Green Paw Dog Training

02/12/2024

Christmas Countdown Day 2 🎄

Some holiday safety tips for your dog. Unplanned vet visits increase in December. Here’s some advice on how to minimise the risk that your pup will need a trip ❤️

DOGGIE ADVENT DAY 2

🎄🐾 Keeping Your Dog Safe This Christmas! 🐾🎄

As we dive into the festive season, it’s essential to keep our four-legged family members safe amidst the holiday magic! Christmas brings a world of new sights, smells, and, yes, hazards that can be tempting for curious pups. Here are some tips to ensure your dog has a safe and merry Christmas:

Foodie Temptations Under the Tree 🍫🥧 We often place delicious treats under the tree as gifts, but keep in mind that chocolate, mince pies, and other festive goodies can be toxic to dogs! Consider keeping food presents out of paw’s reach or saving them for the big day.

The Tree Itself 🌲 A Christmas tree can be a novelty for dogs, but it can also be dangerous. Avoid low-hanging decorations, tinsel or edible ornaments that might look like toys or treats. A sturdy pen around the tree is a great way to keep it safely out of reach while still letting your dog enjoy the holiday spirit.

Plants to Watch Out For 🌺 Poinsettias, mistletoe, and holly add a lovely touch but are toxic to dogs if ingested. Place holiday plants on high shelves or out of your dog’s reach entirely.

Electrical Cords 🔌 With more lights and decorations, there are usually more cords around. Try to hide or secure them, as chewing on electrical cords can lead to serious injuries.

Keeping these precautions in mind will ensure a safe, joyful Christmas for both you and your dog. Wishing you a season full of joy, warmth, and wagging tails! 🐕❤️

Green Paw Dog Training So Help Me Dog DogWuf Training Blue Lemon Dog Training

01/12/2024

🎄 Throughout December I will be collaborating with some fabulous like-minded human beings. Together, we are bringing you our Doggie Advent Calendar - daily posts packed with useful tips and ideas to help you and your doglets through the festive period.

Like👍, Love ❤️, Tag @ or Share ⤴️ to keep us at the top of your feed so you don't miss out!

⬇️ See below to discover who I'm working with...

🎅🏻 So Help Me Dog: I’m Emma! I’m a fully qualified COAPE Dog Behaviourist & ISCP Advanced Canine Practitioner (Level 6). I work on a 1-1 basis with puppies and dogs of all ages and backgrounds with all types of training or behaviour struggles. I cover South Oxfordshire and West Berkshire primarily but am happy to travel further afield 🐶🐾

🎅🏼 Blue Lemon Dog Training: Cerys is an ABTC registered dog trainer and Animal Behaviour Technician PACT( level 5) who loves bringing the world of scent detection to pet dogs for fun and competition. She covers South Oxfordshire and West Berkshire.

🎅🏼 DogWuf Training: Ali is a C&G Scent Instructor & Handler, and a KAD Approved Professional. She uses Scentwork in her work, helping families with new puppies, babies, or dog fears, and educating children about dogs. She also offers Gundog Training having qualified through the Gundog Trainers Academy. She's finishing her Level 5 behaviour qualification with The DoGenius Institute and founded BeKind Rescue UK.

🎅🏼 Barkshire Dog Training: Sarah is a qualified Predation Substitute Instructor and specialises in helping you build a stronger bond with your dog through personalised training focused on life skills like lead work, and recall that focuses on dogs who love to chase wildlife. She covers Berkshire and surrounding counties.

30/11/2024

November's Theme: A Sustainable Christmas

Instead of buying lots of toys or products that may end up in the bin, consider creating a festive enrichment box for your dog.

Fill a cardboard box with treats, interesting smells, old packaging (think toilet roll tubes or boxes), a natural chew or two*, and a few of their favourite toys.

On the big day, let your dog explore and enjoy the hunt. This is a great, low-waste way to keep them entertained while also engaging their brain.

*Natural chews are often available without plastic packaging. Chews like antlers, yak milk chews, or dried fish skins can last longer and provide both entertainment and health benefits for your dog.

These thoughtful, sustainable options will help reduce waste while ensuring your dog has a fantastic, fun-filled Christmas.

27/11/2024

What training have you done with your pup this week?

We have been watching the world go by....

24/11/2024

November's Theme: Why does your dog bark excessively?

To understand how this is going to stop your dog from barking at everything, I need you to think about something you're scared of. Ideally, something that you're scared of, but people around you regularly tell you "that can't hurt you".

It could be spiders. It could be needles. Maybe heights, bugs, or things full of holes (hello trypophobia).

