MK Dog Behaviour and Training

17/04/2023

We are finally back up and running!!!! Keep an eye on your emails, message etc etc for replies. Thank you all for your patience 😁🐶

11/04/2023

11/03/2023

We still see them, it really is this easy and not a single person queried us or even looked in our direction for that matter.

27/02/2023

Dominance theory is still very much taught to unsuspecting dog owners, the last few weeks have involved going out to dogs that have already been seen by other professionals who in turn have given incorrect, outdated and inappropriate advice.
Now we’re not aiming this at the professionals, they have been taught themselves somewhere and simply have not furthered their training.
Body language in dogs is misread by people so often, some behaviours are straight away deemed as dominant or submissive, and that’s simply not the case.
For example, a dog wanting to sit on your lap is being dominant and is in charge…… or maybe they just like the cuddles? Now if that’s a behaviour you do not want then that’s ok, we can help teach your dog a more appropriate behaviour instead, but they’re not trying to be your boss.
In the picture below you could say, or be told, that one dog is dominant: “I’m big and standing over you so I am the pack leader”, or is it “hey, watcha doing down there, I’m Derek and I like trees and food and toys and do you want to play or no?”
The other dog is being submissive: “I’ll show you my belly because I do not want to be in charge and you’re scary and sir yes sir” or is it “hey, just going to go small to let you know I am friendly and would like to invite you to have a sniff and get fo know me, then we might have a play or we could sniff together and maybe even chase those birds over there”.

Don’t let people tell you that your dog is trying to be anything but your friend, confidence is not dominance.

Dan
Understand, bond and thrive.

26/02/2023

We got the pleasure of working with this beautiful boy yesterday, the pictures do not do him justice but he is incredibly handsome. We look forward to seeing his progress.

24/02/2023

Please trust your trainer’s advice on best options for your dog. We always want you and your dog to overcome the obstacles and will only offer the options that are suited to your dog, not what you want to do.
We mean that in non offensive way of course, but it saddens us when the best option is turned away, the dog is then taken to someone who applies inappropriate training approaches and makes the matter worse.
There some great trainers and behaviourists around just like us, trust us and them 😁🐶

24/02/2023

📣Our next Puppy Preschool* course open for registration📣

This course will begin on

📅WEDNESDAY 15th MARCH

⏰at 7:30pm

📍in Newton Longville

Beyond any puppy class that people are used to, our main focus is on the mental wellbeing of your puppy.
It’s not about simply sit and recall, which we will be teaching of course, but also about how to raise a confident, well adjusted and well mannered dog.

Drop us a message or email for information ☺️🐶

*(For puppies aged 6 months or under)

19/02/2023

Everyone shows the end product, that perfectly trained dog!
Well this evening we decided to have a bit of fun teaching some new tricks to the boys, as you can see there is no perfection.
These are just the starting blocks, they’re chaotic, mistakes are made, laughs were had but the key point is to have fun.
Take the pressure off of yourself when training your dogs, take your time and enjoy the process.
Enjoy 😁🐶

19/02/2023

Are you listening to the dog? They communicate in many ways and with the rise of bite reports it is clear that we are not listening, or misunderstanding.
Here’s the first in a series of video’s regarding body language.

17/02/2023

We did not want to get involved but we felt we had to.
The dog training industry is the worst state I’ve ever seen, the vileness from all sides is disgraceful.
Here’s Dan’s take on just a couple of issues.

15/02/2023

What is the most recent thing you have taught your dog?

11/02/2023

Dan was called out to this lovely little lady today. She does not like men, in fact all men she does not know will be barked and growled at pretty much non stop. Within 10 minutes of Dan being there, this was the result. She even came over to him, climbed on his lap and demanded some fusses.
Is Dan magic? Absolutely not, but what he is good at is listening to the dog and acting appropriately.
Humans have a pathological urge to befriend dogs, even when they are clearly not happy with it.
We will be doing a video soon regarding interactions so keep an eye out.

08/02/2023

Please bear with us as both Dan and Anya have a lurgy. We will get back to you all asap

05/02/2023

We do love a scent session. Getting dogs to do what they’re good at and enjoy at the same time as other dogs doing the same can help with problem behaviours (we have easily distracted dogs and even dogs that are fearful of other dogs and people in this group), gives great mental stimulation and also improves mood in general.
Today we made use of our little tyres to make it a little trickier but as you can see……. This was not a problem for our team 😁🐶

31/01/2023

EDIT - https://www.mkfm.com/news/local-news/officers-at-the-scene-following-tragic-death-of-a-child-in-milton-keynes/?fbclid=IwAR1WVd1CegBxQSXHsJv14s5XlzvWTivmb7eh5RRrbmVZj0A-2fVNJYDKi-o

We are sending our absolute heartfelt condolences to the family of the poor little girl sadly killed by a dog in Milton Keynes today, such a tragic outcome. The dog has been put down by police at the scene and again we please urge everyone to not speculate anything at this tragic time. For the sake of the family please keep your speculation to yourselves.

