Think Positive Dog Training

18/09/2021

What are you up to tomorrow, Sunday 19th September?
The final Crowcroft Farmer's Market is happening at The Yard (our regular training venue) and there is a fun dog show happening from 12.30pm.

The classes will be:
Best paw shaker
Glorious golden oldie
Best rescue
Best trick
Coolest puppy
Best sausage catcher
Judge's favourite

Plus there will be lots of gorgeous trade stalls, a bouncy castle, and this month there will be a collection of classic cars too!

Something for everyone 🙂

I'm going to take my glorious golden oldies for a little day out....see you there!

26/08/2021

One of our puppy students has been struggling to keep calm and focused around other dogs so I've used one of my own dogs to help with his training.

Last week, Jack was getting hugely overexcited when he saw my dog Corri, even from across a paddock, and we spent time working at a distance, and then slowly reducing the distance until he could be near her without trying to leap on her.
When we have overly social dogs that cannot contain their enthusiasm about other dogs, we work on actually desensitising them to other dogs and teaching them that most dogs are boring.
This is really important because many dogs do not like being bounced on by unfamiliar dogs for a wide variety of reasons, and some dogs will be afraid, and others may try to defend themselves.
So it is our responsibility to teach our dogs polite manners with dogs unless in the presence of known play mates.

It took just 2 short sessions to make this progress, with him being able to ignore Corri and be responsive to his owner.
There's still lots of work to do, but showing Jack that dogs are actually quite boring, and that hanging out with his owner is much more fun, is a critical skill. We've also taught Jack's owner a lot of valuable skills about how to understand dog body language, and how to encourage calmness and focus around big distractions.
Their homework is to actively seek out 'boring' dogs (we mean this in the nicest way!) such as older steady dogs, or very well trained dogs that are highly focused on their owner, and to do lots of calm walks together until Jack no longer views every dog as a new play mate.
Of course Jack will still be getting loads of fun playtime with his owner instead!

Super proud of you Jack! 😎
(and my little Corri too, a perfect stooge dog 💜)

14/08/2021

There is a fun dog show AND a fabulous farmer's market held at our regular training venue this weekend!
Why not go along and check out the trade stands, enter a few dog show classes, and give your dog some nice socialisation opportunities too.

Obviously if your dog is already stressed when in close proximity to other dogs then this is not the place to be, but do go along without your dog to browse the market 😊

14/07/2021

These two! 😍🤩
Freya has been attending our puppy classes with her mum Lis and their young collie puppy Fern.
They've worked really hard on Fern's training, and Freya has put lots of work into teaching this fantastic 'food manners' exercise (she is dropping food in front of Fern and she is ignoring it politely) using purely impulse control games.
They have such a lovely relationship and it's been a pleasure to teach them!
How cute are they?! 😍

01/07/2021

Malvern friends....notice of a local fireworks display tomorrow night at 10.30pm.
Just the sort of time you might think to pop dogs out for nighttime pees etc, so be warned!
The display will last for 10-15 mins.

Really useful to have this warning in advance, so we can take measures to keep our pets safe ❤️

21/06/2021

I have just ONE very rare space in a life skills progression class.
This is ONLY available to students who have attended life skills classes previously (e.g. puppy classes), even if it was a while ago.
This group will be held on Wednesdays at 7pm at my outdoor venue and we are starting this week!

08/06/2021

It's puppy time!!

09/05/2021

We have a brand new puppy life skills course starting next week, on Wednesday 12th May, at 4.30pm, in Leigh Sinton.

Get your puppy off to a great start with this 8 week course, covering a wide range of important life skills.
For puppies only, up to 5 months of age.

Only 1 space left in this group! Book online at
www.thinkpositivedogtraining.co.uk

https://vimeo.com/410631988

This is "Life Skills Trailer" by Becci Hodson on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

14/04/2021

Little Corri has been living her best life tonight! She absolutely loves attending the week 1 classes and doing her little demos 😎

First outdoor puppy & adolescent classes, but my little sidekick never lets me down, despite increased distractions!

Looking forward to meeting all the new dogs next week 🐕🐩🐾

03/04/2021

Brand new puppy classes are now open to book!
All classes up until 9th June will be held outdoors, and then we will return to our indoor venue.

We also have a rare new adolescent class available on the website too, if your pup is over the age limit for these classes :)

You can find these classes here: https://www.thinkpositivedogtraining.co.uk/Weekly-classes/

26/03/2021

In normal times, my puppy classes are held indoors, where there are less distractions for the pups and it is dry and warm every week!
But we are still far from normal times, and many people have pups who are in need of training!
There are also many adolescent dogs who missed their puppy classes during the last lockdown too.

Indoor training is not permitted until mid-May at the earliest, so I am looking at offering some OUTDOOR training classes for puppies, and teenagers (separate groups) starting in April. These classes will be held just outside Leigh Sinton, at a secure venue, on grass. Classes will run on Wednesday evenings as usual.

