APro Dogs - Specialist Reactivity Dog Training

29/05/2025

27/05/2025

Why are dogs the best?

This weekend I went through a very tough time. I went AWOL and unfortunately by doing that I was not at my best and this showed a level of unprofessionalism I hate to show.
(Also it’s nothing to do with Mr Titan if anyone was worried about him he’s actually doing very well!)

However, I spent most of the weekend out in the middle of nowhere with my dog Penny.
I was morose and walking so pitifully slow, unable to even walk at a normal pace. I stopped many times and just sat on the ground and cried.
But Penny was just awesome.
She kept stopping every few feet to look behind her to make sure I was still there. Every time I more or less crumpled to the floor she came and sat with me, pressing her body as close to mine as possible and just sitting with me, licking the tears off my face and making me smile.

She helped me to feel better and though we may not find love with others or get the love we deserve from others, our dogs are always there to give us as much of their love as physically possible.
So here’s to dogs.
Truly man’s best friend 💖🐾

21/05/2025

If you agree with any of these statements then you’re not alone.
Thousands of dog owners struggle with reactivity everyday. But it doesn’t have to be this way. It can be resolved and it can get better… quicker than you might think.

We specialise in behaviour modification with a perfect success rate, fair prices, provide detailed reports and use methods which are evidence and psychology based.

Whatever your issue, we’re here to help you and your dog!

20/05/2025

🐕 I have availability to take on a couple more clients! 🐕

Do you need help with or want to work on:
-Reactivity (all kinds)
-Leash pulling
-Recall training
-Muzzle training
-Crate training
-Socialisation of puppies and adult dogs
-Resource guarding
-Nuisance barking
-Scent work
-General obedience

I offer:
-1-2-1 sessions of up to 2 hours per dog
-Payment plans (book in advance or at session)
-The ability to work with all breeds and type of dog: working/high-drive/pet
-A lovely rosette when you achieve sign off from training and a certificate! 🎖️

I believe in:
-Resolving behaviour as quickly and efficiently as possible whilst listening to the dog and never rushing them or forcing them into situations they are not well-equipped to deal with
-Not charging you the earth!
-Teaching YOU how to train YOUR dog
-Giving you and your dog as much support as you need, and I am happy to answer questions as often as you need
-Allowing your dog to be a dog!
-Honesty. I will utilise all techniques available to me to help your dog and will be honest about what will work and what will not. I will also always tell you if I am unable to help you and put you in contact with other trainers rather than just taking your money. However, I have not yet had to do this with any of my current or past clients

🏋️‍♀️ I am a balanced trainer based in Derbyshire but do cover any area of the United Kingdom.
I mainly utilise positive reinforcement and confidence building techniques.
My main aim in training any dog is for them to achieve a standard of training that allows them the most freedom to just be a dog!
I do not believe in punishment and nor do I believe in the “alpha” methods which are out-dated. Training should, overall, be a fun and positive experience for your dog.

📖 If you want to book, you will firstly need to have a consultation for most types of training. This allows me to assess your dog’s behaviour and to draw you up a full report and training plan. We will then have our first session and work on modifying your dog’s behaviour. After each session, I will draw you up a mini training session report which details what we went over, things for you to work on, top tips, things we will work on next session, and I will fully explain the reasoning and psychology behind any training method I suggest.

20/05/2025

Shout out to APro Dogs Penny!
I often utilise Penny in sessions to help with many of my clients so you may have been lucky enough to meet her yourself!
Penny is a 5yo French Bulldog who has Syringomyelia. Syringomyelia is a condition which causes spinal fluid to build up in the spinal canal and often presents with deficits in proprioception, toileting, phantom scratching and an intolerance to having things around their neck and face (like a collar).
You probably wouldn’t notice that she has this condition as she is the happiest dog alive!

Penny also has a very stable temperament and is well socialised. She will socialise with dogs who approach her in a calm and respectful manner but will also correct dogs with poor social skills and who are rude. She is incredibly stable and is the perfect dog to help rehabilitate reactive clients as she is consistently neutral. Neutral meaning she can have a dog in her space (that is respecting boundaries) without the need to interact or react.

For example, yesterday we were working with a reactive dog and Penny just lay down and did not react to the other dog’s reactive behaviour. It’s great for reactive dogs to work with stable dogs like Penny because a dog that reacts back will ultimately be a negative reaction for the reactive dog and heighten their anxiety.
So we worked with my client dog getting closer and closer until we were able to have both dogs off lead together without either interacting with the other and without my clients dog reacting!
If Penny was also reactive, we would not have got to this stage.
Penny did have to correct this dog around 3 times for rude behaviour; persistent sniffing and barging and rushing into her personal space.
My clients dog took these corrections very well and was then respectful of her personal space.

