Avon Dog Services

13/02/2025

Thursday vibes!

What are you all up to with your dogs today?

06/02/2025

2 of many ways to help improve safety through doors/gates

31/01/2025

Finally updated my marking and filing system for the APDT - Association of Pet Dog Trainers Good Companion Awards. All colour coordinated too!

This might not look much, but to those who know me well, this is the most organised I've ever been! 😂

23/01/2025

Things I've learned about dog training from my daughter.

Gracie and I have a dad & daughter day every Wednesday, we rarely do the same things each week, sometimes it's softplay, some days it's swimming, other times it's a chillout day at home, but there's one area, the play park, that I learnt my first nugget of information not only about Gracie, but about dogs too.

When Gracie was first on the swing she'd want to pushed slowly, which is understandable. As she grew in confidence, she wanted to be pushed higher and higher. There was always a point at which she'd want to stop either because she'd had enough, or I pushed her too high.

Gracie didn't want to just swing slightly slower, she wanted off the swing completely. The dog trainer brain in me thought, if I just drop the criteria (swing slow and build up again) she'd be happy to stay on. Nope. She wanted off!

But here's the thing, she only wanted off the swing for a short time before asking to be back on again. For Gracie, dropping the criteria wasn't want she wanted. She didn't want easier. She wanted a reset.

This got me thinking about how I train dogs, whereby if the job is too difficult for the dog, I drop the criteria and carry on with a few more reps. I started to do complete resets when the dog struggled, rather than dropping criteria, I started to see I had way more buy-in from the dog. Because they had the chance to fully opt out, rather than take an easier approach. Training sessions lasted longer and the dogs' trust built up much faster.

I still get it wrong from time to time, where I forget to break and just drop criteria. If anyone is following Nova's nail trimming progress you'll see all my errors in technicolor. But I'm human, I get it wrong, a lot, but mistakes are just another learning opportunity

21/01/2025

Remember that indestructible toy I posted about a while ago?

As we all expected, it isn't! 😂

20/01/2025

Socialisation isn’t something we check off a list and forget about — it’s a lifelong, ever-evolving process. Just like humans, dogs are constantly learning how to navigate their world, adapt to new situations, and form relationships.

Think about it: when we meet someone new, we take time to read their body language, listen to their tone, and figure out how to connect. Even when we meet familiar people, we still adjust our interactions depending on the situation, environment, or even their mood that day. It's no different for dogs

For example, a dog might react differently when meeting a new puppy compared to greeting a dog they see regularly. Even with familiar friends, the dynamic can shift depending on context—just like we might greet a close friend differently at a quiet café than we would at a crowded party.

Socialisation doesn’t end after puppyhood or adolescence. It’s about continually giving your dog good experiences and helping them to feel comfortable in a variety of situations throughout their life. That doesn't mean throwing them into every situation to make sure you're exposing them to everything, it means giving the dog great coping skills, and listening to them when they're not comfortable and helping them out if needed. By doing so, we help them build confidence and maintain emotional regulation in an ever-changing world.

11/01/2025

We're shining a spotlight on the lovely Bertie this week.

During his weekly Good Companion Award classes, Bertie has been working on searching and indicating on items that his owner has 'dropped' such as keys, phone, gloves etc

This week, however, one of the attendees genuinely lost her phone in the training field. In comes Bertie, a quick sniff of the ladies hat to get the scent he was looking for and off he went. The phone was found by Bertie within 30 seconds! This is the first time he's found something that doesn't belong to his owner during a real search!

Couldn't be more pleased for this team, they've come such a long way and it's lovely to see the relationship Bertie and his owner have.

05/01/2025

If you're on our waitlist for the Reactivity Reset, check your emails! There's a 60% discount on sign ups made before the course launches in mid-January.

Lifetime access for a one-time payment of £23.99 (full price 59.99 when course launches)

This isn't a 'how to fix your reactive dog', that would be mad, I may never actually lay eyes on your dog. This programme looks at addressing all the underlying factors that can have an effect on reactivity, from understanding their body language, breed specific behaviours, meeting dogs needs, emotions and emotional responses, training and behavioural exercises, the other end of the lead (help and guidance from a trained and qualified human counsellor who's also been through a course with her own reactive dog) and much, much more

Ready to go beyond managing reactive outbursts? Reactivity Reset explores the why behind your dog’s reactivity, focusing on underlying emotions rather than symptoms alone. Through reward-based training, help your dog build calm and confidence for a happier, more connected life together. Transform ...

31/12/2024

I cocked up, and now I have remedial work to do! If you're in the same boat, follow along and learn the importance of stress-free husbandry skills

https://avondogservices.podia.com/the-whole-hound-community

31/12/2024

A big, fat, happy new year to everyone who loves dogs as much as we do!

Thank you so much to all our clients over the year who have trusted us with their learning journey, both online and in-person.

Also, a big thank you to all our lovely followers who've liked, shared, reacted and commented on our content. We really appreciate it. Look forward to more of the same in the new year.

From the team at ADS, we hope you have a great start to 2025

31/12/2024

We've been a bit quiet recently as we've been working on something big behind the scenes!

If you want to know more, sign up to the waitlist in bio to keep updated

23/12/2024

If you've left it last minute for Christmas prezzies (like me) then you can get your hands on one of our gift cards, which can be redeemed throughout all of 2025 on ANY of our services.

Gift card will only be available until midnight Christmas Eve.

https://www.avondogservices.co.uk/gift-card

20/12/2024

Look out for new classes being held in the grounds once I win this house 😂

Enter Now

16/12/2024

Persistence is knowing you're not going to get a bite of dad's sandwich, but trying anyway!

09/12/2024

It's my wedding anniversary today! I'm feeling the love and decided to spread some around!

This deal covers all Good Companion Courses, Tracking Workshops, Coaching Plans and 1 to 1 sessions - both home & field visits

Just use code ADS20 at checkout🙂

https://www.avondogservices.co.uk/book-online

06/12/2024

Use your environment to your advantage

04/12/2024

Who's up for the challenge?

Ps. I'm not affiliated with this brand, and haven't tried their product, but I'm keen to see if it really is chew-proof!