Kayleigh Stangroom - Praise and Paw Dog Training

13/08/2021

HONESTY TIME: Who’s dog always comes back 10/10 except when…

They see a dog.

Comment and let me know!

Here’s why I am asking you this,

I want to tell you that you have GREAT recall.

And that recall is not the problem or the challenge going on here,

The ‘problem’ is the choices your dogs make when they see a dog.

Which is why if you tried several YouTube videos, the fanciest treats you can find and everything in between and it’s NOT worked.

When a dog is fixated on other dogs, there is nothing than can break them out of it in that moment.

What is going on for your dog is they emotionally attached, meaning regardless what you have, they anticipate the other dog being more rewarding.

Therefore will make the choice to ignore you chase the dog

But what I wanted to share with you is how you can train your dog to be fixated on YOU vs other dogs, and teaching them how they can make better choices

And to do just that, I have created a Masterclass where we will dive into exactly why your dog is choosing dogs, the three steps to move forward and ONE trick to teach that will get you dog focused on you in less than 5 days.

Join me on the 18th of August at 7pm:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEvcOyspzwrGtOK8gJonVWPGYG0d8PV-xkm

12/08/2021

I have never shared this before, but the most influential person in my life is undoubtedly my two parents, Mum and Dad Stangroom

Although they don’t run my business directly, many of their ideas and values shaped how I lead my life and more importantly, help others.

Both my parents are entrepreneurs, my dad has successfully ran a computer game shop for the last 26 years and when I was around 8, my mum was a childminder and anyone knows my mum, can see the joy and kindness within one conversation.

Growing up I learnt a lot about relationships with people and how to teach people,

My dad I would say is bit of legend and that his customers words not mine, this is not to do with what my dad sells but the charm he has,

He welcomes everyone into his shop, he laughs, he is honest with all his customers and always strives to do more,

My dad’s charisma and dedication to his work even when times were hard, (my dad is 67 and still kept his business going through COVID) is something I am always in awe of and grateful learnt to have the same skills,

It has been instrumental in me being able successfully to train dogs to complete new behaviours.

There will be ups and downs all the time, picking yourself back up after a bad session or your dog not coming back can be hard to do.

My mum on the other hand, her approach to teaching children in her care was something I learned and quickly adopted with those children. Nurture and Guidance are two traits that I use every day to teach 1000s of complete strangers and when I am working with my clients overcome their struggles.

Have you ever heard of the saying ‘it not your dog, its you’?

It is true, we do have to learn, but every human learns differently and that’s the #1 thing any dog owners needs to really transform their dog’s behaviour, if you do understand it then neither will your dog.

AND, let me tell you when the children learnt something and understood it, they had the BIGGEST smiles on their faces – and learning to training dogs can bring that too, which then creates even more joy into the process.

What about you, who has been the most influential person in your life, and why?

Take a moment to think about it… and then go say thank you to that person. :-)

10/08/2021

TRAINING TOOL REVEALED!

Okay, so today’s tool is actually a HUGE tool when it comes to anything with your dog,

AND you all have one.

The training tool is YOU!

Now I am not calling you a tool, but you as an owner are an essential if not necessary to achieve and do anything with your dog,

Your ability to watch your dog to see what they are doing
Your ability to train them new behaviours
Your ability to create a strong relationship with them
YOU are the person making it happen
Without you, where would your dog be?

SO, today I want to challenge you to celebrate what you’ve done with your dog so far even if your not quite where you want to be,

You have given them more than you will ever know.

WELL DONE TO OUR WINNERS!!!

You’ve been added to draw, and I will see you next week for round three!

09/08/2021

Can you Guess the Training Tool?

Hint: It has nothing to do with the dog 🤭

Comment your guessers below, answer revealed tomorrow at 9am

08/08/2021

Sundays are my favourite days of the week,

Lie-ins the morning and long walks in the afternoon.

How do you spend your Sundays with your pooch?

06/08/2021

Throwback: Check out this beauty of a beach!

This is also known as Perranporth, the most dog friendly beach in my area and a goal all my clients want to be able to take their dogs to.

I AM CUROUS...

What is your favourite place to visit with a dog or even without dog?

