Dog training and Behaviour therapy in Louth, Horncastle and the surrounding areas.
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New puppy training class to help teach your new addition essential life skills and help you with all those puppy issues 😃
Don't worry if you can't make one week because of your summer holiday. I will catch you up via video call so your puppy doesn't miss out.
1-2-1 at home puppy courses also available.
Message to book your place.
Does your dog bark and lunge at other dogs or people?
Would you like to understand why and learn how to help them?
More fun for pups with our free puppy socialisation class!
Call us on 01507 602828 or send us a WhatsApp on +447897017626 to secure your place - you must be signed up to attend and spaces are limited!✅
Don't forget, all eligible pups must be: ⭐️ Registered at James Street Vets
⭐️ Have had their first and second vaccinations
⭐️ Be under four months old
See you there!
I'm proud to be able to share that I passed the assessment for full APBC membership earlier this year.
The assessment is a rigorous process ensuring that along with my qualifications, I have the experience and practical skills to help your dogs.
For clients, this also means it will be easier to claim my fees via your insurance.
The dog training industry is unfortunately completely unregulated so anyone can say they are a trainer or behaviourist! Organisations like the APBC and ABTC ensure their members are qualified and skilled in using modern, ethical, kind methods to help animals.
Congratulations to Gemma Grisewood, who, after a successful assessment has become an APBC Full CAB member and an ABTC registered Clinical Animal Behaviourist!
Find out more about our assessment process at: https://www.apbc.org.uk/route-to-full-membership/
Spaces available at tonight's free puppy party!!
Sign up your pup for free socialisation!🐶
We're hosting another puppy socialisation class with dog behaviourist Gemma. Call us on 01507 602828 or send us a WhatsApp on +447897017626 to secure your place - you must be signed up to attend✅
Don't forget, all eligible pups must be:
⭐️ Registered at James Street Vets
⭐️ Have had their first and second vaccinations
⭐️ Be under four months old
See you there!🐾
Does your dog have high prey drive?
My rescue girl does!
Teaching her to check in regularly on walks has several benefits:
She stays closer to me so recall is likely to be more successful
She is further away from prey, who are likely to keep their distance from a human
Using , in this case treats, makes me more interesting and searching for prey less appealing.
How to do it:
Every time your dog looks back at you on a walk, mark with a 'yes' and reward with a treat.
If your dog doesn't ever seem to look back. Try standing still and staying quiet 🤐
Gorgeous puppies at our last puppy party 😍
Contact James Street Veterinary Centre to book on the next one in March 😃
Sign up your pup for free socialisation!🐶
We're hosting another puppy socialisation class with dog behaviourist Gemma. Call us on 01507 602828 or send us a WhatsApp on +447897017626 to secure your place - you must be signed up to attend✅
Don't forget, all eligible pups must be:
⭐️ Registered at James Street Vets
⭐️ Have had their first and second vaccinations
⭐️ Be under four months old
See you there!🐾
Is anyone looking for a collie?
I know lots of people like to watch Graeme Hall, he makes 'good' TV.
That is not the same as being a good dog trainer!
He is not a qualified behaviourist and as a result some of the dogs he 'helps' are suffering!
2024 update -
This post was made two years ago and has recently been getting attention again. The sad thing is that actually nothing has changed. This program is still being made. There is ( as far as I know - and very happy to be corrected if I am wrong) no veterinary involvement with these dogs prior to filming.
How many more dogs are going to be labled as awkward, difficult, stubborn or just lazy when actually there is an underlying pain issue?
We have so many wonderful trainers and behaviourists that could fill this man’s shoes and provide far more valuable advice and training. Stop giving people like this man air time… pick someone who actually cares about the wellbeing of the dogs they work with instead of the cash going to line their pockets…
-
Some phrases used on this particular episode of ‘Dogs behaving (very) badly’ where 8 year old Ruby would only get off the sofa if the rug was over the laminate flooring, and would sit down and stop on walks…
‘being a madam’
‘Controlling the diva’
‘Indulging her with rugs’
‘Thinks she’s in charge’
OR
Is this actually a dog in pain, a dog scared of slipping and hurting, a dog trying to tell everyone that she’s uncomfortable?
