Meg Ashby - Canine Behaviour Consultant

26/08/2024

Last week of 10% off! Applies to all future bookings but ends this Sunday ☺️

I’ve been rubbish at posting on socials lately with me being busy with a lot of long term dogs! But I’m doing a little summer sale until the 1st September on all behaviour packages. Please do get in contact if you need any help with your dog, whether it be general good manners, to severe reactivity.

I’ve also done a well needed update on my website - megashbycbc.com - including some new offers, I’m looking to start some group classes, starting with basic socialisation and puppy classes, this will be around the Beverley area, as well as Northern Lincolnshire, so please register your interest for when I start this up! ☺️

18/08/2024

🐾🎈🎂 Twiggy’s Birthday Giveaway 🎂🎈🐾
To celebrate Twiggy’s 6th birthday today, I’m doing a giveaway goodie bag full of dog toys, enrichment and treats! To enter you must be following my page - every like, share, comment, follow on Instagram - will count as an entry.

Giveaway includes:
A free 1-2-1 behaviour session with me 🦮
Tug and Snuffle large snuffle mat
Six Kong tennis balls 🎾
Travel water bowl
Ruff and Tuff bone 🦴
Beef trachea
Pigs ear
Sprats 🐟
Kong treat spiral
Licki mat wobble
Tug and Snuffle strong braided tug toy
Oh My Dog bow 🎀
Tug and Snuffle puzzle ball

Competition closes on Sunday 8th September and the winner will be selected at random, tag a friend who would love these treats! 🐾 good luck 🐾

17/08/2024

Is there really such thing as “too much sniffing” for dogs on walks?

Everywhere you’ll look you’ll have people telling you how important it is for dogs to sniff on walks, which is true, just how we watch the news and scroll on social media, this is how dogs take in their newest updates, and what’s been on the grass before they got there. BUT (!) in some cases, dogs can display obsessive sniffing, which is when the urge to smell cannot be controlled, so the dog ends up at the end of the lead and dragging their owner everywhere to sniff.

Walks with these types of dogs aren’t enjoyable, mainly for the handler, but often for the dog too as they’re taking too much information at a time and become manic trying to find something to smell. Obsessive sniffing is common in anxious and young dogs, as this can often be an outlet of distraction from a trigger, also known as a displacement type of behaviour. They’re often left unfulfilled from walks, along with their frustrated handler, as in reality, they haven’t walked very far.

Obsessive sniffers can be behaviourally modified with impulse control training, using shaping and good lead manners (and plenty of rewards), dogs can be transformed into ‘normal’ dogs who enjoy their walks.
Tips:
* Practising recall whilst on the lead or long line
* Maintaining eye contact
* Using turn-arounds to increase engagement on the handler
* Letting dogs see what they want to sniff, and letting them make a choice between sniffing or staying by your side
* Letting dogs sniff in between training sessions - either ‘free’ or ‘go sniff’
* Practising in less exciting places - car parks are great if your dog is partial to grass or lampposts

This definitely doesn’t apply to most dogs, and it’s definitely still important to let dogs sniff! But if you’re having issues with your dog’s impulsive sniffing, feel free to email me for help!

08/08/2024

This is the lovely Maple, a German Shepherd cross (about a million other breeds!), who struggled with some reactivity to other dogs, and her mum wanted a more well rounded dog that was more tolerant to others.

Maple struggled to focus on her handler on walks, reactive to her triggers, and her bucket remained full for the remainder of her walk after reactivity.

We worked on disengaging and engaging training, with plenty of treats (which she was hesitant to take at first when near triggers) and slowly built up to her eating ‘find its’ and hand feeding.

She can sometimes misread other dogs behavioural cues, which made her protective of her mum at first, but on her last session she demonstrated how much she’d learnt by walking past a very shouty cockapoo without any reaction!

Maple only needed 3x 1-2-1 sessions with me, along with her mum following all the guidance I gave her - support, communication, and continued training is key! 1-2-1 sessions are great for minimal reactivity and unsure dogs, I’m currently running a 10% off for these too if you’d feel it would benefit you and your dog! Thank you Maple & her mum! ☺️

08/08/2024

I’ve been rubbish at posting on socials lately with me being busy with a lot of long term dogs! But I’m doing a little summer sale until the 1st September on all behaviour packages. Please do get in contact if you need any help with your dog, whether it be general good manners, to severe reactivity.