Bonus points if you have pictures ;)

05/08/2021

Lunch Chat on the impact of lockdown on our dogs ❤

04/08/2021

The worst piece of advice I have ever received was from someone I really looked up to when I was 13 years old

This horrible piece of advice cost me and my family hundreds of pounds and caused us to waste 4 years of our lives going around in circles…

Looking back, I wouldn’t have got where I am today without having this advice so in way I am grateful,

However, this piece of advice is still circling. Its outdated and causing TONS to go around in circles trying to train their dog,

Sadly, with most dog ending up being rehomed or into rescue.

SO let’s talk about this ‘advice’, and I will begin where all great stories begin,

Once a upon time…

We brought a puppy into our home; we went to puppy classes and did all the training that we were told to do.

Then one day, our puppy was picked on by an older dog, at the time we didn’t knew what that meant, and our puppy, Bobby, seemed fine…

However, as he grew older, he started to growl and bark more,

It started off with one dog here and then then snowballed into EVERY dog.

We had no clue what was happening, and my parents thought it was the dogs fault, every day it got more stressful and stressful where my parents thought about giving him up.

*CUE Training Advice*

My sought out a local dog trainer who had worked in the police prior to help us.

His advice was:
‘Put your dog in its place, you need to be alpha, don’t EVER let them dominate you, if they do, do this’

This was followed by pinning Bobby to the ground, forcing him to stay there.

Deep down this did not feel right, I could sense Bobby had no clue what he did wrong and was very uncomfortable. After that he hid in his bed.

Likewise, when we were on a walk to stop him dominating us, every time he pulled we had to put him in his place by pulling so hard on the lead the dogs the lead tightened and threw the dog back.

Again, I thought, they were only sniffing?

If the dog peed in the house then we had shove their nose in it to LEARN.

By having this level of force, the dogs did behave…

Or as I quickly learnt, they learnt to be afraid of us and were so scared of what could happen they did nothing at all, which looked like ‘good behaviour’

But guess what? This made ZERO difference to Bobbys behaviour towards other dogs, in fact it just got worse.

Which is why I starting my journey into training, I KNEW there must be another way and there was.

We implemented it straight away and saw instant progress.

Hence why I am now teaching all you of amazing humans!

This advice is outdated, does not solve the problem and just causes dog to be afraid of us and some dogs will even bite back instead of hiding.

Here’s the REALLY contradicting part,

When you have a relationship with your dog trusts you, listens to you and WANTS to be around because of the pleasure you give them, the fastest and easier the problem decreases.

The biggest lesson I learnt and teach every day is this:

Dogs WANT to work for us, they WANT to behave calmly – they just don’t know how. Its our duty to teach them without fear or dominance but through understanding, kindest and with training steps that make sense to your dog, so they understand what they have to do.

Also, this photo popped into my inbox this morning from one of my fave clients, her dog was reactive to dogs, people, cars, and bikes.

Now look at her go! They are in REAL life with all the things that USED TO stress out, instead she is just chilling and being with her owner, enjoying the walk ahead

AND her owner is equally relaxed, just walking her dog without any dominance, force or needing to be an alpha (technically her dog already see her as the best human )

If you are wondering what the secrets are behind this and how you could have this too, then join me a special workshop I am hosting just for you.

Where we will dive into the methods I teach, the truth behind how dogs see and process the world and three steps you can take in 24 hours to start moving towards stress-free walks

Monday the 9th of august @ 7pm BST

Register In Advance to Save your Space: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwtcu2qpj0pHd10HHwZ30qO1u5ngu6wni_c

03/08/2021

🐾TRAINING TOOL REVEAL🐾

Today’s training tool is an accessory called the ‘Yellow Ribbon’ created by the Yellow Dog Project.

The Yellow Ribbon (or any yellow item) is to represent to other dog owners that the dog with a yellow ribbon needs spaces or not to approach them.

This can be because the yellow dog is

- Nervous
- In training
- Reactive
- In season
- Unwell
- Has recently come out of an operation
- Old and fragile

The project has been designed to keep EVERYONE’s dogs safe, stress-free and avoiding any potential conflicts and setbacks that could arise if people or dogs approach a yellow ribbon dog.

