New Tricks Dog Training & Pet Services

23/04/2025

My improvers have worked so hard 👏👏👏 I love handing out certificates! Everyone has been practicing lots and it shows 🏅

Next 6-week block is starting Tues 29th April - www.newtricksdogtraining.co.uk/training-classes

22/04/2025

I love running puppy classes - everyone is usually really excited to get started on training and it's so lovely watching the puppies all grow in confidence, learning new skills, and forming friendships! 😍

My next Puppy Foundations course is starting in Whitstone at the beginning of May 🐶 If you'd like to join us, book your place via my website: www.newtricksdogtraining.co.uk/training-classes

🐾 puppies aged up to 6 months
🐾 small groups for more 1-2-1 attention
🐾 Wednesday evenings @ 6pm
🐾 Whitstone Village Hall

13/04/2025

A bit of fun on a Sunday evening! I'm not normally one to hop onto trends, but this one is pretty cute 🥰 Have you had a go at creating an AI version of yourself with your pet?

12/04/2025

I don't spend much time with Mavis.

Well I do - when I'm working from home, we are in each other's company a lot - but when it comes to training, I'm the first to admit I don't do much!

It's not because I don't want to, it's usually just because I'm busy and my schedule doesn't often line up with classes/events that other trainers/behaviourists are running.

But this week, the stars aligned! We had a great training class at Bona Fido Pet Behaviour and Dog Training and I was pleasantly surprised by Mavis's behaviour - it was far from perfect and there was a little (lot) more pulling initially than I'd like, but considering she's been very reactive recently (injuries, gut issues and limited training practice on my part don't help), she did so well and didn't bark at a single dog which is huge for her 🙌 So I'll take that win!

We've also started social walks with The Dog Witch: Whole Health for Healthy Behaviour where we're focusing on helping Mavis feel safe around other dogs and working on her social/communication skills. Again, she gets very excited and takes a moment to settle down, but once she gets there she's great!

I sometimes get bogged down thinking about how far Mavis has to go, but I have to stop and see how far we've come too! She's an absolutely incredible little dog who has had to deal with so much in her short life, she's a dream at home, and she can learn pretty much anything I teach her.

In reality, there are only a couple of things I need to work on and I'm going to make it my priority over the next few months.

12/04/2025

What a week of classes! ☀️😎 Lots of fab training from both Improvers groups and my 'Terrible' Teens as always.

We have been so lucky with the weather and took full advantage of being able to work outside while it lasted. Back to rain next week! ☔️🙃

08/04/2025

I have been spoiled with another staffie pup 😍 I couldn't resist the opportunity to help little Olive with her training. She is such a clever girl and has learned lots of things already! We'll be focusing on loose-lead walking, leave it, and polite social interactions over the course of our 4 sessions together.

04/04/2025

I think I need to do more scentwork with this dog! 😂

Mr Ellie has a very sweet tooth and often tells me to hide chocolate etc to save him from temptation (because he'd just eat the lot in one go!), so as a result I have several hiding places around the house...

This works great until Mavis comes along and points out where the goodies are hidden!! 🙈 She's always been great with scentwork and really enjoys it, so perhaps I need to put her skills to good use.

(No sweet treats are left within her reach)

31/03/2025

This dog is an absolute sweetheart 😍 We've been working on loose-lead walking & polite greetings (not jumping up!) in our 1-2-1 training sessions.

As Jessie's human struggles with holding the lead if she pulls, we have introduced a head-collar while we're training her to walk nicely on the lead. This isn't usually something I like to use often, however in this case we have to prioritise safety in the short-term, and we'll aim to get her walking on a harness in the long-term.

I want to make this step as nice for Jessie as possible (so she won't mind wearing it), so we're breaking it down into small steps and only proceeding when she's ready. In our session this weekend, she picked it up really quickly and was happy to push her nose into the head-collar by herself! Clever girl 🩷

29/03/2025

This is a fab video with some ideas to help you pass a trigger (something your dog reacts to, e.g. dogs, people, horses etc) safely.

28/03/2025

Another busy Friday ☀️

These three gorgeous pups are my longest clients as they've been with me from the beginning, nearly 5 years ago! Dear old Monkey (right) used to come out for walks with me until age caught up with him and he sadly passed in January 🌈

Today was the first time I've seen Batman and Kestrel since then (as we had a break from training), and the feeling was bitter-sweet. He was trained as an assistance dog for his human and was such a clever boy! I absolutely love these dogs and will always have very fond memories of Mr Monkey 💙

26/03/2025

Busy busy Tuesday evenings! Absolutely fabulous work from my 'Terrible' Teens and Improvers 🙌

26/03/2025

Great advice from the lovely Rebecca!

When working with dogs who bark and lunge at other dogs, the most common reasons people assume are aggression, fear, and frustration. Firsty—aggression is a response, not a root cause. There are often many underlying reasons why a dog might not be coping in these situations.

One reason that’s more common than people realise is that the dog is simply overwhelmed. Their nervous system is maxed out, and what they really need is a detox.

We’ve been conditioned to believe that regular exercise is the single most important thing for a dog's well-being. While exercise does matter, it's not always the solution for every dog. In fact, for some, it can add to their stress if they’re constantly exposed to overwhelming outside stimuli. I’ve witnessed remarkable transformations in dogs simply by giving them a break from the stressors of the outside world.

What does this look like? No walks. No visitors. Just plenty of opportunities to sniff, relax, and simply exist in peace.

Feeding them a diet rich in vitamins and minerals, spending quality time together, and letting them explore safe spaces like their garden or a quiet field can work wonders. This chance to decompress often surprises people. They think their dogs will never cope without the daily routine, but they're amazed by how much calmer their dogs become once those stress triggers are removed.

Of course, every dog is an individual. For some, this approach may not be the right move. The key is to truly listen to what your dog is telling you.

Sometimes, just like us, dogs need a break from the relentless demands of the world to reset and recharge. And that’s okay—it’s a gift we can give them.

23/03/2025

Mr Ellie thought it would be a good idea to bring a box full of sticks into the house... Mavis is not impressed that she can't have them, oh it's a hard life being a dog 😅

18/03/2025

I met this little piranha at the weekend 😍 Daisy is a very sweet puppy with super sharp teeth!

In our 121 session, along with discussing how we can settle her into the household with an older dog (to minimise friction while building good relationships), we introduced some focus-based games to help with her recall and other training further down the line.

She was really clever and very enthusiastic with training for rewards! I'm looking forward to catching up with her again soon.

17/03/2025

Mavis might not be able to walk very far at the moment (restricted exercise due to injury), but we can still have adventures! 🚗 We took a trip to visit family this weekend and she loved exploring a different (short) walk with lots of slow sniffy time. And posing for photos, of course 📸

What have your pups been up to this weekend?