It's Happy Birthday to us, well my business! It was officially on Saturday (1st March), but as it's been a hectic weekend, I didn't get a chance to post.
I'm not going to harp on about how hard working for yourself is, or how I'm often working on something at 'out of usual office hours', or the fact that I wake up usually around 2 am or 3 am and start going through my to do list (which is neverending), or thinking about a dog I'm working with, (I now have a notepad and pen by my bed for that reason).
It's blooming hard work, but the massive plus side, I answer to myself, I have a fantastic network of likeminded professionals (now friends) around me, to bounce ideas off, or just vent, I've worked with some great owners and dogs, I have a fantastic family and fab friends.....and I LOVE dogs, which helps!
It’s inevitable that we are sometimes going to take withdrawals from our relationship. Out of frustration, necessity or welfare. But providing we put plenty of deposits in, those withdrawals will make much less of an impact.
I noticed the other day that I have around 1k followers, so I felt I should jump on here and introduce myself.
I'm Katherine and the dog in the photo is Zelda (credit for photo to Alex J Photography)
I can't quite believe it, but my business turns 7 next month - maybe I should mark that with something memorable!! (Ideas on a postcard, or post below if you have an idea of what I could do to celebrate).
I got into dog training and behaviour because I wanted to help dogs and people live more closely together, with a better understanding. I wanted to help reduce the dog bites in the home and also wanted to help educate people about dogs (and animals tbh).
I specialise in puppies and am an Easy Peasey Puppy Squeezey Instructor and a KAD Kids Around Dogs trainer and aim to help people prepare for their arrival, (are you ever really prepared!!), as well as making sure the first few months go as smoothly as possible.
I also specialise in scentwork and have gained a City and Guilds through training with The College Of Scent Dogs Ltd, which has been amazing and I love sharing knowledge and giving dogs a job to do. It's incredibly rewarding watching a handler see their dog progress and grow in confidence!
I'm lucky to also have a network of fantastic walkers, fellow trainers and behaviourists around me, as working for yourself can be a lonely place! If I can't help, I have an array of experts who can.
So, going back to the above, how should I celebrate 7 years in business?!
18/02/2025
Still a couple of spaces left on the next round of Puppy Fundamentails classes starting next week. Email [email protected] for more details
New round of Puppy Fundamentails starts on Thursday 27th February. Start your pup off on the right paw....
Find out how to bond with your pup, how to manage jumping up and biting, teething, sleeping, chewing, and all other elements of the rollecoaster that comes with welcoming a puppy in to your life!
Don't tackle things alone! Prevention is better than cure!
Happy Valentine's Day! ❤️ What's your pet's cupid name? Let us know in the comments ⬇️
14/02/2025
Yep!
If you start your training journey with reward based training you might suck at first, and that's pretty normal for most new skills we learn. It doesn't mean it doesn't work, it just means you suck at it......but with practise you will get better and you may even become a reinforcement based ninja 🥷
Your dog will love you for it. ❤️
If you use positive reinforcement to train your dog you will become skilled at using positive reinforcement and when you come across that dog that it doesn't seem to be working with you don't resort to punishment. You talk to your other reward based trainers and someone will have a solution or you work through finding one yourself and in turn you get better and more skilled at it
It's absolutely not just about treats and harnesses. That's what it appears to be to the untrained eye of those who don't use it or understand it fully.
It goes way beyond operant conditioning because when we are working with a dog with big emotions operant conditioning often doesn't happen.
We use neuroscience, we look at emotions and conditioning. We use intrinsic reinforcement and neurochemistry as reinforcement, we use premack. Our tool box of rewards contains much more than cheese 🧀 and a harness 🦮
My goal in training is to use as little aversives as possible and I absolutely love finding better ways to train dogs with reward based training 🐾🐾
13/02/2025
Here's what's coming up in February and March.