I am totally behind this project and for client we do use yellow ribbons, and if we pass someone who has no idea what it means, then will stop, and show them so they know for next time.

There are huge proportion of people who are unaware of this project, so please do share the following PDF to let people know the importance of the yellow ribbon.

Congrats to everyone who guessed correctly!! You have been added to August prize draw, with the winner being revealed at the end of the month!

See you next week to play again.

Information shared from the Yellow Dog Project at www.yellowdoguk.co.uk

02/08/2021

Can you guess today's Training Tool?!

Post your answers in the comment and enter the prize draw at the end of the month!

30/07/2021

30 Days QUESTION!

Today's Question is....

When do you start dog training?

30/07/2021

🐾🥳 WINNER REVEAL 🥳🐾

Okay so last month I created a cool game for all of you called the ‘Guess the Tool’

I want to share with you EVERY tool I use for training and importantly, why.

Training encompasses lots of stuff, from canine psychology to practical human handling, from learning to read your dog to communicating in a way that makes sense for your dog.

Whilst you can probably train without tools, they are literally the fastest way to train your dog.

And to make it fun, I am adding everyone who answers into a prize draw to a special gift for them and their dog.

So JULY’s winner is…

Beccy Mitchell

WOOP! Congratulations!

Please shoot over your email and postal address to [email protected]

The next round of Guess the Tool starts on Monday!

29/07/2021

How to get my dog to be nicer to other dogs?

And will training even work?

These are some EPIC questions that were sent in and ALL the answers lie within...

28/07/2021

Ever wondered why your dog avoids you when you stare at them?

This is actually the thing that frustrates me the most and actually a dog trying telling its human something SUPER important.

21/07/2021

HEAT!!! And how this is can be a life or death game for your dog.

16/07/2021

Does your dog have a habit of ignoring you as soon as you head outside?

I used to think that it was something about me – that I wasn’t cool or exciting enough.

Then I learnt it actually has nothing to do with me and everything to do with the environment!

Often my clients have the same struggle, and constantly shouting ‘What’s this’ or ‘Look what I’ve got’

It can feel pretty exhausting and frustrating, they shared they would just give up after so long and feel defeated.

When I say environment, I am talking about the place your walking dog where they are not paying attention, the environment is what is happening around the dog, which is what causes the struggle to focus on you.

Which is also really normal thing for a dog to do, however, too much focus causes worry for us humans!

So here is one game that I want to share with you for you to play with your dog.

It’s been designed to help your dog learn to relax in those exciting environments and build their focus back on to you.

This is my go-to activity for any clients who have a super-environmentally excited dog,

I usually suggest playing this game 2-3 times a week in less exciting environments (i.e. beaches, dogs pars) and then build up to those busier places.

This is also FAB for any dogs that love to bark!

Go play the Rucksack game in video below and report back on how you get on!

14/07/2021

Today Article is on How to Train your Stubborn Dog Like a Professional...

Discover the Surprising Reasons WHY Dog are Being Stubborn & How to Train What You WANT Instead!

www.praiseandpaw.co.uk/the-surprising-reasons-why-are-dogs-being-stubborn

11/07/2021

Sometimes training can be fast and exciting,

Other times it can be slower with lots progress,

When your training an mammal to change how they behave, whether that be a dog, human, cat, crocodile

There are different variables, its not going to always be the same for everyone,

I’ll use my weightloss journey as an example.

The people I am on a program with are losing 20lb in 4 weeks, bloody impressive, right?

I’ve lost 7lb in 4 weeks, still great right? Better than storing 7lbs

Whilst my ‘result’ is signafcantly smaller, I’ve made lots of progress

I’ve learnt about weight, how and why it stores in certain places,

I’ve learned about hormone, boy – what a game shifter.

I’ve learnt about exercise, and my relationship with exercise

Tons more, but that’s really cool isn’t it?

Whilst I haven’t got the goal result YET I’ve made lots of improvements, having gained amazing skills and making progress consistently which is equally amazing.

I share this with you because it can be really easy to want things fast, especially a desired goal.

Truth is, sometimes it’s not fast, and sometimes it is – that’s how the world works.

