Reset K9 Training

09/09/2024

An early morning walk with this uber fluffy, delightful trio 🤍🤍🤍

22/07/2024

Beautiful early evening walk with these two lovedogs 💕

Can you guess where I am?? 😁

17/07/2024

Great inforgraphic for puppy parents, never too early to start...

It's essential that every puppy learns to enjoy being handled, especially on the parts of the body that turn into common bite triggers. Early puppyhood handling and socialization is easy to do and makes a huge difference in a dog's temperament and quality of life, for the rest of their life!

Learn more or download the PDF version: https://dunbar.info/puppy-handling

23/06/2024

Looking after this hot dog today!

☀️ Just a reminder to keep water bowls topped up and stick to the cooler hours of the day for walks ☀️

10/06/2024

Stella and I are incredibly proud to continue our membership with the fantastic organisation - making safety between dogs and humans a priority.

The KAD programme to help children (and adults!) overcome their fear of dogs has proven how a good understanding of canine body language can make such a positive difference.

If you, or anyone you know, could do with a little support feeling more comfortable around dogs, please do get in touch - 07355 061 881

11/05/2024

I have the delightful task of training this little energetic bundle of cockapoo fluff!! Doing so well already and his owner has put in place some great boundaries from the start helping to settle and keep him safe. He uses his crate in such a positive way.

Currently teething, so we've been discussing ways to alleviate the constant nipping and chewing. We've also been taking advantage of the dry weather to train recall and walking on a lead in the garden. We've also discovered that he LOVES 🍎🍏!!

18/04/2024

Just look at the confidence this super little girl was displaying in our session!

She started the programme with me two months ago with a fear of dogs. During that time, she has listened, engaged and learnt so much about canine body language and how to stay safe around dogs.

Today's session was her second time meeting Stella, playing games with her in the garden. She asked to hold Stella's lead whilst guiding her around for a chicken treasure hunt. I was incredibly proud of her!!

Our final session will hopefully involve going on an empowering walk with Stella and watching her apply her newly acquired knowledge of canine body language as well as her new 'What to do when...' techniques in practice. Can't wait!!

The Kids Around Dogs protocol is such a wonderful, engaging programme. Helping children to 'speak dog' has such an empowering, positive and life changing impact - and it's also a safety skill for life!

If you know a little human struggling with their fear around dogs, please do get in touch so see how I can support them.

09/03/2024

Opting for shock collars reflects a lack of understanding. Both untrained dogs and their owners are bound to face challenges, yet shock collars don't solve the underlying issues—they merely suppress symptoms, compromising welfare and damaging relationships in the process. Contrary to the belief that shock collars are lifesavers, it's actually positive reinforcement and education that truly make a difference. Let's reconsider our approach—because real change comes from guidance, not fear.

Do you live in UK? sign the government petition!

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/657377

Sharing educational posts is part of supporting the do no harm framework.
Thank you.

07/03/2024

A useful explanation for any dog owners...

Free Download: https://dunbar.info/classicalconditioning

When you're dealing with an out of control dog, one of the first questions to ask is whether their undesirable behavior is driven by fear. If it is, you'll want to start by helping them feel more at ease. It's hard for anyone to control themselves when they are afraid!

The easiest way to help a dog feel at ease is Classical Conditioning, the simple act of getting your dog to form an associate between one stimulus and another. Help your dog form POSITIVE associations with the things that make them uneasy and they'll start to feel more relaxed.

Classical Conditioning is simple and easy to do, and with the right techniques, it can even be fun and enjoyable!

Want to learn more?

Check out our free DADD (Dunbar Academy Downloadable Document) about Classical Conditioning: https://dunbar.info/classicalconditioning

Or, even beter, join us for FREE at our Out of Control Dog Summit, coming up next week: https://dunbar.info/control2024

We'll be covering Classical Conditioning and SO MUCH MORE, including everything you need to know to calm your out of control dog and get them to pay attention to you and listen to your instructions in exciting and distracting environments. Join us!

01/02/2024

Best job in the world, being a Therapaws therapy dog! Today Stella was invited to for staff playtime and cuddles!

07/12/2023

Lighting up the Chanukah spirit...

Not sure it's come out quite how it was intended - so we have donuts too just in case 🤣

01/12/2023

Off to dish out oodles of therapy cuddles as 's newest therapy dog ❤️

11/10/2023

A busy graphic, but a useful one nonetheless to help you recognise signs of rising stress levels in a dog.

When we invite a dog to live with us, bringing him/her into *our* environment, understanding canine body language becomes our responsibility. It is vital to ensuring your safety and welfare, that of the dog and those she/he interacts with.

