I am not sure if you can see the Deer in the video but on our morning walk we saw 3 Deer. As you can see from the video, Belle spotted one of the Deer but instead of chasing it she came straight back to me when called. A few of you will know that Belle has a high prey drive as she has previously caught a couple of birds in her mouth 😬 (not something I am proud of) but after some training on her Prey drive she is now able to come back to me rather than chasing the prey.
This is something that we cover in the adult classes too and there's one space left on the classes that start on Tuesday next week 😁.
That being said, Puppy class is now fully booked!
A lot of you have been asking how to keep your dogs calm during Halloween and Bonfire night 🔥
A few things I would do:
🐾Cover their entire body but mainly their head with a blanket as it blocks out their senses.
🐾 Tv/ music is great to reduce the impact of firework noise. It has been proven that classical musical helps to reduce stress in dogs.
🐾 Plenty of positive reinforcement. Licking such as licki mats also helps to reduce anxiety.
🐾 Take them as far away as you can from firework displays.
Here is Belle hiding under a blanket... 🤣
Don't forget, we have puppy class starting next Monday and Adult Class starting next Tuesday. There's only 1 space left on both of them. If you want any further information about them then check out my previous posts or contact me on 07398271261.
Anyway, happy Halloween 🎃
We are back home tomorrow but I wanted to share how training your dog the right way can make not only make your holidays easier but your life so much easier too!
Belle has been outstanding with her loose lead walking (no matter where we are), she settles in cafes, her independence and relaxation on a busy campsite and her recall on a busy beach. This is all after me and Tom encouraged her to swim in the sea too and she doesn't particularly like the waves. She deserves a gold star but it just shows how positive reinforcement can really change their behaviour for the better ⭐️❤️
Both my classes are full but more dates will be coming soon. Training sessions are booking up for September too with only a couple of times available so if you want some help then I contact sooner rather than later 😁
As a Canine Behaviourist I don't just teach a dog how to sit or walk nicely on the lead etc. Although this is part of the job, I also watch their behaviour to understand what they are communicating with us. This could be whether they are happy, uncomfortable, frightened, ready to attack, self handicapping and the list goes on. Being able to do this means I can identify if health issues are a potential behavioural factor (which will then need veterinary care), whether their behaviour is due to an underlying fear or whether the dog needs some additional training. This is why I do a meet and greet before any training begins as it allows me to clearly identify the dogs needs.
Just last week I met a lady who said to me that she completely misunderstood her dog. The dog would ignore some people but then react to others. She told me that her dog didn't care about certain people but in actual fact the dog did care and was showing a displacement behaviour to try and create distance between themselves and the other people.
The first meet and greet is free of charge but then a deposit of 50% will be required to secure your training session 😁
I know my business has changed a lot over the last few months so I just wanted to explain my story....
For the past 4 and a half years I have been running Lacey's PlodsnPaws which started off with dog walking. As time went on I decided that I wanted to pursue my passion and love for dogs further by being able to train them and understand them. I therefore completed my ADBT qualification as well as spending 3 years completing a degree in Canine Behaviour and Management.
I loved walking dogs as I am a big walker but being able to train them provide me with so much reward. That then led me to my job at DogsForGood where I support the puppy team to train and care for life changing assistance dogs.
Both my business here at PlodsnPaws and my part time career at DogsForGood provide me with so much reward and I am so lucky to be where I am today. I work part time at both my own business and at DogsForGood so I get the best of both worlds.
This is why my page on here has been quieter than it used to be and this is not because I am losing my passion for it. In fact its the complete opposite. I am that busy with both careers that I am just enjoying my time too much to think about posting. I am also joining my puppy class hands with WeLoveDogs (Former Bowwowmiaows) which we are incredibly excited about!
I am hoping this video shows you a good time frame of my business in the last few months but it also reminds you that no matter what you need help with, I am always here to help 😁
I know I've been quiet on here for a while and it's because I've had a very busy week with training, Dogsforgood and running puppy classes 🥳
We've got a full house at puppy class and the puppies come next week. I am so excited to meet them all!
I also did some training with a gorgeous dog called Winnie. We have done a few sessions before and Winnies anxiety is the one thing we are trying to control. We have gone back to doing more relaxation techniques with her before we begin training again. It is so important that you keep your dog calm and connected before any training begins. My life skills workshop running on the 5th September is great to understand how to do this 😁
I also met a beautiful Goldie called Ruby this morning who has previously gone to another local trainer but Ruby sadly still pulls on the lead and her recall is none existent when dogs are around 🤣. She is such a loving and playful character though so we will get this sorted in no time ❤️
Ps I am useless with pictures but next week I promise I'll get some of the puppies hehe but for now this is Belles loose lead walking...