Don’t get defeated if your not there yet, focus on the what you’ve achieved and currently achieving

it WILL come.

10/07/2021

Eeeek- I had to share this with you guys!

Meet Torrin, the Cockerpoo!

I hear lots that Cockerpoo are unruley, they do their own thing…

I just wanted to share with you what his amazing owners, Anna & Kirsty have taught him because that’s exactly where they started.

Before we started any recall training with Torrin, he wouldn’t pay any attention to Kirsty & Anna had to say, which is extremely frustrating and worrying.

He was extremely excited by dogs, to the point he would slip out his harness or run to the completely other end of the field.

Which of course, is a huge worry.

The transformation I see in Torrin nearly brings me to tears, because every week he has been getting more responsive, faster and more so…

The confidence I see in in Anna & Kirsty is beyond works, to the point they were able to go on staycations with Torrin and have people comment on how well-behaved he is, with dogs, people and every exciting new thing that comes with visiting somewhere new.

The trust and relationship they have is so strong and shows up in their results,

This is what recall is all about.

They know what to do, they know how to speak Torrin’s language and Torrin knows how to respond them, to the point now where it’s instantly.

Walks get to be more adventures, off-lead time gets to increase and the worries can rest at bay.

THREE CHEERS FOR TORRIN, KIRSTY and ANNA!

Yip-Yip …..

HURRAY 🥳

09/07/2021

Pondering on a rescue or puppy?

I got you! This is a question I hear lots, and the truth is...

They both come with challenges, and there's only one question you need to ask yourself.

www.praiseandpaw.co.uk/should-you-get-a-puppy-or-a-rescue

08/07/2021

How to Create A Treasure Hunt for Dog that Keeps them Entertained for 20 minutes!!

This one of my FAVE activities to provide for dogs, particularly dogs that:

- Have bundle of energy
- Enjoy stealing things
- Struggle to calm down before of after walks

This also perfect for teenagers, as when dogs hit the 6 month age, they tend to have WAY more energy than they did as puppy.

This can sometimes be why dogs tend to chew things up during the day when no-one is home or bark for no apparent reason.

This activity gets your dog using their mind, different parts of the body, including their nose, which when used to search for things can burn as much energy as walk.

07/07/2021

Football Players and Training Dogs: Are they really that different?

I’ll be honest, I am not massive football fan, but my boyfriend is, and as England made it the Euro Championship

And as we've gotta share the TV, we’ve been watching it together ;)

Now, my job as a trainer and behaviourist is to observe behaviours, pick up what drives behaviours and understand all the things in between, half way through the game I had lightbulb moment.

I found myself analysing the football plays, and I was like OMG – this is so similar to how we train dogs!

Every player has to learn lots of mini elements to achieve the desired outcome i.e. scoring goals.

- All the players had to learn how to move their feet in a certain way to stop the team from stealing the ball,

- They all have learnt to stop immediately when the ref blows the whistle, which must be so hard to do mid-run!

- They had to learn to listen and look out for what their own players were saying as well as what the opposing team might be signalling,

- They’ve learnt skills and tactics to prevent the other team from having the ball,

Also the biggie for me, was that they had to learn to communicate in a way that makes and is easily interpreted.

There was one game when a player pointed to the goalkeeper where to shoot the ball, the goal keeper kicked it in that direction yet there was no player there to get the ball, which allowed the other team to take the ball.

So how does this fit into training your dog? Firstly, training and teaching requires being a team player.

1. For the football team to score goals, they need to stay focused, work together and support each other. This is exactly the same concept when it comes to training dogs.

For a dog to want to learn and train with someone, they need to know why its important, be supported as they learn and given guides on what to do, which is often created through rewarding your dog for when he does good behaviours you want.

Shouting at a dog or punishing them would not create the go-team vibe, or goals!

2. For player to be even chosen to play in matches they need to have the right skills, and not just being able to a kick ball, which I clearly was surprised by haha!

When you think about a challenge, for example teaching your dog to come when called, it is not just the running back to you they need to learn. In most cases dogs can do this perfectly at home, but when there are dogs, squirrels, or other people its non-existent.

