Bushey K9 Training School

11/10/2025

01/10/2025

Love this and had to nick and share….

In this photo you see two species, a human and a dog. The human has approximately 1 billion neurons in their brain while the canine has appoximately 500 million. This is a comparison of the two species and the silly expectations people place on dogs:

1) Human - Given two plus years to accomplish potty training.
1) Canine - Human wants canine potty trainined in two weeks or they will have to rehome the dog....Please take the diaper off your eight month old human and let them crawl around your floor, lets just see the results....

2) Human - Gives human babies pain relievers and various numbing agents to help appease the pain of teething.
2) Canine - Punished for chewing on things that they find that eases their pain.

3) Human - Encourages young humans to run and play with endless forms of mental and physical stimulation.
3) Canine - “I have got to teach this dog to calm down!!!”

4) Human - Given 20 plus years to complete an education and become a productive member of society.
4) Canine - Expected to behave flawlessly for life after taking just one six week obedience class.

5) Human - Given sick and personal days from work and endless excuses for poor performance.
5) Canine - Expected to perfom perfectly 365 days a year with no questions asked. Canines are also not allowed to feel bad or forget.

6) Human - Expects a pay raise anually for the job they perform.
6) Canine - Humans demand their dog perform better every year without continued education and also don’t believe they should reward the dog for the work they perform.

Canines are used everyday to keep us humans safe in a multitude of ways.
-They are our eyes when ours go dark~
-They are our ears when ours fall silent~
-They are our noses to help find bombs, drugs, cancer, and allergens to keep us safe from harm~
-They are trained to alert us to an oncoming seizure or low blood sugar attack~
-They help find missing victims of natural and man-made disasters~
They protect us from harm everyday, without expecting healthcare, a raise, a title, a better car, a bigger office or one with a view, and….they do this for us all because of their innate desire to please.
Their unconditional love is without bounds.
They deserve that in return and so much more~

Dear human....If you don’t train, don’t complain, you’re to blame.

01/07/2025

Best not take them on car journeys. Not worth the risk of getting caught in traffic

18/06/2025

The 5 Second Rule you should actually follow!

Surface Temp/Heat Chart here--> https://bit.ly/3TIQ0tM

18/06/2025

What questions should we ask when training our dogs or teaching them anything (anything at all)?

Dogs live in a human world. We have to teach them to live in that world in a way that is kind, effective, and meets their needs. The starting point for our dogs lives is that we decide almost everything for them. We decided to breed them, to adopt them, to take them places, wamgat food they eat, where they sleep, what activities we do and so on.

Given this, it's imperative that we deeply consider what we do with them in relation to the behaviours, skills and habits we both develop.

1. Is this necessary? Not everything we do with our dogs is absolutely necessary, but it's a great starting point to determine whether we should or shouldn't teach it.

2. Does this enrich our dogs' lives? Do these activities provide mental, physical, social, emotional enrichment?

3. Is there any downside for the dog in this? It the activity night tick number 2, but if there's a downside, we might reconsider..

4. Is there an alternative activity/behaviour we can teach which meets 2 but has no, or less downside?

5. Is this for us or the dog? Confirmation shows are solely for tje human, as far as I'm concerned. Exaggerated breed standards are for human fancy. Oversized mastiffs, bulldogs, pugs, dachshunds etc are good examples of this. Dobermanns and Boxers where heart conditions are accepted as being "part of the breed" are another. All competion in dog sports is for the human, the sport itself, not necessarily so.

By considering these, and more, we put our dog's welfare at the forefront of what we do with them.

Can you think if any other questions I may have missed?

I know this post may be provocative (provoking thinking rather than emotional reaction is the goal). Long held thoughts, views, and beliefs may be challenged. If you have questions, please ask, I'll do my best to answer but I'd ask that you think about what I've written rather than using logical fallacies, those get tiresome and I have little time for them (they've been fault common of late).

https://train.glasgowdogtrainer.co.uk/

Click the "claim freebie" button in the link for a chance to win a free membership of our online community for a year.

13/06/2025

Our new dog walking chart for the upcoming heat spell..🌡️ Please share! Thanks! CWA

14/04/2025

27/02/2025

How to prevent resource guarding from puppyhood a and beyond

1. Puppy/dog proof your house - keep all items which may be attractive to your dog out of reach. These include anything with our scent - hairbrushes, dirty laundry, shoes, etc. Pretty much everything you don't want your dog to have.

2. Give your dog plenty of enrichment toys, and interact with your dog while they have them. We may not play with our dog with toys in the house. If your dog learns you interact with them when they have a stolen item, but not a legal item, they may learn to steal stuff in order to get time with you.

3. Leave your dog be while eating. There is no need to fuss over them when they are. Just leave them be.

4. Slightly contradictory to point 3, drop high value food (cooked chicken for example) next to your dog's bowl while they are eating (and leave them be). They'll learn that you approaching them means good things. And leave them be, no petting them for "being good" in this instance.

5. Teach a drop or trade. This is not done by saying or shouting "drop it" at increasing volumes. If your dog has something they're not supposed to have, don't chase or get angry. Put some treats down next to them. If they drop it, praise, more treats, gently pick up the item, don't grab for it.

"But will that not teach them to steal stuff?" If we're doing point 1 well, no. If we do the training properly, no. Even if we do, it's better than the alternative of snapping or biting.

6. Listen to the move away or growl. If they do either, they're telling you they need more space, don't escalate. Use your big human brain to work out how to resolve it without violence.

If you're needing help with resource guarding, please get in touch. We have both in person and remote options to help.