Stable dogs who can provide fair and firm corrections and never escalate beyond a correction (eg to a full fight) are a great tool to use as they can develop other dog’s social skills who may be lacking. Reactive dogs often have poor social skills so once they have enough confidence (which can take months) to work with a stable dog, they quickly learn what is and is not correct.

In the dog world, mother dogs will correct their puppies harshly but firmly and fairly. And this is EXTREMELY important for puppies to learn the correct social skills, know when to back off from a dog and to learn how to read other dog body language.
Another good example was yesterday my clients dog was reacting at Penny at one stage and Penny just created distance from the dog whilst looking to me for direction. She obviously did not appreciate the dogs behaviour but could see the dog was uncomfortable with her in that space and took it upon herself to move away and ask me what to do next. A dog who is not well socialised or confident would possibly interpret the client dog behaviour as a threat and try to instigate a fight. Penny however was not threatened by this but simply moved herself out of the situation.
Of course, when the client dog rushed into HER space and failed to read her body language that she was uncomfortable (whale eye, looking away etc) she was valid to give a correction. Whilst she respected the dogs space, he was unable to do so himself.

The correction was a great learning curve for him because as he now has some confidence, he can begin to learn how to socialise properly, how to read body language effectively and how to respect another dogs space.

By the end of the session, as I said above, he was able to be off lead around Penny, focus on his owner, disengage when asked and even multiple times disengaged off his own accord.
Hes now learning that this behaviour is not acceptable (rushing up, barging, nuisance/pushy sniffing) and we are now beginning to set him up towards neutrality and the ability to socialise in a respectful and calm manner.

CAVEAT- whilst corrections are a useful training tool, do not force your reactive or under confident dog to be in these situations without taking considerable time to build their confidence and ability to self soothe first. Without this foundation, even a fair and positive experience will likely shake their confidence that is already too low.
If you have friends or people you know that say their dog is “balanced”/“stable”/“neutral” and offer to have your dogs meet and socialise to resolve reactivity, please note that reactivity training relies heavily on taking considerable time to build dog confidence. And many typical owners are not proficient enough in understanding dog behaviour. You may end up putting your dog in a situation which they are ill equipped to handle and with a dog that is potentially not actually that stable or well socialised.
Please work with a trainer to overcome reactivity and to utilise safe and balanced well socialised dogs to teach social skills if needed. Not all reactive dogs lack social skills but a lot of them do.
This is why many dogs who are put in dog classes or doggy day care to overcome reactivity end up becoming worse because they lack the self confidence to deal with these situations, they lack the ability to socialise well and are around dogs who actually are not that much of a good example.

15/05/2025

Unpopular Opinion (that shouldn’t be unpopular)
Doodles are actually GREAT dogs!

As someone who is arguably the biggest advocate for responsible breeding practices, this may come as a bit of a shock, as doodles typically are not bred responsibly… but irresponsible breeding doesn’t take away from the dog itself. We hate the irresponsible breeding practices NOT the dogs themselves.
And doodles… are honestly some of my FAVOURITE dogs to work with!
They have great drive; they can be trained to a very high standard, and they are capable of doing so many dog sports and activities well.
The smartest and most talented dog currently on my roster is a doodle. And a lot of the dogs I see on my placements that are typically the most well-behaved are in fact doodles!

Now, this isn’t a post advocating for irresponsibly bred dogs. At all. You should still always only purchase puppies from responsible breeders that do FULL health testing. So, if you’re looking to purchase a doodle puppy, you MUST make sure that the breeder can provide evidence that the parents have been health tested to the breed standard of their breed. For example, if it’s a Poodle mum and a Cocker Spaniel dad, then the Poodle should have had breed club standard health testing for a Poodle. And the Cocker Spaniel also should have had breed club standard health testing for a Cocker Spaniel. If both parents are doodles, they still should have full health testing. Though there is no breed standard for health testing for doodles, any responsible breeder should be testing their eyes, ears, temperament, genetics, spine, hips, elbows and hocks etc.
You may be hard pushed to find this. If all fails, and you can’t find a responsible breeder, please consider adoption. There are plenty of doodles in shelters that need loving homes, and they can be GREAT dogs.
And, if you want a puppy but can’t find a responsible breeder and don’t want to adopt, consider a different breed that has similar characteristics; Poodle, Portuguese Water Dog, Lagotto Romagnolo, Barbet, Pumi, Spanish Water Dog, Otter Hound, Bedlington Terrier etc etc.

Doodles typically get a bad rap, and I think that is mainly because people get them for the wrong reasons. Whilst they look like your typical cute cuddly lap dog, they really are not. They are a dog that loves to work, they love to train, and they love to be kept busy. When doodles have their needs met, they can literally be a perfect dog for couples, families or single people.

