Lamplighter Dog School

25/05/2025

It’s the trial training session with Frankie the photographer tomorrow and I want to say thank you to everyone that applied to be a part of it.

I’m very glad to say all the places are filled!

Putting a call out for this session has been a really valuable learning experience for me, both in my communication and in the importance of sticking to my values.

My biggest value is that the dogs come first, even if it’s not what the human wants to hear.

My entire purpose and role is to advocate for the dogs, to translate what the dogs are struggling with and what they need, and to coach their owners to meet those needs and address those struggles - which in turn alleviates the pain for the human.

The photographs that will be taken tomorrow need to represent that core value.

As such, I chose to stick to my value of the welfare of the dogs being of paramount priority, which meant more people were turned away than accepted.

I have tried as much as I can to provide clear explanations, to empathise, and to offer suitable advice or alternatives, while being very careful to try not to shame anyone for any reason.

It has meant turning away reactive dogs, nervous dogs, dogs who would not benefit from a group environment, dogs with matted coats, and brachycephalic dogs.

I will never intentionally put a dog in a situation where that dog is likely to be unnecessarily stressed, nor will I promote dogs in my marketing with welfare, health or hereditary issues - because I care about them.

I take the responsibility of the fact that people look to me for guidance and as an example very seriously, and I very much want to help dogs in any and all of these positions.

It upsets me that I’ve upset people due to this, and I very much welcome any discussion on these topics or for those in any of these challenging positions to come to me for non-judgemental - but honest - support.

As always, the dogs and their welfare are my paramount priority and I will not compromise on that value.

I can’t wait to meet all the participants tomorrow and to release the photographs on my new website in the next few weeks ❤️

20/05/2025

My boy 🥰 a couple of hours of time, patience and treats - it doesn’t always require a big effort to see big results ❤️

What a difference 6 weeks makes 🤩🤩. Back to see Corey who was very worried at my last visit, but for this one he totally nailed it.

Consistency and positive reinforcement from his fab owner paid off, and as a result I was able to do a lovely set up trim on ALL 4 FEET!! He was a total star, relaxed throughout, and happy lifting and holding up all 4 feet. He'll be much more comfortable, and we can now work to improve his feet at each trim.

It really does show that listening is so important.

15/05/2025

Lamplighter Dog School Training Taster Sessions
Complimentary Group Session with Photography by Frankie

Everything you need to know before applying:

📸 A professional photographer (that’s me!) will be documenting the sessions for images of both dogs and handlers to be used on our websites and social media. All participants must be happy to sign a simple model release form on the day. As a thank you, you’ll receive 4 documentary-style digital images of your dog and handler (yourself and/or two-legged family members!) in action. Please note, this is not a posed portrait session and the photographer will be working in a completely unobtrusive manner.

Please don’t be offended if, after discussing your dog with Nicole, it’s decided that the group session isn’t the best fit for them. The happiness and welfare of your dog - and of the other dogs attending - is our absolute priority. Any decisions made will be with their wellbeing and comfort in mind, every step of the way.

If this sounds like a good fit for you and your dog, please DM or WhatsApp Nicole (contact details found on: Lamplighter Dog School) with a few lines about your dog and what you are working on 💌 Please apply by EOD Sunday May 25th.

Please note: there’s no charge for taking part in the taster session. This is a genuine opportunity to experience small group training while helping create image-based content for our businesses.

10/05/2025

🚨 Free training sessions 🚨

Would you like to come and have a free group training session with your dog?

👉 This is for you if you are really keen to find ways to train your dog using kind and positive training methods.

There will be a professional photographer there who will be taking photographs to use on both of our respective websites. You will have the opportunity to have 3 or 4 image files to keep for yourself to print as you wish 😊

Suitable for puppies and adult dogs for skills including:
✨ Recall
✨ Lead walking
✨ Focus around livestock
✨ Working around distractions
✨ Improving your current skills
✨ Introducing clicker training
✨ Using play to improve training
✨ The chance to try agility

Not suitable for reactive or aggressive dogs due to the group structure - for those of you in this position contact me directly for 121 support.

There will be availability for 8 dog and handler teams to be split into two groups over an hour each.

The location and time is Brampton, CA8 on the 26th of May at 5pm or 6pm.

