C S Canine Behaviour & Training

27/09/2024

Don’t miss out great course for progression with James

You've got the basics, now it's time to build your dog training knowledge to the next level! Learn how to grow those basic skills into useful, everyday tricks to make yours and your dogs lives easier and more enjoyable. This course focuses on leadwork, socialisation, distractions and distance contro...

19/09/2024

Hilarious! Unfortunately something dog trainers come across all the time. If you don’t understand why it’s funny get in touch with me at c s canine or James at Apex Canine Services and we’ll explain why it’s funny!

18/09/2024

Some excellent points to consider when choosing a dog trainer. I can assure you that James and I don’t tick any of the boxes! We are professionals and proud that we have your dogs welfare at heart. We are constantly attending courses to improve our knowledge and ensure we keep up to date with scientific data.

06/09/2024

This is why I cringe when people say how wonderful he is!

⚠️ 𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏 𝑫𝒐𝒈𝒔 𝑩𝒆𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 (𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒚) 𝑩𝒂𝒅𝒍𝒚

Yesterday, I received the following email from a researcher for the TV programme *Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly*:

"𝑀𝑦 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑠 (redacted) 𝐼 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑇𝑉 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑤 ‘𝐷𝑜𝑔𝑠 𝐵𝑒ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 (𝑉𝑒𝑟𝑦) 𝐵𝑎𝑑𝑙𝑦’.

𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑠 ℎ𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑛𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑚 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝑤𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑛𝑒𝑥𝑡 𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑘 𝑖𝑛 𝐿𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑎𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑟𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝐿𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑚.

𝑊𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑑𝑢𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑛 𝑇𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑑𝑎𝑦 10𝑡ℎ 𝑆𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑜𝑔 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑟 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑏𝑜𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑚 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑢𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑛 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑜𝑜𝑛. 𝑊𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑓𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑜 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑤𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑑𝑜𝑔𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑎 𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑝ℎ𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑒.

𝑊𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑑𝑜𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑛𝑜𝑛-𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑏𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑙𝑦 ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑔𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑠.

𝑃𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝑚𝑒 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛. 𝑂𝑓 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒, 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦’𝑑 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑐𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑎, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑎 𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑠𝑘𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑠!"

My first thought was to delete the email. I'm not a fan of Graeme Hall. I've watched a few episodes of his show, and in my opinion, he seems to make things up as he goes along, relying on outdated training methods.

However, I was puzzled. Was the “cravat” unwell, and they needed a stand-in? I'm a nobody – why on earth would they want to film me training a dog when there are so many high-profile trainers out there? Curiosity got the better of me, so I decided to give the researcher a call.

I'm still in shock as I write this. The researcher explained that they wanted to invite me to Lytham with my Border Collie to "demonstrate" to Graeme Hall how I would train my dog not to respond to a phone ringtone.

Graeme would then take my training method and use it to teach the Border Collie of the family seeking help – all while filming it for his TV show!

WTF 😳😳😳

I decided to dig a bit deeper and reached out to the force-free dog training community to see if anyone else had experienced something this bizarre.

It turns out that many trainers had also been asked to attend filming sessions to show Graeme how to train dogs before the cameras rolled. Most reported that they refused because of his methods, but a few had shown him and his team how to train a dog, only to be dismissed without any credit for their expertise.

I then did some open-source research on "The Country’s Best Dog Trainer," as the *Daily Telegraph* calls him. He has no formal training in canine behaviour or training. He’s essentially winging it with the help of whatever trainers are willing to show up and assist him.

According to his website, he charges £875 per session 🤔😧

Now I’m not someone who normally criticises other trainers. I prefer to let my clients decide if I’m the right trainer for them based on how I work with their dogs.

However, I couldn’t let this pass without making it public knowledge.

If you're looking for a dog trainer, please avoid this programme and this man. You have no idea whose techniques he’ll be using week to week, and given that most qualified and accredited trainers want nothing to do with him, the quality of training you’ll receive is questionable at best.

Instead, do your own research and find a local trainer who aligns with your own dog training ethics. Organisations such as The IMDT or APDT - Association of Pet Dog Trainers can help guide you to qualified & accredited trainers in your area.

𝑷𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒅𝒐𝒈𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒔!

01/09/2024

Supplements are great if you buy a recognised brand. Unfortunately some on the market aren’t the best quality. Lovely blog below by Grace Lane Veterinary Surgery

Managing ArthritisDiet & supplements Diet & Supplements TOD SAYS... Beware products claiming health benefits for arthritis sufferers, many lack proof of efficacy! Diet and Nutrition Dog foods designed to aid mobility are now mainstream. However, there is little regulation of what the diet should hav...

06/08/2024

Some great courses from James at Apex Canine Services

New Courses

19th August @ 6:30pm - Scentwork Practice Session
26th August @ 6:30pm - Intro to Scentwork
27th August @ 7:45pm - Skills for Life 2
16th September @ 7:45pm - Fun & Games
23rd September @ 6:00pm - Scentwork Practice Session
24th September @ 6:30pm - Skills for Life Puppy

For more information on each course or to book a place, visit apexcanineservices.com

30/06/2024

There’s something here Mum!

