The Puppy Adviser

11/09/2024

‼️NOW FILLED - MORE WORKSHOPS WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOON…‼️

🐾 Who’s going to be the lucky team 🤔🐕‍🦺

One space has unexpectedly become available on the next Scentwork Introduction Workshop this Sunday with Jo Dyer of Positive Connections.

🐾 EVERY dog can benefit from scentwork, whether 12 weeks old or 12 years plus.

Sniffing is our dogs favourite thing to do - it’s how they make sense of the world.

🐾 Imagine your favourite activity being taken and enhanced - made better, bigger, more fulfilling, more fun, more challenging, more rewarding, more enriching…
Then imagine how afterwards you felt less stressed, calmer, your pulse rate is steady and stable, you find it easier to relax…
How amazing would that be 😲🤩

🐾 Book that place and you’ll find out 🥳🐕‍🦺

www.thepuppyadviser.co.uk

10/09/2024

🐾 The opportunities and potential offered by my new training facilities at Lower Farm (home of The Rowdey Cow Cafe) are amazing.

The farm has a resident group of Guinea Fowl and they are likely to appear anywhere at anytime 😬

Saturday’s puppy graduates met them in the field during some final recall work and I managed to capture these great behaviours from Teams Hettie and Angus 🤩

I now run regular recall sessions available to anyone with a puppy/dog 12 weeks plus.
Each session is 1 hour and features games, top tips and lots of opportunities to practice.
You can book just one session or look out and book on them all.
Each one will be different, not least because the attendees will be different!
If you would like to be a Rowdey Recaller, head over to the Group Training page of my website.
The final September session has a couple of spaces remaining and I’ve just added the first one for October…
www.thepuppyadviser.co.uk

Fun Fact: a group of Guinea Fowl is called a “confusion” - apparently they tend to forget that they can fly 😂

09/09/2024

🐕‍🦺 Are you setting yourself and your puppy/dog up for success? 🤔

🥳 New Year is not the only time for resolutions.
Whether you want to change an undesirable trait in yourself or your dog, accomplish a goal or continue to improve, every new month, week and day offers this opportunity 🤩

💪In order to become the best team you can be, here’s a few things to think about:

🐾 Ensure you have met your puppy/dog’s physical needs - appropriate exercise, the right amount of sleep & rest, good food, fresh water.

🐾 Ensure you have met your puppy/dog’s mental needs - appropriate socialisation, appropriate enrichment.

🐾 Be prepared - have rewards ready and any equipment you might need.

🐾 Introduce anything new at home with as little distraction as possible.

🐾 Keep your training short - 3-5 minutes at intervals throughout the day.

🐾 Train with kindness, patience and fun.

🐾 Reward generously.

🐾 Be ready to capture anything good or desirable that your puppy/dog offers at any time

🐾 Don’t train if you or your puppy/dog are not in the mood.

🐾 Stop training if you or your puppy/dog are getting frustrated.

🐾 Turn your walks into sniffari’s & fun training opportunities - it’s all about the big, outside adventure.

🐾 Make time for play and for just being together - your relationship and bond is so valuable.

🐾 Book classes - small groups: offer individual attention; explain why; show you how; give you the opportunity to proof known behaviours in a new environment with different distractions; enable you to learn new things; allow you to meet like-minded people; let you know you’re not alone; keep you motivated; provide something for every one & every dog

🐾 Book 1:1’s - for those questions and struggles unique to you and/or you puppy/dog.

🐾 Always seek advice from a qualified professional - it’s what I’m here for!

🐾 Don’t compare yourself to anyone else - you and your dog are a wonderful, amazing unique team.

🐾 Love your puppy/dog for who he/she is 🥰

The photo (rebecca.reed.photography) is of Kermit & myself training together with the fabulous Jules Morgan Teach Your Gundog at a workshop hosted by South West Dog Skills

08/09/2024

🐾 Apologies if you have seen this elsewhere but it needs to be shared.

It is never acceptable to pretend to be something or someone that you are not.
It is unethical and in no way professional.

Over the years, if you had asked any reputable person in the dog training world their thoughts on this person, their reply would never have been positive.

