Renovatichi Miniature Poodles and Cocker Spaniels

22/12/2024

We are here to offer some words of wisdom ahead of what might be a busy week or so in your home 💛

Want to learn more about teaching your dog 'leave it'? Click here: https://bit.ly/4iGL7Pz

[Image description: This is an infographic with advice as to how to make your gathering dog-friendly. Keep human treats out of sight, reach and smell. Never force your dog to get involved and ask your guests to respect that too. If your dog seeks comfort, reassure them. Teach the important 'leave it' lesson. If you're outside, make sure your dog has plenty of water and shade all day. Ensure your dog has their own quiet space to retreat and let them hide away if they want.]

20/12/2024

The Poodles all ready for the Christmas Party held at our training class a couple of nights ago!
Great fun was had by all!!

15/12/2024

11/12/2024

Happy 5th Birthday to our boy Renovatichi Borisov AKA Comet, I hope he shares his Birthday treats out with the others! ❤🎉

10/12/2024

If I had a pound for every time I've actually had to advise the dog guardian to keep their dog on a longline if their recall is poor 🤣🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️ Even had cases where they've ignored my advice and the dog has been hit by a car.

If you let your dog off lead knowing their recall is bad, don't let them off lead. Simple as that. Work on their recall skills using a long line and practice around distractions gradually. If they are an adolescent, hormones will cause them to be more independent and roam further, so you'll need to go back to basics and implement management, such as using a long line. Dogs, especially adolescent dogs, are novelty seekers, so use a range of concept games and varied rewards to keep recall interesting.

Refusing to do so sets your dog up to fail. It can also poison your recall cue and your dog can be seriously injured and/or become lost. -Holly Leake

07/12/2024

❌AT CHRISTMAS YOUR DOG DOESN’T HAVE TO:

🧑‍🎄 Visit Santa at the garden centre

🎄 Be around your visitors

🎅🏽 Go to other peoples houses

🎄 Go to see the Christmas lights switch on

🍺 Go to the busy pub on Christmas Eve

If they are anxious or get worried about people, dogs or busy places or if they just don’t like doing these things. It’s not a fault if they don’t like doing these things, many dogs don’t enjoy ‘human activities’ like this (some do, I have one that loves all of it and two that would be 🫤 ).

✅ Instead they may prefer to:

🚪 Be in their safe space (see upcoming post on this), a quiet room they like being in with a dog gate on the doorway when you have a house full of people who may scare them

🐕 Have an extra trip to a freedom field on Christmas morning and some extra enrichment at home while you go and visit family for a few hours if they’d find it stressful to come with you

🐶 A meet up with a dog or human friend at a place they like rather than a trip to the heaving pub on Christmas Eve

🦴 A trip to a dog enrichment centre or a 121 in an activity they love (scent work, mantrailing etc) rather than an outing to see the Christmas lights switched on

🍖 Some dog safe Christmas biscuits you’ve made them rather than dressing up in a dog Santa outfit

Loads of these Christmas ‘traditions’ that we enjoy are not enjoyed by our dogs, especially if they are anxious or more sensitive. Even the most robust dog may tolerate these activities rather than love them.

Please be mindful of your dogs wants and needs and don’t put them into situations they find stressful just because we want them to be part of Christmas. It’s your Christmas, not your dogs, they really won’t mind not being included in everything you do ❤️

Laura McAuliffe Dog Communication 2024

03/12/2024

Our spare bedroom doubles up as a small indoor training area, we place a piece of carpet down to ensure the dogs don't slip on the laminate floor. Our Poodles are all working towards their Kennel Club Good Citizen Award assessments.
All of our training is reward based and positive so the dogs have a great time in our practice sessions as well as at their weekly classes.

30/11/2024

I was recently told by a another dog trainer on Facebook, that I clearly didn't understand how aversives work, all because I was repulsed by the notion that you could condition a dog to a piece of equipment (torture device) used to punish the dog.

Now positive punishment, such as shocking a dog for barking, will only be effective in suppressing the behaviour if the dog finds it unpleasant. So, if you attempted to condition a dog to like the shock (crazy I know), then it would no longer suppress the barking. The shock becomes redundant because it needs to be unpleasant for it to stop a specific behaviour.

Some dogs can become habituated to a certain punishment but when this happens the trainer has to escalate the unpleasantness, in order to achieve the same results. (such as turning the shock up to the next setting). Therefore, you can't make an aversive both pleasant and unpleasant, if it is to be effective in suppressing unwanted behaviours. That is the logical conclusion, and yet so many have cognitive dissonance and accuse qualified trainers of having no knowledge or understanding of canine behaviour. How stupid of us for believing a piece of equipment designed to be painful will be unpleasant for the dog.

In reality, most force free trainers have both knowledge and ethics, and even though there may be unskilled force freed trainers, at least they aren't hurting dogs. I couldn't say it any better than this:

"Our prime purpose in life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them." - Dalai Lama

The best dog trainers continue to challenge what they know; they don't rely solely on a personal belief system, which let's face it, can be governed by ego. Instead, they recognise that both knowledge and ethics are needed to make a difference in the dog training industry. - Holly Leake

Please feel free to like and share but please do so from the source, and do not copy or paste the writing or screenshot or edit the graphic in anyway. Thank you. ©️

29/11/2024

Connection is absolutely central to being the best people for our dogs we can be. Understanding and empathy help us to see what they need and how we can meet those needs in any situation, and when we have both of those things between us, we have connection.