It’s not indulging her with a rug, it’s making sure her own home is accessible and safe for her. She’s not ‘being a diva’ and refusing to walk, she’s telling you it hurts and she’s uncomfortable.
I’m very glad that the owners realise that this dogs weight is having a significant impact on her life but there are other things that need addressing here. I have no doubt they absolutely adore their girl, that is very clear to see, but I desperately wish they had the right kind of support for Ruby, not just let’s force her to walk and walk on a floor she’s is scared
Dogs Behaving Very Badly and The Dogfather (Graham Hall)… I’m afraid the blame falls to you on this occasion. You have a massive platform with thousands of dog owners watching every episode. How about talking about signs of pain? Indicators of discomfort? When behaviours actually tell us somethings wrong? Ways to adapt houses for older dogs and those that struggle with mobility? You could educate SO MANY owners but no, it doesn’t happen. Instead we just see an uncomfortable dog being forced to walk when she doesn’t want to, and live in an environment that she is scared of.
Dogs need us to advocate for them, to realise when we need to do more and to learn the ways that they tell us something isn’t right. Owner education is the key to this and this could have been a brilliant opportunity to do just that.
Our first Puppy Party of 2024 is coming up! The class is held at our practice and is completely free. Eligible pups must be:
⭐️ Registered at James Street Vets
⭐️ Have had their first and second vaccinations
⭐️ Be under four months old
The sessions are small and you must be signed up to take part. To secure your place, simply call us on 01507 602828. See you there!🐶
My sweet sensitive boy was 10 on Saturday! We celebrated with hydrotherapy, which he loves, and cake to share with Ruby :-)
This boy has taught me so much and is the reason I started my studies 9 years ago to become a clinical animal behaviourist. With a first class honours degree and an MSc now achieved, JJ is still the one that has taught me the most. Because the certificates mean nothing without the real life experience of helping dogs with behavioural issues!
My original goal was to understand my sweet puppy that seemed so scared of the world, but seeing him learn and grow in confidence made me want to help others too and I hope he's as proud as I am of all the dogs and owners we have helped over the last few years (JJ helps out with behavioural assessments for reactive dogs and is a wonderful stooge dog).
Happy New Year to all of our wonderful clients. We hope 2024 is full of adventures with your dogs.
It’s always a lovely start to our year seeing all of your dogs, and today JJ celebrated his 10th birthday with us! He had a great time in the water treadmill and has a big birthday cake waiting for him at home, so that sounds like the perfect birthday to us 🎂🐾💦
Just had to share! A little Christmas photo from one of my puppy clients. Isn't Milo the most adorable boy!?
Milo was terrified of his lead when he first came home with his new owners. It took a lot of patience and understanding to get him out on the walks that his owners had dreamed of, but now he's a confident boy and loving his outings 🤗
A wonderful progress report from Rocky's mum this week:
'Hi Gemma Rocky and I would like to wish you a Happy Christmas and wonderful New year!
We have a tree this year on the actual floor!! (just raised slightly) Also some present lights on the floor!!
We have cushions and blankets on the sofa now and made some other guarding progress too :) long slog with him though but we will get there he is certainly a funny one with how he is and behaves.
But thought we would say hi and show you our Christmas progress picture
Rocky is loving both Crates now too and both have a bed and crate cover on which he doesn't guard or chew now. We also have had no adaptil for a few months and he has all his meals in his crate too!! Expect the odd licky mat outside.
He eats his meals now daily and still on butternut box.
The chewing everything has stopped yay! Apart from the odd time if hes bored say but it's very rare and it was one of the hardest things to conquer wasn't it! Aside from the guarding
We can take our shoes off now without a dive to steal them, clothes we can leave about now too and no stealing. Just working bit by bit with different objects/items with him.
Now he loves his bed doing a lot of work on popping him on his bed (rather than shut out by a gate) to do jobs like move something, put washing in and he is staying on his bed while I do it so that is working very well with him :)
There's so many little bits of progress here and there probably too much to fill you in on! Lol
But I just wanted to share with you and thank you again as we wouldn't be here without your help and support'
Sophie was too scared to go outside; Hendrix will chew anything when left alone. As the number of dogs in the UK has exploded, so has the number of unruly pooches
FREE PUPPY SOCIALISATION🐶
Learn, play and socialise your pup with other puppies and owners at our puppy party!