This programme and this person are nothing more than manufactured television.
It’s just so sad that this leads people to think this is dog training…☹️

⚠️ 𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏 𝑫𝒐𝒈𝒔 𝑩𝒆𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 (𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒚) 𝑩𝒂𝒅𝒍𝒚

Yesterday, I received the following email from a researcher for the TV programme *Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly*:

"𝑀𝑦 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑠 (redacted) 𝐼 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑇𝑉 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑤 ‘𝐷𝑜𝑔𝑠 𝐵𝑒ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 (𝑉𝑒𝑟𝑦) 𝐵𝑎𝑑𝑙𝑦’.

𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑠 ℎ𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑛𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑚 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝑤𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑛𝑒𝑥𝑡 𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑘 𝑖𝑛 𝐿𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑎𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑟𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝐿𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑚.

𝑊𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑑𝑢𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑛 𝑇𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑑𝑎𝑦 10𝑡ℎ 𝑆𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑜𝑔 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑟 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑏𝑜𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑚 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑢𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑛 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑜𝑜𝑛. 𝑊𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑓𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑜 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑤𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑑𝑜𝑔𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑎 𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑝ℎ𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑒.

𝑊𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑑𝑜𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑛𝑜𝑛-𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑏𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑙𝑦 ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑔𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑠.

𝑃𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝑚𝑒 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛. 𝑂𝑓 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒, 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦’𝑑 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑐𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑎, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑎 𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑠𝑘𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑠!"

My first thought was to delete the email. I'm not a fan of Graeme Hall. I've watched a few episodes of his show, and in my opinion, he seems to make things up as he goes along, relying on outdated training methods.

However, I was puzzled. Was the “cravat” unwell, and they needed a stand-in? I'm a nobody – why on earth would they want to film me training a dog when there are so many high-profile trainers out there? Curiosity got the better of me, so I decided to give the researcher a call.

I'm still in shock as I write this. The researcher explained that they wanted to invite me to Lytham with my Border Collie to "demonstrate" to Graeme Hall how I would train my dog not to respond to a phone ringtone.

Graeme would then take my training method and use it to teach the Border Collie of the family seeking help – all while filming it for his TV show!

WTF 😳😳😳

I decided to dig a bit deeper and reached out to the force-free dog training community to see if anyone else had experienced something this bizarre.

It turns out that many trainers had also been asked to attend filming sessions to show Graeme how to train dogs before the cameras rolled. Most reported that they refused because of his methods, but a few had shown him and his team how to train a dog, only to be dismissed without any credit for their expertise.

I then did some open-source research on "The Country’s Best Dog Trainer," as the *Daily Telegraph* calls him. He has no formal training in canine behaviour or training. He’s essentially winging it with the help of whatever trainers are willing to show up and assist him.

According to his website, he charges £875 per session 🤔😧

Now I’m not someone who normally criticises other trainers. I prefer to let my clients decide if I’m the right trainer for them based on how I work with their dogs.

However, I couldn’t let this pass without making it public knowledge.

If you're looking for a dog trainer, please avoid this programme and this man. You have no idea whose techniques he’ll be using week to week, and given that most qualified and accredited trainers want nothing to do with him, the quality of training you’ll receive is questionable at best.

Instead, do your own research and find a local trainer who aligns with your own dog training ethics. Organisations such as The IMDT or APDT - Association of Pet Dog Trainers can help guide you to qualified & accredited trainers in your area.

𝑷𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒅𝒐𝒈𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒔!

07/09/2024

🐾🎓Check out this morning’s Puppy School Graduates - they loved the graduation plinth and were very pleased with their rosettes and quite rightly so.
Super group to work with.
Congratulations Teams Aria, Donald, Hettie and Angus 🐾❤️

06/09/2024

😬 I need to start doing lots of videos but it’s something I find a little scary so I thought I’d start with something simple 😂

🐾 Here’s a video walk & talk of where to park when you come to a group session and how to find my unit. The weather, type of lesson and time of day will determine whether we train inside the unit, outside on the courtyard, in the field or generally around the farm 🐾

😱 I dare anyone to comment with how many times I said “um” 🤣

06/09/2024

🐕‍🦺 As soon as I saw the stone plinth in my indoor unit, I decided it would become the graduation plinth. The problem is, I’ve only remembered to use it once 😂 but what a lovely photo it made ❤️

My other two Gundog Foundation classes graduated last week.

