Just Positive Dog Training

22/12/2023

Merry Christmas Everyone ⛄️🎁🎄May Santa bring you tons of treats for your pooches!

27/10/2023

Does your dog understand boundaries? Do they voluntarily wait at gates and doors? Having a dog that respects invisible boundaries is life-changing and potentially lifesaving for your dog.
A dog barging through any door is a trip hazard. Rushing through the front door is dangerous for the dog and visitors.
Teach your dog to wait at open gates and doorways - whether you exit first or last.
Here we are learning about boundaries positively. Notice how quiet I am. There is no “ahh! ahh!”, no “wait!”, definitively no shouty “NO!” and there is no restraint! These are not necessary when you train positively. Distractions outside the door are minimal because it’s kindergarten training.
Springer pup is 6 months
Border Terriers are 11 months and 2 yrs

15/10/2023

Is your dog keen to train? Learning should be fun for your dog whether you home school, train 1-2-1, or go to classes.

03/07/2023

Pippy (Pip) is a sensitive dog. Pippy was the dippy pup in the litter. She was scatterbrained and easily overstimulated and overwhelmed. You wouldn’t think that to look at her here. Is your dog a sensitive dog?

Dogs have different personalities and temperaments. Some pups take everything in their stride, but some are more sensitive and can be easily overwhelmed and stressed. Others have become sensitive due to a bad experience - often through no fault of their guardians. These sensitive dogs all need help, understanding, patience and kindness.

How can you tell if your dog is a sensitive dog?
Confident dogs are calm, quiet and relaxed. A tense body and extremes in body posture are signs your dog is anxious and uncertain - a sensitive dog. Some are excitable and make themselves bigger and bark and lunge. Others try to make themselves disappear by crouching, hiding and refusing to move.

Sensitive dogs are constantly anxious and stressed. They can be triggered by noise, movement and social interactions and are easily ‘pushed’ over threshold - the point where they react instinctively without thinking. These dogs have big emotions that can lead to biting.

How can I help my sensitive dog?
Sensitive dogs need time and a quiet space to destress. They need calming activities that involve chewing, sniffing and foraging, and training that helps them change how they feel about stressful situations. Does your dog need help?

02/07/2023

Hi! Do you you need help with your dog - big or small?

I’m an IMDT accredited trainer, qualified teacher (PGCE), and self-confessed Spaniel and Border Terrier fanatic, with over 45 years of owning and training dogs. I teach with kindness (choice and consent) - it’s a superpower! I can help you connect with your dog using fun games and activities, with a spotlight on your partnership - focusing on communication, calmness, and cooperation. I only offer 1-2-1’s (in-person and online) to concentrate on you, your dog, and your relationship - it’s why we have dogs, after all, isn’t it?

Please get in touch if
- you would like help training your dog; basics to advanced
- your dog needs help to feel better about the world
- you would like to give your puppy the best start in life (I offer 1-2-1 online coaching to include the crucial 8 to 12 week socialisation period before vaccinations are complete).
- you are having a difficult time with your adolescent
- you want to have fun training gundog skills (scent work and retrieving) and useful tricks

We look forward to meeting you.

29/06/2023

If your dog’s behaviour changes, a vet visit should be your first thought.
Consider how you exercise your dog (regular, gentle, sniffing walks are best) and how much food you give them.

We have written a great article called '7 myths about arthritis that every dog owner needs to know' and we want you to read it!

Head to the link below to read it, and please share it with anyone you think might find it useful:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YCEXt6fLWuR0dNBFUjQxnI_5CzlF6iwl/view?usp=sharing

You can also find this in the Member Zone :)

28/06/2023

Introducing the youngest member of Team Springer…
In those important early months, show your pup that YOU are trustworthy, YOU are reliable, kind, consistent and fun, and YOU are the ultimate safe place.
The dog chair…
Do you have one? This armchair is about 25 years old. It’s showing its age. This chair allows the pups to see outside and to see things move. Together, we sit and watch the birds (and cats). Over the years, on this armchair, I have taught all my dogs (that’s a lot of paws!) the beginnings of ‘engage and disengage’ and to ‘settle’ when I do - important lifeskills.