Please stay out of the way but more importantly we urge you to not make any assumptions until the police have done their job.
Our thoughts are with all that have been effected by this incident and are hoping that despite reports, everyone is ok.

29/01/2023

Minnie and Euro showing lots of enthusiasm on the jumps today 😁🐶

29/01/2023

We don’t usually encourage this type of meeting but do you remember Monkey? He was the dog we posted about for information to an incident of an out of control bull breed dog attacking him quite severely, and injuring his 14 year old owner in the process.
Well Monkey is all healed up but is of course a little nervous now, has are his owners and especially of breeds of course…. Enter our Joey 😁🐶.
Monkey loved Joey and his a very small clip of how happy they were together, although Joey was not impressed that he couldn’t be off lead running around like a lunatic… small steps Joey 😂🐶.
While Dan was giving advice about interactions to Monkey’s owner on how as a human we have to be mindful of our own body language in order to help increase confidence, Anya was walking with Monkey’s 14 year old owner who was present during the attack, and was of course a little scared of Joey. Anya had her walking him by the end of the session 😁🐶.
It’s all about confidence!
So lovely to see Monkey up and about on his paws again 🥰🐶

28/01/2023

We are only human, we have neglected our own dogs structure recently simply because of how busy we have been and although we do apologise to the people who are contacting us, we are actually more sorry towards our dogs. Joey is our fantastic stooge dog, he comes out when we need distractions and demonstrations but we have noticed he has “switched off” recently. And we are completely at fault, we have been so tied up that he has not had his usual mental stimulation and this has been shown in his behaviour. So today, back to basics! Let’s be honest, how many have you through the Xmas period to now have not been exactly spot on with your routine? If your dog has regressed, it’s normally us at fault, take it back to the beginning and remind them of how good it is to be your friend again 😁🐶

24/01/2023

Don’t miss out 😁🐶

📣Our first Puppy Preschool course of the year is now open for registration📣

Beyond any puppy class that people are used to, we focus on the mental wellbeing of your puppy.

It’s not about simply sit and recall, which we will be teaching of course, but also about how to raise a confident, well adjusted and well mannered dog.

Drop us a message or email for information ☺️🐶

24/01/2023

📣Our first Puppy Preschool course of the year is now open for registration📣

Beyond any puppy class that people are used to, we focus on the mental wellbeing of your puppy.

It’s not about simply sit and recall, which we will be teaching of course, but also about how to raise a confident, well adjusted and well mannered dog.

Drop us a message or email for information ☺️🐶

23/01/2023

Our owner and behaviourist Dan sharing his views on the situation highlighted by Panorama this evening.

22/01/2023

We were back with our friends at National Animal Welfare Trust Bedfordshire and did a little bit of work with this handsome chap.

Please meet Caesar,

Caesar is an 11 month old mastiff cross who came into our care to find a new home because his previous owners no longer had the time for him.

Caesar is a very sweet boy who loves to be around people and having lots of fuss and attention. However, he is nervous in new surroundings which has resulted in some negative behaviours. He will need a patient and confident new owner who will help him settle into the home. Caesar doesn't like it when he is left alone and would like to find an owner who is around throughout most of the day.

Caesar has grown up around a cat who he got on well with and although he has never lived with another dog he is happy to greet them when out on a walk. However, Caesar can be a bit defensive around food when other animals are around and therefore we feel he would be best suited to a home where he is the only pet in the household.

Caesar is a very playful boy who loves all types of toys! He is strong and will destroy soft toys easily. Caesar has loads of energy and would love an active owner who can take him on plenty of long and exciting walks.

If you could offer Caesar the home he is looking for, please contact reception at Hula.

19/01/2023

*APPLICATIONS CLOSE JAN 31st.

Have you got the right stuff? Join one of the longest standing and respected training providers in Milton Keynes.

Team MKDBT are looking for the right person to join us at an apprentice level with a view to learn, progress and eventually become one of our team.

What is the role?

Initially you will join us at an apprentice level, this is a volunteer role and your payment will be the training we provide you.
You will join us in our weekend classes as well as evening puppy pre school, watch, learn and help out in general. You will also be invited along to our 1:1 sessions, rescue visits and Puppy Consultations too, this will teach you all the fundamentals and an in depth look at getting things right straight away.
Eventually you will learn the skills to start to hold your own classes, 1:1’s and even with the right knowledge and experience become a behaviourist like our co owner Dan.

What are we looking for?

An enthusiastic and reliable person.
Some experience desired but not absolutely necessary as training will be provided.
Transport will be a must.
A friendly and approachable personality.
Must be available weekends and some weekday evenings.
An open mind to methods of training with an ethical approach.

So….. have you got the right stuff?

Please email us, do not message us on here, at [email protected] to register your interest, please include a CV and covering letter and we will be in touch.

18/01/2023

If you had a magic wand, what behaviour would you change in your dog?

17/01/2023

Our website is down, we have got our tech guys on it. If you have recommended anyone to check our website out please let them know.
We can be contacted here or email [email protected]
Thank you.