Wagging Tails Dog Training - South London

10/07/2025

Here's a question that I get every so often when owners enquire about dog training classes...

Is my dog too old to be trained?

My answer...

No dog is ever too old as long as they are physically and mentally well enough to do what you want them to do.

So if you have any adult dog in need of training, do get in touch. We'd love to hear from you and help you get started. Www.wtdt.co.uk

06/07/2025

Let's talk REWARDS

We use rewards based training techniques, so of course we use a lot of rewards in the process.

"Use high value treats" is a standard phrase us trainers throw around, particularly when teaching something new, when being in a new location and when practicing in a distractive environment.

I could talk about rewards and rewarding for hours going into the what, when, where and how... but today I want to focus on one critical element that is often ignored and then means that the training fails.

REWARDS NEED TO BE REWARDING

Sounds stupid, right? Of course rewards are rewarding... Here's what I see when I teach and watch others train.

🔹️ The dog isn't really interested in the cheese, chicken, frankfurter or expensive treats that you offer... why? Because he doesn't value your treats as much as you think he does.

🔹️ The dog doesn't really respond to your praise, patting or stroking as much as you'd hoped. Because he doesn't find that sufficiently rewarding.

🔹️ The dog actually backs away when patted (particularly over the head!) Because he doesn't like it.

Now there are a lot of aspects about rewards, how to chose them, how to deliver them, what to use and do etc making sure that your dog finds what you offer as a reward actually rewarding.

IT'S THE DOG THAT DECIDES WHAT IS REWARDING AND WHAT ISN'T, NOT US!!!

We literally need to ask our dogs what their preferences and likes are (and that can actually vary from one situation to another... which is a topic for another time).

Here is a video that makes me laugh so much and demonstrates this so beautifully... what is perceived as a punishment by one, can be a huge reward for another. In this case, children love to stay up as late as possible and having to go to bed early is quite the punishment. Whereas for the mother, who is tired and would love some time to herself but rarely gets that, going to bed early is the ultimate treat!

What's aversive to one is rewarding to the other, the judge of that is always and only the reward recipient! Don't ever forget that when training your dog! 😊

05/07/2025

As part of my behaviour work, I will always consider pain as a contributory factor or even the cause of a behaviour problem. Up to 80% of behaviour issues have a pain component as the underlying problem.

When I suggest to an owner to get a checkup if I suspect pain or discomfort in a dog, the answer is often "but he plays and runs, surely he wouldn't do that if he was in pain"! Yes, he would.

I have taken this video of my lurcher Elijah the other day when he was in a bit of discomfort to show that dogs will absolutely override pain for an activity they enjoy.

04/07/2025

Some people say small dogs aren't trainable.

Some people say that some breeds need a "firm hand" and that reward based training doesn't work for them.

We disagree! We love all breeds here at WTDT and whether they are big or small, companion or working breeds, they do great in all our activities like obedience, agility, scentwork and trick training.

Don't ever let anyone tell you that your dog isn't trainable or that they need harsh training methods.

And little Elma (Griffon Bruxellois) and Solo (Rottweiler) are living proof of the above. Here they are last night getting to know each other in our Advanced Class. How cute are they together! 🥰

03/07/2025

Our next Foundation Courses coming up

🐩🐶🐕 🐩🐶🐕 🐩🐶🐕

South Norwood
Saturday, 19th July

East Dulwich
Tuesday, 5th August

Small classes in a friendly and supportive indoor setting where you and your dog will enjoy learning basic obedience, handling and life skills!

For more details and to register go

Training and Life Skills for Puppies and Adult Dogs. Foundation to Advanced. Small Classes in South Norwood and East Dulwich taught by qualified and experienced Trainers.

03/07/2025

Skye is 14 years old and has been gradually going deaf for about three years. She has a tiny amount of hearing left, but not enough to hear a whistle or human voices at a distance. For all this time I was looking for a buzzer that wasn't part of aversive collars (usually shock collars) and I have finally found a device that is just a buzzer emitting a gentle vibration for however long the remote button is pressed.

For the last couple of weeks I have paired the vibration with treats and now Skye has made the connection and feeling the vibration on her collar is her new recall cue.

