I always get asked if I can meet someone’s dog on a walk so I can see them reacting or set up a certain situation at home so I can see the problem behaviour.
I don’t need to see your dog react! And neither does any other trainer or behaviourist.
Every time your dog rehearses a behaviour, it’s more likely they’ll do it again. And if the behaviour is something that involves a negative emotion, the more stressed they’re likely going to feel.
That means it becomes a whole lot harder for us to work to change the behaviour.
People also often forget that some of these behaviours are unsafe and could put them at risk of legal issues, meaning there’s no way any reputable professional will deliberately put a dog in a position where they’re displaying aggression.
We’d all like to keep our limbs intact and ensure our clients, their dogs and the general public are kept safe. Hopefully you feel the same!
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😰 What’s the worst thing you can do if your dog is scared or worried? 😰
Ignore them!
Dogs are social animals. A bit of gentle reassurance from us when they need it can really help them get through things. Just like it would help us.
This is Winston during a bad storm. He’s not a dog who seeks out cuddles or anything like that. But he came and stood right by me.
A couple of gentle strokes allowed him to feel better and he eventually settled 🧘
You can’t reinforce an emotion so you can’t reinforce fear.
The only thing you want to be aware of is that you’re not acting panicked as this can heighten a situation or being OTT with your dog when they want some space.
Calm and gentle is key. But there’s no need to ignore them.
#nervousdog #nervousdogs #anxiousdog #anxiousdogs #dogtips #doghacks
🚫 Saying no to your dog is pointless. And do you want to know why? 🚫
Because it means nothing to them! And neither did the words ‘sit’, ‘come’ or ‘drop’ until you taught them.
The reason dog trainers often advise you don’t say ‘no’ is because you’ll use it in lots of different situations to mean lots of different things.
So how is your dog meant to know if they’re supposed to drop, come back to you, leave something on the floor, get down...? 🤷
If you want to teach your dog that ‘no’ means something useful, use it as a cue to come back to you or to give you eye contact. Otherwise, use other cues to help them know what you’d like them to do instead.
As you can see here, Winston pays absolutely no attention to ‘no’ when he’s sniffing something gross or when he starts to speed up on the lead because a squirrel runs in front of us.
The reason he then looks at the squirrel in a driveway and carries on walking is because we’ve worked a lot on this skill. Me saying no has absolutely nothing to do with it and was probably getting on his nerves! If I carried on like that, he’d probably learn to ignore me completely 😂
For more personalised training tips for you and your dog, book a free call with me using via the link in my bio 👋
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My top tips for training primitive breeds:
🐾 Keep sessions super short and avoid being repetitive. They get bored very easily!
🐾 Check you’re using the highest value rewards. Think pieces of meat rather than dry biscuits. And a bag of cat fur rather than a tennis ball.
🐾 Avoid putting pressure on them. They can take time to do things so give them some time to figure things out, rather than using lots of cues.
#dogtips #dogtraining #stubborndog #sharpeilife #primitivedog #sharpeilove #sharpeisofinstagram
I couldn’t resist! Teaching my very independent dog to come back to me on walks was a mission because his main goal outside is to explore and sniff as much as possible 👃
But it is possible to teach a solid recall to any dog! Some just take more time and effort than others.
Here are my top 3 tips for strengthening your recall:
🐾 Vary your rewards. If you give the same thing every single time, you’ll soon become boring to your dog. So think about what they love to do and offer some variety of that when they come back to you.
🐾 Don’t let them think running off is the best thing ever. If you need to use a longline for a long time, then do it. It will help you in the long run!
🐾 Mimic the situations you’re struggling with. Does your dog fail to come back when they’re playing with another dog? Teach them to respond when they’re excited by seeing if they can come away from playing with another person, for example. Do they run off after wildlife? Find a way to recreate that with a fluffy toy that’s thrown out in front of them. You can get as creative as you like!
If you have an independent dog and would like some structured recall training, you know where to find me! 👋
#dogtips #dogtraining #stubborndog #primitivedog #recalltraining #dogrecall #puppytrainingtips #deadpool #deadpoolandwolverine
While I don’t send all of my clients to the vet, a significant portion of them do end up having some tests, trials or investigations.
To help you understand why, I thought I’d share my dog Winston’s story of how his behaviour has been impacted by chronic pain throughout his life. (One of the medications he’s on works to help both pain and anxiety but behavioural medication is a topic for another day!)
Remember: a behaviourist cannot diagnose medical conditions. But they can help you gather evidence for your vet and collaborate with your vet to give you and your dog the best possible outcome.
