Tail Talk Dog Training and Behaviour services.

03/01/2025

**One space has become available**
** January 2025 Puppy Classes **
Puppy life skills classes starting 11th January
Contact [email protected] asap 🙂

02/01/2025

Gorgeous walk with Amelie today.
Some of you will have had snow walks?
Lets see them please 👇

02/01/2025

https://www.tail-talk.co.uk/puppy-classes
BOOKING NOW FOR MARCH 2025

31/12/2024

💫So its time to change our profile photo💫
As we have many Puppies booked in for 2025. I would like to see photos of Puppies please in the comments. Past or present.
Most ❤️ or 👍 by the 2nd of January will be our photo model of January 2025.
For Attention my wee Amelie 8 years ago! X

31/12/2024

Well its Hogmanay! 🥳🥳🥂🥂🥂
We would like to take this evening to thank everyone of you and The Dog Trainer School for all the support you give Tail-Talk.

2025 is a special year for Tail Talk Dog Training and Behaviour services. as it is going to be 15 years running! 🥳
We have had our highs and lows through this year. But what we are most proud of is our clients knowing that we care about them and thier puppies/dogs if its in a class or a 1.1 session, the service is the same.
It is very rewarding for us to see them progress on thier training journey and be happy together. We have so many plans and can't wait to share them with you. I want to thank Lorna and Karen for being so supportive.
We see Tail-Talk as a huge family and have met some amazing people that are now our friends. Looking forward to 2025!
Happy New year everyone! 😍love the TT team including our canine family xx

30/12/2024

It's that time again...🎇🎆

As we prepare to say goodbye 👋🏻 to 2024 and Hello to the New Year, here are a few helpful tips to see your dogs through the last night of the year 🥰

28/12/2024

What we teach is important. But how we apply what we teach is even more so.

Take ‘middle’…where your dog positions themselves between your legs. It’s often described as a useful behaviour for anxious dogs because it gives them a ‘safe space’ to be. But just because "they" say that doesn’t make it so!

Some dogs might find close proximity reassuring but, equally, some might feel trapped and cornered and their inability to display normal social signalling may hinder, rather than help.

Simply asking for a behaviour doesn’t automatically change a dog’s emotional response to things around them…we need to look at the bigger picture to determine whether it’s truly helping them or not.

Personally, I never use ‘middle’ as an emotional safe space. I think there are usually better, safer options if a dog is struggling. But I 𝘥𝘰 find it useful to tuck Charlie safely out of the way when cyclists go past on the narrow paths we often walk on.

You can teach a dog to heel but is it fair to ask them to do that all the time? You can teach a dog to go into 'middle' but will that really make them feel safe? You can teach a dog to 'watch me' but is asking them to not look at something which worries them reasonable?

What we teach is only half the story...how we 𝘶𝘴𝘦 what we teach is the other half.

27/12/2024

Hope you had a great Christmas day with your dog's. This is a day for you to share photos of own dog's and thier favourite pressie please!
Amelie's is a cracking rope snake 👇💝

24/12/2024

Find out how to keep your dog safe and content during the festive season.

21/12/2024

Tail Talk Dog Training and Behaviour services. We wish you all a very Happy Christmas and all the best for the New Year ahead.
A huge Thankyou to all of our clients past and present for your continued support.
Lots of classes planned , 1.1 sessions and Club walks.
Susan and Lorna are on a course for a year to expand our knowledge, which we hope will help many dogs and thier families.
See you in 2025! 🙂
Love Susan, Amelie, Lorna and Kol xx

16/12/2024

It can be difficult to cope with when your dog's behaviour changes suddenly, and your normally loving happy go lucky dog starts to behave awkwardly, refuses to do things, and perhaps growls or barks when asked to do something or approached.

Pain or feeling ill can have a massive effect on behaviour. Think about how it affects your mood when you're coming down with an illness or have pain that won't go away, and how much more difficult it makes doing the normal things you take for granted. As someone who lives with a chronic pain condition I have needed to take time to consider and understand this, and it has helped me to realise how much pain or illness must affect our companion animals, including dogs.

