Muzzle Training
Muzzle Training 😊
An important skill for all dogs!
We know some dogs need to wear muzzles to keep them safe or it is a legal requirement (don’t get me started on that one!) Conditioning them to one so they are comfortable with it is a skill most guardians will have done for those dogs.
Lots of guardians will say that their dog doesn’t need a muzzle, and in normal day to day life that may well be the case however, life doesn’t always go according to plan 🤷♀️
Honestly, you never know when or if your dog may need to wear one.
Preparing them for situations where it might be needed is a skill that can’t be underestimated 😊
Eddie and Blaze can stand and place their nose in the muzzle but will also lay down and place their nose in. It actually doesn’t matter where the muzzle is they happily place their nose in it. 😊
If your dog is hurt and injured it is very possible that they may only be able to communicate their pain by snapping or even biting when you try to help them. Dogs will try to protect themselves from more harm, they have no idea at that moment in time that you are trying to help.
If injured they may well be laying on the ground so being able to place a muzzle on when they are laying down is a skill in itself that can be incredibly valuable.
Training your dog to wear one in a calm, positive way means they’ll feel comfortable and relaxed if they ever need one. It’s a useful and I believe essential skill.
Want to know how to start? Comment below or pop me a message and I’ll help you 😊
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When you’re trying to film some lovely loose lead walking and check ins you realise who loves the camera and who definitely does not! 🤣
Today I want to give a big shout out to Dougal! What a superstar today in his Scentwork session. 🥳🐾
As I think most of you know Dougal struggles with the outside world. He can be very noise sensitive so we have been working with him mainly inside while we build his confidence and love for Scentwork.
Today I felt he was ready to tackle outside in his garden. Now to many this may not seem a big step but for Dougal it really is; outside where traffic is rumbling past and dogs are barking is very distracting and hard to ignore.
He smashed it today, yes he went to look and sniff the air but he did not react to any of the noises and returned to the job he was asked to do 🥳🥳
How far you have come Mr Dougal!! One very proud trainer today 😍
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“Why does my dog always walk right on the fence line or the hedges on walks or pull to get there?”
A question that is often asked when working on loose lead walking 😊
When scent moves, it behaves like a bit of smoke or mist, moving with the breeze or air currents. When it meets a fence line, hedge, or verge, it tends to get “caught” because these barriers disrupt the air flow.
The scent get snagged on leaves, grass, or the fence itself, making it hang around longer and spread more slowly.
Your dogs get a stronger, more concentrated whiff of the scent as they follow along the line. It’s nature’s way of setting up a track that’s easier for them to follow!
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Is Scentwork Time-Consuming?
Honestly, not at all!
Like many people, especially on the run up to Christmas, time can be particularly stretched - which might feel like a barrier to you having a go with your dog.
Scentwork can easily be integrated into your daily routine. You can start with just a few minutes a day and gradually increase the time as your dog gets more skilled and enjoys it even more.
Training sessions can be as short as 2-3 minutes—what us dog trainers like to call "kettle sessions." While you’re waiting for your kettle to boil to make your cup of tea/coffee you can get a training session in 🙂 Just a few minutes of focused training can really engage your dog and provide great mental exercise.
As your dog becomes more accomplished at their new skills, you might find they would enjoy longer sessions. Even then, keeping it to 15-30 minutes a few times a week can work wonders, depending on your schedule.
The good news is you don’t have to do it every day!
Even a few sessions each week can significantly improve your dog’s behaviour choices.
Once you and your dog find your rhythm, it’s really quite easy to fit scentwork into your day!
This session with Blaze was in between my admin work and took us less than 5 minutes to do, he then went off for a nap while I continued my work 🥰🐾
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When Scentwork comes to the rescue! 🥳
Surely I am not the only one this has happened to…
You might remember last year I lost my keys in a huge field, it took me an hour and a half to eventually track them down. 🙈
Eddie, who is my go-to Scentwork Pup was tasked to find them BUT at the time he had never been trained to find my Scent which would have helped him locate my keys.
After that day, I decided to up our training to include my Scent for those just in case scenarios that might happen in the future.
This was him in just his second session! 🥰🐾
Now, he can find my keys pretty much anywhere, which is quite the skill for him to learn given I’m quite the expert at losing them! 🤣
Once you, and your dog understand the basic foundations of Scentwork we can help you to translate it into real life scenarios.
If you would like to learn how to teach your dog to search for specific scents or items and you are brand new to Scentwork.
Send me a message to find out more about my new Nosework Novice Sessions.
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Woody
Today we did some train the trainer 😍
Tara asked for some help and guidance with teaching Scentwork to her dogs 😊
It’s lovely to work together like this to progress both our skills; me as the teacher and in this case Tara as the learner.
