Socialisation isn’t just for puppies! 🐾
Braving it and taking my adolescent dog shopping gave him the chance to experience new sights, sounds, and smells and gave me the opportunity to reinforce his good choices, like:
✅ Calm behaviour
✅ Loose lead walking
✅ Disengaging from distractions
✅ Neutral responses to people (mostly - there was a man holding a huge bag of natural dog treats in the pet shop and he reallyyyyyyy had to say hello 😅)
Training in the real world is so valuable—it was a huge confidence boost for him, but also for me! All the preparation we put in paid off, and I feel amazing.
The next goal? To do this with my younger dog… but he’s not quite as confident just yet! One step at a time🩵
What’s your favorite dog-friendly shop? Let me know in the comments!🐶
#dogtraining #positivereinforcementdogtraining #dogsocialisation #socialisation #realworldtraining #dogenrichment #confidentdogs #adolescentdogtraining #teenagedog
Just look at that recall! 🚀⚡️🏎️
Herbee, the adolescent Labrador, and his mom have been putting in the work on their whistle recall this week—and it shows!
In our Gundog Skills class last week, we worked on conditioning the whistle to mean something exciting is coming his way, and boy, does he know it!
Herbee’s owner shared this video with me today, and I couldn’t be more impressed!
So, so proud of these two—keep up the amazing work! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
@acme_whistles
#adolescentdog #teenagedog #whistlerecall #recalltraining #acmewhistles #positivereinforcementdogtraining #gundogtraining #labradortraining #successstories
Recently my dog started begging for food.
I’d like to say he was hovering over me while I was eating but in actual fact, he started leaning his entire body on me in an attempt to get my dinner.
The solution? Increase the amount of food he’s getting 🤷🏼♀️
The thing is👇🏼
⚡️ He’s a very energetic and active adolescent boy
🥶 It’s winter and he’s using a lot more energy to maintain his body temperature (even inside as our house is a balmy 12.9°C right now)
⚖️We’ve recently changed foods and are still finding the balance
It would be so easy to treat this begging as him being “naughty” but he’s just trying to find a way to communicate with me that he has an unmet need.
We listened, and we fixed it 💪🏻
[if your dog is rapidly losing weight or suddenly very hungry, it might be an idea to visit a vet]
#rewardbaseddogtraining #forcefreedogtraining #dogbegging #hungrydog #dogfood #dognutrition #rawfeddogs #labradorlife #dogownerproblems
Not a fan of the cold? Stay cosy inside and teach your dog TOUCH! ✋🏻👈🏻
“Touch” is a simple skill where your dog boops your hand with their nose—and it’s a game-changer! Not only is it fun to teach, but it’s also super versatile.
I often use it as a recall cue for my dogs and they love it, but it’s also a great tool for working on retrieves. Once your dog learns that your hand is the target, you can easily transition to having them deliver items (like a dummy) right to you.
Why not try it out? It’s quick, easy, and your dog will love it. Let me know how it goes!
#easydogtraining #positivereinforcementdogtraining #rewardbaseddogtraining #handtarget #gundogtrainingtips #dogtrainingtips #mentalstimulationfordogs #dogenrichment
“Excited teenage dog” is definitely a phrase l use a lot! 🙈
If you’ve ever had a teenage dog, you probably know how challenging this stage can be. During adolescence, it’s very common for dogs to become more “reactive”, often due to those wild hormones, and when we look at what happens right before a behaviour, we can generally piece together what went “wrong”.
What you don’t see right before this video is me and my dog going absolutely crazy with a tug toy. His arousal levels were through the roof so unfortunately this meant that when he saw the dog, he had no chance of keeping his cool🥶
You can put in so much work with your teenage dog and even then you can still have moments like this one.
Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose-and the backs of my legs definitely lost this round💢
If you’re struggling with your adolescent dog, just know you’re not alone! If you’d like to learn helpful techniques to navigate this challenging (but temporary) phase, please get in touch and we can worth through it together 🩵
#adolescentdog #teenagedog #dogownerproblems #dogownerlife #rewardsbaseddogtraining #positivereinforcementdogtraining #dogtrainerlife #reactivedog #reactivedogtraining
Back to work full time tomorrow after a nice gradual return since NY, it was about time I get myself all ready to go so please enjoy the Sunday reset that no one asked for 🤪
Knew I had to get my bum in gear so thought why not motivate myself by doing a video before it gets dark🤷🏼♀️
A bit different from my usual content!