A change in behaviour occurs rapidly should prompt a visit to the vet for a health check to see if there are any illnesses or injuries as a sudden behaviour change can be a sign that the dog is in pain or feeling unwell.

A good and ethical canine professional will always ask when the dog last visited their vet and will recommend a check up to rule out any medical cause for the new behaviour before beginning to make a plan to help the dog and their people. Trying to change behaviour if there is a health or pain issue will, at best, be ineffective, and it is unethical and unfair to the dog to try training when they are unwell or hurting.

15/12/2024

An oldie but a goodie
Ever feel you getting watched 👀 its the gundog dummy that is the hidden retrieve Amelie 🤣

15/12/2024

Tail Talk Dog Training and Behaviour services.
Lorna , Kol and some of our puppy and young teen Club on location in Nairn🎄 Christmas style🎄

15/12/2024

We work with some of our clients dogs in areas other dogs are , so fully accept this may happen.
I agree with this 👌stay calm its best for all concerned. Susan x

Scrolling through FB this afternoon and 4 separate posts in quick succession popped up on my feed about off lead dogs approaching on lead dogs. In all of the clips the handlers invested their effort in berating the other dog owner instead of taking proactive steps to defuse the situation.

Now...I'm not for a minute saying it's ok for people to allow their dog to indiscriminately approach other dogs. Or that it's ok to have dogs you can't recall off lead. It isn't.

BUT...we live in a less than ideal world and off lead, out of control, "it's ok he's friendly" dogs 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 happen. They shouldn't, but they do.

It's always tempting to post things which you know are going to trigger people because they get great engagement. But are they helpful in any meaningful way? Wouldn't it be better to give people advice on what to do in that situation other than get angry with a stranger (which helps no one...not you and certainly not your dog)?

𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙙𝙤𝙜 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜...

• Ask the owner calmly and clearly to call their dog. This may work, it may not, but it is clear communication which alerts those around you to a potential problem. And, the more reasonable you can be (whether you feel it or not), the more people will, in my experience, try to comply.

• Keeping moving. Shorten your lead, about turn, maintain eye contact with your dog (if you can), head up, shoulders back & walk! It doesn't matter of your dog is kicking off...just keep moving. Your dog needs space, so give it to them. Staying to argue the toss with someone is the last thing your dog needs.

𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙙𝙤𝙜 𝘪𝘴 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜...

• make the best of a bad job and use the situation as a moment to teach your dog rather than a moment to get into a discussion with a stranger. Keep your focus on your dog and reinforce the behaviours you like as you calmly move out of the situation.

𝘼𝙣𝙙, 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮...

• be environmentally aware. Watch the other dogs & other owners around you. Are they connected with each other? Does the dog have a decent recall? Is the dog trying to engage with every dog it sees? Has it 'latched on' to your dog? Being more aware means you can be more proactive and lessen the likelihood of sticky situations happening in the first place.

Yes - it's frustrating when off lead "friendly" dogs invade your space. Yes - you should be able to walk your dog in peace. Yes - dogs shouldn't be off lead without a strong recall. But the reality is that these things happen so having a clear plan in your head for how to handle it when it does is a far more pragmatic and positive approach than getting angry, no matter how justified you might feel.

If we want our reactive dogs to be able to remain calm under pressure then it's only fair that we teach ourselves to do the same...

Image: the gorgeous Alfie who is not a fan of "friendly" dogs in his space

12/12/2024

We cover so much more than just Sit!
To raise a puppy its good to have the Right advice for your new family member.
Places going fast now folks!

**BOOKING NOW**JANUARY 2025
PUPPY LIFE SKILLS CLASSES
Start them off on the right paw
https://www.tail-talk.co.uk/puppy-classes

12/12/2024

4 weeks,4 walks, 4 lovely girls. All growing in confidence each week. Little tasks, all at own pace. Super proud of Jenny,Gertie,Maxi, Tsole and their guardians ❤

11/12/2024

So running joke is that Lorna never measures things or looks at sizes she gets on line, they always come much smaller than she thought! Today Susan's turn!
As you can see next to whistle 🤣🤣🤣