Sociable Dog

08/08/2024

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2375248/15547195-let-s-dive-a-little-deeper-into-fear

11/07/2024

The latest episode of The Sociable Dog Pod has landed. This week I’m talking about a subject that I think is really important. The value of building and maintaining a secure base for your dog. Why just hanging out together can be so helpful.

‎Show The Sociable Dog Podcast, Ep How to be a secure base for your dog. - 11 Jul 2024

04/07/2024

The latest episode of The Sociable Dog Podcast is out wherever you get your podcasts. This week we’re talking about reactivity on lead, what causes it and how you might start to fix it. Any questions after you’ve heard it, leave a message here, pm or email [email protected]

‎Show The Sociable Dog Podcast, Ep On Lead Reactivity: what causes it and what can you do about it? - 4 Jul 2024

27/06/2024

The second episode of The Sociable Dog Podcast has arrived. It’s all about how to understand and interpret dog play. Something that can be harder than you might imagine. It’s an interesting topic and one that’s close to my heart. Find the latest episode wherever you get your podcasts or follow the link. If you enjoy it and you feel so inclined you could leave us a review. We would be ever so grateful 👍

Dog play can be confusing sometimes. It can look a bit rough or even violent. So how do we tell when the play is good and when it might be getting a bit out of hand? Join Si for an introduction to dog play. A topic we're sure we will be coming bac...

23/06/2024

We’ve started a podcast and it’s proving quite popular. Search “The Sociable Dog Podcast” wherever you get your podcasts.

23/02/2024

Sketching is like dog training. The softer the touch, the better the outcome.

01/01/2024

24/12/2023

However you celebrate this holiday season, to those of all faiths and none, may you continue to have the resilience to be true to yourself and thank you for your company and friendship through 2023. ❤️

04/12/2023

Great work being done by Nick Honor et al. Bravo all. 👏👏

03/12/2023

If you have a dog who can't be left, you've most likely wasted countless hours and a ton of cash trying to find out how to get your dog over it. Separation anxiety is a frustrating, desperate condition, but there is hope. Tune in to get simple advice, practical tips, and step-by-step guidance to help you and your dog overcome separation anxiety. Hosted by global expert and bestselling author on dog separation anxiety, Julie Naismith, helping dogs be happy home alone.

Find out more and subscribe:
https://julienaismith.com/podcasts/

29/09/2023

This is a simple message from All Dogs Go To Kevin. But, in my view, it's one of the most important in dog training today

This week's blog post is about how not all bites are the same. One of the best things we can do is pay close attention to what is making our dogs uncomfortable and either prevent it from happening or work on changing the association they have with it.

24/09/2023

Really looking forward to this. Such a fascinating and exciting topic.

We are looking forward to this Dr Kathy Murphy MRCVS speaking at our 2023 conference on this fascinating topic!

Get your ticket now at https://www.tcbts.co.uk/events

20/09/2023

An absolutely wonderful account of how the journey with a fearful dog can be something of a game of snakes and ladders and why knowing how to keep everyone on message is so important. By Toni Clarke. A colleague I’m really proud to call a friend.

"Setbacks such as these, or even the normally slow progress of fear cases, are often the points at which clients (and even trainers) declare they tried the technique and it didn’t work. They abandon all hope and start seeking alternative approaches."

From the archives, by Toni Clarke of Well Done Charlie Dog Training.

https://www.academyfordogtrainers.com/blog/staying-the-course-with-a-nervous-nellie/

17/09/2023

Our latest blog post is an uncompromising challenge to the idea that you should push fearful dogs to “feel the fear and do it anyway”.
We’ve offered an analogy that we hope will help clarify why systematic desensitisation and counter-conditioning is the very best way to go if you’re trying to help a fearful dog make sense of their world:

It’s always tempting with fearful dogs to want to make everything go faster: ‘What’s the harm in trying to make them go out on a walk? They have to do it sometime.’ Or: ‘If you don’t show leadership and encourage them to face scary situations, they’ll never improve.’ Or: ‘Why don.....