So many achievements from Teams Champ, Bonnie, Rogue, Rocket, Honey and Willow.
Thank you for being such fun to teach and giving it your all.

September Gundogs is fully booked but October will be added to my website very soon.!

04/09/2024

🐾 🐕‍🦺 9 month old Labrador Olive looks super pleased with herself and so she should!

One of the most common training requests when puppies head into adolescence is for help with pulling on the lead, recall around other dogs and excitable jumping.
With their brains busy growing and messages being rerouted to more reactive receptors, it’s not surprising.
It’s easy to forget previously taught behaviours and to find everything else so much more interesting.

Over 3 sessions, we went back to some proven, reliable, solid foundations starting at home in the garden, then a small, quiet park before finishing with a known walk in the local area on the final session.
Olive’s humans were great to work with, taking everything on board and putting in lots of practice.

Lovely feedback in an email:
“Thank you so much. It was lovely to work with you too. Olive loved it…She’s been so much better!”

Team Olive are committed to keeping up the good work and planning to come to some of my classes to continue her learning and support her through adolescence 🥰🐾

Recall and loose lead are essential, key behaviours and two of my absolute favourites to teach whether 1:1 or in my small group classes.
Book now if you’re finding it hard work!

03/09/2024

🐾 Puppy Labradoodle Tedi had her very first session today and after talking toilet training, sleep, teething and biting with some of her team, we headed into the garden to learn all about the value of hanging out with your humans, introducing a little recall and walking alongside without a lead ❤️

02/09/2024

🐾🦮 Recently, I posted about genetics and the huge impact genetics have on a dogs behaviour.
You cannot train genetics out of a dog but you can work with them through appropriate planned socialisation, positive training, safe & loving environments and meeting of needs in alternative ways through physical and mental enrichment.

I’m also starting to post about nutrition, because diet affects behaviour (as well as health) too.
Food can contribute to lack of focus, hyperactivity and more through various means.

Circumstances and events are also of crucial importance when it comes to our dogs.
Never underestimate not only the impact of trauma but what is perceived to be traumatic by dogs, remembering that each and every dog is his/her own unique individual…

Thanks to Koven Moodley - Smart Pet Behaviour for a great post.

⬇️⬇️⬇️

TRAUMA IN PETS

Trauma in dogs and cats, or any sentient being, affects the brain...they can't 'just get over it' as the very structure of the brain can be changed by the traumatic experience or experiences which impacts how they view the world and others around them. Our pets can therefore seem to 'overreact' to situations in which other animals seem totally comfortable in, which may be confusing to us. Some guardians may also consider their pet to be stubborn, needy or naughty when they are actually being retraumatised.

Common traumas to animals include, but not limited to:

1. Long periods of separation and isolation from physical touch, affection and love
2. Physical abuse
3. Emotional abuse like being shouted at for indoor soiling
4. Aggression by other animals
5. Punishment given during the performance of natural behaviours like digging, barking, chewing or licking
6. Physical needs like food, water, shelter and safety not being met
7. Forced into scary situations repeatedly which cause stress and anxiety
8. Domestic violence
9. Harsh and aversive training methods and tools - yanking, corrections, shock collars, slip leads, prong collars, kneeing, shoving, pushing, dragging, pinching, etc
10. Home invasions, burglaries and robberies
11. Car accidents or hijackings

All animal are different with unique personalities and experiences so forcing your pet into situations which make them afraid or stressed only serves to reactivate the old traumas or create new ones. Don't expect them to 'just get over it' or to be like the other pet you have or had. You also cannot train it out of them. Be curious and seek to understand the animal in front of you while understanding the root cause of their emotional responses and hence behaviours.

Trauma normally comes with PTSD but it can be healed over time though understanding, patience, persistence, love and empathy.

Most South African pet insurances cover the assessment fees for Smart Pet Behaviour so reach out now to book a trauma assessment for your pet.