Both her dogs have chosen their favourite type of searching 😊
Callie loves the passive searching. She is becoming a real superstar at pipe searches 🤩 and her searching skills are getting much stronger too!
Woody loves Active searching! He found the passive searching more challenging as this requires a lot of stillness, something he is not a fan of! 🤣
Here he is doing his favourite thing out in their garden for the first time! 😍
Can you see when he picks up the scent??
The beautiful ‘knock’ as we call it when he gets a really strong sniff of the scent and then off he trots to find the scented ‘squirrel’
Clever lad! 😍🐾
This week was week 4 of our scentwork class 😊
Our beginners are now starting to search for Kong in different object or places. This week we concentrated on pipe searches, working on setting the dogs up to be ready to search, being slower and more methodical in their searching and handling skills and strengthening their indication criteria. 😍🐾
Meanwhile our Intermediates worked on searching bigger areas and older aged scent while refining our handling skills 😊
We had my van searched for Kong, the area outside the hall searched for a scentwork “squirrel” that had been left out for a while. Both really successful searches with great handling skills. 👏👏
Our next set of classes start on Monday 21st October! Feel free to message the page or email [email protected] for more info or to book your spot. 😊
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Scentwork week 3 - someone loves the catnip squirrel 🤣
I do love it when I receive videos of practice at home 😍
This is Dougal who I have introduced to you all before. He has been doing scentwork with me for a good while now amd he absolutely loves it!
This video shows him looking for his 3rd piece of Kong in these bricks, you might notice him stop briefly twice before he indictates on that 3rd piece, that's because there is residue scent from the previous 2 pieces he found that have been removed!
His guardian does a wonderful job of just waiting for him to move on; no words, no rushing in to help him. 👏
Allowing Dougal to work it out for himself is so good for Dougal's problem solving skills and confidence ☺️
Dougal is noise sensitive, he had a session with me last week and as we were working on the wall search a dog barked outside and a child screamed outside, Dougal stopped searching and spun round towards the sound, pricked up his ears and then almost immediately without any involvement from his guardian or me stopped in his tracks, turned round and went back to searching!! 🥳
He was confident enough to acknowledge those noises, not react and go back to what he loves to do!
Super job Dougal! 😍🐾
I have just ONE opportunity left for you to try out Scentwork with my Summer Offer so if you're thinking about it, pop me a message to arrange a chat and we can talk about how scentwork can help your dog.
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A short insight into today’s Scentwork session with the boys 💙🐾
Lots of fun, lots of learning and if you look carefully can you spot what Eddie finds at the end?
Not only is Scentwork an accessible activity to do with your dog it can also end up being a really useful activity, if like me you lose your keys more often than you care to admit! 🙈
Like many people you might be curious about Scentwork, but unsure if it’s for you. So I thought I would share a few facts to help you decide if it’s time to give it a go for yourself. ☺️
Who can get involved?
Everyone!
Scentwork is an accessible activity anyone of any age and ability can do with their dog, and can be adapted to all learners who would like to have a go.
Not only is it accessible for people, any dog of any age or breed can get involved [not just your wizzy spaniels like I have here]
What are the benefits of participating in Scentwork?
Honestly, too many to count!
Scentwork is fast becoming a leading activity for pet dog owners who are looking to give their dogs an outlet for their brain, especially helpful during heatwaves, or when exercise needs to be limited due to its low impact requirements for either dog or handler!
Dog’s who participate in Scentwork become calmer, build new skills and confidence, as well as develop an even deeper level of communication with their handler.
Interested in learning more?
Send me a message or email me on [email protected] and keep a close eye on the page for more ways you can get involved this summer ☀️ 🐕
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Today I had a 1-2-1 scentwork session with Ryker and Suzy ☺️
We have been working together for a while now, Ryker absolutely loves his scentwork!
He was so good today that I felt we had to show off his skills!
The first part of the video is him finding a new scent of Gun oil that we have just introduced, he searches and indicates the 3 items beautifully and so calmly. ☺️
The 2nd is of him doing his Active search finding a scented toy and return it to Suzy.
The amazing thing about the 2nd part was that there were also 2 unscented toys out as well as the scented one and if you look really really carefully you'll see he picks up and unscented one but decides to drop that and pick up the scented one instead! 🥳🥳 I had placed all the toys very close to one another to see how if he would work out which was the right one, he showed us that he knows exactly what he's doing! 🐕
The last pic is him at the end of the session; exhausted 🥰
When I started working with Ryker and Suzy he was struggling with any kind of calm and could be quite reactive even their garden.
Where are we working.....in his garden! 🥳
I am so proud of Ryker and Suzy.
They have worked to build their relationship and bond and now work so well as a team.
Ryker now a much calmer dog and Suzy knows how to work with him to get the best out of him. 🥰
Superb work guys! ❤️🐾
