equipment barr harnesses!

20/01/2025