A Game of Dogs

04/11/2024

New puppy/beginners class starting 25th Nov @ 11am, based in Parkham. A 4 week course of fun learning for you & your pup. Numbers are restricted so book to avoid disappointment. Please contact me by private messenger or WhatsApp for more details.

02/11/2024

I have been lucky enough to work with this beauty, Sonny a young Golden retriever. His people wanted to start his training nice a young which is absolutely the best way. Unfortunately our first session wasn't overly productive as Sonny had a full belly and was feeling a little tired but that's pups and we have to listen to them. No point in trying to force them to do something they don't want to. Training is supposed to be enjoyable & something they want to do. However we still managed a few basics including some engagement exercises. Our second session went a lot better & we cracked lead walking and recall with plenty of distractions. Way to go Sonny, keep up the good work 💙

30/09/2024

Just an old post but still valuable 😊

The dog in the picture is a gorgeous, young male boxer called Frank. Now Frank has zero recall. Actually, I lie. Frank has great recall in a training environment but take him out to the woods & it's goodbye Frank. So how do we deal with this. According to social media, Frank should never be off the lead. Frank should be trained until he's allowed off the lead. Unfortunately many dogs & their owners get a seriously hard time on social media if they are not 100% but it may be controversial me saying this, a dog trainer but dogs make mistakes & a young hormonal male dog is not a robot with an off switch. Over the last 2 weeks, Frank's recall has improved but it's far from perfect & when he does run off & I get him back, I have to resist every fibre in my body and not put him on the lead. What does that teach him. He comes back & all fun is ended. Enjoy your dogs but don't beat yourself up if they are not perfect, despite the keyboard warriors 😊

03/06/2024

Had fun with this lovely lot today. An excitable family of dogs to say the least but hopefully I have given their owners the tools to keep these a bit calmer , the household a bit quieter & hopefully the neighbours happier. Looking forward to working with them all again soon 😊

03/04/2024

Well yes I have been a bit rubbish updating this page & sharing pics of the lovely dogs & their owners I have been lucky to work with. Today was little Archie, cute as a button but has a huge personality and does take a bit of time to relax in his surroundings and is a bit reactive when out on his daily walks. We did some fantastic work with him and his owner, Arche showed some lovely engagement, even with the distraction of other dogs. We also discussed his obsession with sheep so we talked about doing a bit of habituation. Basically placing yourself at a safe place from sheep so he can observe & basically work it out for himself. Apart from holding the end of the lead the owner doesn't get involved. He may jump, cry, bounce around, get his adrenaline up but then he can learn to bring it down until everything is just very boring. The first time may take a long time but that time will lessen until one day, no reaction. Us humans getting involved can often heighten the situation and then a behaviour is learnt & worsens everytime.

18/03/2024

Today's training session was with miniature Dachshund, Mia & her owner Lee. These little dogs are extremely popular these days but recall can be an issue, after all the dachshund was bred to scent, chase, and flush out badgers and other burrow-dwelling animals. The miniature dachshund was bred to hunt small animals such as rabbits. So they can get distracted very easily by a good smell. So today we worked on getting Mia's attention & then getting that recall sorted which she did amazingly. Hopefully I've given Lee a few tools to work with so that recall keeps getting better.

03/03/2024

Everyone who is thinking of getting dogs should read this because you need to understand this reality:

***I am a 21st century dog.***
-I'm a Malinois.
Overskilled among dogs, I excel in all disciplines and I'm always ready to work: I NEED to work.
But nowadays I get asked to chill on the couch all day everyday.

-I am an Akita Inu.
My ancestors were selected for dog fighting.
Today I get asked to be tolerant and I get scolded for my reactivity when another approaches me.

-I am a Beagle.
When I chase my prey, I raise my voice so the hunters could follow.
Today they put an electric collar on me to shut up, and you make me come back to you - no running - with a snap of your fingers.

-I am a Yorkshire Terrier.
I was a terrifying rat hunter in English mines.
Today they think I can't use my legs and they always hold me in their arms.

-I'm a Labrador Retriever.
My vision of happiness is a dive into a pond to bring back the duck he shot to my master.
Today you forget I'm a walking, running, swimming dog; as a result I'm fat, made to stay indoors, and to babysit.

-I am a Jack Russell.
I can take on a fox, a mean badger, and a rat bigger than me in his den.
Today I get scolded for my character and high energy, and forced to turn into a quiet living room dog.

-I am a Siberian Husky.
Experienced the great, wide open spaces of Northern Europe, where I could drag sleds for long distances at impressive speeds.
Today I only have the walls of the house or small garden as a horizon, and the holes I dig in the ground just to release energy and frustration, trying to stay sane.

-I am a border collie
I was made to work hours a day in partnershipwith my master, and I am an unmistakable artist of working with the herd.
Today they are mad at me because, for lack of sheep, I try to check bikes, cars, children in the house and everything in motion.

I am ...
I am a 21st century dog.
I'm pretty, I'm alert, I'm obedient, I stay in a bag...but I'm also an individual who, from centuries of training, needs to express my instincts, and I am *not* suited for the sedentary life you'd want me to lead.
Spending eight hours a day alone in the house or in the garden - with no work and no one to play or run with, seeing you for a short time in the evening when you get home, and only getting a small toilet walk will make me deeply unhappy.
I'll express it by barking all day, turning your yard into a minefield, doing my needs indoors, being unmanageable the rare times I'll find myself outside, and sometimes spending my days sunk, sad, lonely, and depressed, on my pillow.
You may think that I should be happy to be able to enjoy all this comfort while you go to work, but actually I’ll be exhausted and frustrated, because this is absolutely NOT what I'm meant to do, or what I need to be doing.
If you love me, if you've always dreamed of me, if my beautiful blue eyes or my athletic look make you want me, but you can't give me a real dog's life, a life that's really worth living according to my breed, and if you can't offer me the job that my genes are asking, DO NOT buy or adopt me!
If you like the way I look but aren't willing to accept my temperament, gifts, and traits derived from long genetic selection, and you think you can change them with only your good will, then DO NOT BUY OR ADOPT ME.
I’m a dog from the 21st century, yes, but deep inside me, the one who fought, the one who hunted, the one who pulled sleds, the one who guided and protected a herd still lives within.
So think **very** carefully before you choose your dog. And think about getting two, rather than one, so I won't be so very lonely waiting for you all day. Eight or ten hours is just a workday to you, but it's an eternity for me to be alone.

26/02/2024

At last a dry day! Anybody who wants to get their dogs recall or reactive behaviour a bit more under control before those summer months. Think of lovely relaxing walks with your dog on a beautiful sunny day. If you have a problem, call me 😊

22/02/2024

So, I'm back doing what I love doing alongside my job at Witten Park Vets. My first training session since moving to Devon & I was incredibly lucky to work with the lovely Bryn, a large male Cane Corso & Clare his lovely but long suffering owner! Bryn has a few issues, he's super reactive, dogs, people, cyclists in fact whatever he chooses. Which is tough because he is such a big, strong dog. For our first session we worked on Bryn getting a bit more focused on Clare, giving him plenty of feedback & letting him know when his behaviour was correct by plenty of reward. Also a bit of change in Clare's body language made a world of difference. He's far from being perfect & we have lots to work on but I'm confident we'll get there with him. Sadly his last trainer recommended having him Put to sleep so let's hope we continue to make positive steps.