Love Your Dog Training

20/10/2024

WHAT IS A HUFF?

When a dog Huffs it it a signal to the social group that danger has been detected.

A huff is a quiet, short gruff sound as the dog expels air in a quick burst.

They may do a few Huffs one after the other.

In the wild dogs or wolves will come in close together when they hear this sound.

Although we have domesticated dogs you will still hear this sound from your dog or perhaps a dog you are approaching.

It shouldn’t be ignored as your dog is trying to communicate something.

Observe what you dog believes to be the issue and then take appropriate action.

It could be crossing the road, shortening the lead , reassurance or whatever is appropriate in the situation.

Does your dog Huff? When does it happen?

Let me know in the comments 🐕🐶

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19/10/2024

Can I change your dog’s behaviour for the better?

Absolutely!

I specialise in dog psychology and not only help you to understand your dog but communicate with them in a way that they understand.

You won’t believe how quickly things change - yes, even your dog 😃🐕

I work with familes to ensure that both you and your lovely dog enjoy your best lives together.

💫 Link in Bio for more info
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16/10/2024

Recall -I don’t know about you but one of the most annoying things is when your dog is on lead for whatever reason and another dog runs up.

The owner is either nowhere to be seen or shouting that famous phrase - ‘it’s ok, he’s friendly’. 🤷‍♀️ That’s of no help whatsoever if your dog is reactive, fearful or elderly.

It becomes pretty obvious very quickly that they have no control over their dog.

If you are the other owner, I’m sure you didn’t want this to happen. It’s embarrassing and frustrating for you. Obviously there are some that don’t care, but that’s not you.

You wish you could fix it. Perhaps you’ve even been shouted at. I’ve seen it happen.

You can change your dog’s behaviour and take back control. Yes, you are going to have to do some training but I’ve found the simplest and fastest way to do that.

Consider booking in for a 1:2:1 session where I’ll teach you all the skills you need to know or download my Perfect Recall Course.

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Life is too short, dog walks need to be stress free ❤️

03/08/2024

Doggo Olympics at its finest - love the silent body language going on here 😃🐕

Sound on !

Thanks to Debbie Collins for sending me this

26/04/2024

ROMANIAN RESCUES can be tricky.

Dogs picked off the street have lived a completely different life and may find it difficult to acclimatise to living in a home.

Some of the issues may be:

1. Resource Guarding - they may be used to fighting for food.

2. Separation Anxiety - they’re not used to being on their own.

3. Reactivity- can show aggression to other dogs particularly on lead.

4. Walking on a lead -likely never been restricted in this way.

5. Toileting inside - they been able to do their business everywhere.

6. Protecting their owners - they may have strong guarding instincts.

7. Fear of people,particularly men and children

I’ve given support and help for all of the above and more - think carefully before adoption.

So Bertie is a lovely dog but really fearful of the husband, would bark at him constantly and it had progressed to a bite. The family asked for help as this behaviour couldn’t on.

I’m pleased to report that the session went really well. My lovely client contacted me this morning saying ‘ I can’t tell you how much you’ve helped us, Bertie is happier and more relaxed. We will be ok with Bertie now, he’s like a different dog’ ♥️

17/04/2024

HOW DOES IT FEEL when you can’t enjoy walking your dog because they react to all or some dogs on your walk?

I can tell you that it feels awful - you feel guilty, embarrassed, a failure, stressed and the list goes on.

This is Peanuts story:
Came as a rescue from a charity in the North, a very handsome dog. Little was known about his background but when he arrived at his new home it was obvious he had had little to no training.

The worst of it was that Peanut went into the red zone every time he saw a dog and seemingly there was no way of stopping him. He had even bitten his owner in a redirected attack as he was so beside himself.

I happen to specialise in reactive dogs, dealing with them virtually every day and this came as no surprise.

I can tell you that there is is no one thing, technique or skill that is going to turn things around quickly. It is a combination of many pieces that I look at and adjust, each dog is different and needs a slightly different approach.

This is why a good trainer can’t/ shouldn’t give you advice on social media because it could be the absolute opposite of what your dog needs.

