Wagology Dog Behaviour & Training

20/12/2024

Merry Christmas to all our lovely clients and followers from Myself & Emily 🎄🎅🎁

18/12/2024

We've been busy at Wagology testing some of our recommendations, here's our first review, The Roolo created by PLAY9
🎅 🎄 🎁 🎅 🎄 🎁
🐕 This Is A Must-Have for Your Dog..
As a dog guardian and trainer, I’m always on the lookout for products that genuinely add value to a dog’s life—and The Roolo from Play9 does exactly that. I’ve had this innovative dog toy for a couple of months now, and it’s become a go-to recommendation for my clients. Why? Well, first and foremost, my Springer Spaniel, Poppy, absolutely loves it!

😮This Is Not Your Average Dog Toy.....
The Roolo isn’t just another squeaky toy or chew. This product is thoughtfully designed, blending scientific research with an understanding of canine behavior to create something truly special. It’s more than just a toy—it’s a hybrid of a dog toy and an enrichment puzzle feeder that stimulates a dog’s mind and senses.

🧐 So What Makes The Roolo Unique?

1. Engaging Design
The Roolo is shaped like a triangle with curved edges, allowing it to wobble unpredictably as dogs play with it. This keeps them engaged and entertained. The movement encourages dogs to use not just their mouths but also their paws and noses.

2. Treat Dispensing Feature
A large 2cm hole allows you to place treats inside, turning playtime into a rewarding and stimulating experience as the treats are dispensed during play.

3. Scent Stimulation
The Roolo is equipped with small scent holes, which work to stimulate your dog’s olfactory system, making playtime even more enriching.

Tested and Approved 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟
Don't just take my word for it.....
Poppy isn’t the only dog who’s fallen in love with The Roolo. My colleague Emily tested it out with her sassy sausage dog, Esme, who was equally enthralled. Our clients have also bought one for their dpgs too. Luna who loves picking it up and tossing it around. Not only that but it's been 'lab tested' too by Buster, our favourite chocolate lab 😉

After all this testing with different breeds and sizes, I can confidently say this product is versatile and durable 🐾🐾 🐾🐾 🐾🐾

🧐 So Why Choose The Roolo for Your Dog?
If you’re looking for a Christmas gift for your furry friend, The Roolo should be on your list. It’s not only a fun toy but also a tool for mental and sensory stimulation. Bonus: you can snag a discount if you act quickly!

🤔 Final Thoughts
The Roolo has been a hit in my household and with my clients’ dogs. It’s a product that truly stands out in a sea of ordinary dog toys. So, if you want to treat your pup to something special this Christmas, give The Roolo a try—you won’t regret it, and neither will your dog.

🎅 Want it before Christmas?? I have a couple of Roolo's in stock, just drop me a pm.

17/12/2024

🤩 Our fantastic foundation lifeskills class graduated this week! This was our final class of 2024, they have all worked so hard over the past 6 weeks and we are very proud of you all 🤩

15/12/2024

🎉 This week our final advanced students of 2024 graduated! Everyone has worked so hard and we are so proud of them all 🎉

13/12/2024

The Girls are Chrsitmas ready after their pamper session with Trudy at Hattyboo's ❤️

12/12/2024

Only 13 days to go so here are some helpful tips to help your furry best friend over Christmas.
Don't forget if you are a client, tell Santa Paws about our discounts on products from PLAY9, Blitz Snuffle mats and also Tug-E-Nuff

11/12/2024

Do You Need a Behavioural Consultation for Your Dog?

Is your dog reactive toward other people or dogs? Does your dog seem nervous or uncomfortable in certain environments? Are you struggling to cope with their aggressive outbursts? If you’ve answered "yes" to any of these questions, it’s likely that your dog needs more than just basic training—what you’re dealing with is a behavioural issue that requires a deeper evaluation.

Behavioural issues in dogs are often complex and require tailored solutions. These are not simple training problems; they demand a specialised approach to assess the root causes and develop a management or modification plan. That’s where a Behavioural Consultation comes in.

What Is Involved in a Behavioural Consultation?