The class is held at our practice and is completely free! Eligible pups must be:
⭐️ Registered at James Street Vets
⭐️ Have had their first and second vaccinations
⭐️ Be under four months old
The sessions are small and you must be signed up to take part. To secure your place, simply call us on 01507 602828. See you there!🐶
Muzzled dogs are good dogs too 😊
JJ had lots of challenges this weekend during a little trip to Norfolk. As a reactive dog with chronic pain some situations can make him uncomfortable and cause him to bark and lunge. We avoid those situations where possible and when we can't his muzzle keeps him safe and gives me peace of mind.
When a little girl asked her mum why JJ was 'wearing a mask', her mum gave a wonderful explanation about JJ feeling scared and that when dogs are scared they might bite so the mask protects him and other dogs (I'd explained he was scared of dogs). It was so lovely to hear that more people are educated about muzzle use and are passing that on.
Thank you to for making muzzles that are lightweight, comfortable and colourful, it makes a huge difference to JJ's comfort and people's perception.
Playing in puddles with puppies is a good way to start the day 😄
Clementine and Chloe the Newfoundland puppies were showing Skylar and Mouse the joys of a muddy puddle on this morning's social walk 😊
Louth
LN119QY
| Monday | 9am - 5pm |
| Tuesday | 9am - 5pm |
| Wednesday | 9am - 5pm |
| Thursday | 9am - 5pm |
| Friday | 9am - 5pm |
| Saturday | 9am - 5pm |
| Sunday | 9am - 1pm |
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Does your dog have high prey drive? My rescue girl does! Teaching her to check in regularly on walks has several benefits: She stays closer to me so recall is likely to be more successful She is further away from prey, who are likely to keep their distance from a human Using #positivereinforcement, in this case treats, makes me more interesting and searching for prey less appealing. How to do it: Every time your dog looks back at you on a walk, mark with a 'yes' and reward with a treat. If your dog doesn't ever seem to look back. Try standing still and staying quiet 🤐 #louthdogtrainer #clinicalanimalbehaviourist
Shaping behaviour is such a fun training technique and can be used to teach our dogs all sorts of things 😃
A couple of clips from today's self control Workshop. Shaping behaviour is a great way to build the bond between you and your dog. It also uses your dog's brain and helps them learn to cope with feelings of frustration. All while teaching them to do clever things like target an object or ring a bell 😃 These are just a couple of the games we worked on today. All activities are designed to help dogs reduce impulsive behaviour. If you are interested in joining the next workshop, get in touch 😊
Did you know I also offer training walks? These provide some additional support for dogs who need help with loose lead walking and/or reactivity. This handsome and very good boy, is Diesel on a training walk with me. We have been working on walking nicely on the lead as well as being calm when seeing other dogs and less anxious in new situations. These walks are for clients that have a training plan in place. If you would like more info please send me a message.
The sweetest little and large pair at last night's puppy party 😍 James Street Veterinary Centre
Ruby is a very independent girl, who clearly had a lot of freedom in her first home in the Welsh countryside. Rewarding check-ins helps keep her close by and more engaged with me while still giving her the freedom she needs 😊
Sound on! It can be very tempting to repeat your recall cue over and over until your dog responds. Instead, take a breath and wait. Repeating the word devalues it and can lead to your dog thinking the recall cue isn't 'Here!' but 'Here!Here!Heeerrreee!' #recalltraining #reliablerecall #welshcollie #positivereinforcementtraining
Digging is a natural behaviour for puppies so when Bruno's mum and dad told me he was starting to dig bits of the garden they'd rather he wouldn't, I suggested a plastic sandpit to keep digging to appropriate areas. Bruno's dad did much better than that, he built this one himself! It looks fab and Bruno loves it 😃 Hiding toys and treats in there encourages Bruno to use his digging skills 😊
So proud of Ruby today! Our cafe visits have had mixed results over the last few months. The unsuccessful ones involved lots of shouty barking as Ruby felt uncomfortable and wanted to leave. The successful ones look like this 🤗 The difference between those unsuccessful attempts and days like today? Remembering to bring Ruby's magic mat (her blue towel)! We practice with the magic mat at home in the office while I'm working, so she knows what she's meant to do when she sees it. This makes her feel more comfortable in unfamiliar environments 😊 Magic mat is one of the first things I teach to puppy clients, but as you can see older dogs (Ruby was 2.5yrs when we started) can learn it too 😃
A quiet town walk this morning to help with Ruby's socialisation as well as practicing our #looseleadwalkingtraining. #socialisation isn't all about meeting dogs and people, it's about exposing our puppies/dogs to new environments in a gentle, gradual way. Ruby spent her first 2 years on a farm in Wales, then several months in kennels before I adopted her. This meant her socialisation during the important puppy and adolescent months was limited in terms of different environments. As a result, she finds built up, busy areas a little overwhelming. We're keeping these walks short and picking quiet times so she can feel comfortable.