In this case, there are lots of other skills dogs need to learn to come when called, for example: learning to think when dogs are around, learning to turn around and run towards the sound of the whistle, learning to instantly stop when you call, learning to look away from dogs, and learning to stay with you until you say otherwise.

3. Communication.

As I mentioned above about the goalkeeper who took directions from the team player that were not clear and resulted in the other team having the ball. How often have you found yourself saying one thing to your dog and they do another?

This is SO common and even happens to me every now again. And it can have huge impact on whether dogs want to continue learning with us, take the Goalkeeper for example, do you think he will think twice next time when the player points?

Dogs sadly don’t speak English, they don’t understand ALL the words and sentences we say and they have NO CLUE what we are thinking about.

Yet it’s really easy to think they do, until they don’t do what we ask.

An easy way around this is to use clear words that your dog understands, if your dog does not do what you say, chances are they are confused on what you’re asking so take a minute to look at:

Does my dog know what this means?
What are they doing instead?
What could I do to make it bit more obvious?

Finally, the players have a TEAM!

They have coaches, a manager, health experts, medical experts – water waiters!

This massively takes the pressure of the player to know what to do and how to do it, they are guided, supported, and coached to create the best outcome possible for themselves and their team.

And that really Is where us professionals come in, to help you reach (or score) your goal

06/07/2021

Happy National Kissing Day!!

Does anyone else have a slobbery kisser? Show me your best smooth faces below!

06/07/2021

The Training Tool Reveal is…

A Long Line Lead!

Longlines are an absolute MUST if you want to teach your dog to come back when called, especially when it comes to dogs, squirrels, and cats!

In this short video I am going to walk you through why this tool can actually stop your dog ignoring you and doing things you don’t want, and more important how to use it to avoid getting tripped up by it and tangled in it.

HUGE Well Dones for the correct guessors!! Thank you for playing along, as the rules go, you have been added to monthly prize draw!

PS. My preference is a Horse Lunge Lead - they are super comfy to hold and super durable!

04/07/2021

Not too long ago I received a message saying this:

‘ I am not following you anymore, I don’t want to support someone who supports prong collars and haltis’

So here’s the backstory…

I am not an advocate, nor do I teach aversive tools such a prongs, electric collars etc. I sometimes recommend haltis as a short-term solution as getting a 60kg pully dog to walk on a loose lead is not always doable, it’s a big safety concern.

This message was actually because a member of the group was sharing about her Labrador, and how she uses an electric collar.

I simply didn’t comment on the collar and instead asked her if what she tried before using this – then the message above was sent ASAP.

I am not an abuser. I am not a judger. I am not a bully.

I am an educator. I am a coach. I am committed to helping find alternatives ways through understand and connection.

What I believe this person wanted me to do was argue with why she SHOULD NOT use a electric collar.

I learnt a long time that I can’t change people, I can shout, scream and beg but ultimately the person has to choose to make that change.

The way I do that is asking them questions, because I care about the human as much as the dog!

I’ve worked with many owners who have used prong collars and electric, do you know what they’ve shared?

I only use them because I don’t feel safe. I am scared something will happen and this does help.

This is why I intentionally choose not to fight with people, not to judge them because we have NO CLUE what is behind the curtain, most of the time it’s a really real scary feeling.
If me choosing to be compassionate to a human instead of bringing them down by what they should and shouldn’t do then please UNFOLLOW ME.

If me choosing to listen to someone instead shaming them then please UNFOLLOW ME.

If me choosing to support dog owners (the only people to make a choice about what they choose) instead of telling what they should do and how they are s**t owners, then please UNFOLLOW ME.

I would rather have 0 followers then be liked for harassing, shaming and making people feel tiny.

I am changing the world for dogs and people every day, I know how this works, you can join me creating a judgment free supportive space through education and guidance or not, it’s that simple.

To anyone who has been judged or told they are irresponsible dog owners, not good enough, you can DO THIS. Hola

03/07/2021

3 Simple Steps to Get Your Dog’s Attention with Other Dogs

More than ever, having control over your dog is crucial.

Every day I hear worries about owners not being able to get their dog back, they panic about losing their dog, or running up to non-friendly dogs causing a big messy scene

OR they are scared their dog is going to pull them SO hard that someone will get hurt.