As always, these classes will be restricted to small numbers (max 5 dogs) so that you and your pup benefit from enough individual attention.
The class content will be focused on important life skills, with an emphasis on fun, and strong relationships.
Your classes are taught by a very experienced dog trainer with 11 years of experience and a degree in Behaviour and Training.

If this is something that you want to be a part of, just comment below, or send us a message! We will then be able to let you know as soon as the classes are live and ready to book on the website. :D
www.thinkpositivedogtraining.co.uk

24/03/2021

2 attempted dog thefts right here in Malvern, literally minutes from my front door. (On Peachfield Common and the Link Common)
Some bloke trying to pull the dog's lead from the owner's hands in one case, only giving up because someone else noticed and shouted out.

It's a really serious threat.
Please be careful everyone.
Look out for each other.
Take precautions.

These thieves are brazen and reckless. They are taking any dog, of any age or breed, from men or women.

Stay safe ❤️

08/03/2021

08/03/2021

We are on of the brand new Tea Break Training course and it is so much fun!! We've got tiny puppies right through to top level agility dogs training with us, and I make sure there is something for everyone!
I'm going to pop on here (Think Positive Dog Training page) at 8pm tonight for a live, to chat a bit about the course so far, and explain how you could potentially WIN this training for FREE!!

It's an insane amount of content for a super low price (which will increase after March), so if you are keen to find out more, join me on the live this evening!

01/03/2021

So there was a small hiccup with Tea Break Training, because several people purchased the course as a 'guest' and did not register an account, meaning they could not view the videos on the website.

My website developers have been working hard on this fault all morning, and it should now be resolved! Please log on to the website (you will now be registered, but you may need to request a 'forgotton password'), and you should find the course in the menu under 'My Account'.

If this affected you, please have a try, and once you are in, you should be able to view the first 2 videos!
Thanks for your patience everyone :D

28/02/2021

Tea Break Training is gearing up, ready to start tomorrow! Start your morning with a drink of your choice ☕️ and watch your first training video, then grab your rewards and get practising throughout the day!

The introductory video is already LIVE on the website, so if you haven't already done it, log in to your account, watch the first video, and follow the instructions so you are ready to get started!

See you soon :)

28/02/2021

So, if you couldn't make my live announcement, you'll have missed the news about the fun new projects!
My new online training course Tea Break Training is for all dogs and owners.
29 bitesize videos of simple training exercises, with an 'Up The Challenge' for the experienced dogs!
It's a course that will be available into the future, but if you'd like to join us, we're aiming to do the 29 training games over the next 29 days, starting tomorrow!
Rediscover your training mojo after a long and boring winter and lockdown, and use your tea breaks to train your dog some fun and achievable skills.
Oh, and did I mention...it's only £29?! Just £1 per day...get involved!
Book here: https://www.thinkpositivedogtraining.co.uk/Online-Life-skills-Training/tea-break-training/

27/02/2021

Tea Break Training is open and ready to go!!
https://www.thinkpositivedogtraining.co.uk/Online-Life-skills-Training/tea-break-training/

27/02/2021

So ALL new training events are now live and ready to book!

However there is a small hiccup with the camps when you reach payment, as my payment processor is not recognising the deposit amount and asking for full payment.
Please bear with me if you are eager to book - I will temporarily reduce available spaces so they don't all get snapped up by those willing to pay in full ;)
I am working on it and will update as soon as it is fixed.

In the meantime, Tea Break Training is good to go, as are all of the weekday events in the Activity Week! Go fill your baskets...

27/02/2021

New training!

27/02/2021

Make sure you grab yourselves a cuppa and get comfy because we're going live in half an hour to reveal some fab new training from Think Positive Dog Training and Positive Agility!

Here on this page at 6.30pm!
See you soon! ☕

25/02/2021

🥳🤩VERY EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT COMING SOON!! 🤩🥳

I'll be going live here on this page at 6.30pm on Saturday evening (27th February) to reveal the plan....

This is for everyone, pet owners, agility folk, experienced or novice.

Don't miss out! See you there :D

05/01/2021

It will come as no surprise to anyone, although it does come as another big blow to my small business, but the new national lockdown means that ALL in person training is now ceased until further notice. :(

Thank you to everyone who supported me in 2020, and to everyone who has been waiting for training to start up this month, I really appreciate you all.

I will re-group and then look at alternative ways to get training content out to you.
Please watch this space over the coming days and weeks.

In the meantime, post a picture of a happy dog on this thread to make us all smile :)

30/12/2020

Here in Worcestershire, we stay in Tier 3, which means outdoor training can continue, but all indoor training is cancelled with immediate effect 😥

This is so frustrating as it impacts my puppy classes, especially several people who have been waiting so patiently for January classes.