Just fyi, I did clean far more thoroughly than I show in the video but there was no point filming those bits☺️
#sundayreset #dogtrainerlife #dogownerlife #muddydog
Humans are “reactive” too! 🤗
Just got back from a getaway with my adolescent dog, and wow—it was a challenge! Between his over-arousal, sleep avoidance, barking, and lead pulling, I found myself completely stressed out 😅
On one walk, he barked at a stranger, who decided to “give me what for.” And, unfortunately, I gave it right back. Normally, I’d stay calm, but with everything piling up, it just came out.
Now, imagine there’s an empty bucket and with every stressor, a bit of water is added. Without enough time to recover, that bucket can overflow, making reactions to even small triggers more likely 🪣
Dogs aren’t ‘bad’ for reacting; they’re often overwhelmed, anxious, exhausted, or trigger stacked—just like we can be.
So consider what might be filling your dog’s bucket and see if there are any changes you can make to empty it a little 🌟
#rewardbaseddogtraining #positivereinforcementdogtraining #adolescentdog #reactivedog #reactivedogtraining #dogbehavior #triggerstacking #dogmomlife
Want to boost your dog’s recall? Here’s a simple trick:
✨Reward check-ins!✨
This just means that you offer your dog something they absolutely love when they choose to come to you without being called.
This could be a tasty treat, praise, or even playtime with you 😍
Drilling recall exercises can become so boring but by rewarding check ins, you begin building value in being near to you and making you the best choice your dog can make.
Our dogs have so few choices in life so let’s make the ones they do have count!🐾
Give it a try and see what happens to your dog’s recall!
#rewardbaseddogtraining #easydogtraining #positivereinforcementdogtraining #dogtrainingtips #recalltips #recallyourdog #dogownerproblems #bedlingtonterrier #forcefreedogtraining
Happy Halloween everyone 👻
Tonight isn’t just a scary night for us humans, it can also be a scary night for our dogs too so here are some tips to keep them safe and happy this Howl-o-ween 🎃
#howloween #halloweensafety #dogsafety #rewardbaseddogtraining #dogtrainingtips #dogownertips
Is your dog ready for firework season?🫣
Firework season can be a really stressful time for any dog. Whilst we may know when they’re due to happen, our dogs don’t.
It’s not just the bangs, it’s the smells, the flashes and the unpredictability of it all 🫨
There are a few ways we can begin to prepare our dogs for this time of year, and this is one of them!
Starting early on, play some firework sounds on low volume on the television and give your dog something soothing to do. Whether that’s a snuffle mat (or snuffle carpet on our case), licky mat, a Kong or a chew.
Pay close attention to your dog’s body language to ensure they’re not feeling stressed. The fireworks are just meant to exist in the background, not be frightening.
Some dogs will be able to start at a higher volume than others so go at your dog’s pace.
There are many factors that can affect your dog’s reaction to fireworks so practising this exercise can help every dog, even if they’ve never bothered before.
So give it ago 🥳
#bonfirenight #habituation #dogfireworktips #dogtrainingtips #dogownerproblems #dogproblems #fireworkseason #easydogtraining #doganxiety #rewardsbaseddogtraining
Did you know you can use toys as rewards for your dog? 🎾
It is a common misconception that rewards based dog training is all about treats but that’s not actually the case. Many things can be used as rewards for our dogs, including toys! 👏🏻
It’s not always easy or appropriate to use a toy to reward your dogs but when you can, a toy can be incredibly motivating.
The most important thing to remember is that the dog decides what is rewarding, not us. So, if you are trying to get your dog to perform specific behaviours and they’re not interested in the “reward” you’re offering, it’s not a reward 🤷🏼♀️
#rewardbaseddogtraining #positivereinforcementdogtraining
#dogownerproblems #dogownertips #dogtoys #ballobsessed #foodmotivation #dogmotivation
I specialise in key areas such as loose lead walking, reliable recall, navigating adolescence, and setting puppies up for success.
