Esk Valley Dog Training

25/11/2025

🐾 FREE Resource Guarding Webinar – This Saturday at 9.15am 🐾

Resource guarding is one of the most misunderstood dog behaviours.

👉 Most owners miss the early signs
👉 Many people do the wrong things
👉 And without realising it, they accidentally make the behaviour worse

Growling over food… stiffening when you touch a toy… giving “that look”…

These aren’t “bad” behaviours – they’re early warnings that your dog is struggling.

If you ignore these subtle signs, things can escalate fast.
That’s when guarding can turn into snapping, lunging or biting – not because your dog is aggressive, but because they’re desperately trying to communicate.

I see so many lovely owners who tried to help but were given the ❌ wrong advice and made the problem much worse.

It doesn’t have to reach that stage.

And if you understand resource guarding properly, you can prevent it altogether.

This Saturday at 9.15am, I’m hosting a FREE live webinar that will show you:

🔹 The BIG mistakes almost everyone makes
🔹 What to do (and not do!) if your dog guards food, toys, space or people
🔹 How to prevent guarding behaviour before it develops
🔹 Why punishment and “taking things away” backfires
🔹 Simple steps to help your dog feel safe, calm and confident

Whether your dog guards or not, this webinar is essential.
Every dog owner should understand this – it can stop behaviour problems before they start. 🐶💛

👉 Click the link to save your space

18/11/2025

Little Poppett
1/8/08 – 18/11/25

Last night we said goodbye to our beloved Poppett. She’d been doing okay, but her breathing suddenly worsened and we rushed her to the vet. It all happened quickly — just as everything always did with her.

Poppett moved through life with such grace and speed. She was a tiny whirlwind of athletic energy, and I was always in awe of her abilities. If she’d been human, she would have stood on an Olympic podium.

We were blessed to have so many years with her. From the moment we met her as a kitten at Lothian Cat Rescue, she chose us — especially Margaret, hopping up onto her back as if she already knew where home was.

She brought joy, mischief and spirit into our lives.
We’ll miss her more than words can say.

I want to thank everyone who has helped care for her over the years, especially and recently the team at Heritage Vets

10/11/2025

👀 Does your dog tune you out when it really matters?

If you’re calling their name and getting blank stares, you’re not alone — most dogs struggle to focus when the world around them is full of distractions. It can make training feel impossible.

That’s why this simple game is where everything begins.
In this clip, Louise works with Ted on automatic eye contact — teaching him that looking at you is always worth it.

Using a cheerful “Good!” as her marker, Louise rewards Ted for choosing to focus.
He’s learning:
✅ How to offer attention on his own
✅ That calm focus earns rewards
✅ Not to mug hands or sn**ch treats

It’s a small exercise with a massive impact — the foundation of every recall, loose lead, and calm behaviour you’ll ever train.

🎯 We teach this to every dog we work with, because attention is the key that unlocks everything else.

📍 Based in Midlothian, the Esk Valley team can show you how to build this kind of focus and connection with your dog too.

05/11/2025

04/11/2025

🐶 Does your puppy ignore you once they’ve found something to sniff?

You call them… but their nose has other ideas.
It’s frustrating, isn’t it? Especially when you know they can come back — just not when there’s something interesting on the ground.

Here’s the truth 👉 sniffing is one of your puppy’s strongest instincts.
If you try to fight it, you’ll lose every time.
But if you train recall from a sniff, not against it — everything changes.

In this video, Molly (our Puppy Specialist) shows how to use a snuffle mat to teach your dog to come away from a distraction calmly and happily.
It’s an amazing first step toward real-life recalls — when it really matters.

🎥 Watch the video and see how simple it can be.
Then visit Molly’s page for more puppy recall tips and support 👇

02/11/2025

02/11/2025

Looking forward to back to work tomorrow with wonderful clients. Had a fantastic week off, mushing with Huskies!

What a brilliant Xmas pressie this was and had it on my birthday week too!

29/10/2025

Beautiful day

28/10/2025

What an incredible experience!