Technically speaking, I am still able to offer training in small groups and 121s (outdoors only) but given that many of my students are now into tier 4 (from Gloucestershire and Birmingham), and also for the safety of all other students and myself, I have decided that I will put all groups on hold for the time being.

I will still offer 121 training at my outdoor venue. This will only be available to people also in T3, as people from T4 should only be making essential journeys.

If you have 121s scheduled and are now in T4, or if you were booked for groups in January, then I will be in touch soon to discuss options.

It's a very stressful time for everyone, especially us small business owners, so please bear with me as I try to make a plan for 2021.
Stay safe everyone, and as ever, thank you for your support 🥰

24/11/2020

Are you ready? We are!
Our puppy classes can resume (all being well!) from next Wednesday 2nd Dec.
We've got a bit of juggling to do with the new courses that were due to start because we need to finish the delayed courses first but we'll do our very best to get everyone back in and training again soon 😊

27/10/2020

A warning for anyone coming to puppy classes tomorrow night!!

There is a major road closure this week in Leigh Sinton.

I have checked the route - if you are travelling from Malvern (along Leigh Sinton road), from the M5, or from Worcester direction, then you CAN access the road to the hall. But to do so you will need to be brave and drive past a number of big 'road closed' signs and partial road blockades! (There is a large one on a roundabout coming from Worcester/M5 which has thrown many people off onto a strange diversion!)

However.....if you are coming from Hereford direction, then you will NOT be able to get through Leigh Sinton to access the hall. You will need to plan an alternative route (please be aware that some of the small roads around the area are getting clogged up with extra traffic). Don't forget to allow extra travel time for the diversion.

Travel safely!

21/10/2020

DAN SHAW TRAINING in Malvern!
I have 2 spaces available next Wednesday (28th October) for a G3-5 (or capable G2).
Also 1x young dogs (pm me about this space as it is someone needing to sell so not on the website)
Bookings are also now open and filling fast for:
Wed 18th November
Fri 19th Feb
Wed 7th April
Book here - https://www.thinkpositivedogtraining.co.uk/Agility-workshops/dan-shaw-workshops/

13/10/2020

I was meant to be doing a post this week to say "No classes/121s this week remember, and messages will be answered next week....
because this week I am on my honeymoon!" 🥰

However the honeymoon was abandoned yesterday so we could be with my beautiful girl Tavi as she lost her fight with cancer 😭💔

So the same principle applies....still no lessons and no admin being done, but for the worst reason.
Please be patient, i will be back in work mode eventually but we need this week off.

Hug your dogs and remember they are never around long enough. Every moment is so precious. 🖤❤🖤❤

07/10/2020

Rachel is a great photographer!
Get entering, fellow dog lovers 🐶🐕🐾

07/10/2020

What a beautiful rainbow of dog tags!
These amazing ID tags are from Flexitags and they are fantastic! 🌈
No more annoying jangling tags, or tags getting snagged in the undergrowth and pinging off!
These sit flat on the collar, held in place by a strong, stretchy silicone band.

We've used these for several years on all of our dogs and have never lost one.
The service from Flexitags is always fast and efficient too.

If you want one, try the 10% discount code BC10 😎

30/09/2020

Recall... One of the most important things to teach to your pup, but actually a tough skill to train. Does your dog choose YOU over other dogs, other people, or other exciting things?

Here are 3 of our young pups, in their 6th week of training, showing how easy recall can be, even with HUGE distractions!! 😎

Get your training off to a great start, start while your pup is young, and join us for the next puppy life skills course, starting soon 😃

30/09/2020

So so proud of this super group of puppies!
Graduation night tonight and they look so cute with their rosettes 🎓😍
Hoping to see lots of these little beauties for ongoing training, but for now, congratulations to Nell, Ella, Misty & Scamp for absolutely bossing your puppy life skills course 😎❤️👌

26/09/2020

Look at these absolute beauties! 😍🤩
So excited to give out these rosettes to my first Malvern puppy graduates this coming Wednesday, and on the same day I welcome another 2 groups of puppies and adolescents too!

Beautiful quality rosettes from Gail Knight @ Nitingales Rosettes. I love my new colour scheme too, matching my logo and website 🧡

10/09/2020

The first Malvern based puppy classes (I am new to Malvern for those that didn't know :) ) are well under way and they are such fun! We've got a super mix of pups and their progress has been outstanding!

03/06/2020

First new training course at my venue!

Beginners Foundation Agility, Tuesdays at 5.30pm.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPx_kX-_SEw

Visit the website here to book your space!
https://www.thinkpositivedogtraining.co.uk/Agility-weekly-classes/agility-beginners-foundations/

Agility Foundations are the BEST way to get your dog started on their agility adventure! Visit www.thinkpositivedogtraining.co.uk to find out more. Editor: T...