09/09/2023

Way to go Jemima Harrison of Black Retriever X Rescue for setting up this petition, lobbying relentlessly and leading the charge to stop the dog abuser “ The Dog Daddy” entering the Uk. Uk dates cancelled. Full update here:

Stop dog abuser "The Dog Daddy" coming to the UK

08/09/2023

Our latest blog from Nina

A personal take on navigating the highs and lows from Nina, the non-pro trainer in the Sociable Dog household. No two fearful dogs are exactly alike. Each one is fearful in their own way. Some hide behind sofas or under tables, others rage against the world to make it retreat. But from the human per...

07/09/2023

Well said Lisa

Check out our past webinar archive as well as our upcoming schedule here!

https://www.academyfordogtrainers.com/expert-webinars/

31/08/2023

https://youtu.be/0xicIa0kIPc?si=KL5IKMSL940wpGgK
I found some additional footage for week two with so I put a little sequel together. Hope you enjoy it.

This is a little extra footage from week two of my stay with Sophie. At this point the mission was simple. Get the bed out of the kitchen into the dining roo...

30/08/2023

https://youtu.be/tnd_ap2p3gQ?si=HDdGkckf8J4qUheM
My week two summary of my time with is up on YouTube

31/07/2023

Sophie and I made a video summarizing and reflecting on our past week together;

29/07/2023

https://twitter.com/sociabledog/status/1685189494813650944?s=20

“For all us fans of ‘s tail. And just a suggestion of coming when called as we go checking out the front of the house 👍”

25/07/2023

https://youtu.be/DxZTHkAfWK0

20/07/2023

I love my job 😁

Our big fluffy rescue Fauna Fandango has had so many set backs. A broken leg, on a leg previously broken due to a kick before she came to live with us has meant lead walks since May possibly into September. Fauney doesn’t like dogs she doesn’t know charging into her space, can you even imagine how hard it has been when so many owners let this happen.
We have the truly wonderful Simon on board.
Cannot recommend him highly enough. This chap knows his stuff, positive training in knowledgable hands. Looking forward to getting started thank you so much Simon Sociable Dog
www.sociabledog.com

11/07/2023

This!
Thank you Lisa

30/06/2023

We're very pleased to announce the first video on our YouTube channel.
A short explainer on how dogs learn by association.
A Predicts B https://youtu.be/p2oCR7RmrQ0 via

21/06/2023

27/05/2023

Can you help with this urgent call for a UK foster? If you can you will get behaviour support from us for the duration of the foster.

30/04/2023

New blog:

Our Rottweiler Murphy was a savvy entrepreneur, which is why it was important to remember that treats are pay for performance, not payments in advance. A cautionary tale from my partner, Nina, on the time she forgot that rule. Warning: contains scenes of a dog totally outwitting his human.

For the record, I’m not gloating. Murphy O’Dog was just as capable of getting the better of the dog trainer in the family too 😉
Miss him. What a star ❤️

Some say using food to train dogs is bribery. It isn’t, it’s pay. Unless you’re working to help a dog overcome a fear, treats are simply fair reward for services rendered. If you use them as a "bribe" or advance payment, you can run into all sorts of trouble. Here’s a cautionary tale from ve...

29/04/2023

Ethics in dog training is all about using kind and responsible ways to teach the useful behaviour we need, and that will only enhance the dog's life.

It's important to use positive reinforcement and methods that help build trust between the dog and guardian.

A good dog trainer will focus on making sure dogs feel safe and happy, avoiding any harsh techniques that cause fear or pain.

By sticking to ethical practices in dog training, we make sure our dogs are well taken care of and enjoy a great relationship with us.

13/04/2023

We absolutely support Christine’s campaign to ban shock collars in Scotland.
The long and the short of it is that for any aversive training tool to change behaviour the dog has to be so disturbed by it that they want to avoid or escape it’s use. That means pain and fear. That’s not a matter of opinion. It’s a matter of behaviour science fact!

⚡️ ELECTRIC SHOCK COLLARS ⚡️

I have been working with The Kennel Club UK and the Scottish SPCA on their campaign to ban the use of electric shock collars on dogs in Scotland.

Although guidance was published by the Scottish Government in 2018 advising against the use of shock collars, they are shamefully still used by some dog owners. Studies have shown that these devices are not effective and only cause unnecessary harm and distress to dogs.

It’s time to ban them for good.

I held a drop-in for MSPs in Parliament last week to help raise awareness of this issue and let MSPs see the devices for themselves.
Find out more here: https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/media-centre/2023/march/msp-urge-action-on-electric-shock-collars/