The Fairydogmother Yorkshire Ltd

26/08/2024

What are positive reinforcement/force-free trainers, and what are balanced trainers & compulsion trainers?

Most pet dog owners genuinely don’t know the difference, or what the word balanced will mean for your dog.

Positive reinforcement/force-free trainers:
* Set dogs up to succeed and reward them instead of setting them up to fail and punishing them.
* Teach kind and fair rules and boundaries
* Train alternative behaviours using rewards so dogs learn to make the right choices,
* Ensure the dog’s needs are being met.

Balanced trainers:
* Dog training that involves the use of both reward based techniques, and aversive consequences.
* They use positive reinforcement training techniques
* They also use aversive, punishment-based training (this includes training and/or tools that cause pain, fear or intimidation such as electric collars, pinch collars, corrections on slip leads).
* They train with rewards but punish if the dog doesn’t comply or makes mistakes.

Then there are the compulsion trainers
* These people just go straight to punishment, they will stick a pinch or e-collar, or a slip lead on for ‘corrections’ on your dog in a heartbeat.

So if you see the word ‘balanced’ that means they will use rewards and punishment on your dog.

If their first choice of ‘go to’ advice is to put on a pinch collar or yank on a slip lead, they aren’t a positive trainer or balanced trainer - they are an as***le with no skills.

Force free/positive reinforcement trainers - it is what it says on the tin.

The biggest misconception aversive trainers try and throw out about us positive trainers is that there's no discipline, that we all just throw food at dogs and ignore the bad stuff. That is nonsense, humane discipline is a key part of positive training. But that discipline is about teaching dogs to make the right choices. It’s about training dogs not punishing wrong choices

There is also no such thing as ‘purely positive’ either - being a positive/force free trainer does not mean that we never say no to our dogs or that we don't instil boundaries. We do, but the methods and principles we use are constructive, humane and fair, and never involve any tools or methods that inflict physical punishment, cause fear or intimidate dogs into behaving as we want them to.

Transparency about training techniques is vital, a rare minority are open about being balanced in their approach before you start, hats off to them for being honest about how they train.

However, the vast majority of balanced and compulsion trainers will never mention it on their websites or flashy social media videos. If you dig very deep into their websites you may find brief mention of e-collars, you may dig out a video of a dog wearing a pinch collar, but they are hard to find; I have checked them all, and I know who they are.

Do your homework before you trust a trainer or behaviourist with your dog's future.

Teach dogs with patience, consistency and kindness always

21/08/2024

Teach your dog to use that amazing nose so you can have even more fun together.

40 minute 1-to-1 session for you and your dog to get you started.

Introductory session for complete beginners to learn how to really teach your dog to use their greatest skill ... use their amazing sense of smell.

It is an outdoor session in the Paddle and Play field at Puptopia

Giving dogs mental stimulation and enrichment
Tires your dog out without walking for miles
Confidence building, giving a sense of achievement
Relationship building
Lots of fun

There are only four of these introductory sessions available to book so grab one now, just £29.95

https://thefairydogmotheryorkshire.simplybook.it/v2/ /service/68

21/08/2024

Puppy classes starting this Saturday 24th August at Puptopia Dog Adventure Park so we have lots of fun, confidence building activities as well as training

Limited places available.

You will get help with the important basics, exactly how to give your dog clarity in what you are teaching them, the value of rewards, sit, lie down, dropping items, leave it, husbandry skills, lead skills & some recall etc. Along with a chance to explore new environments. Plus a whole online course to help you.
Learn new skills
Have fun
Building confidence
Teach your pup how to interact with their world
How to socialise your pup in the best way possible
To have a confident pup with social skills,but who can also stay calm, relaxed, and chilled when needed.
How to read your dog and other dogs’ body language - understand your dogs communication
The puppies also get to play and learn social skills to help you, as a dog owner, feel confident in your abilities to obverse your dog’s play throughout their life.

To grab your place hit this link now
https://thefairydogmotheryorkshire.simplybook.it/v2/ /location/13/category/1/count/1/

20/08/2024

🐾 FREE LOCAL DELIVERY 🐾

We have lots of local customers who love to take advantage of our FREE delivery service on orders over £25, but we think it’s always worth sharing again for any customers who may not know!

