Training & Behaviour; one to ones and group classes. Qualified and Accredited Behaviourist.
(9)
If you have a large bull breed and need help with muzzle training, loose lead training or general behaviour advice, please do get in touch.
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Here is a video of one of Brooke's training sessions where we worked on some important and some less important skills! Do we make mistakes? Of course! Do we have things to work on? Absolutely. But did we have fun? Undoubtedly. And in my book, thats the most important thing.
In less than 15 mintues we worked on recall, impulse control, heel walking, retrieves, tricks, on your mat, wait, sit, down, stand, play, cuddles, consent behaviours and problem prevention. Training sessions don't have to be long, boring, planned or perfect to be worthwhile.
Hopefully this video might give you some ideas for your own training sessions or reassures you that training doesn't have to look perfect to be worthwhile. If you'd like to work on something similar with your dog or need some more exercises and games to revive your training, you can book a one to one online at ardogs.co.uk.
Our Paddock Class has changed time! Now held at 10:30-11:30.
Dog training classes held at Hale in a secure outside trianing area. Flexible attendance run by a qualifed and accredited behaviourist. Visit our website at ardogs.co.uk or send us an email at [email protected]
Just wanted to let you all know that we will be starting a Walking Class at Hale Purlieu on Saturday mornings, 9 - 10.
If you find your dog's behaviour is good until there's distractions, great in garden but not in the forest, or reliant on you telling them what to do, our Walking Class can help teach your dog to behave in all environments, regardless of distractions and to make the right choice by themselves.
Have questions or not sure if this class is for you? Feel free to send us a message!
Book online at ardogs.setmore.com
Brooke taking her IMDT Grade 1 test! Grades can also be passed by demonstrating each skill individual in our IMDT Partnership Grades Class, running on Thursday evenings in May and June.
If a class environment doesn't suit you or your dog, grades can be worked on and completed in a one to one or online. Get in touch to discuss these options!
Grade 2 demonstration coming soon...
IMDT Partnership Grades Class starts on Thursday 4th May, 17:30 - 18:30, every week through May and June.
As always; classes are limited to four dogs, flexible attendance, secure outdoor venue, led by an accredited and qualified behaviourist, £15 a class. Work towards your IMDT Partnership Grades. Email us or book online to secure your place!
Check the Body Language!
Welfare should be a priority in dog training. It's easy to ignore and easy to forget. Back in October I took Brooke out training and filmed a short video. Her 'obedience' is great: she walks well, backs up and tucks in. But her body language is full of stress signals - this is an unhappy dog. Just because a dog can do something and *looks* willing to do something, doesn't mean they should do it or that we should ask them to.
We took a few months off from this type of training and worked on a few things to help. Last week I took her out training again. As before, her 'obedience' was perfect; automatic check ins, loose lead walking, no sniffing the shelves in a more challenging environment with a lower level of reinforcement. The most important thing though is that she was content. Although she may not look as 'enthusiastic' she is comfortable and relaxed in her environment - the priority.
As with every dog I work with, I will continue to monitor her body language and stress levels going forward. Just because she was content that day, doesn't guarantee she will be going forward.
If you're concerned about your dogs welfare and stress levels, whether that be when training, at home or another situation, please get in touch. As you can see, things can and do get better!
A little look at the Walking Class on Tuesday... We practised walking past other dogs whilst remianing focused, with the added difficulty of a sit! All these dogs would love to play with each other and have struggled to walk past other dogs on lead so this a huge achievement and testament to their owners hard work and dedication.
If your dog struggles to focus around other dogs, please do get in touch!
Puppy Social Walks - A unique opportunity to socialise your puppy with calm, confident and friendly dogs.
Appropriate positive socialisation is so important for developing puppies to grow into calm and confident adults with good social skills. By introducing them in a stimulating environment we encourage exploration and mooching with other dogs rather than continual playing. It allows puppies who are less confident to observe in a low pressure way whilst also encouraing the more excited puppies to sniff and explore rather than obsess over other dogs - a cruical skill for successful adult dog interactions. We offer three options for socialising with one, two or four retrievers. We recommend you book with one retriever first and as your puppy grows in confidence and social skills they can join two and then four retrievers.
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions and book online to secure your puppies place! https://ardogs.co.uk/index.php/book
The last classes this year will be on Saturday 17th and Tuesday 20th. Classes will return in the New Year on Tuesday 2nd and Saturday 7th.
Photo of Brooke because she is delightful.
Dogs At Christmas
Christmas can bring additional stress for both us and our dogs. Friends and family visiting, tempting presents under the tree and a change of routine are all things that can be a challenge for your dog.
If it's your dog's first Christmas, you're dreading the thought of managing their behaviour or you're concerned about your dog's welfare over the holiday period, get in touch to start training BEFORE the big day arrives and have one less thing to worry about.