I’ve also done a well needed update on my website - megashbycbc.com - including some new offers, I’m looking to start some group classes, starting with basic socialisation and puppy classes, this will be around the Beverley area, as well as Northern Lincolnshire, so please register your interest for when I start this up! ☺️

12/06/2024

🐾 Reactivity training 🐾
Reactivity is a complex behavioural output, which can happen depending on a number of factors - if your dog is anxious, frustrated, overwhelmed, excited, wanting to play, fearful, aggressive. These all also depend on their environment, life experiences and breed traits. Here are a few tips on how to manage reactive behaviour!
* Timing
It is essential for your timing to be precise, especially when you’re first teaching cues, as well as when the dog has learnt the cue but you’re too slow to respond, incorrect timing = incorrect reinforcement = no learning.
* Confidence
This is 50/50, you need to ensure that you’re confident at handling your dog in worst case scenarios, but remember that anxiety transfers through the lead! Dogs are great readers of body language, as well as stress signals you emit when you panic. The other half is that you need to work on your dogs confidence, light exposure therapy creates progression.
* Bond
Ensuring that your dog trusts you not to push them or put them in dangerous situations is vital in training, you need them to be able to rely on you so they don’t feel the need to react and protect. Quality time and mental enrichment creates positive experiences.
* Practise
It’s vital to practise your techniques before they’re applied with a trigger, find your method and practise until both you and your dog understand the cues, timings and rewards. If you try a new technique before practising, you’re setting your dog up for failure, leaving you both frustrated.
* Needs
By far the most important in my opinion, making sure your dog’s needs are met is crucial for a fully functioning brain. This includes the basics of good welfare, ensuring adequate sleep (12/14 hours), mental stimulation at home and ruling out any potential medical conditions associated with pain and reactivity. It’s also important to note your dogs breed traits and what they were originally bred for, creating an outlet to exhibit that behaviour will lead to less pent up stress.
* Neutrality
And as always, my favourite, neutrality! Neutrality with no reaction to triggers is always the end goal, walking past other dogs, people, traffic, anything that your dog is reactive towards, is when you’ll see your progress.

If you need help with reactivity, or any other behavioural issue, feel free to contact me -
megashbycbc.com
[email protected]
07851426762

05/06/2024

This is beautiful Betty! 💚

Mr & Mrs C got in contact with me for 1-2-1 sessions for Betty’s anxiety, she was nervous meeting new people and would bark and air chomp at them & she also struggled with traffic anxiety.

Betty has massively improved with her general anxiety, she responded hugely to positive reinforcement training which allowed her to become more confident out and about. Unfortunately, anxiety isn’t a quick fix, but thankfully Betty’s parents are extremely patient and understanding with her, they’ve followed every single one of my suggestions (and got kitted out with beef & a treat pouch!!).

It’s so important to be an advocate for your dog, especially in training, understanding their triggers and when to give reassurance, as well as telling people ‘no, you can’t make a fuss of her’ or ‘yes, but give her a treat first’, anything that helps your dog learn that not everything is scary or needs a reaction helps reinforce neutrality, which is the end goal always!

Thank you Mr & Mrs C for being my favourite kind of people to work with 🩷

Please don’t hesitate to contact me at [email protected] for anxiety help ☺️

28/05/2024

Last chance to book for the 20% off May discount!! 🐾

This offer includes on all of my services, including packages - and can be used on future sessions if you book before the 1st June 2024.

22/05/2024

Lead manners! 🦮🚶🏻‍♀️🚘
Twiggy couldn’t walk past a car without going into full melt-down, she would cry, shake, and refuse to move at any loud noises on walks, which made her not want to go out. With time, patience, and understanding her behavioural output, we focused on rewards-based training to help her understand that loud noises are okay and that she doesn’t need to panic. Now, she’s able to go for a street walk at rush hour with no worries about loud cars, and feels comfortable enough to sit on the curb to wait to cross!

Loose-leads and basic manners on walks make them so much more enjoyable for both you and your dog, it also strengthens the communication and bond you have with your dog, instead of frantically shouting or pulling at their lead to get their attention (which doesn’t work in the long run!!). Feel free to pop me an email at [email protected] if you’d like help with loose-lead manners! 🐶🐾

01/05/2024

I’m finally open for new clients! I have lots of experience working with a range of breeds and behavioural issues, to find out more just visit: megashbycbc.com
I’m starting out with an introductory offer of 20% off all services throughout May, and I offer a discount for XL bully owners, as well as free behavioural support for rescues.
I’m based in Yorkshire & Manchester, please feel free to share for anyone who may need help with their dogs, thank you ☺️🐾