People in the dog world typically hate doodles blindly because of the poor breeding practices that are usually attached to doodles. And I’m sad to admit that I was one of these people. But the same poor breeding practices happen literally across ALL breeds. So, to just hate doodles specifically and to not understand that responsible breeding has a place in ALL crossbred and purebred dogs is silly. Whether you have a purebred show German Shepherd, a Cockerpoo, or a purpose bred mix protection dog, you need to always make sure that a puppy you are considering purchasing has had proper health testing.

ALL dogs, crossbred or purebred, can be bred responsibly. And one isn’t better than the other just because of its breed history (typically). Though, of course if you’re looking for a dog for a specific purpose (whether that’s a job, sport or show prospect) you will need to consider what breed would be right for you.
An example is me. When considering what I would want my next dog to be; a short-haired, medium to large, well-bred, fully health tested, all-round sport prospect (mainly scent) that could turn its paw to working trials/IGP and also have some success in the show ring, it would be clear that I would need a dog that is purebred because I want to show. It would also be clear that I’d need a dog with working talent, particularly scent, and also the ability to protect its handler. I settled on the Dobermann Pinscher because it has a working ability and has a history of being a successful protection dog. They have a good ability to track scent and scent detect.
So, for me, the Dobermann would be a good choice as it, typically, should be able to fulfil the role I want it to play fairly easily. It would be silly for me to get, for example, a French Bulldog to do all of these things. Whilst I’m sure a Frenchie could have a go at all these sports, TYPICALLY, they wouldn’t have as much success as a Dobermann across all areas.
Though, I’m sure Titan and Penny (my current French Bulldogs) would beg to differ lol!

So, if you’re considering your next dog, think about what you want. Research the breed/breed mix, speak to owners, breeders, attend shows and sports clubs or approach your local trainer and ask them some questions about what breed, in their experience, might be a good fit.
If you want a dog to sit on the sofa all day every day, then a doodle might not be right for you! But there are certainly breeds out there that can fulfil more or less any situation.

So, don’t hate doodles just because of the stigma attached to them. Appreciate them for the dog they are and try your best to raise awareness for responsible breeding practices.

24/04/2025

💔💔💔

16/04/2025

And this is why trainers get such a bad rep!
As a trainer, you should NOT be selling endless sessions and getting nowhere.
A lot of behaviour modification does take time and changes are seen after groundwork has been laid down (whether that’s to increase confidence/build engagement) and this doesn’t happen overnight.
It takes a lot of commitment from the owner.
And this is why I space out sessions by increasing intervals. There’s no point in you using paid sessions for us to go over the same thing. I’d rather give it a couple or few weeks for you to put in the work before we increase intensity or add in extra things. This is vitally important for most behaviours rooted in anxiety; such as reactivity. It takes a long time to build the confidence of the dog. Think of it as you going to the gym with a personal trainer. If you just go once a week and don’t bother putting the work in yourself, results will be slow. But, if you train yourself as often as you can and utilise the techniques they’ve taught you, progress is quicker and your trainer can then increase intensity each time they see you.
Then you will eventually reach a point where you don’t need the trainer. And that is my end goal.

Many trainers that offer a quick turnaround with behaviour modification (and I’m talking 1-2 sessions) are usually using an aversive tool. And whilst I am not against aversives, I think it creates an unreal expectation for owners who want to go down the positive reinforcement only/force free road.
Aversives can yield very quick and lasting results. If used properly. Positive reinforcement can take more time but has equally as long lasting results and is typically better for fear based cases. I would not typically use an aversive for a fear based behaviour, especially in a severe case. But, if after months you’ve not made any improvement, of course it might be wise to look into using another method. And this is to stop you spending hundreds of £s and spending countless hours getting nowhere. Any trainer who is not willing to utilise other methods in these cases I believe is not an ideal trainer.

Whilst aversives get a bad rep, they do have a place in dog training. They can give a dog a happier and fuller life quicker. Aversives can also be good tools to use in cases where owners can’t or don’t want to be consistent and put the work in. But, aversives should NOT be used without the guidance of a trainer because using them wrong can make behaviour worse. Just like any tool though, even using a harness or leash wrong can make behaviour worse.

So avoid any trainer who is unwilling to work with you and get timely results by utilising all tools and methods available in a safe way. Avoid any trainer who sells countless sessions and says they need to come and see you and your dog 2, 5, 7 days a week. Even my most severe cases I see once a week at first and then decrease every session or so, just the same as any other client! Whilst the amount of sessions may be more for a severe client, I shouldn’t need to be seeing them countless days in a week to keep going over the same thing. The dog needs time. And so does the owner.
Avoid any trainer who takes your dog off you, shows how perfect it can be and then hands it back to you and says job done. That isn’t dog training. Dog training is about training the owner to train their dog. And contrary to what people may believe, the success in a dog trainer lies in their ability to train and work with owners.