You can stop your dog:
Barking at the door bell
Jumping on your guests
Stealing the turkey
Opening presents before the big day
And instead teach them to automatically go to their bed, greet calmly when invited to and walk away from temptations!
If your dog struggles with time alone, a change of routine or visiting guests, we can help them feel more relaxed so you can have a more relaxed Christmas! Get in touch to start your journey to a stress free Christmas*
Like all qualified and accredited dog professionals, we are force free, fear free and pain free.
Did you know that dog training is an unrelated industry? Anyone can call themselves a dog trainer and subject you and your dog to outdated, ineffective and harmful practices. Whichever dog professional you choose to work with, ensure they are qualified and accredited.
*we can only help with dog related stress!
Just wanted to say a belated thank you to everyone who came to Brooke's birthday party! She had a wonderful time and was completely shattered afterwards!
The Birthday Crew in action...
It's nearly Brooke's 1st birthday! To celebrate we are throwing her a little birthday party on Sunday 30th October at Turf Hill from 2-4pm. There will be cuddles, playtime and, of course, some birthday cake! We would love to see you and your friendly dogs, let us know if you can make it so we can bake enough doggie cake!
In today's class we looked at choice and consent when handling our dogs. We worked on stop/start behaviours, responding to our dogs body language and desensitising to routine handling such as drying and brushing. Choice makes a huge difference to our dogs in how they feel and respond to us. By allowing them the freedom of choice we can quickly change how they feel about more invasive aspects of their care. Here is a video of Brooke demonstrating the power of choice.
*Note that Brooke has skin issues which has caused a negative association to the harness.
I've had a number of clients over the past couple of weeks say that they've been looking for new dog friends to walk with either as playmates, to help with socialisation or increase their dog's confidence. To make finding dog friends easier, I've created a group on Facebook for AR Dogs customers to post a profile of their dog and find other suitable dogs to go walking with. So if you and your dog are in need of some new walking buddies or would like to help other dogs and owners with their confidence and socialisation, head on over!
(A bit of an experiment but hopefully some people will find it helpful!)
https://facebook.com/groups/ardogswalkinggroup/
It is with great sadness that we share the news that our beloved Ruby passed away over the weekend. She will be greatly missed and forever loved.
I am now an Approved Dog Trainer with the Dog Training College. You can view my listing on FindADogTrainer.com and if you are able to write a review that would be greatly appreciated!
If you're not doing whistle training with your puppy's lunch then what are you doing?! Here's a sped up clip of our recall training.
You need 7,000 successful recalls to get a super strong reliable recall. Doing 20 reps a day will get you solid recall in less than a year! Using meal times as a reminder means you won't forget and most dogs get very excited for their food. Pairing this excitement with recall will also help to create a speedy recall.
Imagine if your dog ran to your recall cue like they do to their food bowl!
I am now a Trusted Trainer for Therapy Dogs Training UK!
They offer Therapy Dog Certification and easy access to best practice information with an emphasis on canine welfare for therapy dog guardians to ensure they can deliver a safe, effective service.
If you think your dog would thrive in a therapy setting and you wish to share the joy your dog brings with others be sure to check out their website below and get in touch!
Therapy Dog Training UK (TDT UK) provides bite sized online training workshops which when combined will equip you and your dog to safely and effectively deliver a canine assisted therapy service.
A few clips from one of our classes last week. Practicing off lead heel work around other dogs. If your dog struggles walking past other dogs be sure to get in touch!
We have a new online booking system which means you can book and pay for classes and one to one's online! We also have some new classes: Trick Training and Advanced. Head over to our website for more information ardogs.co.uk/index.php/book
AR Dogs Booking Click the link below to be taken to our booking page. Here you will be able to book classes, one to ones and initial behaviour sessions. Class bookings must be made at least 48 hours in advance, one to ones and initial behaviour sessions must be booked at least a week in advance. Cla...
Brooke had her first visit to a shop today! All the new sights, sounds and textures at B&Q were great for positive exposure during her socialisation window. We also practiced loose lead walking, automatic check-ins and prompted disengagement from people and children. As you can see from the video she was a superstar and took it all in her stride!
If you have a puppy make sure to give them positive experiences with as many different stimuli as possible during their socialisation window (6-16 weeks). Note the high rate of high value reinforcement and Brooke's relaxed or intrigued body language.
(Apologies for the shoddy camera work - I was concentrating on Brooke!)
We're very pleased to introduce the newest member of our family, Brooke! She is a Golden Retriever and is obviously super cute. If you, your families and puppy social dogs would like to come meet Brooke we'd be delighted to see you. We're very keen to socialise her so you'd be doing us a favour - feel free to send me a message!
Class information
Just to let you know, our final dates for classes this year are Saturday 18th and Tuesday 21st. Classes will resume in the New Year starting on Tuesday 4th and Saturday 8th.