Whatsapp 071 893 3199









📷.mcgarry

02/09/2024

🐾 😊🐕‍🦺 I have provisionally opened up another September Puppy School, starting on Tuesday 10 September at my new facilities in Rowde.

If you would like to enrol yourself & your puppy or any dog with no previous training history, please visit the Group Training page of my website www.thepuppyadviser.co.uk or click on the link below:

https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=25269955&appointmentType=67765853

01/09/2024

🐾 This clip popped up in my feed and I love it 🥰

When and how you reward your dog whether for a behaviour or task well done or for a few seconds bonding during time out is so important.

Think food - how it’s delivered, where it’s delivered, value to the dog, quality, quantity

Think toys - type, interaction involved, favourite toy, surprise toy

Think touch - a fun wrestle, tummy tickles or long, soft, gentle strokes

Think verbal praise - a quick marker word, an excited, motivating voice, a calm soothing voice

Think activity that will be enjoyed - a chance for a swim, digging

Think outside the box…a reward should very rarely be just one treat!

01/09/2024

🤩🐾 WOW - what a Saturday!

I’m collaborating with the amazing Jo Dyer of Positive Connections whose passion for scentwork combined with her knowledge and insight for bringing the best out in both dog and handler is second to none.

Her ethos aligns very much with mine.
Being with your dog, learning and working with your dog is all about teamwork and relationship building.
Rock solid foundations are essential.
Confidence comes first alongside encouraging independence and creating motivation.
Every dog is worked at the level appropriate for them.

Scentwork is a great mental workout and Jo enhances the experience for all by working from the very beginning in true operational style, just like police or drugs dogs do.

The morning workshop started 5 teams on their sniffer dog journey while the afternoon workshop took 4 teams who have already started their journey and worked to progress those all important key skills.

Congratulations to Teams:
Teesha
Stan
Merlin
Lily
Frazzle
Sprout
Rocket
Bonnie
Pippa

There’s one space left on our next Introduction Workshop on Sunday 15th September and save the date, Sunday 13th October if you want to move on to a Progression Workshop.

Details on and coming soon to my website www.thepuppyadviser.co.uk 🐾❤️

31/08/2024

🐾🦮 With 10 years in the pet supplies business as the founder of Calne Pet Supplies, my ethos has always been that nobody should be food shamed for what they feed their dog.
The choice out there is overwhelming and I always sought to give people the very best advice appropriate to their budget, so they could feed the best quality they could comfortably manage.
I stocked foods from all the different groups: raw, cold pressed, wet etc.
I also stocked an increasingly comprehensive range of nutritional supplements.
I chose all my food, treats and supplements stock based on the quality of the ingredients, the benefits and variety of use.
What we feed our dogs is so important. It can have a huge impact on their behaviour as well as their health.

One of the more recent supplements to come to the market has been goats milk.

I have always been a huge fan of goats milk for puppies and dogs (it’s also suitable for kittens/ cats and rabbits) but I never stocked the branded puppy or kitten milks as too many were either made from cows milk or had added ingredients, so would always direct potential customers to the supermarket for goats milk.

Now it’s readily available in a very convenient powdered form which can simply be sprinkled over any food, reconstituted to make a refreshing drink or even frozen into Kongs, onto LickiMats etc.
There are so many nutritional benefits and lots of great ways to use it.

I stocked Karnlea Goats Milk at the shop as well as TopLife’s new Puppuccinos for a bit of fun!
As I completed on the sale of the shop, just a couple of weeks ago, Karnlea announced the exciting launch of their Goats Milk Plus.

Calne Pet Supplies is now under the ownership of Kate McLaughlin.
Pop in to pick up some goat’s milk for your canine - a tasty, beneficial, nutritional addition that can also provide enrichment too 🦮🐾

30/08/2024

❤️ Team Flo - one part Spanish Water Dog x Springer, one part human 😂

I’ve known and worked with them since Flo first came home.
We’ve enjoyed 1:1’s, Puppy School and as Flo entered adolescence, we focused on some reactivity.

Her family have worked to support and train her every step of the way and life was settled and happy.

I was so upset to be returning for a series of coaching walks after Flo was attacked and pinned down by another dog who had escaped from its owners house as she walked by.
Not only did this rock Flo’s confidence and resilience, it understandably rocked her humans.

