The Perfect Puppy Company

26/09/2025

I mean...what can I say? Smitten.... 😍🥰❤️

25/09/2025

Someone commented on a post today: “𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘥𝘰𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘙+ 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺.”

But is that really true? And is speed alone a fair measure of progress?

Take Riley. When we started, he was fixated on other dogs - fixating from a distance, struggling to disengage and often boiling over into frustration when he did get close.

The clips here are from sessions 2 and 5, just six weeks apart. In that time, Riley has made huge strides. He’s calmer, can disengage more easily, can be around other dogs without losing his mind, and can even greet politely. His walks are now far more relaxed and enjoyable — for him 𝘢𝘯𝘥 his humans.

So, is six weeks “too long”? Or is that a reasonable timescale for meaningful, lasting change?

Think about human behaviour change: building healthy habits, breaking addictions, adapting to life changes. Do we build new habits and break old ones overnight? No; it would be unfair & unreasonable to expect that.

So if we can offer ourselves grace while building new habits, surely our dogs deserve the same?

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𝘗𝘚 𝘩𝘶𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘸𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘐'𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 "𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥" 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘥𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘹

22/09/2025

“𝙄 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙖 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙤𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄’𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙗𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩. 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙚?”

That’s the question I was asked last week. And my answer was “Yes”. Here’s why….

My core ethics are clear –

• avoid pain, fear & intimidation in training
• avoid the deliberate use of aversives as much as possible
• help both ends of the lead succeed with kindness and compassion

Which means that, as a rule, I don’t use head collars because there are almost always other, less aversive, options available to us.

So why will I use a head collar in this case? Isn’t that hypocritical?

In this case the owner is older and the dog is young, strong and easily over stimulated. An older person being pulled over by a strong dog is a foreseeable risk with potentially serious consequences and not something that can be dismissed as unimportant or irrelevant. I have two clients – one human and one canine – and I owe a duty of care to both. Intransigently sticking to my ethical ‘guns’ might be seen as ‘right’ but it has the real potential to cause harm for them both.

Instead, I can choose the ‘least worst’ option and use a management tool which keeps the owner feeling safe and confident. I can protect the welfare of both dog & human and create a safe place for ethical learning to happen which will, ultimately, remove the need for the head collar. The tool doesn’t teach; it facilitates teaching.

Ethical rigidity is easy but it ignores the complexities of real world situations. It lacks compassion, takes no account of context or nuance and runs the risk of leading to potentially harmful outcomes….the very thing we are trying to avoid.

Ethical 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘰𝘶𝘳 isn’t the same as ethical 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘺. True rigour means holding firm to your guiding principles while being able to adapt thoughtfully to context. If “avoiding harm” is my guiding principle, then I must be open to the notion that some harms are greater than others and adapt accordingly.

When we are inflexible, when we take no account of context, when we prioritise rigidity over pragmatism we risk slipping into dogmatism. And that can leave clients feeling unsupported, dogs unwalked and opportunities for positive learning missed.

Ethical intransigence can look pure & principled, but it’s not always helpful or compassionate.

“𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙪𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙗𝙚 𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙮 𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙡𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙘𝙠 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙨 & 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙨? 𝙄𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙖𝙞𝙧 𝙨𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜?”

It’s true that someone could use the same reasoning - “I need to keep the handler safe” or “I need control” - to justify harsher tools. But just because we accept X under certain conditions it doesn’t follow that it’s a slippery slope which means we must also accept Y under others. Sound ethical reasoning involves both principles 𝘢𝘯𝘥 context. Pragmatic, nuanced decision making doesn’t open the floodgates to more extreme or indiscriminate positions.

I know some people feel head collars should never be used, and I hesitated to post this because social media isn’t always kind to nuance. But when we make owners feel judged and refuse them practical solutions, we risk pushing them toward trainers with very different ethics.

Better a head collar with empathy than a harsher tool through desperation.

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As an aside here are 4 questions I find helpful to ask myself when reaching these decisions –

1. How does this tool work? Does this tool work by adding pain, discomfort, fear, or intimidation? Or does it simply limit the dog’s options/movement without causing discomfort?
2. How does the dog experience it? Will the dog feel safe, comfortable, and be able to relax while using it?
3. Whose welfare is protected? Human? Dog? Both? Is one party protected at the expense of the other? If there’s a trade off is it as equitable as possible?
4. Is this the least aversive option available in this context?

16/09/2025

Saying goodbye to clients is always bittersweet. It’s hard to part with such wonderful dogs and people — but it's great to know they don’t need me anymore.

