Dreams Dog Training

𝗞𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁. 𝗥𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴. Hooperholics 25/01/25 1st place. One thing Kevin knows really well are his cues. He actually also has a really good wait, except in the competition ring. As we've qualified for @paws4teaching Hoopers final at the Bath & West Showground in May it's something we really need to work on. Therefore, over our next couple of shows we'll be proofing that start line! ❓What do you and your dog struggle with?

𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗴 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴. She’s a bit hard to see, but Pippa is behind me on the sofa. My goal is for her to remain on a bed or place whilst Kevin does his thing.

I think my Spaniel’s broken 🤣 #springerspaniel #dogtraining

I’m working on positions (sit/down/stand) with Toro. He tends to flit between them at speed! I’m working just on duration in this video. Using location specific markers and zen hand to help explain to him that I want him to hold the position until I release him. To make it easier I am just luring the position rather than cueing it. I want his focus to be on stillness rather than responding to a cue. So after a couple of errors I make it easier by taking my zen hand lower to the ground before gradually raising it again once he gets the idea. Do you find building duration a challenge? Or maybe you’ve got rock solid positions? Let us know 👇

❓𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙙𝙤𝙜𝙨' 𝙛𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜? Kevin has never been much of a foodie. It’s always been a struggle to find things he will eat, never mind put any effort in to obtain it. I don’t want to restrict what little food he will eat and make it dependent on his behaviours. I’m not looking for coercive control. Ours is an equal relationship (as much as possible in this crazy world). We can get away with using a little bit of food during training but his main motivation is play. It could be a ball, a tuggy or something he’s found like a little stick, a piece of rubber or just wrestling with me. 🐕⚽🐕 It does make some aspects of training much harder than using food, but it also makes training fun for both of us. In fact, I would hope that if anyone could ask K how much training he’s had, he’d say ‘Very little, we just play!’ Although I will admit, the ‘work’ aspect of play is certainly appealing to K’s breeding. 𝘽𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙮, 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙨? 👇

❓Does your dog lose focus as soon as you step inside the ring? Yep, so does Luna! My older Spaniel Shadow has had to retire from Hoopers due to his dodgy knees so I thought I would try again with Luna. Our last attempt at a competition resulted in her running off around the ring and taking a dump 💩 in the corner before playing keep away! She has the skills to run the course and is awesome at home but struggles with entering the ring in a new environment. She also knows I don’t have food on me in a competition. I didn’t have this issue with Shadow as he was more than happy to work for a tennis 🎾 which I could carry with me. If I chucked a ball for Luna she would never trust me again! She’s a food reward dog through and through! I am teaching her a starting routine which builds her expectation of the reward at the end and gives her predictability and routine which should help with her confidence. These are the parts we so often miss when training our dogs, especially for sports. Listen with the sound on and you’ll hear me sharing my ideas with Clare so you will hopefully get the gist of what I’m doing. I am also teaching her to finish with a run to my hand to attach the lead and the party will happen outside of the ring - but that’s for another video. Have a watch and let me know what you think 🤔

The dog I’m working with here is Pippa, a 6 year old Border Collie. I adopted her 3 months ago. We’ve spent that time getting to know each other, letting her decompress and introducing her to her new life. She’s certainly grasped it with all four feet. She’s extremely excited by all the new things in her life, and sometimes, that excitement can boil over into pulling on the lead, barking at other dogs and getting a bit crazy. Theres so much I could say about this video: Shaping – paws on leg – she’s never offered me that before. Yay!! She’s learning to try things, she’s thinking. Middle – Proximity, being near me is a good thing! Will help with lead walking, recall and loads of activities. Release Cue – maintaining a position – self control. TRUST & FUN 🤩 Energy Levels – I’m trying to keep the level of excitement down so she can think. If she gets too excited she can’t think any more so I’ll add arousal gradually. Yes, I’m using food. Yes she’s overweight. She’s lost 2kg since being with me. Clare 😊

“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!