We had our first coaching walk this week and I couldn’t have been more proud of the team in front of me.
I took these photos at the end of the first session. Flo had just been rewarded with a dip in the water when we were “invaded” by passing dogs, children, scooters etc!

Everything that was needed to set Flo up for success was in place and Flo responded so well.
Love the loose lead, the opportunity to look from a safe distance, marking re-engagement, pairing positive things with potentially scary things, relaxed human body language and great use of the natural environment to raise Flo up, something which many dogs find particularly reassuring and gives them a focus.
And all this came from Flo’s human, using all her knowledge and understanding from previous training to meet Flo’s needs.
I felt like a spare part 😂

Go Team Flo 🐾🥳🐾

🐾 Coaching walks are a great way to fine tune your skills, put training into practice, rebuild confidence, introduce new things with guided supervision etc.
They are available to any client who has trained with me in any previous capacity 😊

29/08/2024

🐾🤔 🐾 Until relatively recently, dog training methods and strategies focused on changing behaviour to match human desires & expectations of dogs. It was regimented and didn’t leave room for anything else.
Trainers taught sit, heel, stay.
Owners performed the exercises together and hoped their dog would comply.
Punishment, through use of equipment and techniques that we now know causes discomfort and emotional distrust at best, pain and trauma at worst was common.

🤨 Sadly, there are still many trainers that subscribe to these methods and owners that endorse them - all in the name of “a quick fix”.
Trainers that want the social media glory but aren’t prepared to spend time and money learning, researching, understanding.
Owners that seemingly have no respect for the emotional, living being in front of them, aren’t prepared to spend time but happy to spend money to have their dog supposedly transformed in front of them

🤔 If this really worked for the life of the dog and didn’t cause pain, distrust, emotional shutdown, physical problems and so many other issues, why wouldn’t we all still be doing it?
Sounds so easy and simple doesn’t it?
Why aren’t we doing it with children?
How quick and easy would an electric shock be to let a child know “we don’t like that, we don’t want that”?
How simple to leave a metal chain or a thin piece of rope around their necks (or their “muzzle”) and give a sharp tug or let it tighten and tighten when they weren’t being perfect, no matter what the circumstances.

🥰 Good training involves:

🐕‍🦺 understanding breed traits
🐕‍🦺 natural behaviours
🐕‍🦺 developmental stages
🐕‍🦺 knowing how to communicate
🐕‍🦺 meeting needs
🐕‍🦺 setting realistic ground rules and boundaries
🐕‍🦺 establishing routines
🐕‍🦺 practical life skills

🐾 Good training is based on ethics.

🐾 Good training is being proactive not reactive.

🐾 Good training is setting yourself up for success in order to set your puppy / dog up for success.

🐾 Engaging with good training, by learning, understanding, being realistic, preparing even before your puppy / dog is welcomed into your family, means you are far less likely to encounter problems or perceive there to be problems as time progresses.

😊 I am a training provider.
I’ve spent and I continue to spend and will always do so for the life of my career (and no doubt beyond) time and money learning through all means available to me.
I’m not an expert, training is a lifelong journey and as we learn more, it will continue to evolve.
But, in all the work that I do, whether small group classes or 1:1’s, I understand and apply all the aspects that good training requires.
I work ethically and holistically, using proven science-based methods and providing rewards that our dogs love in return for asking them to co-exist in our crazy world.
One of my key training goals is to achieve a happy dog supported by an informed, supportive, realistic, happy owner.
That makes me happy too! 🐾❤️🐾

28/08/2024

🐕‍🦺 Lots of new 1:1 clients starting as we head towards September and I’m so looking forward to meeting them 😁

🐾 Here’s a few photos of some of my August ones ❤️

27/08/2024

🐾 When I started studying to become a trainer, I didn’t start by learning how to teach recall or loose lead or any other of the many things that we can teach and train our dogs to do.
I started by learning about genetics, pregnancy and the first 8 weeks of a puppy’s life because it is these factors that will play a huge role in determining the dog that will develop.