A dog trainer/behaviourist should come to upgrade your skills and knowledge so that you can carry on the good work. If they just handle your dog or don’t do any practical work at all then please find another trainer.

The good news is that by the end of the session Peanut was able to pass dogs without reacting for the first time ever and his lovely owner has the knowledge and skills to progress with.

Good boy Peanut❤️

10/02/2024

Frankie did not want people visiting the family home. She would bark ferociously, lunge and jump at at faces. Her owners were very worried she would bite. Frankie was also growling at their toddler and a choice was soon going to be made whether to let her go.

Another Behaviourist had been in a few months ago but nothing had changed. Just giving treats is not always the right answer with an aggressive dog.

This is the message Ive just had from the family - -

‘We already have a new dog!! She has been so calm, amazing eye contact and we even had a visitor after you left so could practice straight away and her response was perfect!
Honestly thank you so much!!🥰’

One session.
Lynne ❤️

28/01/2024

If you get confused between the different dog training methods, and after all, I can’t blame you, here is a well written article in The Times explaining what’s what. Lynne x

See comments if you can’t access it.

‘Positive-only’ trainers think harsh words hurt our pets — so what should you do when they tear up the sofa? Matt Rudd navigates a political minefield and gets you answers from the experts

10/01/2024

INTRODUCING A NEW PUPPY
What a critical time! And so important to get it right.

Ivy’s owner spoke with me about the breed and personality that would suit before she started looking. I met little Patch today. What a lovely little dog he is.

It’s really useful to know what behaviour is normal and when to step in. Today we watched as Ivy gave Patch some clear communication to back off when she had her new toy. Patch respected the warning and moved right away. No need for human interaction.

I love watching dogs interacting, do you?

Lynne x

20/12/2023

More dog bites happen at this time of year and it’s generally OUR FAULT!
Over excitement leads to a build up of adrenaline which in turn leads to a short fuse and boom - there is the bite that ‘came out of the blue’.

Make sure that you are supervising your dog and that you give ample time out particularly if you have children around.

If you found this helpful, please share and help avoid unnecessary bites this Christmas 🎄🐕

11/12/2023

The 3 things I use more than anything else in my day to day life as a dog trainer/ behaviourist.

21/11/2023

RECALL - or not, causes more stress than virtually anything else. Why? Because you get shouted out when your dog runs over to an on lead dog, your dog may chase sheep or wildlife, your dog may disappear out of sight and you’re worried you’ll lose them. It takes the pleasure out of your walk for sure.

However, a solid recall is easy to teach- AT ANY AGE, providing you are prepared to put the work in. Most dogs, once they hit 6 months, find they don’t have to come to you and in fact life off lead is far more rewarding!

Dogs learn through repetition and association and if they repeatedly don’t/won’t come back then this is what you are teaching them.

BUT if you spend time on pre recall training life is super easy. I teach whistle training because it is a non emotive and a far reaching sound. Then I train an association with you with a high value reward over a two week period. If you miss this critical process recall is likely to be hit and miss - ie your dog will come back only when there are no distractions!

If you want a Perfect Recall then do message me for a 1:2:1 session or buy my online, easy to follow course 👌 You’ll find the Links in my Bio 🐶

A great Christmas present idea for any dog lover 🎄

#

03/11/2023

Some short term solutions to help your dog that you may not have heard of.

Please like or share ❤️❤️

02/11/2023

Katy is excellent, if you are concerned about your dog then do pop along.

Lynne x

UPDATE: Due to popular demand I will now be staying till 1pm.

FREE 'SILENT PAIN' DOG ASSESSMENTS at the The Old Wharf Tearoom, Hickling,

Saturday November 11th 9am - 1pm

🐾I'll be at the Wharf offering FREE Whole Energy Body Balance assessments of your beloved four-legged friends, to check if they're holding any pain or tension.

🥺“Silent pain" and tension accumulates in soft tissues over time and if left undetected, it can lead to chronic, long-term pain.

🐾If you have a stressed, anxious or reactive dog I can show you a simple relaxation technique you can do on your pets at home, to help calm them.

🦮Take your furry friend for a walk along the canal, treat yourself to the Worlds Best Carrot Cake or a bacon cob and then have your dog assessed to check how they are doing. What better use is there of Saturday morning!