30/06/2024

Ziggy had a great time at a scentwork workshop yesterday. Here he is searching a bench in the stand at Ripon Racecourse

29/06/2024

Great food, great offer. What’s not to like!

A high quality, complete dog food made with human grade meat and veg. Guaranteed to give your dog all the nutrients they needs to stay fit and healthy.

26/06/2024

Grass seeds can cause a great deal of discomfort for your dog. They can even pe*****te the skin. Take care.

🌾 It is that time of year again!
🌾There are lots of grass seeds about and dogs run the risk of these burrowing into their paws, ears and armpits.
🌾 The seeds are like barbed darts, and once in a paw or ear, will not usually come out of their own accord.
🌾 Check your dog over thoroughly after every walk (this is also a good chance to check for ticks!) and remove any grass seeds.
🌾 Keep those with fluffy paws well trimmed.
🌾 Call your vet if your dog shows any sudden signs of lameness, paw licking, head shaking etc.
🌾 Removal of grass seeds can often require sedation so please be prepare for this.

26/06/2024

Wise advice

Knowing the signs of heatstroke and how to prevent it in this weather is so important for our pets.
Key points are:
☀️ DO NOT walk your dog in the day during the heatwave, first thing in the morning or last thing at night is best
☀️ DO NOT leave your dog in the car
☀️ DO provide shade, plenty of water and cooling aids
☀️DO keep an eye on your cats, they do normally find their own shade but make sure you provide plenty of water
One missed walk won’t harm your dog. Don’t take the risk! 🐶🐱

26/06/2024

Super food for your dog!

All ingredients used to make Apex is top quality human grade. Just look at the salmon that will be used to make our Salmon and Trout with Sweet Potato and Asparagus

26/06/2024

Don’t miss out in this great course with James. www.apexcanineservices.com

Save your spot for Scentwork - Intro now. Only 2 spaces left!

3x 1 hour sessions teaching you and your dog started on the exciting world of Scentwork.

Starting 7:45pm on Tuesday, 2nd July at Malton Cricket Club.

We also have another course starting 22nd July, same location and time.

https://wix.to/TA716wR

13/06/2024

Marc Bekoff is one of the people who have influenced my attitude towards animal training.

Calling a dog a "bad dog" very often displays a lack of knowledge about dog behavior, says Marc Bekoff in this essay on the importance of positive reinforcement in dog training.

08/06/2024

Melinda Garrity asked for some information on fear and anxiety in dogs. This is a huge topic that is very difficult to cover in a simple article, there are many books on the subject. One recent book is "Fear and Anxiety in Dogs - understanding, prevention and treatment" by Caroline Clark of PET Behaviour Services. So if you want a more in depth understanding I suggest you get this book which is available on Amazon and in some book stores. But for a very brief overview of fear and anxiety and an idea of a solution for dogs that react to other dogs hear you go

08/06/2024

This is a blog I have shared before, but in view of summer being here (I know you wouldn't really think it - but hopefully its just around the corner!) I thought it would be great to remind people of the dangers of travelling your dog in a vehicle

07/06/2024

There are so many things I could write about concerning dogs, but I'd like to know what you would like to read about. Send me your ideas and I'll write an article and share it on here so we can build a library of information to help you and your dogs.

07/06/2024

The new website is finally online! If you have a review you would like to be added to the site please let me know, I would be very grateful! www.cscanine.co.uk

04/06/2024

Take your bond with your furry friend to the next level with Fun & Games 2! This course is designed to build your dog's confidence and strengthen the bond between the two of you, all while exploring even more fun and exciting dog sports. Don't miss out on this opportunity to have a blast with your d...

30/05/2024

Register to win a dog portrait session worth £295 Enter your details below for a chance to win a dog portrait session worth £295. The winning session will include: Up to 1 hour session in Ryedale, North Yorkshire for up to 2 dogs. Pre-session questionnaire. Approx. 25 images edited & prepared in a...

12/05/2024

If you love having fun with your dog, we have the course for you!

Fun & Games (4 week course) starting 13th May at 7:45pm.
Taking place at Malton Cricket Club for £79

Why choose Fun & Games?
- Try out different dog sports (scent work, parkour, agility & more).
- Learn enjoyable exercises to use at home and on walks.
- Receive weekly videos to help you and your dog practice between classes.
- Discover handy tips and tricks to maintain focus around distractions.
- Be the entertainment your dog craves!

Only 2 places left, book today @ www.apexcaineservices.com

11/05/2024

Last chance to enrol your puppy on Skills for Life Puppy, starting Tuesday, 7th May at 6:30pm.

Learn everything from sits and downs, to leadwork and socialisation, in our 6 week course. Taking place at Malton Cricket Club.

£99

Visit our website to book your place today!

www.apexcanineservices.com

11/05/2024

Ziggy says have a lovely weekend in the sun but please remember to check pavement temperatures before taking your dog for a walk. If it’s too hot to keep the back of your hand on the pavement for 5 seconds it’s too hot for your dogs paws. Find shady places to walk and don’t forget to take some water! And please don’t leave your dog in the car even if the windows are open.

01/05/2024