Our dogs are a combination of genetics, environmental experiences and circumstances and it is now widely acknowledged that it is these genetics and environmental experiences that define their behaviour.

In the 1970's Murphree and colleagues did studies on the fearful behaviour of Pointers.
A group of Pointers were obtained and segregated according to their behaviour: nervous dogs vs. normal / stable dogs.
Nervous were bred to nervous and normal were bred to normal.
Within a few generations the nervous dogs showed less exploratory behaviour in new environments, were more likely to freeze at a loud noise, and less likely to greet people. Cross-fostering "nervous" pups onto "normal" bi***es had no effect on behaviour.
All bi***es and pups were raised and handled in a similar fashion, minimising the environmental influences.
Attempts to modify the nervous pup behaviour with both training and drug therapy met with limited improvement.

How genes exert their influence on behaviour is not a simple situation and as a result of this complexity, genetically influenced behaviour problems may not show up quickly.
It is therefore, important for breeders to follow lines closely for multiple generations to determine if there are undesirable as well as desirable traits coming from lineages.

Environmental influences on the behaviour of a puppy start in the womb with tactile sensations, temperature variations, etc.
From birth to three weeks environmental influences are also critical to behavioural development. Gentle handling and enrichment, known as early neurological stimulation, should start shortly after birth.
Adequately stimulated puppies have better coordination, higher sociability towards people and are less fearful in new situations than un-stimulated puppies.

The behaviour of the bitch also plays a role in the pup's development. A hand reared puppy may suffer from lack of social interactive skills, have a slower maturation process and be more prone to disease than a pup reared by the bitch.

There are further developmental stages where experiences more greatly influence puppies than at other times.
These are known as the sensitive periods.
The most sensitive period for socialisation, for example, is between 3-12 weeks of age.
Puppies should be with their mother and littermates until they are approximately eight weeks. This allows for adequate interaction and development of communication and social skills with littermates.
Between eight to twelve weeks of age, puppy should be introduced to situations, people, animals and experiences (sights/sounds/textures/smells) that it may need to interact with later in life.
New experiences should be made positive by engaging in play, verbal rewards or giving treats. Fearful or shy puppies should never experience things in an anxious, nervous or worried state.

Whether you welcome a puppy, a private rehome or a rescue from this country or another into your life, he / she will come predisposed to a variety of behaviours that you may enjoy as well as those that you may not want.

Choosing to welcome a dog into your life should be one of the biggest decisions you will ever make.

Kermit at 8 weeks old ❤️

26/08/2024

⬇️ 🐾🐕‍🦺 So true…! 🐕‍🦺🐾⬇️

25/08/2024

🐾❤️ Starting a new relationship is a really big deal.

When we bring a dog into our lives, whether an 8 week old puppy, a private rehome or a rescue from this country or another, we are committing ourselves to a new relationship.

All relationships have their ups and there downs, no one ever said they are easy and whether overtly or covertly, to ultimately be a source of happiness and fulfilment, any relationship should involve:
love
connection
trust
mutual respect
dignity
understanding
give & take
acknowledgement of individual needs & desires
time
space
kindness

When it comes to our dogs, we also need to include safety, ensuring at all times that our dogs feel safe and protected.
And, we also need to include training, in every shape and form, because if we don’t train our dogs, how on earth are they going to know what behaviours are desirable and what are not.
No dog is inherently naughty, they are simply not trained, understood or given choices.
They haven’t been shown, guided, supported, rewarded, listened to…
If your dog does something you don’t like, it’s not their fault…

Training, working with your dog as a team, teaching them what you would like, learning with them, growing with them, having fun with them, discovering new things with them, supporting them to be successful is a key to their heart.

Start that training journey - don’t leave it too late 🐾❤️

😂 The photo is of my lovely partner, Matt and our Springer Spaniel, Bugsy, chilling out at a local Chilli Festival back in 2015 and waiting I seem to remember for The Wurzels to come on stage 😂
Bugsy was 6 when Matt came into our lives and they loved doing things together, building an incredible bond.
Bugsy left us in 2020, just 3 weeks before his 15th birthday - a very special boy 🐾❤️🐾