I look forward to meeting you and your dogs there!

12/09/2023

WHAT TO DO WITH THE XL BULLY?
You may have seen or heard about the attack by an XL Bully yesterday and I thought that it would be helpful to put forward my thoughts.

The XL BUlly is a large dog weighing up to 9 stone. It is an American breed originally crossed between a Pitbull and a Staffie in the 1980’s. Since then it has been interbred to create a more muscular and aggressive dog.

I will say that there are many XL’s that are genuinely nice dogs, as are Pitbulls. However, if they attack there is virtually nothing that can stop them.

Bully Watch who are a group of policy experts say that the breed appeared in the UK in 2015 and were prolifically bred for cash during Covid. They say it has been linked to 14 deaths since 2021.

What do we know:

1. The Dangerous Dogs Act is not fit for purpose. Recently a family were given £860 as compensation for the death of their child at the hands of a dog.
The first thing that needs to be done is to increase the sentence to many, many years in prison and such a hefty fine so that a family would feel that justice has been served. This is for any breed.

2. Banning the breed is an option but is this really going to work. Why? An example is that although the Pitbull is banned in the UK there are more here than when the ban was introduced. They just go underground or know that the police don’t have the capability to track them down.

Also there is no genetic breed standard for either the Pitbull or the XL.

Police officers have to measure the dog and decide it if ‘looks’ like a Pitbull. The same would be true for the XL.

There is no point banning a breed if the consequence for owning one that goes on to kill is negligible.

3. Powerful breeds often end up in the wrong hands. There is an anecdotal link to criminal gangs who have become increasingly involved in extreme dog breeding over the past 5 years. They are a powerful status symbol.

So not only are they used for illegal dog fighting, as protection dogs to be paraded around the streets but are also in the hands of unsuspecting families.

But Not always and we shouldn’t tar every dog with the same brush.

4. They could be licensed. Problem with this is that many of the people who want to own an XL Bully would simply not bother. For the good citizens that do, having a licence won’t guarantee their training and control.

So what can be done? There is no one step that is going to solve the problem but:

They could be muzzled in public. Unfortunately a blanket ban will affect the good dogs out there but if this would save one life is it worth it?

The government could restrict puppy sales to a maximum of £400. This would put an immediate stop to most puppy farmers. It wouldnt stop the underground breeding by criminal gangs.

The government, imo HAS to Increase the sentence to many years in prison and fine with immediate effect for any dog that kills or maims a human. The same should apply to any breeder or person who sells a dog on that kills a human.

We shouldn’t have a knee jerk reaction and neither should the government but I do hope that finally they make some specific changes that will give the puppy farmers, the breeders of illegal dogs pause for thought to protect the lives of innocent people.

Do let me know what you think?

Lynne

03/09/2023

When your daft dog decides to join you on the hammock 😁🐶

24/08/2023

I love this photo, it says so much about dog ownership, it really struck me this morning.

So what does this picture say to me?

It says that parenting a dog is much like parenting a child. You are their advocate, their mentor for life, will set fair rules and boundaries and be consistent with them. Will love them, nurture them and raise them to be good citizens.

I visit many families with dogs who for one reason or another haven’t quite managed this and I’m so pleased that they have contacted me rather than getting rid of their problem. It says a lot to admit something has gone wrong and get help to fix it.

The thing is that dogs are not a shadow of our children or vice versa. They are a different species and have an entirely different way of looking at the world.

Of course they are part of our family but if all we do is smother them with love, spoil them, use them to fulfill our emotional needs, constantly give them treats as affection we are not fulfilling their needs. Funnily enough this is true for our children as well. This becomes a slippery slope and a dog will take full advantage.

Good parenting comes with truly understanding our dogs needs and being prepared to fulfil them whatever it takes.

What do you see in this photo?

14/08/2023

Another lovely puppy - Barnaby is just 19 weeks old and is a delightful chap. However, he pulls like a steam train and so we did a one hour walking to heel training session at my clients home.

He loved it! And was suitably shattered afterwards.

What a good boy!

Lynne 🐶😃