Unfortunately the venue where I was holding the Adult Dog Training Classes has flooded due to a river bursting its banks 🙈. I believe I have contacted everyone about this but don't worry Puppy Class is still going ahead on Tuesday as that is in a different venue and we haven't heard anything about that Venue flooding 🤞
I just want to say a massive apology for the last minute cancellation but I am hoping I can still see you all either in a 121 setting or at the next set of classes 🥰
Just a video of mine and Belles walk today just to show you all how wet it is 😬
A lot of you have been saying that you are busy during the day for training because understandably we all have work to go to.
Dont forget... I do run evening dog training classes on both a Monday and a Tuesday for pretty much all age groups of dogs. I do also run a service where I can train your dog for you whilst you are busy at work. I will come to your house for an hour and train them on whatever we need such as loose lead walking, recall, relaxation, reactivity etc. I will provide you with feedback cards to explain what we have done during the training session so you dont miss out on anything!
I am fully DBS checked, insured and qualified. I do just ask that we have a free meet and greet so I know exactly what it is that you need help with 😁
Also just a little reminder for those of you who haven't paid for the dog walking invoices. Please can you make sure they are paid as soon as possible. Thank you so much ❤️
This gorgeous girl (Willow) has been to my training classes and now we are doing a 121 session. Her owners (and I) have seen a massive improvement since she started at the Adult Advanced Dog Training Classes last year. Her owners have also been to my life skills workshop and now we are doing a 121 to improve her loose lead walking and recall.
Willow has amazing recall 99% of the time but her excitement can sometimes get the better of her. Her breed also means that no matter what, her nose is to the floor sniffing and sometimes this means she pulls on the lead.
In the life skills workshop we talked about keeping Willow calm and In the Adult Dog Training classes she learnt commands such as recall words. Today's session was all about bringing everything we learnt into real life where sometimes commands aren't always needed and instead we needed to give her time to think.
We worked on loose lead walking, her impulse control (especially around food), recall as well as dog and people distraction.
Willow did amazing at loose lead walking (as you can see from the video) but after an hour of training Willow had had too much excitement and therefore her brain was no longer cooperating with us. This is why my training sessions are no longer than an hour. Willow has some practice to do with recall but I know in no time she'll smash it 🥳
Today was the first day I've run a life skills workshop and I thought I'd bore everyone to death but everyone said it was really interesting and they learnt a lot. I am very pleased with how it went, even if Belle had done a lot today and wasn't fully ready for an hour of sitting with people 🤣
We talked about:
🌟 Calm
🌟Choice
🌟 Connection
Here are just some of the things we talked about. I will definitely be running another one so I'll let you all know the dates when I have it confirmed 🥳
I have never done this type of training with Belle before but one of my last University assignments is to produce videos of new training techniques so I thought I'd share this one with you...
This technique is great for dogs who snatch food out of people's hands, off worktops, the table... you name it.
As you can see Belle would eat my hand all day before she got the treats out of it 🙈. Now after just a few minutes of training, she waits patiently...
This is just one of the things that I teach in the training classes and I have to say it's nice having the time to teach my own dog the same stuff I teach you lot 🤣🤣
This lovely customer wanted help with her 2 dogs. One of them was woofing a lot and the other would pull on the lead and jump up.
We worked on relaxing Walter in his bed through shaping to prevent him from woofing. The owner said to me 'I want to show you what he does at the TV'. However at this point we had already been doing some in your bed training and therefore Walter didn't bark at all and instead relaxed on his bed 🥳
The owner had also used numerous types of head haltis to get Bertie to walk nicely on the lead and now as you can see in just 15 minutes he's really gotten the hang of it! We now need to take this work in doors to stop him from jumping up at visitors but this will take time.
I spent just one hour with them this morning and both the owner and the dogs learnt so much! I will be seeing them again in a few weeks to give them chance to focus on the training that we've already done 😁
I know I sadly don't have long left with my dog walks but there's a lot of exciting training events happening instead...
🌟Life skills work shop - TWO SPACES LEFT starting on the 30th June - This is suitable for any dog owner because dogs will NOT be attending. This will teach you the way in which dogs communicate, how to help with reactivity, ways to keep them calm and games you can play that will make sure that your dog listen 100% of the time!
🌟Adult Class - ONE SPACE LEFT starting on the 20th June - This is a 5 week course with your dogs that enables them to learn cues such as.... in your bed, recall with distractions, impulse control, emergency wait and much more.
🌟Puppy Class - THREE SPACES LEFT starting on the 25th July - This is for puppies who are less than 5 months old to teach them the basics such as loose lead walking, wait, recall and much more.