Today I had my final session with Aslan, a gorgeous Standard Poodle. When he first joined his family a few months ago, he was spooky, lacking confidence, easily overwhelmed around other dogs and his humans felt a little out of their depth. Now his owners feel confident & in control and Aslan has blossomed into a relaxed, confident boy who feels completely at home in his new world.

I’ll miss him and his lovely people, but this is exactly the outcome I hope for. As a trainer, my goal is always to give you the skills and confidence you need so that, in the end, you don’t need me any longer.

If I've made myself redundant, I've done my job!

If you would like my support please get in touch....I'd love to help you.

15/09/2025

𝙁𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣...𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙨𝙤𝙣

None of us get everything we want all the time. Not us. Not our dogs. And when reality fails to meet our expectations we can become frustrated. It's a natural response and it's not something we can totally protect our dogs from.

A key skill for a puppy to learn is that they don't get to say hi to every dog (or person), every time. And when their expectations aren't met they need to learn how to deal with that disappointment and move on. Collie pup, Missy, wanted to say hi to this lovely old boy but he declined. Was she a little frustrated when he wandered off? Yes. But she quickly re-engaged with her human, was given a fuss and we carried on with our walk. No damage done and little lesson for Missy that we don't always get what we want but that's needn't be the end of the world.

A word of warning though....as with many things, the dose is the poison. A little frustration on occasion is something we all have to learn to live with. But living with chronic frustration can have serious detrimental effects on a dog's emotional and behavioural wellbeing. Ongoing unmet needs, lack of stimulation or an unsuitable or restricted environment can all lead to chronic frustration and that's something noone should have to live with. It's our responsibility as dog owners to ensure our dogs needs are met (which isn't the same as indulging them). If we fail in that then we invite frustration in.

(PS a wee while later the lab passed us again and this time he 𝘥𝘪𝘥 want to say hi to Missy which she handled beautifully. Sometimes we don't get what we want. Sometimes we do. And Missy learned both today).

09/09/2025

Helping Romanian rescue, Honey, settle in to her new home. Do you think it's working? 😊

Honey is newly adopted from overseas and everything in her new life is unfamiliar. But before we teach her anything, before we even think about starting to 'train', there's something else we have to do first. And that's to help her feel safe & secure.

Because if she doesn't feel safe her ability to learn is diminished, her physical & emotional wellbeing is compromised and trust is much harder to build.

So, how can we help her feel safe?

• By giving her time & space to process the new world around her
• By exposing her to new things gently and without pressure
• By creating predictability and consistency in our own behaviour • By being patient
• By not getting frustrated because she doesn't know things she hasn't been taught yet

You can't "make" a dog feel safe. You can't force or coerce them into it. You don't need to make them "face their fears".

But, with a little time, patience & consistency, you can plant the seeds of confidence & security and then watch them flourish .

04/09/2025

Charlie hates the cone. But it’s not optional. So how do we make the days ahead easier?

I can’t change the cone but I can change the environment. I can move furniture to create more space so that he doesn’t keep bashing into things. I can wedge doors open so that he can move through them more freely. I can raise his bowls so that he can eat & drink more easily. I can sit with him (when I can) to minimise his need to come to me.

I can’t make it pleasant but I can make it more bearable. And sometimes the ‘least worst’ is the best we can do.

03/09/2025

Does your groomer adapt their groom to your dog? Or expect your dog to adapt to their groom?

A groom should be first & foremost about maintaining the condition and comfort of your dog’s coat. Aesthetics are lovely (who doesn’t love a swish new haircut?) but they shouldn’t be prioritised over a dog’s experience. If your dog hates the dryer could they be towel dried? If they are scared being on the table can they be groomed on the floor? If they get anxious when you leave can you stay to support them through the groom?

I love working with Louise at Stress-Less Grooming because she always puts the dog’s experience at the heart of her groom. She takes the time to make it as easy for the dog as possible and never sacrifices their emotional wellbeing on the altar of aesthetics. Every dog deserves a groomer like Louise ❤️

A lovely free-roam groom with Charlie and Aileen from The Perfect Puppy Company🤩

With his groom adapted to a dry groom instead of bath, blow dry, then clip on a table, he really loves his visits. Just a stress-free grooming experience that meets all their needs.