Today she even called away from chasing a pheasant. She can finally have proper off lead walks again and I know I can recall her from up to 100 meters away despite her hearing loss.

If you too have a deaf dog and you'd like advice on how best to help him including recall re-training, give us a buzz (excuse the pun). We can help with online sessions.

Www.wtdt.uk/121training

First video shows the Introduction and the second video (in the comments) shows today's application on a walk.

01/07/2025

Just a reminder to put mats on your hardwood flooring. Your dog's joints will be forever grateful to you. Continuous damage to the joints causes discomfort and earlier onset of arthritis.

24/06/2025

Being a Dog Behaviourist doesn't just mean that we train dogs, we always also train their owners - in fact we train the owners more than the dogs... which is why dog trainers need to be good people trainers too. 😊

When I get a message like this one, it makes my heart sing. As a reward based trainer, I want to make sure that both the dog and owner are happy and this message shows the result when it all comes together. 😁❤️

23/06/2025

When we are asked to help with behaviour issues, we will always consider pain or discomfort as a potential cause or contributing factor. Research has found that up to 80% of behaviour issues are caused or contributed to by pain. I am pleased to see that more and more behaviourists as well as vets are taking this into consideration and that's amazing.

However I am also seeing that pain assessments mainly focus on orthopaedic pain (joints, spine, muscles, tendons, ligaments), but not so much a variety of other pain sources which are just as important to check.

Here are some pain/discomfort sources that I have come across with either my own dogs or client dogs. Don't forget to have them checked out too.

🔹️ Dental: damaged teeth, gum issues, tumours
🔹️ Ears: infections, foreign bodies, tumours
🔹️ Eyes: diminished/altered sight, glaucoma (can be very painful), tumours
🔹️ Hormones: thyroid and other hormones making the dog feel unwell
🔹️ Digestion: I feel this is a massive issue that's often ignored... stomach/digestive pains, feeling unwell
🔹️ Internal issues like heart, liver, kidneys etc making the dog feeling unwell
🔹️ Allergies: causing digestive discomfort, skin discomfort and ear problems

And remember, a quick vet check will discover some issues, but certainly not all of them, so don't give up too easily and ask for more diagnostics if necessary.

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNdUgvMhv/

20/06/2025

Does your dog let you brush and groom him?

Regular brushing is important for all dogs, even short haired ones, but of course even more so long haired ones. It keeps their coat in good condition, provides a lovely massage for their skin and muscles and - particularly important in the heat wave we have at the moment - it removes dead hair and undercoat which will keep them cooler and more comfortable.

Here is my lurcher Blake. Where does all this hair come from? As you can see, short haired breeds need brushing too, particularly during moulting season which my dogs (and indeed my parrots) are currently in.

How to get your puppy orndog used to being handled, groomed etc. is covered in our Foundation courses. For more details see www.wtdt.co.uk/trainingclasses

17/06/2025

Do you have hard flooring in your home? If you do, listen to this video and find out why it is important to provide flooring for your dog that stops them from slipping, be it rugs or carpet. And that's not just for puppies, elderly dogs and dogs with mobility issues, but all dogs!

CAM was delighted to have Gemma back to talk about another hot topic - slippery floors! Gemma and Charlotte discuss how they can affect a dog in general and ...

14/06/2025

Are you looking for help with your
🔹️ new puppy
🔹️ new rescue/rehomed dog
🔹️ your dog's obedience and general life skills

Would you like to
🔹️ understand your dog better
🔹️ enjoy taking your dog out and about
🔹️ improve your training skills
🔹️ have a dog that listens to you

We can help!

What we offer
✔️ EXPERIENCE
✔️ QUALIFICATIONS
✔️ FRIENDLY classes
✔️ REWARD BASED training without fear and pain
✔️ We love teaching the OWNERS too, not just the dogs 😉

Our next Foundation courses in East Dulwich start on Tuesday, 34th June. Register now to reserve a space at

Training and Life Skills for Puppies and Adult Dogs. Foundation to Advanced. Small Classes in South Norwood and East Dulwich taught by qualified and experienced Trainers.