Dreams Dog Training

“A story of a Spaniel 🐶, some Chickens 🐓 and Self-Control” Can your dog really hold a sit when faced with their biggest temptation? Last week, we talked about generalisation—teaching your dog to perform behaviours in different places. But what about proofing? That’s all about making sure they can do it even when distractions crank up a notch (or ten!). Here, Goose is proving he’s got some serious self-control, holding his sit while I feed the chickens. And let’s be honest, for a spaniel, that’s tough! What’s the biggest distraction your dog has learned to work around? Let us know in the comments! 👇🐶🐔

“But My Dog Can Do It at Home!” 🐾 Ever felt frustrated because your dog nails their training at home, but the moment you step outside, it’s like they’ve never heard the word “sit” before? 🤔 Or they walk beautifully on a loose lead in the garden, but as soon as you hit the pavement, they’re pulling like a steam train? 🚂 You’re not alone! This is a super common challenge, and the fancy term for it is generalisation. 📚 What’s generalisation? It’s when your dog can perform a behaviour reliably in different places, around different distractions, and in new situations. Just because they’ve mastered it in the kitchen doesn’t mean they truly understand it everywhere else. 🏡➡️🌍 Here’s the key: as soon as your dog is getting good at something at home, it’s time to take it on tour! 🎯 But—and this is important—don’t expect the same level of perfection in a new environment. • If your dog can walk nicely on a loose lead for 20 steps in the garden, aim for just 2 steps on your walk. 🚶‍♂️🐕 • If they sit like a pro when you say the word in the kitchen, try using a treat to guide them into position in a busier spot, like a supermarket car park. 🍖🛒 The more varied the practice, the better your dog will get at generalising that behaviour. Just remember to keep your expectations realistic and adjust the difficulty based on the environment. In this video, you’ll see little Goose showing off how well he’s generalised his search cue—yep, we’re in the pub again! 🍻 Proof that with the right practice, your dog can work confidently anywhere. How do you help your dog generalise their training? Let us know in the comments! 💬

Hey everyone, Sooz here! I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone to share a quick video with some simple, fun things you can practise while out with your dog. Gates: I like my dogs to wait for me at gates and check in once we’re through. (Obviously because I’m the alpha and I’m trying to prevent canine world domination! 🤪) I Stop, You Stop: If I stop, my dogs stop or come to me—because … snacks happen when I do! These little habits help keep your dog engaged without constant calling. Give them a try on your next walk! Would love for you to give me a confidence boost and let me know if you find this helpful in the comments. 😃😃

Loose Lead Walking – The Struggle is Real! I’ll be honest with you: loose lead walking is tough. For years, I never bothered teaching my older dogs how to walk nicely on a lead. I didn’t need to. Most of our walks were in places where I could let them out of the car and they’d run free. But that came back to bite me. Walks in places where they couldn’t be off-lead became stressful. Picture multiple dogs, pulling and spinning in every direction, leads tangling around my legs—an absolute nightmare. And let’s face it, it wouldn’t have been quite so bad if they all pulled the same way, but of course, they didn’t. When Goose the Spaniel puppy arrived 🐾, I knew it was time to sort it out—not just for him but for the whole gang. It’s been a work in progress (and it still is!), but here’s what I’ve been doing to tackle it: 🦮 Consistency is key. Pulling never gets rewarded—ever. If they pull, I stop and reset them. Every. Single. Time. 🦮 Reward what you want to see. If the lead is loose, they’re getting paid! Treats, praise, or even a quick sniff break—they get rewarded for doing the right thing. 🦮 Be mindful of their emotions. Toro (the black dog in the video 🖤) can get reactive around other dogs or people. When he’s feeling stressed or excited, his pulling ramps up. Understanding why they pull can help you work through it. 🦮 Meet their needs. My dogs get plenty of off-lead time, along with activities like scentwork, retrieving, and ball hunting (my spaniels’ favourite 🎾). They also love learning fun tricks. A mentally and physically satisfied dog is less likely to pull. 🦮 Be clear about expectations. I use different cues for different types of walking: • “Let’s go” means they can sniff, stop, or toilet, but the lead must stay loose. (To avoid tangling, they also stay on ‘their’ side of me.) • “Close” means they stay by my side, focus on me, and no sniffing. I only use this sparingly wh

How’s everyone coping with the wind?! We have no power or mobile signal at home! Have had to take the dogs out to get online!

