Positive k9 training "where sit happens"

17/10/2025

‘But my dog isn’t food motivated!’

I hear this often. Online or in person. ‘He doesn’t like treats’. ‘I’ve tried reward based and it doesn’t work for my dog’. ‘I’ve used a whole roast chicken and he ignored it!’

I hear this every week.

I have a question for you. What is your favourite food in the world? Mine is probably anything with pesto. Pesto pasta with lashings of cheese and some tomatoes and a crackle of black pepper.

Now imagine we are at a theme park. We sit for lunch and you’ll probably say yes to that absolute favourite food. Now we are on the biggest rollercoaster about to go down the drop. You know that moment it holds and you can feel your adrenaline spike? You turn to me and offer me a plate of pesto pasta.

Honestly. I’m gonna tell you to f**k off in that moment. I’m about to go down a huge drop on a terrifying roller coaster! Now is not the time for food even if it’s my absolute favourite!!

Now I’d like you to picture your dog in a park. There’s other dogs around. Your dog is reactive to other dogs. You offer him some cheese and he ignores it totally. You look at me exasperated saying ‘see! He isn’t food motivated!’

He is. He is just on the emotional rollercoaster. His body has kicked into that ‘fight flight’ response and food simply isn’t appropriate. This can be out of fear or excitement. It isn’t that he doesn’t like food, it’s that there’s an emotional barrier stopping that food from being motivational in this moment. It’s a sign your dog is overwhelmed if he starts to ignore food.

There’s lots of ways to improve this. Food is one of the easiest reinforcers we can use because it is cheap, we can reinforce often, it’s easy to carry and have on our person and one of the most simple ways to train. We just need to get him off the rollercoaster and show him that dogs in the park do not mean PANIC STATIONS or PARTY TIME! There’s lots of other reinforcers we can use of course, but food is typically one of the easiest for us humans to use.

I guarantee your dog is food motivated. You’re just trying to feed him on the rollercoaster and that will never work. You need a trainer who can show you how to get the dog on firm ground first.

01/10/2025

Just a couple of places left for this class, any questions just ask

New Puppy class starting on Saturday 18th of October at the lovely Whitland Memorial Hall the class will start at 09:30 and last an hour, the class lasts for 3 weeks and will give you some insight into how to get your puppy to do many of the things you want such as walking nicely on the lead, coming as soon as you call them, meeting other dogs and people and basically settings them up to make great choices in life.
Reward based training doesn't mean permissive.
It's about showing you how to get your dog to do the behaviours you want but keep or build an amazing bond with them.

20/09/2025

New Puppy class starting on Saturday 18th of October at the lovely Whitland Memorial Hall the class will start at 09:30 and last an hour, the class lasts for 3 weeks and will give you some insight into how to get your puppy to do many of the things you want such as walking nicely on the lead, coming as soon as you call them, meeting other dogs and people and basically settings them up to make great choices in life.
Reward based training doesn't mean permissive.
It's about showing you how to get your dog to do the behaviours you want but keep or build an amazing bond with them.

25/08/2025

I pull up to grab a coffee, open the boot and let the lazy lesson begin. It’s the easiest dog training and totally underestimated.

Dogs don’t only learn by doing, they learn by watching. Pongrácz showed dogs figured out detour problems quicker when they’d seen a human do it first. Fugazza and Miklósi proved with “Do As I Do” that they can even copy novel behaviours on cue. Range found that when dogs watch other dogs, they don’t just copy, they take the goal and work out the most efficient way to get it. Watching counts.

And while they’re watching, they’re smelling. Classic work by Scott and Fuller showed puppies exposed to more sensory experiences, including scent, grew up less fearful and more resilient. Gazzano confirmed that varied exposure in puppyhood leads to pups who explore more and adapt better. Jezierski and McGowan showed that familiar odours act as a social buffer, reducing stress and helping dogs settle. Smelling the world counts - possible as much, if not more than watching.

So, when these pups are sat in the car boot with the world rolling past, they’re not wasting time. They’re learning. They’re building a bank of information about how the world looks, moves and smells. When they’re too young for a walk - get owners to take them for a drive. Science tells us those quiet moments matter.

Learn more at: www.thejrhacademy.com

03/08/2025

Just a couple of spaces left for this fun filled 3 week class to set you on the right path with your puppy. Not only do you get help with the basics but also an insight into how to work with your dogs natural instincts instead of against them.
Any questions, pop me a message

Next set of puppy classes starting at Whitland Memorial Hall. This 3 week class gives you a great start in teaching your puppy the foundation for your great life together only 3 spaces left so booking soon is advised. Any questions just drop me a message or email

30/07/2025

Hope to see you later with Rawr&More Whitland Community News

09/07/2025

Professional dog training services for a happy, healthy pup.

20/06/2025

🐕HEATSTROKE IN DOGS🐕

We've been banging on about this for years! HEATSTROKE is a MEDICAL EMERGENCY! Fortunately, now more and more professionals are communicating the same message!

Whilst the need for rapid cooling with COLD water (1-15°C) has been recognised for decades in equestrian and human medicine, the dog world has lagged behind, and very poor information still circulates. e.g. "cool the paws", "cover with wet towels", "avoid cold water as it will cause shock"

THE KEY MESSAGES ARE............

💦"WET THEN VET"💦

💦"COLD WATER IMMERSION" (1-15°C)💦
(If you can't immerse, keep pouring ANYTHING COLD over the dog - hose, soft drinks, milk, etc)

💦Dogs die of heatstroke because they were NOT COOLED QUICKLY ENOUGH, NOT BECAUSE THEY WERE COOLED!

♨️RISK FACTORS FOR HEATSTROKE IN HOT WEATHER♨️

♨️Large dogs
♨️DOUBLE-COATED breeds
♨️Brachycephalic breeds
♨️June, July, August (UK)
♨️Exercise, being outdoors, left in cars

EDIT: - If a dog is PANTING, it's struggling to control its body TEMPERATURE! 💦HOSE IT TO COOL IT DOWN!💦

❤️PLEASE SHARE - Spread accurate information; potentially save a dogs life!❤️

CHECK OUT FREE RESOURCES HERE: https://askanimalweb.com/managing-dogs-in-hot-weather/

Welfare in the Heat: https://askanimalweb.com/heat-welfare/

If you don't believe me, look at the research: Beard S, Hall EJ, Bradbury J, Carter AJ, Gilbert S, O'Neill DG. Epidemiology of heat-related illness in dogs under UK emergency veterinary care in 2022. Vet Rec. 2024;e4153. https://bvajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/vetr.4153