A behavioural consultation is a thorough and in-depth process that goes beyond traditional training methods. It involves examining the emotional, psychological, and environmental factors affecting your dog’s behaviour. We take time to understand their unique needs, background, and triggers, ensuring that any solutions are bespoke to suit your dog’s specific challenges.

Here’s how the process works:

1. Discovery Call:
Before scheduling a full consultation, we start with a discovery call. This is approximately a 30-minute conversation where we gather essential information about your dog’s behaviours and current challenges. It helps us decide whether you need a full behavioural consultation or if a training session will suffice.

2. Home Visit:
If a behavioural consultation is required, we schedule a home visit, which typically lasts at least 2 hours. During this time, we conduct a comprehensive assessment, looking into your dog’s health, diet, exercise habits, and cognitive engagement. We also observe their reactions to various stimuli in the home environment.

3. Behavioural Report:
After the consultation, we take the time to thoroughly analyse the information gathered and create a bespoke behavioural plan tailored to your dog. This report includes a detailed strategy for managing or modifying your dog’s behaviour. The report itself typically takes us 2-3 hours to prepare.

Example Breakdown of a Recent Behavioural Assessment

Let’s break down a recent case to give you an idea of the time and effort involved:

Discovery Call: 30 minutes

Home Visit: 2.5 hours

Report Preparation: 4.5 hours

Total Time: 7.5 hours

As you can see, behavioural consultations are not just about a quick fix; they involve careful observation, detailed planning, and ongoing effort. While this particular case was on the more extreme end of the spectrum, it illustrates the level of commitment required to provide the right care for your dog.

What Does It Cost?

We strive to keep our services affordable so that people can access the help they need without breaking the bank. The cost of a behavioural consultation is £100. This covers our time spent during the discovery call, the home visit, and the creation of your personalised report. Please keep in mind that these costs reflect the years of education, hands-on experience, and expertise we have built on, in what is an unregulated industry. This ensures you get the highest quality of care for your dog.

Why Choose a Professional?

Remember, when seeking help for your dog, whether for behavioural issues or training, it's crucial to book a professional. Avoid relying on social media advice, Facebook groups, or well-meaning friends who may not have the expertise to handle complex issues. Working with a qualified behavior consultant ensures that your dog gets the best possible care, backed by experience and knowledge.

In conclusion, if you're dealing with challenging behavioural issues in your dog, a behavioural consultation can provide you with the understanding and strategies needed to address them effectively. Don’t hesitate to reach out and book a consultation today!

10/12/2024

Just gauging to see if there would be enough interest to run an earlier class on a Monday evening focusing only on puppies. Making it a 45 minute session time run from 5.30pm till 6.15pm.
Thoughts please

10/12/2024

We need to change our thought process towards dogs wearing muzzles.
And here's why
Great Post from The Muzzle Movement
Interested ? Then go check out their fb page for more information

09/12/2024

As qualified and accredited professionals please do not expect us to walk in waving a wand like Harry Potter expecting your dog to suddendly change into this perfect dog that can do anything. We use kind, ethical, science based postive reinforcement methods to work alongside yourself and your dog at your pace. We are constantly bombarded by social media posts that show us dogs that go from being untrained and or reactive to perfectly trained in the blink of an eye and all with the use of slipleads. PERFECT does not exist. This post from Shay Kelly - Understanding Dogs regarding the use of slip leads by the viral social media "trainers" and how they are used to make the dog comply, which is not training in any shape or form. A sliplead has its place, such as with a dog that walks without pulling, working dogs for safety, for keeping as a safety measure.
Anyway please excuse some of the colourful language towards the end.

07/12/2024

Robin couldn’t help but join in on his brother’s 121 training session today, clever boys 💛

07/12/2024

Particularly important to remember this time of year when there may be lots of family gathering who might not be as respectful of dogs and their boundaries as they should be.

This is an amalgamation of the types of comments I see so often on social media posts, that dogs should allow anyone to take anything away from them, including small children, without reacting.

Sadly, this kind of thinking can still be all too common, usually linked to the dog ‘knowing their place’ and seeing humans in the household as ‘the alpha’. I’ve talked a number of times on this page about the issues with the alpha/pack leader/ dominance theory approach to life with dogs, and situations like these are a real problem.