We're pleased to announce we're now offering puppy classes and dog training, led by a qualified behaviourist, for dogs of all ages and abilities! Attendance via prior booking only; email us at [email protected]
Visit our website for more information: ardogs.co.uk
As some of you already know, our youngest dog, Amber, injured her leg and was scheduled for surgery. We're pleased to say that the operation went well and she is home, safe and sound. Thank you for your support and kind words over the past month.
Eddie, Mylo and Pepper were having the best time yesterday...
Meet our newest daycare dog, Darwin! A 10 week old Hungarian Vizsla who's looking forward to joining in with Mylo and Eddie's play time - when he's feeling a little braver that is!
AR Dogs, Arwood, Hale Purlieu, Hale
Fordingbridge
SP62NN
| Monday | 8am - 6pm |
| Tuesday | 8am - 6pm |
| Wednesday | 8am - 6pm |
| Thursday | 8am - 6pm |
| Friday | 8am - 6pm |
| Saturday | 8am - 6pm |
| Sunday | 8am - 6pm |
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Here is a video of one of Brooke's training sessions where we worked on some important and some less important skills! Do we make mistakes? Of course! Do we have things to work on? Absolutely. But did we have fun? Undoubtedly. And in my book, thats the most important thing. In less than 15 mintues we worked on recall, impulse control, heel walking, retrieves, tricks, on your mat, wait, sit, down, stand, play, cuddles, consent behaviours and problem prevention. Training sessions don't have to be long, boring, planned or perfect to be worthwhile. Hopefully this video might give you some ideas for your own training sessions or reassures you that training doesn't have to look perfect to be worthwhile. If you'd like to work on something similar with your dog or need some more exercises and games to revive your training, you can book a one to one online at ardogs.co.uk.
Brooke taking her IMDT Grade 1 test! Grades can also be passed by demonstrating each skill individual in our IMDT Partnership Grades Class, running on Thursday evenings in May and June. If a class environment doesn't suit you or your dog, grades can be worked on and completed in a one to one or online. Get in touch to discuss these options! Grade 2 demonstration coming soon...
Check the Body Language! Welfare should be a priority in dog training. It's easy to ignore and easy to forget. Back in October I took Brooke out training and filmed a short video. Her 'obedience' is great: she walks well, backs up and tucks in. But her body language is full of stress signals - this is an unhappy dog. Just because a dog can do something and *looks* willing to do something, doesn't mean they should do it or that we should ask them to. We took a few months off from this type of training and worked on a few things to help. Last week I took her out training again. As before, her 'obedience' was perfect; automatic check ins, loose lead walking, no sniffing the shelves in a more challenging environment with a lower level of reinforcement. The most important thing though is that she was content. Although she may not look as 'enthusiastic' she is comfortable and relaxed in her environment - the priority. As with every dog I work with, I will continue to monitor her body language and stress levels going forward. Just because she was content that day, doesn't guarantee she will be going forward. If you're concerned about your dogs welfare and stress levels, whether that be when training, at home or another situation, please get in touch. As you can see, things can and do get better!
A little look at the Walking Class on Tuesday... We practised walking past other dogs whilst remianing focused, with the added difficulty of a sit! All these dogs would love to play with each other and have struggled to walk past other dogs on lead so this a huge achievement and testament to their owners hard work and dedication. If your dog struggles to focus around other dogs, please do get in touch!
The Birthday Crew in action...
In today's class we looked at choice and consent when handling our dogs. We worked on stop/start behaviours, responding to our dogs body language and desensitising to routine handling such as drying and brushing. Choice makes a huge difference to our dogs in how they feel and respond to us. By allowing them the freedom of choice we can quickly change how they feel about more invasive aspects of their care. Here is a video of Brooke demonstrating the power of choice. *Note that Brooke has skin issues which has caused a negative association to the harness.
If you're not doing whistle training with your puppy's lunch then what are you doing?! Here's a sped up clip of our recall training. You need 7,000 successful recalls to get a super strong reliable recall. Doing 20 reps a day will get you solid recall in less than a year! Using meal times as a reminder means you won't forget and most dogs get very excited for their food. Pairing this excitement with recall will also help to create a speedy recall. Imagine if your dog ran to your recall cue like they do to their food bowl!
A few clips from one of our classes last week. Practicing off lead heel work around other dogs. If your dog struggles walking past other dogs be sure to get in touch!
Brooke had her first visit to a shop today! All the new sights, sounds and textures at B&Q were great for positive exposure during her socialisation window. We also practiced loose lead walking, automatic check-ins and prompted disengagement from people and children. As you can see from the video she was a superstar and took it all in her stride! If you have a puppy make sure to give them positive experiences with as many different stimuli as possible during their socialisation window (6-16 weeks). Note the high rate of high value reinforcement and Brooke's relaxed or intrigued body language. (Apologies for the shoddy camera work - I was concentrating on Brooke!)
Eddie, Mylo and Pepper were having the best time yesterday...