Please do get in touch with us if you would like your order delivering to your door and we will do our absolute best to accommodate you. It’s our way of saying thank you for being a part of the Jake’s family! 🐾❤️ WEBSITE IN BIO!

19/08/2024

Puppy class starts on Saturday!

PUPPIES IN THE PARK!

Not just a puppy Class … these are Fairydogmother puppy adventures. Puppy classes with a qualified dog trainer with 13 years experience of helping puppies grow up to be happy, sociable, confident dogs.

There is shelter so don’t worry about a bit of rain spoiling our fun!

Puppies up to 24 weeks old on the first class you attend
Classes are weekly at 12.15pm, for 5 weeks starting Saturday at Puptopia, a beautiful secure outdoor dog adventure park.

• Teach obedience and life skills with clarity and care
• Learn with other puppies of different breeds
• Learn social skills
• Learn how Understand your dog's communication

Grab a space now while you can
https://thefairydogmotheryorkshire.simplybook.it/v2/ /location/13/category/1/count/1/

www.fairydogmother.co.uk

17/08/2024

Having fun at the Burley In Woofdale Dog Show

15/08/2024

Tail docking is awful, some dogs never recover from trauma.
This is beautiful written but intensely sad by Sally Gutteridge

He entered the world, and they took his tail.

He then spent his life protecting the wound.

He was tense, wound tight like a spring, worried, anxious. He shouted loud at anyone who came too close, not quite so loud if he loved them, but still.

The physical wound healed for him, but not the mental one. The mental damage stayed, maybe alongside the physiological one.

Early trauma is still trauma, and it doesn’t get any less when the traumatised one can’t fight or defend themselves.

He had landed in the world an innocent, a precious whole, a life as vulnerable as life could be, and they cut off his tail.

Nobody has been able to ask a dog what it feels like to have their tail cut off. We couldn’t ask him in words how it felt, and he couldn’t tell us.

And like all crimes against the voiceless, humans made an ‘educated’ guess and did it anyway.

When we met, he was still such a baby. A curved spine tucked in the hind and a swollen face. He was coughing, spluttering, barking, infectious and messy.

His legs were thick, and his paws huge. His face back then was chocolatey brown.

In his younger years, he would race when his lead came off. His little body would shoot like it had been released from a cannon. Straight ahead, then about turn and straight back.

The first time he was let off the lead, we thought he was never coming back, stopping or slowing down. He threatened to break the sound barrier that day as he shot along at the speed of light. Then we got used to it.

He always came back.

Over the years, he created memories for everyone around him. That time, he chased sheep on a snowy hillside. That time, he bit the postman’s shorts.

The time he hollered and threatened the policeman’s wife. The day a visitor returned with a companion and pointed to him, saying, ‘That one bites’.

Then, there was the day we found him sitting on the little boy’s lap. The child who was scared of dogs and the dog who was scared of kids. Together, seemingly random, an intuitive connection.

A hearty sight.

He likes to be around a group of dogs but is awkward. He’s sometimes growling, sometimes hu***ng.

But still, he gravitates towards a group of dogs as often as he can. He loves groups of people too, but only when they're his group.

He’s had years, beaches, holidays, runs and games. He’s always been ready to race, to jump into the sea, to swim in the lakes and threaten passing strangers, just in case.

He’s barked a million times this week. He barks at the wind; even if the wind simply threatens to blow, he barks just in case.

His bark is big, huge, and it’s everywhere. Yet while he’s been scared of sounds for most of his life, he couldn’t hear himself, even before he went deaf.

Everyone else could hear him though, long after he stopped.

The years have gone by, and he’s an old man now.

The chocolate face has gone, and he is covered in white.

He’s deaf, and he’s stiff. He snores like he never has before. His spine is taut, and his body is tense. He sleeps most of the day away, and sometimes, I see him standing staring at the wall or the floor.

He’s needed anxiety help all his life, but that’s OK.

They did, after all, take his tail.

Chips - Sally Gutteridge.

14/08/2024

Slick well produced social media videos don't make someone a good dog trainer.

Knowledge, years of good solid education, empathy, patience, kindness, hands on experience, and treating you and your dog as individuals does.

Most of us are out there helping people and dogs not spending all day videoing ourselves talking about training dogs, I don't know how they even have time for it.

13/08/2024

I have two spaces available in the next drop-in adult dog training classes held at Puptopia because two regulars can't make it to the next one.

