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 📲

09/04/2025

It’s a pleasure and a relief to find a fellow animal care professional with the animals at the centre of her work 🥰 thank you for being so kind with my ponies Kim 🙏❤️

New client day for me today, there's always the thought of 'what will they be like?', because realistically I won't know until I get there. Today I needn't have worried!

I met the lovely Jack (Cob) and Corey (mini) who belong to the very lovely Nicole of Lamplighter Dog School.

Jack was a total breeze to trim, a very lovely, happy to stand boy who made my job very easy!! 🤩🤩🤩

Corey is the cutest 😍, but he's a total worrier, so instead of trimming, which wouldn't have been a happy experience for him, we spent time having a social visit.

We chilled in the sun, and just got to know each other a little bit more something I'm very happy to do. This involved lots of positive reinforcement, and set Corey up for positive experiences with his feet. I don't force horses to comply, it creates stress and they are less and less likely to want to have their feet done. It's counter productive, and it's not my style at all.

We've now set a plan, and we know what we're working towards, and I'm happy with that, and Corey is too 🥰. I'm looking forward to seeing them again in 6 weeks to see their progress.

05/04/2025

Heel training is a paradigm and the only shortcut is to use punishment and turn your dog’s walks into a threat bargain, a shortcut I’m not willing to take.

So this is the structure, and there’s no escaping it.

I have to do it, my trainers have to do it, Crufts competitors have to do it - nobody is exempt and nobody has a magic ticket.

Some dogs are definitely easier than others, and that’s where (ideally) picking your dog’s breed and character (or the traits of their parents) to best fit your lifestyle really does make a difference.

However, often that point is past, and training to suit your dog’s capability is the option.

Training is actually really fun. Maybe being someone without a television I take disproportionate pleasure in doing things someone else might not (😅) but once you start to get results, and you build that link of communication with your dog, it becomes pretty bloody addictive.

It’s a very good addiction to have, one that means you get super nice walks, loads of compliments from people about how epic your dog is, and your dog is a happy little goose. Dog.

If you want help developing a healthy addiction and watching less tv drop me a DM 😉

Follow me for more of my brain spew about dog training 😄

Comment if you think I’m weird for not having a tv 😛