REPOST: With video (hopefully) Training your dog should be fun for both you and your dog. By striving for perfection we often lose the enjoyment for our dogs and make it stressful for ourselves. When Ruby joined the family a few months ago, I was warned by the rescue staff that she 'can't walk on a lead' and 'pulls like a train!' As I planned on Ruby being my Canicross dog (pulling is a good thing!) this wasn't a major concern and I knew I could work on her lead walking over time. Getting your dog to walk nicely on a lead doesn't happen overnight and there is no magic device whether, harness, lead, halti or collar, that can 'fix' a dog that pulls so please don't fall for the marketing! Ruby and I have worked little by little on getting her comfortable with a slower pace and yesterday we made this little video to show her progress. The main thing I noticed is how happy she is :-) Her lead walking is far from perfect! The 'bad' points 🙃 ❎She tries to catch the treats before they land on the floor which can be a little chaotic. ❎She likes to walk slightly ahead rather than by my side. ❎She spends most of her time looking around rather than at me. All of these things make it an enjoyable walk for Ruby. If your dog had to slow down to your exact pace and spend the whole time staring at you waiting for the next treat, that would not be enjoyable for them and they would soon get bored and start to pull. The good points 🙂 ✅She regularly checks back with me ✅She is not pulling me forward or putting any tension on my arm/shoulder ✅I have a very loose hold of the lead as I do not need to battle with her ✅We are both enjoying our walk If you watch the video to the end you will see that we stop for a few moments as something catches Ruby's eye. I wait for her, because this is her walk as well as mine. If I wanted to stop to watch the birds or look at flowers, she would wait for me. A lead walk should be cooperative. Work on building a bond with you
Sometimes when your dog looks like they are doing nothing (usually when they are ignoring you when you are trying to recall or get them to change direction on the lead) they are really busy. Just look at Ruby's nose wiggle 🤗 If your dog isn't responding, give them a minute, their nose might just be busy 😊
Practicing what I preach with a bit of mat training for Ruby 😊 Ruby is a typical collie (high energy, impulsive and impatient!) So when I'm trying to get on with work she finds it hard to sit still and wait for me to be ready to play. Mat training gives her a task that encourages settled behaviour and ocassionally she gets so settled she falls asleep (until I move 😄)
Puppy Bonnie is easily distracted so recall from greater distances is a challenge, but we've built up to it and look at her enthusiasm 😃 If you are interested in joining the next Recall Workshop get in touch 🐾
Walking Munashe had become difficult for his owner because of his pulling on the lead. He's a beautiful, big boy with a lot of strength so teaching him to walk nicely was so important. In the space of a few weeks his mum has made huge improvements and you can see Munashe is so much more in tune with his mum on walks which means they are both getting a lot more exercise 😃 🐾
Off lead socialisation shouldn't be an uncontrolled free for all, that's not good socialisation! Our sessions are kept small and monitored throughout. That means dogs can be matched for energy and play style and any inappropriate behaviour can be interrupted. In today's session dogs were given breaks and separated into different play groups as some were too boisterous for others. If your dog can engage with you even when there are other dogs around that's better than a dog that runs off to 'play' and ignores you. Special mention to Diesel (brown dog in blue harness) a wonderful boy who originally came to Calmer class with me because he couldn't control his excitement around other dogs. After a lot of work and patience from his wonderful owners he can now pass or greet dogs, as appropriate, on lead and has excellent doggy communication skills in his off lead interactions. On lead interactions are just as important as off lead play and contribute to our dogs learning appropriate manners around other dogs.