Also shout out @veterinary_behaviour_support for helping us get to where we are 🙌
#caninehealth #doghealth #veterinarymedicine #dogpain #dogbehaviour #reactivedog #anxiousdog #reactivedogtraining #reactivedoglife #reactivedogsuk
A lighthearted one for today! What job does your dog think they have?
If you’d like them to switch careers, you know where to find me 👋
#dogmom #dogparent #dogmum #dogswithjobs #dogpeoplegetit #sharpeilovers #lovesharpei #chinesesharpei #sharpeilife #sharpeilover
🤔 How long does it to take to change a dog’s behaviour? 🤔
Not a question I can answer simply but I will say this. Despite some videos you may see online, it’s going to take more than one session to achieve long-term progress.
Some of my clients have had significant transformations within a couple of months and those are usually the ones who are really consistent with the plan. For others, particularly where there may be medical things going on or the dog has been practising the behaviour for years, it can take longer ⏰
I was speaking to a human therapist recently, talking about people’s expectations in his line of work and how people often want quick fixes when it comes to dogs and their mental health.
He was surprised, saying that it doesn’t work for humans in one session or even a handful of sessions. So why would people think it’s different for animals who can’t even have talking therapy for their problems? 🗣️
So remember: with behavioural issues, we are dealing with mental health. You will need time, patience and most importantly consistency to see progress.
Focus on the little wins first and watch them start adding up into those big wins 🏆
#dogtrainingtips #dogtraining #dogtrainingadvice #dogbehaviour #dogbehaviourtraining #doghelp #mentalhealthjourney #mentalhealthishealth
🏠 Next up in my moving house with an anxious dog series is getting some settled behaviour in the new house.
😌 If you’ve done settle training in lots of places, this should be relatively easy for your dog.
🐶 If not, easiest way to start is grab a settle blanket, pop it down, and reward your dog with a long-lasting item like a chew when they step on it.
When settle time’s over, remember to pick up the blanket. Practise this enough and the blanket will become a cue for them to chill out.
Winston had a couple of hours at the new house the other day so we practised exactly this. And he smashed it on the very first go and couldn’t even be bothered to follow me round.
Does your dog struggle to cope in new environments? Book a free call using the link in my bio and we can brainstorm some ways to help 🙌
#nervousdog #nervousdogs #anxiousdog #anxiousdogs #movinghouse #newhouse
Every dog is different but here are some general guidelines for when I won’t ask a dog to sit:
🚨 When they want to avoid or escape a situation. Sitting can make them feel trapped and won’t change how they feel
🩺 When their medical history suggests they may be in pain or discomfort and may therefore find sitting (particularly outside) uncomfortable
👎 When they find being still too difficult and the sit is therefore likely to fail
⛰️ When we’ve already asked them to have a lot of self-control and asking for more is likely to tip them over the edge
🐶 Ultimately when a sit isn’t going to meet their need in that moment
So when do I use it? If a dog has a default sit like Oakley here and is comfortable showing it off in lots of situations, then we can use this to our advantage and teach them to offer this behaviour in return for getting to greet another person, for example.
Or we can see if the dog can respond to something they know really well like a sit to see how they’re feeling and whether their brain has left the building.
But there are lots of behaviours we can use instead. A sit is usually not at the top of my list.
As I said at the beginning, it very much depends on the dog!
If you’d like help teaching your dog a default behaviour, get in touch 🙌
#reactivedogtraining #dogreactive #reactivedogsuccess #reactivedogawareness #reactivitytraining #dogtrainingtips #cockerspaniels #cockerspaniellovers #cockerlife
So your dog grabs your slipper. I know your first instinct will be to grab it back and pull. But what is this going to achieve? A tug game you’re almost certainly going to lose? Your dog learning that you are a threat to what they have?
None of those things are good and can end up with them being more likely to steal stuff and less likely to give them up 🤦
Dogs are scavengers so they do like to find things and pick them up with their mouths. Some breeds more than others as that’s what we’ve bred them to do! Instead of getting into conflict with them, teach a solid drop to keep your slippers and socks intact.
👅 First step: when they don’t have something in their mouth, say ‘drop’ and then scatter some high-value treats on the floor. Kibble won’t cut it. Repeat in different places until you see your dog respond when they hear the word.
🎾 Then try it when they have a low value item, like a toy they have access to every day. Say your drop cue and scatter the treats away. Repeat a few times then try saying ‘drop’ and waiting for them to drop before you bring out the treats.
🩴 Then work your way up to their most valuable items (which tend to be stolen goods!).
⭐ I have two more spaces for new clients in August. So if you’d like to teach your dog skills like this, send me a DM ⭐
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