That connection can make training so much easier. Because we understand each other much better and are truly listening to each other, we can move in harmony as we go through the world.

In potentially scary or tricky situations, having a strong connection means that our dogs will trust us to help them and keep them safe. They will feel more able to listen to us and do what we ask of them to navigate the sitaution with a minimum of stress and difficulty.

How then do we go about making that connection?

We respect their choices as much as possible (in a dangerous situation we may have to manage their choices more for safety, but should try to make sure choices are respected outside of these situations).

We make sure their needs are met.

We help them to feel safe and secure.

Most important of all, we listen to them.

The importance of learning about canine communication and body language is often mentioned, and with very good reason. It is the central pillar of understanding our dogs, and so forging that connection.

Make the central focus of life with our dogs about connection, honouring them as the individuals they are and ensuring we give them agency and choice. While we need to be able to have our dogs under control when in public places, this is very different to controlling their lives. We have control over so much of their lives in this very human world, and so it is important to give them control of their own lives as much as possible.

Connection, not control.

28/11/2024

27/11/2024

I saw a comment on a post I shared a few days ago where someone was saying they wished they'd known the information given before because they felt bad about things that had happened in the past with their dog.

This is such a common feeling - I know very few people who do not have regrets over how life has been lived with their dogs previously. I make no secret of the fact I'm a cross over trainer and, while I didn't use some of the harshest methods in existence, what I did do using old fashioned methods I regret. I understand that feeling of cognitive dissonance and the emotions that come with realising what I have done wrong by the dogs in my past.

What I have come to realise is that we can only ever do the best we can with what we know at the time. When we know better, then we can do better.

It can be so, so hard when we realise what we've been doing wrong but there is really no point to berating ourselves - the best thing we can do is keep learning about the best ways to work with and live with our dogs so that what we know at the time is absolutely the best information we can have and use to help our dogs lead happy and comfortable lives.

25/11/2024

Is your dog boisterous or over friendly?

Your dog might be friendly, but often their company is not wanted by other dogs and owners.

Here are a few top tips:

▶️Have excellent recall or get them on lead when you see dogs approaching until you know if these dogs are happy to play

▶️Do not let your dogs run up to on lead dogs

▶️If they are getting too boisterous they may accidentally harm other dogs, recall and get them calmer before proceeding

▶️Find other like minded dogs and owners and arrange fun play sessions at quiet areas or in rented dog fields where they can burn off that energy safely!

https://www.vetvoices.co.uk/post/worried-walks

23/11/2024

Perfect for indoor activities in bad weather too :-)

19/11/2024

An excellent trainer moving to Lincolnshire soon!

** Important Announcement **
After many happy years in Notts we are relocating to Lincolnshire next month.

Thank you to everyone for your custom and some fabulous memories during my time here. I’ve met so many fantastic people and dogs and have also been blessed with making fantastic friends for life.
We will miss you 😘

Details of new ventures to follow very soon….Notts followers - if you have friends in Lincoln give them a shout 😉

19/11/2024

We didn't have much snow here but the dogs enjoyed it regardless! ❄️
The Chihuahuas were not as enthusiastic as the Poodles and ended up in the buggy to keep warm!
Everyone is now relaxing by the wood burner in the house 🔥

15/11/2024

A damaging myth surrounding dogs, particularly puppies, when they get to their new homes is that, if the cry, they should be left alone so they learn to stay quiet overnight. This is absolutely not the best way to help that new family member feel safe and comfortable in their new home.

From :

"A puppy is like a human child. They cry when there is something they need, including comfort and connection. If they do not get a response when they are crying then yes, they will stop, but not because they have settled. They have learned that nobody is coming and so they give up trying. This will have a serious and damaging effect on the bond between them and their family, and at probably the most vulnerable time in their lives emotionally. One of the most important things we can focus on in these early days and weeks of our shared lives is helping them to feel safe and secure and responding to their needs is absolutely the best way to go about this."

In those early days have them sleeping close to you, and respond when they are distressed. It does not mean that they will always cry at night. It will, however, help them to realise that they are not alone and that they can sleep safe and sound knowing you are there if they need you during the night.

14/11/2024

Autumn and winter can be a dangerous time for our pets. Due to the darker evenings, road traffic accidents (RTAs) are more likely to happen at this time of year. To keep you and your pets as safe as possible, our vets have shared their top tips 🌃

Cat owners, rest assured, we have an advice post for you too. Keep your eyes peeled next week 🐱

[Visual description: Infographic detailing five dark evening safety tips for dogs. 1. Be prepared - make sure your dog is wearing a collar, tag, is microchipped, and that you have pet insurance in place. 2 - Plan your route - avoid roads without pavements and aim for well-lit areas. 3. Visibility - make sure drivers can see both of you. Your dog could wear a high visibility coat or LED collar/tag. 4. Simple commands - teaching your dog to ‘sit’, ‘wait’ and ‘walk’ will help to keep them safe when out and about. 5. Dog leads - Keep them on a short, strong lead attached to a well-fitting collar when around roads. If you’re going to take them off the lead, check that the area is safely secured so they can’t run onto any nearby roads.]