Imagine I give you £5 every time you look at that thing. You are allowed to choose the distance from the scary thing (a 'trigger'). All you have to do is look, and I’ll give you £5. So, you maybe choose to be 50m away, glancing at the spider or cliff edge every few seconds and raking in the £££.

If, after you’ve made an easy £100, I say that I’ll only keep giving you £5 per glance if you move one metre closer. Would you do it?

Absolutely. Nothing went wrong at 50m and you’ve got your eye on a new TV. You move to 49m and keep on glancing.

You’ve now made £250 from me, in just 50 glances at your trigger. I say I’ll only keep going if you do it again at 48m away. Do you step another metre closer to the scary thing to make another easy stack of cash?

Can you see that, over time, knowing that you’ll receive something valuable when you look, you may start to feel more comfortable and even excited to glance at your trigger?

Over weeks or months, I could get you beginning to feel a flash of excitement when you see that spider or needle or height, because it brings back positive memories of making a few thousand pounds in just a few minutes a day over a couple of months.

For dogs, rewarding them when they remain calm glancing at a trigger works in a similar way. It's about shifting their emotional response from fear to neutrality, or even anticipation of something good. This does take time though. Think of the thing you are scared of, and how long it would take for those glances to become positive. You may not understand your dog’s fear, but hopefully you can see that fears are unique to the person experiencing them.

If you'd like to understand more about your dog's barking (including other reasons than fear), have a look at my article www.greenpaw.org.uk/articles/stop-barking

21/11/2024

What are your plans this weekend?

Mine very much depend on the weather 🥶😆

18/11/2024

November's Theme: A Sustainable Christmas

A sustainable Christmas isn’t just about toys. It's also about slowing down in the colder weather, and maybe creating thoughtful, homemade gifts that your family, friends and dog will truly appreciate.

One way to do this is by making your own dog-friendly Christmas treats.
Last year, I made miniature 'Christmas puds' with oats, banana, peanut butter, and blueberries, topped with a little cream cheese and a spinach leaf and raspberry seed 'holly & ivy'. My family dog loved them, and I knew exactly what went into them, wholesome ingredients and no plastic packaging to boot. The humans all gave them a try too... without the spinach leaf!

Making treats at home not only reduces plastic waste from packaging but also allows you to know what your dog is really eating. You can personalise the recipe to suit your dog’s preferences and dietary needs. So why not spend an afternoon baking up some festive goodies for the dogs in your life this Christmas?

If you're unsure how to incorporate fresh fruit and veg safely into your dog's diet, then head to my website and sign up to my newsletter for my free guides on exactly this: www.greenpaw.org.uk/sign-up.

15/11/2024

It's Friday and we are running into the weekend with all the enthusiasm!

What are your weekend plans? 🌳🐶🥰

12/11/2024

November's Theme: Why does your dog bark excessively?

Excessive barking can stem from a range of reasons. Certain vocal breeds like Beagles, Dachshunds or Yorkshire Terriers have a natural tendency to bark more than others, but even quieter breeds can develop this habit if something in their environment triggers them. Some common triggers include:

🐶 Boredom or Frustration: If a dog doesn’t receive enough physical or mental stimulation, they may bark out of boredom.

🐶 Connection-Seeking (also known as Attention-Seeking): Dogs may also bark simply because they’ve learned it’s how they best get your attention, whether they want to play, have a fuss, go for a walk, or have their dinner.

🐶 Fear or Anxiety: Dogs may bark at unfamiliar objects, people, or noises because they see them as threats. Fear-based barking often stems from a lack of confidence or negative experiences with unfamiliar stimuli.

🐶 Territorial or Protective Barking: Some dogs feel the need to defend their home or family, which leads to barking when they sense a potential intruder.

Diving properly into each of these reasons in a couple of short social posts won't do them justice, so I've explored each of these in detail in an article on my website. [www.greenpaw.org.uk/articles/stop-barking]

09/11/2024

Join me in congratulating the recent Graduates from 'How to Train Your Dog' who were amazing!

Huge Congratulations to these awesome dogs and their guardians.

07/11/2024

I have two spaces left on my final 'How to Train Your Dog' Classes of 2024.

If you would like to come along and learn more about how your pup's brain works, alongside teaching them a solid 'settle' behaviour, then we'd love to have you!

They start Monday 11th November at 7:45pm and run for six weeks.

If you'd like to see more details, head to https://www.greenpaw.org.uk/train-your-dog. There's a 10% discount when you go to book.