Please DM or WhatsApp me with details and a photo of your dog to register your interest 💌

03/05/2025

Ingredients in dog food like “derivatives” or “of origin” are not food.

Derivatives can be things like feathers boiled down and synthesised into protein.

Always check the ingredients are specific, such as “Lamb” or “Peas” or even better, it specifically says the ingredients are fresh.

Cereals should also be specifically named, e.g. “Brown Rice,” rather than just saying “Cereals.”

Cereals should also not be the first listed ingredient, as this means there will be more cereals than anything else, which means you’re buying a big bag of hyperactive behaviour and fresh air.

Also check that there aren’t three or four different types of cereals listed, as some companies use this as a get-around to include just as many cereals but further down the list so it looks like less! Sneaky buggers.

The amount of cereals in your dog’s food can have a big impact on their behaviour.

Dogs get insulin spikes from carbs just like people, and these cause a surge in energy. This appears to us as hyperactivity, inability to settle, quicker or more intense reactions, and irritability (when the spike suddenly dips).

I know how this feels because I have a chocolate addiction! 🫣😂

Check the ingredients on your dog’s food and see what it says. Feel free to message me if you want me to decipher it for you!

If you find that your dog’s food is full of these things, don’t worry, good quality dog foods are often cheaper or a similar cost per day to the cheap supermarket foods too - the bag cost is deceptive because you have to feed such big quantities.

Comment “chart” below and I’ll send you my free dog food comparison charts.

23/04/2025

Would you believe that one of my secrets to having such a well behaved dog is that...

I don't expect him to not be a dog.

He barks, he chases things, he scavenges, he rips stuff up, he wants to sniff every blade of grass. He's still a dog.

How do I get him to behave so well?

Because I recognise that him doing these things isn't him being naughty, it's him being a dog, so I do two things:

1. I identify his favourite activities and strike a deal that if he fulfills my reasonable request, he then gets access to his favourite stuff (the scientific name for this is the Premack Principle).

2. I make sure he gets plenty of opportunities to do the dog things he wants to do in a way that's safe and appropriate to me.

A small but very crucial element of this is that if my dog is jumping up and barking at me, there is no way I'm going to give him a fun activity to shut him up. Because next time he wants that fun activity what is he going to do? Jump up and bark at me.

If he's chilling out quietly on his bed that is the perfect moment for me to give him a nice chew, a fuss, or take him for a walk.

And how does he chill out quietly on his bed in the first place? Because of point number 2 - and the fact that I've carefully cultivated these behaviours over a long period of time.

You can make this easier for yourself by selecting a dog with genetics that suit what you want in the first place.

Getting a dog that wants to do the very opposite of what you want them to do is going to be a lot of work, but certainly not impossible.

It is however necessary to consider the dog's welfare, and how your demands really impact this.

Can your dog really cope with what you want?

Could you also think about opening up to new opportunities by listening to and learning from your dog?

Let me know how you feel about this topic and your experiences in the comments.

If you want help untangling this situation with your dog comment on this post or send me a WhatsApp with the button on my page 📲

23/02/2025

Is there something your dog loves in the environment that’s not listed in these pics? Comment below, I’d love to know!

I need to make it absolutely crystal that just because these are rewards does not mean we should heavily restrict or eliminate our dog’s access to these things.

Something to take note of is that all of them are natural, normal, and essential parts of being a dog.

It would be drastic and incredibly cruel to remove our dog’s ability to be exactly what they are.

What we can do is:

👷‍♂️ Build strong foundation behaviours with training practice

🙇 Think about how to structure our daily activities in a way that gets us what we want, as well as getting our dogs what they want

💃 Use play to simulate hunting and your dog’s favourite parts of the predatory sequence

🦮 Learn scentwork so we can work together with our dogs and their noses

👨‍🏫 Set fair and firm boundaries so it’s clear to our dogs what will get them what they want

🙅 Set clear boundaries with people out and about, for example requiring people to wait for your dog to sit before saying hi, or saying “Sorry not today, we’re training!”

🙋‍♀️ Recognise when our dogs are in fact doing what we want and rewarding them for that

If you need help putting together a personalised plan of action drop me a DM or a WhatsApp 🤳

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16/02/2025

Have you ever caught yourself saying “My dog isn’t food motivated?”

