Linda Hams - Dog training and Behaviour

Linda Hams - Dog training and Behaviour Professional dog training & behaviour tailored for you and your dog - over 30 years experience

**Dental health for dogs**A few years ago at Finn’s annual check up we were devastated to hear that Finn probably needed...
30/01/2025

**Dental health for dogs**

A few years ago at Finn’s annual check up we were devastated to hear that Finn probably needed several teeth out and this despite him having a scale and polish the year before. We asked the vet if we could do anything to try and save his teeth - though she wasn’t optimistic she recommended we clean his teeth daily and she would re examine him in two weeks time. So for 2 weeks we cleaned Finn’s teeth twice a day and he had ProDen PlaqueOff in both of his daily meals. We were amazed at the results and so was our vet. All of the plaque and black markings came off his teeth meaning he no longer needed any dental work.
Although Finn is no longer with us 🌈😢 we still clean the whippet’s teeth once a day - after breakfast and with ‘puppy milk’ as a reward. They all wait patiently for it to be done - We use cheap human tooth brushes and although we have tried other toothpaste we definitely find that Virbac is the most effective. They have Plaque off twice a day in their food and it also freshens their breath and we can tell when they’re not on it.
Now Sonic is ten years old and the vet is always amazed at how clean his teeth are.
I thoroughly recommend doing both - saves expensive dental cleaning and other work under a potentially dangerous general anaesthetic.

Forest fun and physio today!Picked the best weather to have my day off this week!!
29/01/2025

Forest fun and physio today!
Picked the best weather to have my day off this week!!

Multi dog householdsSometimes having several dogs can become pretty chaotic and soon you feel like you’ve lost control o...
27/01/2025

Multi dog households
Sometimes having several dogs can become pretty chaotic and soon you feel like you’ve lost control of the house and need to find a way to get some peace. This was true for my 1:1 today with 4 dogs all vying for her attention the human was feeling a bit overwhelmed.
We discussed strategies for calming things down and how this could fit into an already busy schedule. But it was easy to see we’d had some quick wins in one session especially with the loud barking dog who wanted to be heard!

Zorro and Rosa started working with me for their reactivity out on walks. Both of them have attended a number of my Happ...
26/01/2025

Zorro and Rosa started working with me for their reactivity out on walks. Both of them have attended a number of my Happy Walks for reactive dogs and progressed on to the social walks from there.
Last week they met in a secure field and got on really well and now they are attending the parkour classes at Dereham Dog Academy on Friday afternoon. It was great to see how well they did indoors and they even managed to pose together.

Yesterday’s puppy plus class at Dereham Dog Academy introduced their dogs to clicker training. No one in the class had e...
23/01/2025

Yesterday’s puppy plus class at Dereham Dog Academy introduced their dogs to clicker training. No one in the class had ever used a clicker before so it was fun teaching everyone from scratch. We spent an interesting time getting the dogs to step into buckets and boxes just because!

Just the best morning working with two different spaniels in their general obedience, loose lead and recall training. Th...
21/01/2025

Just the best morning working with two different spaniels in their general obedience, loose lead and recall training. They are both really fun young dogs who can tend to put their noses down and become a little deaf! It’s a challenge and takes patience and consistent training but both of these dogs have very dedicated people who are working so hard to achieve their goals.
And I really must wash my car!!!

20/01/2025

Sit is a 3 letter word!
Whenever we speak to our dogs, the most important part is the silence when we finish speaking as we give them time to process what we have asked and formulate their appropriate action.
So when you are training your dog, say the command and wait and see what response you get. Sometimes this can take what feels like a long time and it can differ widely depending on what you have asked, the age of the dog and the amount of training you have put in to the task.
It’s important not to rush them - remember the word has to go from your mouth to their ears and then to their brain to work out what you said and the all the way to their bottom if you said sit.When you think about it that’s actually quite a long way!
So often you see people repeat the command as they didn’t feel the response was quick enough, but maybe saying it once and waiting would have given as quick a response as repeating the command. If you repeat the word the command might become sit,sit,sit with the dog sitting on the third repetition making sit a nine letter word rather than the 3 letters it should be. But say it once and wait.
Try practicing patience with your dog, give him real thinking time every time you ask him to do something and see what actually happens. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Crazy busy Sunday!Started with a happy walk for reactive dogs and then 3 1:1’s with 3 gorgeous dogs. A very rewarding da...
19/01/2025

Crazy busy Sunday!
Started with a happy walk for reactive dogs and then 3 1:1’s with 3 gorgeous dogs. A very rewarding day but glad to be home now in front of the fire.

Final session of a course of four with this chap today. This little Romanian rescue has now been in the country around 3...
18/01/2025

Final session of a course of four with this chap today. This little Romanian rescue has now been in the country around 3 months and he is doing so well. It’s been great to watch him bloom from a nervous and fairly shut down dog to a happy and exuberant pup.
He had a few issues with inappropriate guarding behaviour and separation anxiety but he is well on the way to being good with all of this now.
Our final session was working on recall in a secure field and he aced it!

Reactive dogsI know many will look at this and just see dog play but I see months of hard work by both of these families...
16/01/2025

Reactive dogs
I know many will look at this and just see dog play but I see months of hard work by both of these families with reactive dogs. They were determined to help their dogs escape stressful walks and with regular training 1:1’s, Happy and Social walks the changes in Rosa and Zorro are just heart warming to see.
It’s taken time and patience and sometimes it has felt like we would never get there but yesterday these two dogs met for a supervised introduction and walk.
They did so well that not only did it turn into a play date for them but Sonic and Logi came out to play too. No cross words and just happy dogs and happy humans.
Patience is key, this was never going to be an instant fix but this was definitely a result worth waiting and working for.

16/01/2025

Great puppy plus class last night!

Happy walks for reactive dogsThese sessions take place every Sunday at West Stow in a private location and it’s an oppor...
15/01/2025

Happy walks for reactive dogs
These sessions take place every Sunday at West Stow in a private location and it’s an opportunity to get some help with your reactive dog. There’s time for chat and many participants comment about how nice it is to realise you are not alone with this problem. Numbers are small and you will have plenty of space for you and your dog. For more information or to book just drop me a message or WhatsApp 07724 052679.

14/01/2025

Some more photos and reels from our Rally and Relax class yesterday

Our first Rally & Relax class at Dereham Dog Academy today was a new activity for all of the dogs. Everyone learned some...
13/01/2025

Our first Rally & Relax class at Dereham Dog Academy today was a new activity for all of the dogs. Everyone learned something new whether it was doing heel work on the right or just learning a left pivot. There were a few laughs and good coffee and lots of treats for the dogs.
This class is monthly and the next one is in February, to book check out the events section of the Dereham Dog Academy page.

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