06/11/2024

November's Theme: A Sustainable Christmas

Toys are often a big part of Christmas where our dogs are concerned, but many are made from non-sustainable materials and can quickly end up in the bin. Instead of adding to that 100 million bags of rubbish, why not:

🎁 Opt for toys made from h**p, cotton, or natural rubber, so they can be composted or recycled when they wear out
🎁 Choose toys that are designed for repeat use, such as lick mats and Paws in Earnest's Rylo
🎁 If your dog is a chewer, go for toys that are durable enough to last longer, and only let your dog play with them in a non-destructive way
🎁 If the destruction is part of the fun, why not patch up old toys so they can be re-destroyed
🎁 If it's all about tearing up the paper for your dog, why not wrap up an old toy but stuff it with treats so they get the joy of unwrapping while finding a surprise inside?
Often, it’s the time spent together playing that brings more joy to your dog than brand-new toys. Let’s make this Christmas less about novelty and more about meaningful moments.

Has this given you any thoughts about what you'll be getting your pup this year?

*GWP Group "Christmas packaging facts and waste statistics (2024 update)"

04/11/2024

Please join me in congratulating these wonderful puppies who have graduated from Puppy Life Skills.

Guardians now have the tools for relaxed lead walking, solid recall, 'cafe' behaviour, and impulse control.

They were all superstars 🥰🐶🌟

31/10/2024

October's Theme: Why your dog doesn't listen

The domestication of dogs started at least 15,000 years ago, with some studies stating that humans and dogs were living together up to 60,000 years ago. Specific selective breeding for different 'jobs' started about 5,000 years ago, and in the 19th Century breed types as we know them began to be classified - prior to that, they were known under generic roles, 'hunting dog', 'hound', 'herding dog' and so on.

It's only in fairly recent times that every breed has become a general 'pet' dog.

However, we have not undone the thousands of years that came before; and these breed-specific traits are usually what draws us to specific dogs.

It does mean that, sometimes, a dog who 'doesn't listen' is actually a breed-type that's incompatible or struggles with a particular cue. They are battling generations of instincts. Here are a few examples:

🏠 Trying to train a Livestock Guardian Breed not to bark at people approaching the home
🦌 Expecting perfect recall from a hound in the woods
☘️ Asking a terrier not to dig in the garden

It's not that these are impossible requests, and some individuals find them easier than others. It's just worth checking your dog's historical purpose if you're really struggling with something, and then accepting it will take a lot more time to train that desired cue than you had hoped.

Please share this post with someone you think it could help.



*'A brief history of breeding' by Dogtime

28/10/2024

This little lady has been an absolute joy to work with. She has built up to walking on a loose lead in new areas and even quiet woodlands ❤️

In addition, she will be the star of my future online course on lead walking. I’m afraid I’ve no timeline on it…. editing videos takes forever 🙈 and I’m getting my Calm Anywhere: The Ultimate Settling Course out first!

I am so glad I asked her family about filming her training in the first session. I couldn’t have asked for a better pup and set up.

Thank you to Beryl* and her whole family for their time, patience, and for all the practice they’ve given their girl

Lasting Leadwork is one of my flagship in-person programmes. If you are local and would like some help with your dog’s lead walking, just send me a message ✉️

25/10/2024

October's Theme: Food Waste

Reducing food waste doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are some (fairly) simple options:

📱 Use apps such as Olio and Too Good to Go: These connect you with surplus food from local businesses, so you can enjoy delicious meals at a fraction of the cost while saving food from the bin. They are especially great for those living in cities and towns.

🥦 Buy yellow-sticker: Look for reduced-price fresh vegetables and other items at the supermarket. These are often still perfectly good but at risk of being thrown away. You get both cheap veg AND you reduce the supermarket's food waste from potentially unsold food. My husband and I 'yellow-sticker' shop a few times a week.

🥫 Buy canned and frozen veg: They last longer and are less likely to go bad, whilst still ensuring you have nutritious food available.

🐕 Feed (beneficial) scraps to your dog: Certain vegetable peels, cooked meats, and fruits (like apples and blueberries) make great treats for dogs. Your dog is less likely to be put off by a funny-shaped strawberry or a slightly bendy carrot either! 🍓🥕

If you're unsure how to incorporate fresh veg safely into your dog's diet, then head to my website and sign up to my newsletter for my free guides on exactly this. www.greenpaw.org.uk/sign-up

22/10/2024

As it is Tuesday, there is only one thing for it.

Let's see those tongues... 👅🐕

21/10/2024

DogWuf Training has created a couple of great signs (and advice) for nervous dogs this Halloween 🎃