Snuffle Dog Training and Walking

15/10/2025

Give this a read, even if you think your pup is ok with them ……..

Preparing for fireworks If your dog is okay with fireworks, don’t take this for granted! It doesn’t matter if they’re a puppy, adult or a senior dog. Sound sens

09/10/2025

Does your pup have a well known pattern you can return them to to help them out? 😊

06/10/2025

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Choosing a dog isn’t about the fluffiest coat or the cutest ears. It’s about finding a teammate whose instincts match your lifestyle. Every type of dog was shaped for a purpose, and that purpose leaves fingerprints on behaviour today.

Love structure and training? Herding breeds could be your match. Bred to work in partnership with people, they’re wired to notice signals and respond instantly. No surprise Border Collies top the charts in problem-solving and trainability (Helton, 2010; Fugazza et al., 2019). They need movement, routine and a job.

More social and outdoorsy? Gundogs like spaniels and retrievers were built to hunt alongside humans. Research shows they score high on sociability and responsiveness (Svartberg, 2006). They’re motivated by the environment, so your work will be channeling that energy into engagement outside.

Prefer wide open spaces and quiet companionship? Sight hounds like greyhounds and whippets were bred for bursts of speed and independence. Studies show they score lower on contact-seeking but higher on calmness (Kubinyi et al., 2009). Gentle, understated, but brilliant partners if you value space.

Want a tactile, loyal best mate? Bull breeds were shaped for close human interaction and resilience. They thrive on contact and often score high in sociability (Normando et al., 2011). They’ll share your sofa, your bed and probably your bath if you let them. Intense, funny, full of presence.

The truth is simple. Looks reflect function, and function shapes behaviour. Breed differences are measurable and predictable (Müller et al., 2015; Ilska et al., 2017). Saying “breed doesn’t matter” isn’t progressive, it’s irresponsible. Breed matters. Matching the right type of dog to the right type of human matters more.

28/09/2025

Lovely little Betty smashing settle training! 😄

17/09/2025

Does your dog like the rain? ☔️

Hope isn’t up for anything today. Is the sick? No. Is she hurt? No. Does she not like the training? No. I could work harder to motivate her but frankly, she’s tired and she doesn’t like the rain.

Trainers, the seasons shape behaviour more than we often acknowledge.

Research shows heat reduces activity and interaction in shelter dogs (Coppola et al., 2006). Cold can boost activity in northern breeds but suppress short-coated dogs (Asher et al., 2013). Humidity makes panting less effective which means stamina drops (King et al., 2004). Wind scatters scent plumes so detection dogs must work harder (Gazit & Terkel, 2003) often resulting is less engagement on the owner in interesting spaces.

Many dogs show anxiety before storms because of barometric pressure and static changes (Dreschel & Granger, 2005). Not forgetting those seasonal shifts in daylight which influence serotonin and melatonin which alters energy and sleep cycles (Lincoln et al., 2006).

When a dog is off, sometimes it isn’t the training plan. It is the weather. With the season changing - we can expect a few little changes in some of the dogs we work with. Good trainers learn to recognise that. And great trainers learn to adjust. For us in the UK it’s time to use your inside spaces for kitchen sessions again.

Remember - great summer freedom is shaped by clever winter training. ###

www.thejrhacademy.co.uk

08/09/2025

Next courses start end of September, puppies, adolescents and adult dogs, something for all 😊🐾🐾

06/09/2025

Time for an ostrich foot! 😋

28/08/2025

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When we teach a pup a new skill, the memory is first held in the hippocampus, like a scratch pad. During deep non REM sleep the brain literally replays the experience and transfers it into long term storage in the cortex (Rasch & Born, 2013). Without this, the memory simply fades.

It is not just facts and associations that get processed. Motor skills and mechanical patterns consolidate during REM sleep. In humans, Walker et al. (2002) showed that performance on motor tasks improved only after sleep. In other words, the body gets better at what it practiced while the learner is unconscious. The same applies to a puppy fine tuning coordination, balance and lead work.

Sleep also boosts problem solving. Wagner et al. (2004) found that subjects were twice as likely to discover hidden rules after a night of sleep. For a puppy, this might mean piecing together how cues, rewards and environments link up.

And the reverse is true. Just one night of deprivation severely restricts the hippocampus from forming new memories (Yoo et al., 2007). A puppy that is kept constantly busy, over handled or over trained without sleep will struggle to learn.

So when your puppy curls up and crashes after training, that is not lost time. It is the moment the learning takes root. Protect it.

18/08/2025

Adolescent/ adult classes going well in Ringmer 😊 working on focus 🐾🐾🐾

08/08/2025

A free course from a reputable organisation, if you want to know more about what your dog is saying give it a go 😊👍

29/07/2025

Yep, we should do what we can to train them with clarity 😊👍

23/07/2025

The opportunity to chew often is a calming activity for our dogs, choose an appropriate item for their age, tonight it’s an ostrich knee knuckle for Miss T 😍
( if your dog resource guards then a different item, if any - safety first)