Mutleys Dog Training

17/01/2025

So this week we had a huge achievement in agility. Mabel conquered the weaves doing six closed weaves for the first time! One of the harder things to accomplish and now we can move on to 12 poles and start competing! Super chuffed with my crazy spaniel 💕💕💕💕💕

15/01/2025

Looking for a new kennels for this monkey? I know some clients use kennels…. Any recommendations please, mine is selling up 😢😢😢

30/12/2024

Think about your walk! Please! Yesterday while out I saw three things in half an hour that frustrated me. The first…. A spaniel on lead stood by the kids play park it was yap yap whine whine and in a real state. The owners did nothing, it’s like they had no idea this dog was in a bad emotional state and he was left like this for ages!
Then a man walked straight towards myself and my spaniel knowing full well his little dog would run at mine yapping and growling… I called mine over and said I didn’t know how she would react to that… if you have a dog that’s going to run over growling go the other way please! Don’t just expect my dog to be tolerant, as it happens she was fine! Finally I saw a big family walk about twenty people and three or four dogs. The last dog was on a head collar pulling backwards and yapping (big breed) and basically being ignored and dragged along. Please consider your dogs, it’s there walk too and if they can’t cope leave them home and take out later or don’t go! I feel sad when I see dogs being dragged past grassy patches they could sniff at or owners ignoring the stress signs or even chatting on phones ignoring the dog altogether! The daily walk shouldn’t be a task to tick off the list, it should be fun, you and the dog together! There should be games and sniffing and engagement between you. A dog that’s done some training and thinking as well as running will come home much more satisfied too! Think about your walks please! 💕💕💕

26/12/2024

How has your dog coped this Christmas, previously I’ve had easy dogs that take things in there stride and can cope with life, if your dogs like that then ‘Yey your lucky!’ Enjoy! But Mabel is a bit more sensitive and easily over stimulated and frustrated. She coped great with friends over on the weekend and happily slept while they were chatting but as the days went on and people were staying over night, we had elderly frail visitors Xmas day and she had to be on a lead for hours or shut in another room, along side a pop up unexpected visit from a relative with a five year old daughter that I had no time to plan for….. I think it’s been super hard and she needs time to decompress.
She has growled at us when she has felt overwhelmed or trapped, luckily I recognised the signs and popped her to bed/out the room but if you don’t know what your looking for you don’t know and then things could escalate to a stressed dog that feels the need to snap! She’s guarded chews which she never does but the overwhelm of the last few days has obviously caused stress. We will deal with this with lots of sleep and time to calm back to her routine. If you own a dog that needs a little more management then you will get it! I always say Mabel has a very small bucket, overflows easily! When someone says there dog bit someone with no warning it’s often a dog with a small bucket, but I promise you they are trying so hard to tell you they are stressed and not happy in tiny ways that you might miss! Mabel was not shouting ‘I can’t cope’, she was doing very small things that I noticed like trying to find a space to bury her chew, lying near it and getting up when anyone moved, she sometimes shows very conflicting behaviours like wanting to say hello to a child but going in very low and submissive then acting totally over stimulated afterwards. Recognise these signs and be there advocate…. Those of you with an easy dog won’t always get this and think it’s something the owners have ‘done’ it really isn’t it’s just a dog that copes great with routine and struggles with overload! Overall it’s been a fab Christmas but there have been little moments of stress and conflict where if I didn’t notice the small messages she was giving me it could have escalated! She’s done well in the main loving everyone and I’m so proud of her coping so well but I saw signals and responded when needed c###

19/12/2024

I love receiving photos and videos of my clients dogs and this one of the gorgeous Bailey really did make me smile!!!!

29/08/2024

Come and have fun with your dog! Daytime classes for all ages Monday and Friday mornings, Canford park Westbury-on-Trym. Spaces available for September start! Obedience, tricks, scent games! Build a brilliant bond with your dog through fun classes!

23/08/2024

📣Calling all puppy parents! 📣

Our friends at Tug-E-Nuff have a BRAND NEW phenomenal puppy play guide and you can get your paws on it for free!

Here’s what’s inside:

🐾 Why play is so important for puppies
🐾 How to play with your puppy (& how long for!)
🐾 The dos and don’ts of puppy play (to save you from mistakes)
🐾 How to find the right toys for your puppy

🙌 3 bonus games your puppy will love

Simply hit the link below and get your free phenomenal puppy play guide here 👇

Packed with our top tips for introducing play, a run down of why play is so important & an unmissable offer

06/08/2024

Look at those spaniel ears go!!! Recall can be hard work with a working breed, training can take time but when you get there and watch them running free it will all feel worth it! Get in touch for 121 help with your dogs recall!

29/07/2024

Puppy class spaces still available for August in Redland and Frampton Cotterell! Come join us for a fun course to train and bond with your puppy puppy.

14/07/2024

Let’s talk seasons! Not the climate variety! So mable is in season, currently on day 19 and nearly out of it! So yes when they’re in season we need to be careful, to keep them on lead and away from the boys! But don’t let that fill you with dread…. We have used it an excuse to find different random places to walk…. Bradley stoke has lots of big grass verges nr the roads so no one’s going to be off lead (hopefully) so a flexi lead here has allowed more exploring and lots of new sniffs! Hambrook common is near a busy road so again not many off lead dogs as there are nicer safer places to go, a long line kept her safe and she could get a decent run. We hired a secure field a few times for safe off lead racing around and ventured into fields where we had lots of exit options and could see the whole field so as not to get caught out! As well as using it to really get some great lead walking practice.
Don’t stress about it, embrace it and find different places to explore! Remember too that sniffy walks are a great way to wear out your dog it doesn’t always have to be about tearing around at top speed!