Does your dog sometimes reject their meals, or ignore the food when you’re trying to train them?

It’s really frustrating, but it’s not usually because your dog doesn’t like the food.

More often it’s actually because:

😫 Your dog doesn’t like the way you’re giving it to them
🤕 They don’t feel well
😬 They have dental or digestive problems
🤯 They’re in the middle of a stressful situation
🤐 They’ve already eaten more than they need
😐 Commercial training treats are usually dry and don’t smell of anything

It’s not usually a case of just taking the food away if your dog doesn’t eat either and then trying again later, there are much better ways than that 👀

Check out the slides and see if any of these resonate with you. If they do, that’s okay! It’s not permanent damage, all of these things can be changed for the better.

If you can relate to any of these situations and want more information leave a comment or drop me a DM/WhatsApp me.

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09/02/2025

There are so many activities that our dogs are *trying* to do when we’re out walking.

The human idea of a walk and the dog idea of a walk are often veeery different.

When dogs are pulling on the lead, ignoring your calls, or gobbing off, it’s quite often because they’re trying to satisfy a need for natural behaviour that they are often unintentionally restricted from doing.

This often results in an unsettled and frustrated dog and an unsettled and frustrated owner.

The key is in becoming aware of your dog’s required activities and consciously integrating them into a walk, on the premise of “good” behaviour - behaviour that keeps you and your dog safe (in my book).

If you need help with assessment, building a structure, and implementation of safe and satisfying walks with your dog DM me or book a free video consultation with the link in my bio 🔗

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31/01/2025

Walks are loaded with importance, but actually, walks - in the traditional sense - can be utterly detrimental to our dogs. It’s time to question everything you believe, for your dog’s sake.

Your walks can meet lots of needs for your dog, like running, hunting, sniffing, digging, and physical fitness, and they can also foster good behaviour. Or not.

Depending on what behaviour “works” for your dog on a walk, how your walks are structured, where you go, and whether your dog is in pain - a walk can become a downward spiral of pulling, running off, reactivity, discomfort, frustration, and stress that spills out into their behaviour at home too.

It’s not about how far you walk or how long for, it’s about what you do - before you even leave the house.

Before you take your dog out ask yourself these questions:

🩻 Do I 100% know my dog is not in pain?
👋 Have I taught my dog how to 100% respond to me in this environment and for that length of time?
🤓 Will this walk give my dog an opportunity to satisfy their mental stimulation needs?
😱 Does this environment scare or stress my dog?
🦺 Can I keep my dog and others safe doing what I want to do?

This is responsible and considerate dog ownership. Leave a hands up if you’re a responsible and considerate dog owner 🙋

Check out the picture slides for essential needs your dog has that are waaaay more important than a walk.

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22/01/2025

I’ll preface this by saying there are anomalies in every breed and not all dogs of these breeds will show these characteristics.

However, we all know that these characteristics are what make these breeds the breed they are. None of us would expect a Border Collie not to herd, so why do we expect other breeds to be any different?

It’s essential to recognise that the consequences of (often innocent) human error with these breeds are still caused by humans, because we bred these dogs to be the way they are. The dog is never to blame.

A huge reason it’s so important to be realistic about breed characteristics and physical capabilities is because most people can’t read canine body language.

One study asked participants to watch videos of three different dogs interacting with children. All the dogs were showing anxious or fearful body language. However, 68% percent of people said the dogs were relaxed. Even more worryingly, dog owners are more likely to assume the dog is being friendly than non-dog owners.

When you throw a dog as capable, sensitive, prey-driven, heavy, and powerful as some of the breeds listed here into that mix it can become life-threatening.

Breed is not the only major contributor to a dog’s behaviour either. Here are some equally essential factors:

➡️ The temperaments of both parents.

➡️ Prenatal stress that can pass to your puppy. Find a breeder who is planning a litter so you can follow along with the pregnancy to see if the bitch experiences any significant stress.

➡️ Positive early socialisation in the litter, the responsibility of the breeder. If your breeder isn’t interested, then save your time (potentially over a decade) and money for a different breeder.

➡️ Positive environmental exposure with you. There is a big difference between socialisation and overwhelming. Keep experiences brief, varied and happy.

Comment below or DM me to share your own opinions, or ask a question 🧐

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