They are all held at St Thomas' Church Hall Musbury. However, new venues will be coming soon for Monday evening 🥳
🐾 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗣𝘂𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 🐾
25th July - 29th August(5:30-6:30pm)
Location: St Thomas' Church Musbury
This is a 6 week course for puppies under the age of 5month old (6mths is my ultimate max).
What we will learn throughout the course...
🐾Sit
🐾Down
🐾Wait
🐾Jumping
🐾Recall
🐾Lead walking
🐾Food manners
🐾Leave it
It is £70 for access to all 6 courses. If you would like to join us then send me a message. Facebook/ WhatsApp or email is always best as I have limited signal at home 😁
I can't wait to see another class of pups ❤️ Be quick as there's only 3 spaces left and this is the first time I've advertised as I have a waiting list.
There's also one space left on my Adult Dog Training Classes and 2 left on my life skills workshop 😁
Also exciting news... we will be expanding and doing more classes over in Bacup area. Dates, times and locations will be coming soon 🥳
My puppies smashed their final feedback session with me at puppy class yesterday. They all left with certificates too 🥳.
In the video we were practicing walking on a loose lead near distractions and they did amazingly well! (Please ignore the video because I was trying to avoid owners being shown).
Also just a little reminder... I am not working next week. I am having a week off to catch up with university work (which I am so nearly finished with 💪) and to catch up with life a little 🤣. I hope you all understand! Everything will be back to normal on the 5th June and ready for a crazy busy month in June. Ps I am fully booked until the end of July now!
As part of my university work I have had to create YouTube videos of me practically training a dog. This included connection based games, clicker training, commands and cues as well as providing the dog with choice and enrichment.
I used Belle in my videos and for those of you who know Belle well enough, you will know that she is a little bit thick and we joke that she only has a couple of brain cells.
I have recently had my videos marked and I received 100%, with tutors comments saying how Belle responded really well to the training. I have to say I am very proud of her for responding so well to new games and commands and it just goes to show that with the right training and advice you can certainly teach an old dog (even a stupid one) new tricks 🥳
(This is just a really short click of just one of the exercises me and Belle did in the video. I not teaching her to get into her bed but instead I am using a relaxation technique)
For those of you who are looking for help with your dog... just a bit of information about the differences between a dog trainer and a dog behaviourists 😁
🐾 Dog trainers use positive reinforcement (well they should) to train a dog new cues such as sit or lie down. This is what I do in my puppy and adult dog training classes.
🐾 Dog behaviourists look at the behaviour of each individual dog to understanding the underlying issues of their unwanted behaviour. For example, jumping up, pulling on the lead, reactivity can all be down to an underlying issue such as anxiety, genetics etc. This is what I do in my 121 sessions.
Anyone can call themselves a dog trainer and there are plenty amazing ones out there to choose from but it is important that you contact the correct person when you try and support your dogs needs. Training a dog that has an underlying behavioural issues to sit and have focus on you as an owner will sadly not help your dogs emotional needs and therefore it can lead to further problems.
I thought it was intestering for us all to know the difference to really support our very loved pooches ❤️
I have had a lot of requests in the last few days about cat or rabbit visits, additional walks and holiday visits. April through to September is my busiest time of the year so of anyone needs me then let me know sooner rather than later 🥰
I am also on holiday my self in the next few months and the dates for these are:
6-16th April (my final working day is the 5th April)
1st May - early may bank holiday
8th May - Kings Coronation
29th May - 2nd June.
There is still 2 more spaces left on my puppy classes starting just after Easter on the 18th April 5:30-6:30. For those of you who have a booking form, please make sure they are returned asap to secure your place on the booking 😁
What an amazing evening we've had with my group training class...
We've done...
🐾 In your bed
🐾 Emergency wait
🐾 Working on distractions
🐾 Recall
🐾 Loose lead walking
🐾 Leave it and drop it
Everyone left today's session saying how their dog has never behaved so well before and how pleased they were. Everyone has learnt so much and I can't wait see everyone again next week ❤️
Don't forget Puppy class is starting on the 18th April and there's only 3 spaces left!
This beautiful girl is called Tia...
Last week I met up with Tia and her mum and even when Tia was in a secure area, her recall was pretty much none existent. She would not listen when she was called back. She would also pull on the lead and lunge at other dogs when we walked past....
However, in just one week Tia has learnt so much!!
Tia now responds to recall instantly and even when she was in the middle of playing with another dog or when she has hold of a pigs ear. Her mum said 'she doesnt know how to drop it' but Tia picked that up very quickly and we even did this with a high value treat.
She now walks beautifully on the lead and we are now working on her distance between herself and other dogs whilst she is on the lead.
I am so proud of the work that Tia's mum has put in and I am also very impressed with how quickly Tia has picked up the training. She now has a booklet of homework and lots of work to follow through with but I am so pleased! Well done ❤️💪