02/06/2024

NEW PUPPY/BEGINNER CLASS (daytimes)
Canford Park, Monday 17th June 1030am- 5 weeks, mixed ages, must be friendly around other dogs and people on lead. We have added this is due to being fully booked until 11th July in the Redland/Clifton area. Maybe you fancy a refresher or did a course in the hall and want to practice your skills out in the real world? Get in touch via email
[email protected]

17/05/2024

DogFest returns to Bristol again this year on 31st August/1st September, please do use the discount code to get 20% off your tickets! Great fun for pups and owners. Celebrating there ten year anniversary this year. Enjoy!

11/05/2024

Are you due some warm weather this week? Then it's the pawfect time to remind yourself how you can keep your dog safe during the sunny spell 🌞🐕

More advice 👉 https://bit.ly/3UPdJwg

Image description: An infographic lists ways to keep your dog safe in warm weather. 1. Walk your dog when it's cooler; early morning or late evening. 2. Ensure your dog has plenty of water and shade all day. 3. Do the tarmac test: if you can't comfortably hold your hand on the tarmac for five seconds, then it is too hot for your dog's paws. 4. Take extra care with flat-faced, overweight, unwell and older dogs. Exercise is the most common trigger for heat-related illness so take care not to over excert your dog.

10/05/2024

Hi all! I don’t own ‘the perfect’ dog. Far from it. But I’m a trainer right, so they should be perfect! Sorry. Not so! I’ll be honest my last few dogs were pretty good, off lead anywhere, lead walking was good, sociable, happy, didn’t really need to worry about much! But right now I’ve got myself a very easily over stimulated spaniel, and management is key to a lot of our life! When we do our regular walks and keep to a bit of a routine she’s awesome! She can walk so well, recall well. She can recall away from a huge play/chase with her best mate. Her best mates owner thinks she’s amazing as I can recall her away in an instant from play. She’s amazing at agility, like amazing with a capital A!
She loves it, but tonight we walked to the pub had food and walked home! Something so simple to many dogs. To her this was TOO much, she was wired in new spaces, new situations. She did great at the pub but walking home was so past her best I stuck a head collar on and just did my best, she was past it!
She is teaching me so so much about owning a ‘non standard’ dog, I like to call her special! I love day to day life and we have got to so many positives! But she will possibly never be that easy dog that makes you look like a great owner/trainer! She will always be my special girl and I will always strive to give her the best life ever! I think I might love her more for it 💕💕💕💕💕 isn’t she just gorgeous… I think so!
I would love to help with your special dog! It’s all doable just needs a bit more planning ###

01/05/2024

Let’s talk training- how often do you take your dog out not for a walk but to train….. today for instance I took Mable out to practice lead walking in a busy high street as we live in a quiet village. We headed to henleaze, parked up and walked to the other end and back with no time pressure, no rush and a lot of focus on rewarding and getting the correct behaviour. She dealt with people walking past, appearing from shop doors and even an escaped dog that ran across the road that we attempted to catch. We then went to Canford park to work on recall around water using the duck pond and a long line. My spaniel is water obsessed so I need her to learn self control around water.
So often people say they are struggling with something be it lead walking or recall but they still go out each day to do the ‘daily walks’ with the same problems occurring.
Stop- change your mindset and go out to practice. If they chase birds go to a duck pond to practice them disengaging and being rewarded, if there lead walking is rubbish go out just to practice, stop worrying about getting somewhere. If they run off in the field put a long lead on and go do some fun games in the park rather than walking round the perimeter.
Once you have a good behaviour go proof it in lots of environments. Lead walk in woods as well as on pavements, recall on the beach, from water or just increase the level of distraction of the environment gradually.
Enjoy the process and you will get the end result you wish for 😊

24/04/2024

New puppy? Come and join our puppy classes for a fun, informative and positive approach to building a fantastic relationship with your new dog. Small groups, based in Frampton Cotterell and Clifton/Redland in Bristol. Contact us now at [email protected]
Www.Mutleys.co.uk

13/04/2024

A sniffy walk can be as tiring as a full on off lead race around, if not more so. Don’t turn pup into an adrenaline j***y by being ‘go go go’ all the time. Mix up your walks to do a sniffy walk on a longer lead. Sniffing wears out the brain, wearing out the brain wears out the dog!!!!! Someone’s been curled up on the sofa all afternoon 😃 happy dog, happy dog mom!

21/02/2024

Ah the joys of training! A reminder of things that are important! Once you have trained a behaviour remember it’s super important to proof that behaviour in different environments, however today proved that it’s also important to proof the behaviour in different weathers too! Mables pretty good at lead walking for a one year old (nearly) working spaniel, but if you had seen the first five minutes of today’s rainy walk you’d think she was bonkers! She loves water and the puddles blew her crazy mind! 😂 It took patience and staying calm and perseverance but she got there! We enjoyed a lovely lead walk - no way were we going back to the swamp like field again after lunchtimes walk!
Training is a journey it takes time and patience and sometimes a sense of humour! Bloody love this crazy spaniel 💕💕💕