🐶⭐ Puppy Fundamentails Classes, at The Milestone School for this round. If you've recently welcomed a young pup into your home, these classes will help guide you through the coming months. They aim to keep you and your new family member safe and on the right track.
🐶⭐- Level 1 Scentwork Classes. The Induction takes place on Saturday 15th March from 9.30 am at The Harvey Centre, Minsterworth. Watch how your dog learns to problem solve and have fun!
Next Round of Puppy Funcamentails starts on the 27th of February. Classes are kept small and the aim is to set you and your new pup up for success and to help them navigate the busy world we live in. For more information, drop an email to [email protected].
06/02/2025
New round of Puppy Fundamentails starts on Thursday 27th February. Start your pup off on the right paw....
Find out how to bond with your pup, how to manage jumping up and biting, teething, sleeping, chewing, and all other elements of the rollecoaster that comes with welcoming a puppy in to your life!
Don't tackle things alone! Prevention is better than cure!
1. Give them choices - where to sleep, toys, the route they take on a walk, to engage or not, to play or not, to be petted or not, to wear a jersey or not...
2. Prioritize their physical and emotional safety.
3. Listen when they speak with their voices and bodies.
4. Create routines, predictability and structure. This gives rescues and anxious dogs certainty and helps calm them.
5. Let them express their innate dog behaviours like barking, chewing, hunting, sniffing, playing, exercising, and digging via various enrichment activities.
6. Groom them periodically if they like it. If not, get a behaviourist to assist you. Don't force them into a grooming van.
7. Give them a safe place to sleep. And stop bugging them while they rest or sleep.
8. Ensure that they have nutritious food and fresh water daily.
9. Give them lots of cuddles when they ask for it. Check in with them during cuddle time to confirm ongoing consent.
10. Wait for consent before touching, kissing or hugging them. Most don't really like kissing and hugging.
11. Protect them from unfamiliar people touching them.
12. Don't coerce them to engage with people and dogs that they feel uncomfortable with.
13. Encourage them to engage in independent activities to build confidence and emotional resilience.
14. Don't make fun of them or shame them...tiktok trends are dangerous and stupid.
15. Don't punish them. Rather use positive reinforcement to modify behaviour.
16. Don't ask for sits when the environment is new and when they are anxious because of the presence of new people and dogs.
17. Aim for happiness and not obedience.
18. Don't withhold snacks and treats.
19. Let them walk on your clean floor with muddy paws. One day you will miss it.
20. Let them sleep on that couch or bed and leave their fur on it - one day you will miss it.
21. Don't leave them alone for long hours...8 hours is about 2 days for them.
22. Let them sleep inside at night. They are family and the world is a dangerous place out there when alone.
23. Shield them from harsh weather conditions.
24. Use a harness to walk them...even a flat collar can hurt their throat if they suddenly lunge at a trigger.
25. Invest in 5 minutes of force-free training per day. It will be fun for both of you.
26. Let them lead the walk and sniff as much as possible. Don't ask them to walk rigidly by your side.
27. Be their voice. Advocate for them. Be rude if you have to if it means protecting them.
28. Take them for annual check ups and dentals.
29. Consult a qualified pet professional if you need help to understand their behaviours.
30. Consult a qualified pet nutritionist if you need dietary guidance.
31. Don't take random advice from dog mums and dads on social media. Each dog is different and the issue can worsen with the wrong advice.
32. Make time for them in your busy schedule.
Every 52 days is estimated to be a year in their lives. Cherish them. Don't sweat the small stuff. Their time with us is short. In creating a happy dog, you will be a happy guardian...
04/02/2025
Scentwork for your dog! The next round for Level 1 starts soon. Watch how your dog develops and grows in confidence. I absolutely love watching how pups problem-solve and work their way up. Come and join the community. We're waiting for you.
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Videos
Waiting for the first pups of 2025 to arrive for Puppy Fundamentails.......
#lovingthewoof
Wishing you and your lovely doggos a Happy New Year!