Charlie gets to move around freely, choose his own pace, and enjoy all the little treats along the way. It’s lovely how happy and relaxed he is🐾💛

28/08/2025

For a variety of reasons life is a bit stressful just now. Nothing serious…just lots of ‘stuff’ which makes life a bit fraught.

When we’re under ongoing stress, it can feel like our emotional ‘volume’ is turned up - so even small challenges leave us unsettled, dysregulated, and overstimulated. Which shapes how we interact with the world around us.

As an adult human, I am able to recognise when I’m not at my best, and I can take steps to help myself reset -

• 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀. I can curate my social media feed, skip the rage bait and limit my exposure to the daily doomscroll. I can avoid the news - because let’s be honest, the world feels like a bit of a bin fire right now and being continually reminded of that fact isn’t helpful. I can say ‘no’ to more commitments on my time & energy.
• 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗲. Watching something familiar or funny, getting lost in a good book, or walking outside can all bring me back to a better place.
• 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆. Exercise helps regulate mood, supports sleep, and shifts my focus. Simple physical rituals like deep breathing, stretching, or grounding techniques also help me re-centre.

When I do these things, the symptoms - irritability, overreaction, emotional reactivity - fade naturally.

And here’s the thing: our dogs experience stress, overstimulation, and emotional dysregulation too. And just like us, they benefit from thoughtful support rather than suppression -

• 𝗥𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀 where possible.
• 𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 which absorb & meet needs.
• 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗲 which relaxes and restores balance.
• 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 & 𝗿𝗲-𝘀𝗲𝘁

The solution is never to punish or “obedience” the problem away. When life throws too much at us - or our dogs - the real path forward isn’t about silencing the symptoms. It’s about finding our way back to balance.

(Image: "Standing in the Rain", Chris Bourke)

26/08/2025

Work outdoors, they said. It'll be great, they said.

Rufty, tufty little terrier Haggis caring not a jot for the sudden summer downpour. The same couldn't be said for the humans....😂

18/08/2025

“𝙋𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚”?

I teach without deliberately using physical punishment or other aversive consequences. I never set a dog up to fail in order to punish them and I always try my best to set them up to make good choices so that those choices can be reinforced.

But does that mean that there are never any negative consequences for a dog during a training session? No.

As much as we might try to avoid them, life happens – training in the wild means we can’t control every variable all the time and sometimes sh*t just happens. Or sometimes, because we are human and we make mistakes, we make the wrong call which results in a negative or aversive experience for our dog.

In this video, there are negative consequences for Riley. His approach towards the passing Lab is too intense and, as a result, the dog leaves. Riley's blown it and has lost access to what he wanted...the opportunity to interact with the dog. Is that aversive to Riley? Probably. Is there a negative consequence to his behaviour? Yes. Was it a deliberate training choice on our part? No.

The nature of learning in the real world means that there will almost certainly be times when the learner experiences something they'd rather not, as Riley did here. It’s impossible to make the real world a “purely positive” experience. But just because aversive experiences naturally exist in the world shouldn’t give us carte blanche to pile yet more on top in the name of training.

In fact, isn’t the opposite true? If our dogs are already dealing with naturally occurring aversives & stressors shouldn’t we try extra hard not to deliberately add more if we can?

08/08/2025

𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥...

Most of us have coping strategies we fall back on when we need to soothe or settle ourselves. We might use earplugs or noise cancelling headphones in noisy environments, we might put on sunglasses to create a little distance for ourselves, we might seek out certain textures to touch or stroke, we might hug or hold ourselves.

Yes...these behaviours may be indicative of a degree of anxiety, overwhelm or stress but they also help us soothe, calm & comfort ourselves when we need a little help.

Our dogs display self soothing behaviours too. They might chew or lick. I used to have a dog who would suckle on a soft toy when he was tired. And some dogs, like Leo, find holding something in their mouths soothing.

If we can use self soothing behaviours to comfort and calm ourselves then why wouldn't we let our dogs do the same? If Leo finds walks easier when he's holding his beloved plastic bottle in his mouth is that a bad thing?

Of course, in an ideal world, we'd love our dogs (& ourselves!) to never experience stress or anxiety and so have no need of self soothing behaviours. But we don't live in an ideal world.

So, if your dog has a tactic which 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 have chosen to help them feel better in stressful moments 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮* then why not let them do it? We can still teach them how to feel more comfortable around their triggers so that, in time, they need those coping mechanisms less. But, in the meantime, if it helps and doesn't harm...why not?

*𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘬𝘦𝘺....𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘴 𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘨 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐'𝘮 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