Reactive dogs.
This graphic looks a bit complicated....but looks can be deceiving. The idea is sound and simple and if you have a reactive dog this can change everything.
I know some of the terminology used by some in the industry is complicated....and this page will always try to break down often difficult/complex issues so they can be more easily understood......because understanding this concept will change how you work with your reactive dog.

Desensitisation and Counter conditioning
There is a measurable scale of rising emotions and/or stress with reactive dogs, this is measured by your own dogs body language and behaviour. At the lower numbers (1-4).... your dog is happy to view a trigger (another dog, car, horse etc) at a distance they feel comfortable with and you reward that calm looking.
Rewarding that calm looking is called counter conditioning, you are pairing something positive (such as food or a toy) and this will (over time) change how they feel about a trigger. This is a well timed reward.
Distance is needed for all of this (and every dogs distance is different....some have huge distances as a starting point).

These low level numbers are where you can desensitise your dog to their triggers (what they react to).

When your dog is reaching a level of 5 (going over threshold).....your dog is about to react, their body language is changing ......you need distance (quickly) to get back to those lower numbers again.
When your dog is reacting, desensitation work is very unlikely to work....they are unlikely to listen, focus or stop reacting unless you get distance.....distance is key with this work.
Over time and if you can have far more "low number looks" at your dogs triggers (and keep reactions minimal)....your dog will be able to view triggers more closely (reducing distance) and not react. Every dogs time frame is different and every dogs distance is also different.

Many clients attempt desensitisation when their dog is already over their threshold.....and the trigger is way too close.
We cannot dictate where to start this work....your dogs body language will let you know.
If your dog needs 20 metres from another dog to be at a 2 - 3 great !
If they need 50 metres from a trigger to be at a low level, then insisting on a closer interaction will not help them, they decide what is too close to a trigger...not us.

Distraction is NOT a long term solution for reactivity.....it sometimes has its place, but hiding and distraction are very temporary "solutions”.

If you have a reactive dog, there is hope, you can do this!

Everyone is free to share these posts on social media, however off social media use is protected.
Please respect that these graphics take time and effort to make . All graphics belong to ABC Dogs NZ and are under copyright. Unmarked graphics are available for $ 1.20 USD or $ 2 NZD each (approx), these are then able to be used off Facebook for client handouts, posters etc. Please visit ABC Dogs Patreon Shop for Graphics

10/10/2023

Much of my work, as a Pro, is to support youngsters with their fear of dogs.
My latest session took place with a young boy whose grandmother's dogs gave him a fright, the effects of that incident have stayed with him, and visiting grandmother is now a tense and anxious experience.

I'm so glad the parents were proactive and reached out to me. Our first session called for special measures 😊 My uber-cuddly, soft dog army. Can you spot the 🐶 imposter?

10/10/2023

Treat eating is serious business!!

22/09/2023

For those XL Bully owners suddenly feeling bewildered by the recent news, Dogs Trust are supporting owners by holding a FREE online muzzle training workshop. It's never too early/late to start, whatever your dog's breed, age, size, type..

Such useful training, for any dog owner, I'd recommend saving your spot on this expert workshop.

📣🐕 Muzzle training with our experts

If you own an American Bully XL type dog, you can start preparing them for the restrictions by making sure they are trained to happily wear a muzzle.

We’re offering free online sessions to help you do this and will cover:
👉 information about the most suitable types of muzzle
👉 how to ensure a good fit
👉 how to teach your dog to enjoy wearing their muzzle.

Book now 👉 https://bit.ly/3RsuUCw

Our expert trainers have muzzle trained thousands of dogs in our care and can answer any other questions you might have about how to prepare for any upcoming changes affecting you and your dog.

These sessions are designed to support owners of American Bully XLs in light of the recent news, but all dog owners are welcome to attend. It’s useful for all dogs to be able to wear a muzzle comfortably – for those who are anxious at vet visits, for dogs who like to eat undesirable things on a walk or to keep other dogs and people safe if dogs are worried.

22/09/2023

Such a great illustration from Trailblazing Tails showing the subtleties of canine body language.
It's vital to educate ourselves on these signals - to keep our dogs feeling safe, secure and listened to and also to ensure our kids safety whilst in their presence. Respect works both ways, and it's never too early to start teaching kids about what safe, respectful and relaxed dog interactions should look like.

Dogs talk with their bodies. It’s our job to listen. Dog body language should be a second language to us all!

Same dog, same child.

22/09/2023

Sniffing everything she possibly can in London's East End today.

Perhaps you've got a canine companion in the midst of puppyhood, adolescence or you've recently rehomed a dog and he/she's feeling confident enough to explore? Try to make time visiting places you wouldn't usually venture to.

It's a great way to tickle your dog's senses, gets them sniffing, exploring and experiencing unfamiliar sights and sounds with you by their side. A great confidence boosting exercise! We're going to have a sniff around a building site later 😁