Jess' Dog Training

02/11/2024

The festive season is just around the corner so I can now announce our festive dog training workshop on Saturday, 7th December! 🎄🐾

I’m thrilled to have Jack Fenton, Dorset’s leading nose work specialist, joining us for this special event at Iford Playing Fields!

We will be covering a range of essential and fun skills with your dogs:

✨ Man Trailing: Learn the art of tracking with your dog, using their incredible sense of smell to follow a person’s scent trail.
✨ Scent Searches: Engage your pup with food and target scent searches, enhancing their natural abilities and keeping their minds sharp.
✨ Loose Lead Walking: Master the techniques for walking your dog without pulling, making strolls enjoyable for both of you.
✨ Body Conditioning: Build strength and motor skills through fun exercises that promote physical health and well-being.
✨ Life Skills: Work on vital skills like recall and emergency stop, ensuring your dog is safe and responsive in any situation.

With only 6 spaces available per 2 hour class, you and your pup will receive personalised attention while enjoying a festive atmosphere. There is scope to run a third session on this day if spaces fill quickly (5 of the slots have already gone!).

🎟️ Tickets are £65 each. Don’t miss this chance to make this Christmas even more special with your furry friend!

🎄All attendees of this workshop will also gain priority access to the workshops Jack and I will be running in 2025 🏄‍♀️

✉️ If you would like to join, drop a comment on this post or send me a message over WhatsApp, text, email — or however you normally chat to me!

20/10/2024

It do be like that 🥲 does your dog like the groomers/being groomed? Many dogs find it to be a stressful experience. Check the link in my bio for a blog on cooperative care and how to get your pooch happier with handling 🐶

17/09/2024

“In a world full of noise, dogs are the quiet comfort we didn’t know we needed” — a man, probably

01/06/2024

Kenny looking suave at the groomer 🧡

Grooming isn’t a stressful experience for Kenny; we spent his socialisation period building up positive associations. But not every dog had this experience and many dislike some, if not all, aspects of grooming (nail trimming, I’m looking at you 👀). Pain will also influence a dog’s tolerance for handling/grooming.

I like to approach grooming using cooperative care, where dogs can choose to tap in and out of procedures if they’re uncomfortable and the experience is built up to be a positive one for them 🛁

I’ve recently written a blog on cooperative care: what it is, and how to get started. Drop a message in the comments if you’d like me to send this across to you or click the link in my bio to visit my blog 💕

How does your dog feel about grooming?

19/04/2024

Swipe for a surprise 👀

Blip 😛

This is little Phoebe, the 9 week old lab and she was just too scrummy. I have to pinch myself quite regularly that this is my job! 😅

I’ve had many lovely black, red and yellow labs come to me for puppy training but have yet to have a chocolate Labrador puppy!

Where my chocolate lab owners at?! 🤎

22/03/2024

Off to a dog friendly cabin with my boys to celebrate entering my 30th decade! Will respond to all messages upon my return ❤️

07/03/2024

Chemical castration update, day 1

Trigger warning: needles

I did a story poll and lots of you voted to say you would like to hear about Kenny’s CC journey. I’ll be posting regular updates on any physical/behavioural changes we see in him.

The process was pretty painless! Kenny loves the vets.

The needle was pretty large, certainly larger than anything he’s had before.

It was inserted into the scruff of his neck and was in and out in 3 seconds.

I put Kenny into a ‘down’ and continually fed him biscuits from my hand - he flinched a little but didn’t move his body and continued to eat (I would have filmed the process but it was just me and the vet so we needed all our hands!).

Physical:
I’ve also included a photo of Kenny’s 🥜. They are very hard to photograph because he’s so floofy but I will be documenting any changes to these as best I can.

Behavioural:
Kenny is very lively and full of the joys of life. Other dogs really excite him and he would greet about 50% of the dogs we meet, if he had his way. He will disengage from other dogs when prompted, and sometimes without asking, but this has taken a lot of training and work.

Why we want to alter him:
Kenny is 22 months. He is relentlessly started on by other dogs (growling, hackles raised, snapping and attempted bites). We do not let him approach unknown dogs but this happens even if he is trotting past on lead, minding his business. Other dogs will also come into his space to start on him.

Why we went for CC, instead of neutering:
Full castration is permanent. There are numerous studies showing that neutering, particularly early neutering, has a plethora of negative effects (on dogs and bi***es).
Castration can cause a serious knock to a dog’s confidence, which can exacerbate nervousness, reactivity and aggression. Kenny is a confident dog but we didn’t want to take any chances on this. There’s a brilliant article on the effects of early neutering in dogs, comment “neutering article” and I will send you a link.

11/01/2024

Never left my dog for this long before 😅

21/12/2023

Thank you to everyone who came along for the ride this year ✨ Here’s to another great year with wonderful dogs and their owners in 2024! 🥂🍾

If you’ve enjoyed working with me this year, then Google reviews are on my Christmas list! They’re a great way of getting my little business out there so I can help more dogs with their training journeys 🎄I hope you & your pooches have a magical holiday season 🐾

03/12/2023

New on the blog: attention-seeking behaviour

Barking, whining, jumping up, squeaking, bringing you toys, staring at you with a wagging tail - I think we all recognise the signs of a dog who is after our attention! As much as they would like us to, it is not possible to give your dog attention all of the time - and it wouldn't […]

23/11/2023

20/11/2023

20/11/2023

17/11/2023

My second session with Betsy the rescue, looking at improving her recall

16/11/2023

Mindy’s first 1:1 as part of her Premium Puppy Package

16/11/2023

Firework night may be over but firework season is still well and truly going. If your dog is frightened of fireworks, this blog will have some tips that may help:

Remember, remember the 5th of November... means lots of dogs are going to be very scared by fireworks. Many dogs struggle to cope with loud, unexpected noises and fireworks are up there with one of the loudest sounds that domesticated dogs will have to cope with. Firework season is well and truly up...