Here is the thing, its normal for dogs to be excited about seeing other dogs, they are a social species, which means they rely on the company.

However, its not about controlling our dogs behaviours, its about teaching them skills to be able to relaxed around dogs and the ability to turn around and walk away from another dog.

It’s trust and skill.

SO today I want to share 3 steps you can take to start building those skills and calmness with your dog…

1. Create Distance Between You and the Other Dog

Staying in one place can cause dogs to feel frustrated, which often looks like barking, lunging and pully as they are desperate to go say Hi! We humans also do this too, have you ever been running slightly late for somewhere then get stuck in a traffic jam? We feel frustrated, we may shout, beg, cry or even curse 😉

Turning around may not feel like it helps, but it does stop your dog from learning that barking, pulling and lunging is okay to do, which is what happens we stay in one place.

ACTION: Take a handful of treats, and practice turning with your dog, when you see your dog turn their body to walk with you say ‘yes’ followed by feeding them one treat, then another, do this consistently until you are away from the dog.

2. Play a Game with Your Dog

Does your dog have a favourite game, toy, or treat? If so, keep a big distance between you and other dogs, and play with your dog! By playing with your dog, you are not only getting their attention on you but you are bonding, which is exactly what our dogs seek when they want to say hi to other dogs, in other words you are becoming their play mate!

WARNING: The distance is incredibly important here, as the closer they are too dogs, the less focussed they will be so to set them up for success and to focus on YOU, create a distance of at least 100 metres to start with.

3. Teach your dog a trick they LOVE

Tricks can be super helpful when you need your dog to do something especially if they LOVE the trick. Last year I taught over 1800 people learn a trick called middle that helped people to get their dog to ignore a distraction and do the trick instead. Today I still receive emails of how reliable and consistent that trick is, even around dogs!

My suggestions would be tricks such as middle, a hand touch, a down.

PS. Check out Ronnie mastering these skills!

02/07/2021

Are you secretly afraid to say no to people who want to greet your dog?

Your trying to stop your dog from jumping, but every person they see they jump more and more,

You know how to stop it , your dog has to sit or do something else before they can be greeted,

But

People come over and say 'it's fine. I dont mind them jumping up'

And you REALLY do mind, because jumpiness can be hazard for other people and your own dog.

So HOW?! How do you get past people?

Then my friends, you will LOVE this blog i've written just for you

The #1 advice EVERYONE says is when you ask, “How do I stop my dog from jumping up?” The advice is: “Stop letting them jump up” BUT… how do you do that when people insist on greeting your dog. Here’s the really frustrating thing when it comes to training dogs. Its management. How many ti...

01/07/2021

Get to know me – get to know you!

In case we haven’t officially met, let me introduce myself!

I am Kayleigh Stangroom, the owner, founder and head trainer here at Praise and Paw Dog Training.

I am big hearted dog trainer that is passionate about teaching, guiding and coaching dog owners to train their dogs with ease, simplicity and funness so they can stress-free lives together.

I created Praise and Paw when my family were given two options when it came to seeking help with Bobby (family dog):

1. Put your dog to sleep

2. Be pack leader, dominate your dog, show them who is boss

Neither worked and was incredibly difficult for my family, so I decided to learn everything so I could train Bobby to be relaxed around other dogs…

This learning included:
A diploma in animal management
A foundation degree in animal behaviour and psychology
A bachelor (hons) degree in animal behaviour and welfare

Over £25K in additional courses and working with other experts.

To only ask myself – surely, people do not need to do ALL this to learn how to train their dog?

So thus the birth of Praise and Paw Dog Training, where I am committed to taking everything, I’ve learned, making it easy to understand, follow and do so people can make instant differences with their dogs whilst having fun along the way 😉

FUN FACTS:

In 2020, I hosted multiple free events that helped over 3500 dog owners worldwide.

My recall training is inspired by the parrots that I got to train from working in various zoos and parks.

When I was five, my mission was to be a mermaid, only to find out Aqua man stole my spot 😉

Tell me about your and your dog? What is their name and what is your favourite thing about them?