Elmtree Dogs - Training & Behaviour

When Lupo met Ozzie… 🧡 Although he was a bit too excited 😅, Lupo did extremely well meeting Ozzie for the first time today 🤩 We’d been told Lupo was dog friendly and had lived with other dogs previously, however I was seeing lots of frustration building when seeing dogs, resulting in barking, lunging, spinning in circles… So today was about assessing Lupo’s behaviour and giving him chance to play with a known dog You can see in the video Lupo is like velcro to Ozzie! But he was very gentle in his play - if we ignore the attempts of humping 🤦‍♀️😅 Lupo is on his longline here as his listening skills were not up to scratch! A work in progress Overall, a great walk showing Lupo will be a great dog with a bit more training 🧡

Lighter nights means more time for training my own dog! Terrible timing from me in this video, I was trying to concentrate on the equally terrible filming 🤦‍♀️ This is Lupo’s second quick session to introduce him to scentwork - is it cheating to send him through the UK Sniffer Dogs grades when he’s the instructors dog? 😅 I did have some better videos of him but unfortunately his lipstick was also making an appearance so I won’t post them 🙈 #scentwork #germanshepherd #dogtraining

The reality of dog training - sometimes it doesn’t always go to plan 🤣 Here’s a video of Lupo, seemingly ignoring my two requests to come back closer to me. He’d picked up a scent and needed a second to sniff and weewee 🤭 What this video doesn’t show you, is his usual reaction of handbrake turning and zooming back to me on the dot (that would be an impressive video right?) In fact, you’ll see at the end of the video once he’s done his thing he comes back to me at speed (I think he actually lost sight of me and panicked as you can see the moment he spots me) Here we were in a secure field so I took the opportunity to see what he was going to do, rather than going and collecting him (If we were in an open field he’d have his longline attached in case of moments like this) Most people won’t show you the videos of it going wrong! But this is real life! A work in progress! Lupo has lived with us for a mere 6 weeks so actually I think he’s doing super! We know the bits we need to work on so it can only get better from here

🤔 What do dog trainers do on their days off? Train their own dog of course! 🤭 Here’s a snippet of what me and Lupo have practiced this week 👇 Starting in a quiet car park so we have less distractions, although a couple of people walked past My main goals were rewarding focus and engagement with me, and also some nice heelwork 5 weeks ago this wouldn’t have been possible. Lupo has come on leaps and bounds since coming to live with us, he’s learning to trust and listen, and he’s learnt how great toys and food are as a reinforcer So, maybe it looks like I’m walking in circles in a car park, but there’s so much more to it than that for me and Lupo 🧡 Disclaimer: shortly after this, a cat decided to join the party and Lupo wanted to stalk it, so the session abruptly ended 🤣🤦‍♀️

I’m finally getting used to no longer having a dog in the house ❤️‍🩹 #petloss #petbereavement #rainbowbridge

Here’s a quick peek into what we get up to in our group dog training classes 🤩👇 Whether you’re bringing home a new puppy, or want to brush up on your dog’s skills, group dog training can have many benefits: 🐾 Building & strengthening your bond 🐾 Learning in a controlled environment - but one that comes with distractions! 🐾 Being around like-minded people 🐾 A safe space to learn & ask questions Check out our page or website for our upcoming classes and courses! 🐶 With lots of dog trainers around, why should you choose us? ✔️ Our trainer holds a BSc (Hons) & MSc degree in Animal Behaviour & Training ✔️ We have your dog’s welfare at heart - rest assured we only use safe and kind methods ✔️ Our classes are fun & friendly! ✔️ We have helped hundreds of puppy owners kickstart their training journey Feel free to pop us a message, or alternatively contact us on: WhatsApp: 07718943210 Email: [email protected] Website: www.elmtreedogs.co.uk Can’t make a group class? No problem! We also offer individual training sessions - get in touch to find out more

A lovely sunny social walk for our Dogs Club this afternoon! ☀️ Featuring Rolo, Peggy and Bella

A whole week without Fudge, and I’m still cutting her a share of cheese 🧀 ❤️‍🩹 #petloss #petbereavement #rainbowbridge

A reflection on the last week ❤️ #petloss #petbereavement #griefjourney #rainbowbridge

TUESDAYS TRAINING TIP 🐕 Continuing the theme for January’s TTT of focusing on training equipment and tools: • Invest in a longline for training • *Usually* when using a longline, it allows your dog to have more freedom … unless you’re Max, who sometimes doesn’t understand that I’m allowing him 10 metres of freedom instead of his lovely heel walking 😆 I meet lots of puppy owners that are worried about transitioning to off lead freedom, and I always recommend starting out with a longline first. This way you can have the safety of catching them before they bolt away and build your own confidence at handling your dog off lead Of course, we should be practicing an excellent recall, building on the distractions so that our dog can still respond to us - your longline can aid your training while still giving your dog a good run and sniff safely 💡 Some top tips for longlines: 1. Get a waterproof line! I once made the mistake of using a fabric longline with a dog suffering with runny poops 💩… I’ll say no more 🫣 2. It takes time to learn how to handle a longline well. For me, the best way is to loop the lead like in the video, hold it in one hand with my palm to the sky (it stops the lead dropping), then releasing one loop at a time. Then simply loop back up as needed 3. Is your training going well? Then drop it like it’s hot! Yep, to further aid my transition to off lead freedom, I’ll attach my longline, but let it trail behind my dog. I’m now hands free, but I still have an emergency grab handle for my dog 4. I prefer a thick, brightly coloured line. The thickness of the one in the video stops it becoming tangled as much as others I’ve used, and the bright colour means I can always see it, and subsequently where my dog is! 5. Attach the longline to a harness for ultimate safety If you’d like more info on longlines or recall, let me know! Emma at Elmtree Dogs (BSc, MSc, UKSD Scent Detection Instructor) Whats

🦴 Treat of the Week - Fish Skin Flats 🐟 🦴 The perfect treat if your dog likes a fishy snack! Low calorie, crunchy air dried fish skin Take them as a whole piece or pre cut into bite size strips! 🏷️ Full Piece - 50p each 🏷️ Bag of Strips - £2 Available at your classes and sessions, as well as our Christmas Fair stall on 8th December! 🎄

A little rant about my current thoughts… I’m finding it tough at the moment to find the joy and remember the reason I love my job 😞