Suburban Dog Trainer

13/06/2025

Happy Great Review Friday everyone!!! this time it's a little more international as I was teaching in Chicago and Illinois and all I can say is great flight, great cars, great dog owners, great dogs and fabulous friends!!!😀❤️

16/05/2025

Happy Friday Everyone!!!😀 here are some pictures form my "Pop-Up" Saturday Scent Course For Beginners, which was held last week and was great fun! The course utilises how scent dogs are currently trained, but with a pet dog twist focussing on how scent training can be used to burn energy, build a training bond and more importantly become useful to your dog.
My next "Pop-Up" Scent Course starts Wednesday 18th June 6-7pm running for 5-weeks at Scarcroft Village Hall at a total cost of £80.
If you think this is for you, just let me know and I will book you on what should be a fun course.😀

05/05/2025

Happy Bank Holiday!!!😀 Managed to get a beautiful early morning walk in Temple Newsam Estate with Sandy and Rusty, I hope you are all enjoying the day.

02/05/2025

Congratulations🥳 to everyone who passed their Bronze and Silver Kennel Club Good Citizen's Award this week!!! And to let you know there are now spaces available for the next set of classes starting 18th June, please feel free to go to my website for more information. Hope you all have a smashing Bank Holiday weekend. 😀

25/04/2025

There is still a space for the next Puppy Companion Class starting 30th April at Scarcroft Village Hall if you have just bought a puppy or have a dog you would like to train that is under 7-months-old!!!
This is Billy the Retriever who is very proud of himself having completed the puppy course this week. Who I think we can all agree is adorable 😍

22/04/2025

Puppy Prozac!!!!
The study of data from 2.3 million dogs found that nearly 1 in 500 were taking fluoxetine for problems such as excessive whining, barking or chewing furniture.
Damningly, a similar study in 2013 found that only one in 10,000 dogs were on the drug.
Even though the study looks at possible reasons for this phenomenon my personal experience is that there isn’t enough education by vets on how and when to use a behaviourist, as they see most issues as medical much in the same way as behaviourist see most unwanted behaviour as psychological.

The other issue which is possibly a factor is that because most people are working from home and need a companion such as a dog to keep them company. However, the mindset is the dog is there for the owners’ emotional needs and sometimes the emotional needs of the dog are forgotten, which does not promote a successful well-balanced dog.

Finally, I suspect some owners go to the vets and want a quick fix, which most vets can only deal with through the drug route.
The frustrating part of all this is that every study since the early 1990’s looking at the use of psychoactive drugs such as Fluoxetine and similar found they were only truly successful when teamed with a professional Behaviour Modification Programme.

Over the past decade, UK dogs on on fluoxetine, an antidepressant sold under the brand name Prozac when used in humans, has increased exponentially, research reveals.

11/04/2025

What a wonderful Friday it is, and I hope you are all looking forward to Easter (I know I am!). I saw these adorable Marks & Spenser’s Easter eggs in the shape of a dog and thought I would let Gail add a little sparkle to them and go to all the vets and pet shops that have been supporting my business over the year and give them a well-deserved chocolate pick me up!!
Hope you all have a great weekend and enjoy the weather while it lasts.🥵

25/03/2025

New! Saturday Morning Pop-Up! Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Scheme Classes

I hope you are well. A client recently inquired about the possibility of holding Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Scheme (GCDS) classes on Saturdays, as they were unable to attend our Wednesday sessions. This prompted me to consider offering an alternative option.
I am currently assessing the interest level for conducting GCDS classes on Saturdays in the form of a block training session lasting three hours, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, possibly starting 26th April at Scarcroft Village Hall. These monthly sessions would be ideal for owners who find concentrated training beneficial for their energetic dogs. Additionally, these sessions would suit those who prefer occasional check-ins with a trainer to continue their dog's training at home, without the weekly commitment.
There will be a maximum of 6 dogs allowed to attend on a first come first served basis, so be quick to reserve your place!!
The cost for each block session is £55 for the three hours and periodically throughout the year, an independent Kennel Club Examiner will be available to assess your progress when you feel ready to be tested.
If you are interested in participating or have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.

21/03/2025

It's Great Review Friday Again!!!😀 and what a beautiful Yellow Labrador Barry (great name😀)is!!! Watch this space next week as I will be announcing a new class starting next month that some of you may be interested in. Have a great weekend!!!

"We'd followed Richard's Instagram page for some time and realising there were a few bits we wanted to finesse with our young labrador Barry he seemed an obvious choice. We'd worked with a few dog trainers in the past but don't think we really saw the progress we'd hoped for - as much our fault as theirs'. From the moment we contacted Richard it was clear he was keen to help. He took the time to meet with us and thoroughly discuss the areas we wanted to cover, and it's clear he's a real labrador lover.

With a few tweaks and some top tips from Richard we saw almost instant improvement in Barry's walking on the lead, recall and his ability to "ignore" other dogs when out on a walk. Richard provided us with simple steps that we continue to build on. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend him to others."

14/03/2025

😀Roll Up, Roll Up for another Great Review Friday!!! This time it is Shadow the Border Collie. Hope you all have a fantastic weekend whatever you are doing!!!

“We had Richard out on a home call for our border collie Shadow. He developed some bad habits and aggression issues. Richard has a wealth of knowledge and experience with so many different breeds. He walks you through stories of his past experiences with dogs. These are so insightful as they can help with your own. The problems we have/had are the result of inconsistent training and discipline. He walked us through how to correct the behaviours that we don't want. I can't say shadow is now perfect but he has improved, it's a work in progress. Richard also gives you a guide, so you can't forget what to do. Its great to have something to refer back to. I honestly don't think you can find someone better to help you with your dogs.” Ronnie

12/03/2025

I Thought This Would Be Of Interest To All That Own A Labrador!!! 😀😃

Labradors and humans share multiple genes associated with obesity; researchers have found.
Scientists at the University of Cambridge found the gene most strongly linked with obesity in Labradors is called DENND1B.
The gene is carried by humans and is also linked to obesity in people, according to a new study.
It was found to directly affect a brain pathway responsible for regulating the energy balance in the body.
Four further genes associated with canine obesity, but to a lesser extent, were also found - and are also carried by humans.

Scientists at the University of Cambridge say the dog gene found to be most strongly associated with obesity is also linked to obesity in humans.