No need to sign up to a course of sessions, drop in or out as you like.
One class per month - the next one is Tuesday 3 September at 6.30pm.

Let me know when you register what you want to work on.
Dog and human friendly dogs only.

Hit this link to join the fun
https://thefairydogmotheryorkshire.simplybook.it/v2/ /location/13/category/27/

13/08/2024

PUPPIES IN THE PARK!

Puppy classes starting soon at Puptopia.

Not just a puppy Class … these are Fairydogmother puppy adventures!

A smaller class means more personal help tailored to you and your puppy - limited places available.

Puppies up to 24 weeks old on the first class you attend
Classes are weekly on Saturdays at Puptopia for 5 weeks

24th August
31st August
7th September
14th September
21st September

You will get help with the important basics, exactly how to give your dog clarity in what you are training, the value of rewards, sit, lie down, dropping items, leave it, husbandry skills, lead skills & some recall etc. Along with a chance to explore new environments. Plus a whole online course to help you.

Building confidence
Learning how to interact with their world
How to socialise your pup in the best way possible
To have a confident social pup who can also stay calm, relaxed, and chilled when needed.
How to read your dog and other dogs’ body language out on walks

The puppies also get to play and learn social skills to help you, as a dog owner, feel confident in your abilities to obverse your dog’s play throughout their life.
Understanding healthy/non-healthy play and learning how to read your dog's communication and body language helps keeps dogs and humans safe in all interactions and experiences.
Build confidence using the activity area
Meet various breeds and sizes of puppies
Meet lots of people
Play with other puppies of appropriate size, age and temperaments
Learn social skills
Learn how to read important signals from your puppy and other dogs.

https://thefairydogmotheryorkshire.simplybook.it/v2/ /location/13/category/1/count/1/

12/08/2024

Why do I say to everyone, with every kind of training, set your dog up to succeed not to fail?

Ever left your lunch on your coffee table and nipped into the kitchen to get a drink. Your dog takes the opportunity and scoffs your lunch, and on your return you punish your dog for doing something he doesn’t understand is wrong. He is a dog, he was hungry and there was an opportunity for access to some yummy food.

Why are management strategies always part of training, especially in the early stages?

Firstly because allowing your dog to practice the unwanted behaviour makes it more likely to happen again: practice makes permanent.

Plus, setting your dog up to fail and then punishing them for it is totally unfair, like letting your reactive dog get too close to another dog and then punishing him for barking/growling/lunging at the other dog.

Is that fair on your dog when you know your dog is fearful of dogs and you set him up to fail ... yet again instead of keeping at a safe distance until he has learned that dogs aren’t so scary with a step by step training program.

Back to your lunch: Management is moving the plate out of temptations way while you are out of the room until you have successfully trained your dog to do a nice down stay around dinner plates while you are out of sight.

Let’s get a little bit geeky about this inside your dog’s brain for a moment. Looking at behaviour change neurobiologically, we need to create a stronger chain of connections for the new behaviour than the one we want to stop.

When any behaviour happens neurons repeatedly fire at the same time, creating connections: strings of neurons become increasingly sensitive to their neighbouring neurons in that chain. Myelin insulates the electrical signals, so that they can travel faster through the brain and make this behaviour more likely to happen again.

That is why management, and preventing the unwanted behaviour is so important. We have to prevent your dog from practicing the behaviour and keeping those old bain pathways strong.

Behaviour change can take time and practice in order for our dogs to learn to make the right choices, as looking at it from a neurobiological standpoint, we are looking to actually change your dog's brain, create new neural pathways, and then practice those new neural pathways until they're the root of choice when presented with a given situation.

That is why there are no quick fixes, and and why punishment when we set our dogs up to fail is wrong.

10/08/2024

Give your puppy the very best start in life so you and your dog can look forward to a happy, and fun, future together.

The first step is finding the right puppy for you and your family.

So many of the behavioural and training problems I see in older dogs are because people simply chose the wrong puppy - yes breed makes a difference to fit into your lifestyle and also the right puppy of that breed ... genetics do make a difference and breeders (good and bad) make a difference to how easy your life will be with the dog you choose to share it with.