🐾 Life in a multi-dog household works best when there are clear rules everyone follows, and adding a new puppy into the mix is always an adventure! One of the key lessons in our home is learning to wait your turn. This simple rule makes life calmer, more harmonious, and ensures each dog gets their fair share. 🪿 In this video, you’ll see Goose, learning that unless he hears his name, the treat isn’t for him. My other dogs are seasoned pros at this game, waiting patiently while their names are called. But for Goose? This is all brand-new. Watch closely, and you’ll see the wheels turning as Goose starts to figure out the rules: no name, no treat. It’s a perfect example of how dogs learn through consistent practice and clear communication. Moments like this remind me how rewarding it is to take the time to teach these skills. 🐶 Whether you’ve got one dog or five, teaching patience and self-control not only helps with everyday life but also builds trust and understanding between you and your dog. Who else shares their life with more than one dog? What rules do you have? Drop a comment and let us know! 👇

The Art of Doing Nothing 🥱 A mistake I made with my older dogs was to teach them to ‘settle’ by drip feeding the bed. To this day they do not settle. They might stay on a bed but they are watching me constantly to await the next instruction. Food and toys activate. I want my dogs to switch off and relax. I also want a dog I can take to the pub! Goose is learning that when I stand on the lead it’s time to switch off. I do this regularly at home when he is tired, fed and toileted. Today I tested it in the pub. He had had his dinner, been for a wee and was ready for a nap. He started with a chew to help him acclimatise and then I put the lead under my chair and enjoyed my pint. It’s important to make sure that your puppy is comfortable in the environment and understands what is expected of them before trying this in more challenging environments. Do you have a dog who struggles to switch off, or maybe you have got it nailed and you have the perfect pub dog. Let us know 👇

Goose Vito Game

⭐️ Learning How to Learn ⭐️ One of the first and most important skills our puppies need to develop is learning how to learn. It’s all about figuring out that experimenting and trying new things leads to rewards—and that’s a game-changer! In this video, Goose is tackling his third attempt at this fun training game called the ‘Vito Thinking Game’ We started simple with just two bowls, gradually adding a bin for him to navigate around. You can see him problem-solving and working out exactly what he needs to do to earn his reward. Keep an eye out about halfway through— Goose briefly gets distracted (off-camera is a cat 🐈‍⬛ making an appearance), but notice how he’s able to disengage from the distraction and refocus on the task. This is a brilliant brain workout for your dog and the perfect activity for wet and stormy days when outdoor adventures aren’t an option. Have you tried this kind of problem-solving game with your dog or puppy? Or would you like to learn how to get started? Drop us a comment below—we’d love to hear from you! 👇

Your dogs were born to sniff….. Let them 😊

I’m going to let you into a little secret, I get really bored teaching loose lead walking 🥱 It’s tedious and repetitive and I’m going to bet that if I find it boring then my dogs would definitely agree with me. So boring that they would much rather drag me to the nearest thing to sniff than stay next to me. But what if I told you loose lead walking is just a trick? So if I’m going to teach a trick, we both may as well have fun while doing it. All the tricks in this video have one thing in common, they all happen next to me, and loose lead walking is just that, stay next to me. So instead of boring us both to death doing the same old same old, I’m going to jazz it up a little, the end result looks the same, my dogs walk by my side, only we’ve had a laugh while doing it 😀 Please tell me I’m not the only one who hates teaching loose lead walking?! #looseleashwalking #looseleadwalking #dogtraining #dreamsdogtraining #stopmydogpulling #tricktraining #dogtricks #dogtrainerproblems #dogtrainingismypassion #crossbreed