Let’s start first of all with guarding behaviour. While seen as problematic by many and completely unacceptable (in any situation) by some, resource guarding is a natural behaviour. The dog has something they value – in this case, let’s stick with the bone mentioned above – and they want to keep that bone. It’s tasty, they enjoy chewing it, and so they don’t want to lose it.

When someone tries to take it away from them they show they don’t want to give it up using the only language they have, body language, and so we see the positioning themselves over the bone and the teeth showing, escalating potentially to a snarl, snap, or more depending on how far they are pushed. I can absolutely relate to this – if someone tried to take away my food, I am pretty much guaranteed to tell them to go away and leave it alone!

Resource guarding can be a tricky problem but there are easy ways to manage the situation and not make the dog feel they need to guard. When the dog is eating their meal or chewing that tasty bone, leave them alone. Feed their meals in an area where they can be left in peace, and any bowls can be collected once the dog has finished and moved away. Drop high value treats (cubes of cheese, slivers of meat or other things your dog loves) and, when they move away from the bone, then pick it up and remove it.

Children make up a massive proportion of cases of dog bites and it is in large part because of thinking like the statement in the image, ‘If a child or toddler cannot take a bone away from a dog, that dog is a problem. Dogs don’t get to have boundaries.’ It is not the dog that is the problem. It is the misunderstanding of the essential nature of the dog by those responsible for those children that is the problem.

There may well be dogs that will let kids take stuff away from them, but this should not be expected as the norm. Neither should letting kids climb all over dogs, pull at their fur, ears, lips, tail, or indeed ANY part of the dog. When those with education and understanding of canine behaviour and body language look at the ‘cute’ pics or videos of kids doing these things to dogs it fills us with horror, because we can see the signals that the dog is so often giving to say that they are not comfortable, they need to be left alone.

We’re usually accused of being killjoys or over-dramatic, but the truth is that we see the after-effects of these situations going to wrong. We are the ones who are called in to deal with the dogs labelled as aggressive, with a bite history (and there are dogs we don’t even get to see, who are immediately euthanised after a bite) and try to pick up the pieces of this dog who feels the need to defend themselves.

And yes, dogs absolutely get to have boundaries. They are sentient creatures who should not have to tolerate being poked and prodded or having their food or toys taken away by anyone, including kids.

Dogs and children can be a magical, joyful combination. It’s up to us to make sure that BOTH parties are kept safe and happy in their interactions.

05/12/2024

Just received my Canine First Aid Certificate 😁😁 iPet Network Level 3 in Canine First Aid Workshops - UK - Rachel Bean RVN

Can highly recommend this course not just to pet professionals but also pet guardians. Very indepth and with Rachel being a fully qualified veterinary nurse she goes above and beyond with her teaching 🥇

04/12/2024

In our advanced class this week we played a scent game, taught our dogs to be calm when a stranger approached, and we advanced our loose lead skills!

03/12/2024

Did you know that we're certified for microchipping dogs, cats and small animals

03/12/2024

Highly recommeneded

Some dates for 2025

Rachel Bean Qualified Veterinary Nurse tutor

IPet Network OFQUAL Level 3 Qualification available

🌟🌟🌟 2025 Dates 🌟🌟🌟

We have some dates coming in for 2025

January 11th - Barwell, Leicestershire

January 25th - Raw Essentials - Raw Dog Food Stockists Lichfield

January 26th - Lytham St Annes, Lancashire

February 1st - Sedgebrook, Grantham, Lincolnshire

February 2nd - In the Doghouse, Thornton Le Cleveleys, Lancashire

February 8th -Stokesley, Middlesbrough

February 9th - Stokesley, Middlesbrough

February 15th - Finchley, North London

February 16th - Thetford, Norfolk

February 23rd - Saddleworth, Oldham

March 1st - Wrenbury, Cheshire

March 2nd - Godmersham, Canterbury, Kent

March 23rd - Cyprus

March 29th - Nettleton, Lincs

April 6-9th - Bejiing, China

May 11th - Bolton

June 1st - Withington, Hereford

July 20th - Kempsey, Worcs

September 27th - Canine Rehab, Birchgrove, Cardiff

To express an interest please email me at [email protected]