How do you train loose lead walking? It's easy when you start really young...
Are you waiting for puppy classes? Then you'll probably be starting this too late. That's why our 121 puppy packages are so great - real skills from the moment your puppy arrives home, along with lots of ongoing support. When your puppy is old enough you can choose to add in some group training classes to run parallel to your learning with us, but there's no substitute for 121 early learning.
Kind, ethical, years of experience and a high level of academic learning in dog psychology.
Teaching vital life skills, Stuart aged 11 weeks...
Learning loose lead walking and join-up on his first solo walk. He loves the company of our other dogs and friends, but this early and ongoing 121 time is so important too.
Another wonderful social walk yesterday. 15 dogs and owners.
These walks aren't just a 'free-for-all' - they're carefully supervised with particular emphasis on making sure we avoid affecting anyone else's enjoyment of our green spaces.
This video shows us doing our regular 'STAR' - everyone walks away from the group and quietly waits for their dog to follow them. From charging around together to full focus on their owners in just a few seconds with no commands or stress. Magical.
Another highly reactive dog fixed in one session!
Reactivity, let's meet our latest little project. Dobby, is a rescue Standard Dachshund., with his new owners for just a few weeks.
They quickly realised he found the world outside of the home very challenging. So they asked a local trainer to help. They put some methods in place and left them to get on with it, this strategy didn't work for Dobby or his owners. Giving treats, holding Dobby still, and trying to distract him are never going to resolve this problem.
They called us last week, desperate for help, they felt they couldn't keep him if he stayed in this state of distress when out and about.
We are full-time behaviorists, work with many different issues, and have a range of kind, reward-based methods we can use to reach the desired outcome. But ultimately we want every dog to be the happiest dog it can be. Understanding each breed, and how the people are able to adapt and learn a new way of caring for the dog is a huge part of what we do. ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL!!
We spent an hour with Dobby, and we demonstrated how the method chosen for Dobby was going to work, before allowing our stooge dog Izzy to come into the field and interact with Dobby. He barked a lot!! but displayed fairly relaxed body language, we used our methods to teach Dobby he had other options available and he could now trust his people to help him resolve things. Within 20 mins he was starting to learn how he could use these new choices to feel relaxed and happy. The barking reduced, he was happier, and equally importantly his people were delighted.
This is the start of the journey for Dobby, with our support and carefully managed interactions Dobby will learn how to deal with the big scary world.
The moral of this story is, would ask a plumber to fix your car? NO. Dog trainers are a vital part of helping our dogs to live happy and safe lives, but if you have a behavioural issue get help from a full time behaviourist. We are always happy to refer a case to someone el
Correct socialisation is vital for young dogs, but how do you do it? It forms a huge part of our Puppy Packages, but here's a few tips:
Work in real life situations with a loose lead or off lead. Indoor classes are often not an appropriate environment.
Give your dog space to assess situations - walk a little way away from approaching dogs or walk around them in an arc. Your dog can then choose whether to stay with you or go and interact with them. Just like you might, with a group of strangers.
Your dog needs to be calm in order to make good choices and understand other dogs - so encourage sniffing, and never take a ball on your walks.
Stand upright with confidence - to give your dog confidence.
Keep moving - if you stand still watching dogs, they're more likely to play up!
Never let your dog meet another dog if either of the leads is tight - this causes anxiety and removes their ability to interact naturally.
If you think your dog has become reactive to other dogs, get help fast - it can nearly always be resolved with the correct help.
UPDATE - here's a video of Archie loving our social walks after 7 years kept away from other dogs due to 'dog aggression'!
Case Notes - Archie
So this week we assessed a gorgeous little pug x shihtzu, aged 7. The problem? Aggression towards other dogs.
Yet again we heard that they had tried a local trainer and got nowhere.
Within 10 minutes we had Archie off lead and having the time of his life with other dogs, running free in the park.
This is so life-changing for him and his owners - in their own words "Thank you so much! Honestly, we have no words 😊 just thank you! Feels like a new beginning".
Please don't let dogs like Archie suffer years of captivity on a lead needlessly - if you're a trainer you should be referring cases on if you don't have the experience, knowledge or confidence to deal with them. If you're an owner - well, you know who to contact!
Did you know we offer FREE social walks every week for our clients? It's very popular, and by invitation only. Many of the dogs you see here have previously been branded dog aggressive or unsuitable to go off lead - and look at them now! It's great for integrating puppies who've had our Puppy Packages too, learning about dog-to-dog body language, gaining valuable social skills and at the same time reinforcing their bond with their owners. It's a great confidence boost for owners too, and we're on hand with free advice for any issues they're experiencing. Many of our clients have been coming along for years, they love it!
This surely has to be the best job in the world...