When you've got a scent class followed by a Puppy Fundamentails class and know you'll run over and have very little time to get stuff ready!
#puteverythingout
Nice early visit to Contented Canine Secure Fields this morning.... Z really loves the water.....🐶🥰
Going to be a hot one this week, make sure you keep those pups cool....early walks, rather than later, plenty of access to drinking water, sniffy games rather than full on, running like lunatics....(or excessive ball throwing), plenty of shade.....
#lovingthewoof
When you've been teaching for a few hours and the dogs missed you.....
Having a fab time at Clockhouse Vets Open Day. Thanks Mary for bringing Morgan along and Fred and Daisy for working Rosa too.
#scentwork
#scent
#scenttraining
Pheasant 1, Z 0
Another day, another tennis ball discovered.......
Well that's a wrap! Thank you to clients past and present and I look forward to working with more of you in 2024.
I'll be back in the office on the 8th Jan.
New puppy classes begin on the 11th Jan, but in the meantime I hope you get to spend some quality time with loved ones as well as time to rest and don't forget to advocate for those dogs.
Merry, Happy Christmas. 🎄❤️🎄
#lovingthewoof
Email. [email protected]
I’m Katherine Johnson and I’m an IMDT qualified dog and puppy trainer who covers the county of Gloucestershire.
I’m currently trained by my 2-year-old Labradoodle, Zelda and my 2 house bunnies, Ralph and Ruby. My love of animals started over 30 years ago when we owned a rabbit and our first puppy Rebel, a Golden Labrador. Things have changed so much in the dog training world in the last 30 years and I was adamant I wanted to teach my current pup Zelda in the right way, by building trust and creating a good bond with her using positive and force free methods. I re homed her when she was just over 4 months old from a previous client, who felt she couldn’t give her the life she deserved. I was lucky that Zelda had been given a great start in life and had come from what seemed a very good, loving home. As with lots of puppies when the hormones start to kick in, many of the behaviours previously taught can prove to be a bit more of a challenge and she’s currently struggling with certain noises and objects she may have previously encountered when she was younger. We’re also spending a lot of time working on her recall as I believe as a trainer and a dog owner, recall is one of the most important behaviours to get right, but this too is a work in progress!.
Before Zelda came in to my life, my two house bunnies ruled the roost. Ruby is a rescue rabbit from the RSPCA, and I believe she was used for breeding and Ralph was the last of an unwanted litter. Ruby is the one I have to keep a close eye on. She was found with no hay and a bowl of muesli. For those of you who know about rabbits, hay should make up 85% of their diet and they shouldn’t be fed muesli. Rabbits teeth grow all the time and the hay helps keep them short. Ruby’s teeth are in a awful condition and she has to have an injection every 3 days to help her. She has also had bouts of gut stasis which basically means the gut slows down or stops working, so I monitor her closely looking for any change in behaviour. I get asked all the time “Can you train a rabbit?” Well, yes, actually you can. They both use a litter tray to go to the toilet and they both run back in to their pen, when it’s time to go to bed.
When we bring a dog in to our lives, or any animal for that matter, it should not only enhance our lives, but also theirs. Every animal has their own personality and my main reason for becoming a dog trainer is to help owners have the best relationship then possibly can with their canine and also help reduce dog bites in the home. If we can get the relationship with the puppy right from the beginning, the chances are we’ll both have a loving and fulfilling life together.
My training approach will be molded to you and your pups needs. If you’re keen to chat about a training issue or behaviour problem you’d like help with, get in touch. We can have a chat and discuss your needs, and in the rare instance I cannot help you, the Pet Professional Network I am part of has many colleagues I could refer you on to who have the same code of ethics. Take a look at my website for more information https://www.positivecaninecoaching.co.uk/
I look forward to working with you and your pup soon.
Positive Canine Coaching runs puppy fundamentails & follow-on classes, scent classes & 121s. 🐶