16/06/2023

Noise desensitisation can’t be rushed. It takes time and, like all dog training, it takes patience and sensitivity

16/06/2023

Sue and Brodie:
“I would not hesitate to recommend Justine for anyone looking for a competent and knowledgeable dog trainer - you will be in good
hands!”

“I've never owned a dog before and was feeling a little overwhelmed and out of my depth with my new Border Terrier pup, so after an initial call to chat through the challenges I was experiencing I began weekly online 1-2-1 puppy training sessions with Justine. This was the best thing I could have done…”

21/05/2023

Discover what your dog loves doing and have fun trying it together. You’re never too old to have fun!

05/05/2023

Life enrichment…
Team Terrier is exploring a bottle, bag, stool and bucket (Check out ACE Free Work by Sarah Fisher). Stimulate your dog’s brain and all their senses. Stand back and observe. What’s your dog’s personality? Bold or timid? Or somewhere in between? When you introduce new objects does your dog rush forwards to investigate or lean backwards and explore more slowly?

Health…
Check your dog’s physical and mental wellbeing while they explore.
Does your dog move freely without pain?
Do they behave as they would normally behave?

Safety…
Always ensure novel items are safe for your dog and supervise your dog, individually, in a safe, enclosed area to avoid squabbles - especially when there’s food and foraging involved.

Here there was no food so Team Terrier was allowed to explore together. Team Terrier give investigating the thumbs up! Let’s make every day life enriching…

30/04/2023

You get out what you put in…
If you are willing to put the time into your relationship it is possible to have a positively trained dog who is confident and relaxed (dare l say happy!) that likes to walk by your side… on-lead and off-lead… fast or slow… no matter where you are. In this video the border terrier pup is 4-8 months old.

Look at the border terrier’s body language - it’s soft and relaxed. This pup is happily engaged. Too often dogs are forced to walk by the handlers side. You can spot a dog with forced training. Their body language is stiff and tense and their attitude is disengaged.

Everyone’s a dog trainer…
Dogs are quick learners and they are learning all the time. They learn from everyone they meet so everyone who interacts with a dog is in fact a ‘dog trainer’. Dog training isn’t a moment in time, it’s a process. Understanding this is essential for training loose-lead walking.

Safety…
Always use a lead around livestock - especially fields with lambs. Every dog has the potential to do harm. Treats were used in the making of this film and no animal came to any harm.

30/04/2023

Do you struggle to get your dog’s attention in the field?
Do you have a dog who won’t eat in this environment?
Would you like to transform your relationship and work WITH the environment instead of against it?
Would you like to train your dog without fear, intimidation or pain?

Natural behaviours…
Many people get frustrated with positive reinforcement because their dog refuses to eat in distracting environments. In this situation, frustration is a natural human response and refusing to eat when aroused (excited or anxious) is a natural dog behaviour.

What is the most important part of dog training?…
The relationship. Protecting how your dog feels about you is the most important part of dog training. You can positively train your dog in the field. Connect with your dog instead of focusing on controlling your dog. When relationships are built on cooperation, instead of control, walks become relaxing not frustrating. Learn how to become your dog’s anchor… in any environment.

I am an accredited dog trainer (IMDT) based in Herefordshire.
I offer in-person 1-2-1 lessons and coaching online.
I teach people and dogs with respect and kindness.

23/04/2023

Training is pressure so make it fun…
Training of any kind is pressure if your dog isn’t enjoying itself - even positive training. Be aware of how your dog is feeling and mix playing with training so it’s fun. Acclimatise your dog to the smells, sights, textures and sounds of your training area before you start. Give your dog opportunities to relax with natural sniffing breaks and never force a reward on your dog - if the dog doesn’t want the reward - it isn’t a reward - and it isn’t positive reinforcement.