Just as an example: a Cockerpoo is generally pretty high energy and lots of fun, but a Cockerpoo that comes from a caring responsible breeder and his parents are a calm healthy pet show cocker and a sweet good natured poodle will be a very different dog to a cockerpoo brought up in a shed and bred from a working line cocker from generations of field trials champions crossed with a poodle with hip dysplasia, thyroid problems and aggression problems.

What you teach your puppy after he arrives matters, breed matters but so does DNA .

I am happy to help from the moment you make that decision to add a dog to your family.

As an expert puppy trainer for over 13 years I can give you help and advice on everything you will possibly need to have a happy, well-mannered puppy you will love to be around and be proud to take out.

Everything from pre-puppy visits and advice, one home visit to help with basics all the way up to the ultimate Puppy Program.
If you book Puppy Gold or above you will get a puppy training starter pack worth around £50 including
Treat bag
Clicker
Whistle
Canine body language book
Discount vouchers for treats, food, toys and dog adventures for your puppy.

www.fairydogmother.co.uk

Get in touch for a chat

06/08/2024

Ready for another fun adult dog drop-in class at Puptopia. What a lovely evening for it 🐾😊

The current one is full but I will happily add another class - if you are interested drop me a message to 07723 538005

06/08/2024

If you are in the Halifax area please support Tia Rescue and enter the dog show.

31/07/2024

Just in case you didn’t know I have a huge training venue to use for 1:1 training and classes. The once a month drop-in dog class is full at the moment as regulars come each time but if you want to join in the fun get in touch and I will add a second class. We work on whatever you want to do as well as some fun training from me to work on between classes.

27/07/2024

Call in to Jake’s - The Natural Choice For Pets today for a chat with me to get some advice about any dog training problem.
You can also grab a discount voucher to visit Puptopia if you haven’t already been.

A little something to say Thank you to all our customers
for all your support over the last few weeks
We are giving you 10% discount on everything in store today only.
We are open 10am - 4pm
We have The Fairydogmother Yorkshire Ltd visiting for your training needs.
Thinking of trying raw or have any questions speak to our Raw Canine Nutrition Specialist in store today.

Again thank you to everyone for all your support

25/07/2024

I will be at Jake’s - The Natural Choice For Pets on Saturday so feel free to pop in for a chat about anything you need help with

Join us on Saturday where we want to say THANK YOU

A massive thank you to all our customers over the past few weeks, we are so sorry for the inconveniences of short notice closures, the lack of deliveries. But it’s been unavoidable as you can imagine, Lewis receiving his transplant has been life changing in more ways than one.

As we settle into life after transplant, we wanted to say a HUGE thank you to our wonderful customers,because you have been on this journey with us too, you’ve shown us so much support. be it shoulders to cry on, or simply just keeping us smiling.

Thank you.

19/07/2024

What a beautiful morning for a spot of puppy training

14/07/2024

Who are you watching it with? 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

13/07/2024

One of my favourite photos from today 🥰🐾

13/07/2024

I had a fabulous time at Yeadon Carnival today running the dog show.
Congratulations to all the winners and a huge thank you to everyone who entered- all the dogs were amazing.
Massive thank you to all the wonderful volunteers and to Matt and Beth at Jake’s - The Natural Choice For Pets who weren’t able to join us today for organising all the prizes - you all helped make it a success.

11/07/2024

12 years on, and nothing has been learned.

Dealing with the root cause of the problem with owner education and stamping out the irresponsible breeding and selling of dogs instead of a blanket ban and innocent dogs being murdered. 💔
Lennox spent over two years in a kennel while his family fought for his life, he had done nothing wrong.

10/07/2024

You need to enter the Yeadon Carnival Dog Show online this year, it is much easier than having massive queues to register on the day.

Please register online to guarantee a place in the categories you want to enter - once they are full they are full.

Loads of amazing prizes again this year.

The Fairydogmother and Jake’s - The Natural Choice For Pets are once again organising an amazing dog show for Yeadon Carnival

https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/yeadon-dog-show

Places are limited so book online now to get your beautiful pooch entered into this years's show on Saturday 13 July

Lots of amazing prizes and lots of fun!

The fun starts at 12pm
Best in show 3.30pm

Cutest Puppy
Young Handler
Prettiest Girl
Waggiest tail
Best Trick
Handsome Hound
Golden Oldie
BEST IN SHOW

09/07/2024

www.ticketsource.co.uk/yeadon-dog-show
Register online