Body language…
Observe how the terriers walk. The older pup is confident and the younger pup is concentrating hard - a couple of lip licks on the turns - anxious or anticipating the reward? How will I know if my dog’s anxious? An anxious dog probably won’t eat or play. Watch your dog’s body language - keep training sessions short and sweet and tails relaxed and wagging.

Y harness…
Team Terrier practising loose-lead walking in tandem wearing ‘Y’ harnesses. It is important to ensure the harness fits comfortably and allows free movement. As with all equipment, introduce the harness sensitively and slowly overtime, creating positive associations at every stage. Teach your dog to walk calmly by your side using kind, reward based, positive training.

18/04/2023

Would you like to learn how to be your dog’s anchor in any environment?

Many people get frustrated with positive reinforcement because their dog refuses to eat in distracting environments. In this situation, frustration is a natural human response and refusing to eat when aroused (excited or anxious) is a natural dog behaviour.

You can positively train your dog in the field. Connect with your dog instead of focusing on controlling your dog. When relationships are built on cooperation, instead of control, walks become relaxing not frustrating.

How am I so relaxed on walks with so many energetic dogs?
My confidence comes from being sure the Springers will choose me - they choose to follow, to wait, and to ignore the cameraman (hubby). They watch me so I am free to enjoy my walk. Would you like to have a relaxed walk? - OK maybe with not quite so many dogs!

Loud and energetic? I am the total opposite - quiet, calm and reliable and definitely not sexier than the environment. When I speak, I speak quietly - dogs have excellent hearing.

I don’t reward the Springers with food and yet the Springers still stay with me. Why? The Springers are being positively reinforced - just not with food. There is no force, no pain (no e-collars) and no shouting.

Did you notice, we cover the ground at the slowest dog’s / human’s pace and the Springers circle to compensate? There are no rigid rules or restrictions on these walks, yet the Springers choose how they behave and they choose correctly.

These are the border terrier puppy’s first walks (reinforced with food treats) and old boy Murphy’s last field walks with Team Springer.
‘Leave it’ can be trained positively with positive associations.

Please be aware that in public spaces your dog must be under control at all times. You can be fined in certain places if your dog is off-lead. As your dog’s guardian it is your responsibility to keep them safe and stop them getting into trouble. It is your responsibility to protect livestock, birds, people and other dogs. Give your dog freedom, safely, using a secure, rentable dog field - they’re popping up all over the UK (we’re on private land).

15/04/2023

Loose-lead walking is a walk with friends. You should both enjoy your walk and each other’s company. Is walking fun if your arm is constantly being pulled from it’s socket? Will your dog enjoy their walk if you yank the lead and bark commands? Will inflicting discomfort improve your relationship?

Teach your friend how to walk nicely by your side and show them beside you is the best place to be - even when the lead isn’t there. Speak to your dog with a kind voice and use a gentle hand on the lead. Show them patience and consideration and you may find they reward you, when you offer them freedom, by choosing to walk by your side.

Top tip - A reward is only a reward if your dog wants it, so reward your dog with what it wants. Change the rewards based on where you are and who you are teaching.

Team Terrier learning to loose-lead walk in tandem

13/04/2023

Want to know more about harnesses? - see link in comments below

23/03/2023

Happy Puppy Day! I’ve written a poem. It’s tongue-in-cheek and I hope it makes you smile - ‘These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things’. Can you sing it? What are your pup’s favourite things? When you train positively you need to know what your pup likes. You reward your pup after they do the right behaviour. This is not a bribe. A bribe comes before a behaviour. Reward your dog for doing the right thing, with things they love. This is the basis of positive dog training. It builds your pup’s self confidence and strengthens your relationship. The only down side to positive dog training - Nope, there isn’t one! - Team Terrier